Hello from the Pacific Northwest

[PNWguy]

New guy here, hello!

I'm hopefully breaking ground on a new house & shop in March, and have started to dig deep into wood fired boilers. They don't appear to be very popular on the west coast, but it seems like in ideal solution for me.

My house: 800 sq feet, slab on grade with radiant heat. The bedroom may be on the second floor (above the garage) and be heated with baseboards.
Attached shop/garage: 1,500+ sq ft, slab on grade with radiant heat.

I'm thinking of heating the shop to 50 degrees (F) and augmenting with radiators and fans when I am working.

I've been looking at the EKO and BioMass WFBs, and would probably add a 500 gallon storage tank in the garage/shop.

The house will be on 10 acres, but I have access to an additional 50 acres of trees to cut from. It's mostly pine, but there's plenty of them, and I'm willing to give up a bit of energy (compared to hardwood) because it's "free". I'm also considering using chips from a commercial tree cutting service as a bit of extra (free and mostly labor free) fuel.

Feel free to chime in with comments, positive or negative about my ideas. I'll try not to ask too many dumb-new-guy questions.

I'm really excited about this part of the construction.

 

[JohnDolz]

New guy here, hello!

I'm hopefully breaking ground on a new house & shop in March, and have started to dig deep into wood fired boilers. They don't appear to be very popular on the west coast, but it seems like in ideal solution for me.

My house: 800 sq feet, slab on grade with radiant heat. The bedroom may be on the second floor (above the garage) and be heated with baseboards.
Attached shop/garage: 1,500+ sq ft, slab on grade with radiant heat.

I'm thinking of heating the shop to 50 degrees (F) and augmenting with radiators and fans when I am working.

I've been looking at the EKO and BioMass WFBs, and would probably add a 500 gallon storage tank in the garage/shop.

The house will be on 10 acres, but I have access to an additional 50 acres of trees to cut from. It's mostly pine, but there's plenty of them, and I'm willing to give up a bit of energy (compared to hardwood) because it's "free". I'm also considering using chips from a commercial tree cutting service as a bit of extra (free and mostly labor free) fuel.

Feel free to chime in with comments, positive or negative about my ideas. I'll try not to ask too many dumb-new-guy questions.

I'm really excited about this part of the construction.

As an owner of an Effecta I am biased but would suggest you look at it. The Effecta has a built in controller, which leverages Outdoor Reset, that allows for 2 zones plus DHW. The boiler will deliver the ideal water temp for your radiant as well as baseboard zones. I would suggest going with a high efficiency baseboard allowing you to use low temperature water, getting the most out of your storage. My other comment would be to go with as much storage as space and your budget allow. I doubt anyone here will say that they regret having too much storage. You can get info on Effecta boilers from Tarm USA at woodboilers.com.

 

[PNWguy]

As an owner of an Effecta I am biased but would suggest you look at it. The Effecta has a built in controller, which leverages Outdoor Reset, that allows for 2 zones plus DHW. The boiler will deliver the ideal water temp for your radiant as well as baseboard zones. I would suggest going with a high efficiency baseboard allowing you to use low temperature water, getting the most out of your storage. My other comment would be to go with as much storage as space and your budget allow. I doubt anyone here will say that they regret having too much storage. You can get info on Effecta boilers from Tarm USA at woodboilers.com.

Thanks for the info John,
I have been thinking of placing the unit outside, about 20' from the shop door. This would give me a break on insurance and keep the firewood outside of the house as well. The Effecta says to not place it outside, but I'll keep it in mind.

Again, I appreciate the info.

 

[JohnDolz]

Thanks for the info John,
I have been thinking of placing the unit outside, about 20' from the shop door. This would give me a break on insurance and keep the firewood outside of the house as well. The Effecta says to not place it outside, but I'll keep it in mind.

Again, I appreciate the info.

Ahhh, sorry thought you were thinking indoor boiler.

 

[salecker]

Build a boiler building then you can use any boiler and storage.You can keep a few days of wood inside allowing it to warm up and dry out.
I have one and would build another if i was to do it again.
Make sure you insulate well under your slab on grade,especially if you are going to run in slab heat.

 

[maple1]

Quick input: remove the word 'probably'.

 

[Highbeam]

Are you in Washington? If so, only a few wood boilers are legal and only recently. No wood furnaces are legal.

 

[PNWguy]

Build a boiler building then you can use any boiler and storage.You can keep a few days of wood inside allowing it to warm up and dry out.
I have one and would build another if i was to do it again.
Make sure you insulate well under your slab on grade,especially if you are going to run in slab heat.

I was planning on a wood shed (on a slab). Interesting idea to completely enclose the shed.

 

[PNWguy]

Are you in Washington? If so, only a few wood boilers are legal and only recently. No wood furnaces are legal.

I'm in Oregon. My brother built a OWB and had a few blank stares and funny looks from the building inspector. My goal is to have it approved before I write the check.