How hungry is your gasifier?

[GS7]

Since I'm sooo close to getting a gasifier, I'd love to know:

1. How many square feet are you heating?
2. How many gallons of storage do you have?
3. How many cords of wood are you averaging each winter?

...and anything you'd like to add

 

[heaterman]

1. How many square feet are you heating? About 2,800
2. How many gallons of storage do you have? Just what's in the boiler and system ....maybe 50
3. How many cords of wood are you averaging each winter? About 4.5 tons

I'm halfway pulling your leg. ..... The gasification boiler doing the heating chores in my humble adobe burns pellets at an modulating firing rate of 23,000 to 71,000btu so I'm cheating

 

[Fred61]

1. Heating 1100 sq. ft. plus 1100 sq. ft. basement.
2. 500 gallons unpressurized storage.
3. Three + - cords/year. One three to four hour fire per day, batch burn to recharge storage.
4. Boiler is in basement to take advantage of heat loss from boiler and storage. Big benefit, radiant zones never run while firing the boiler.

 

[GS7]

1. How many square feet are you heating? About 2,800
2. How many gallons of storage do you have? Just what's in the boiler and system ....maybe 50
3. How many cords of wood are you averaging each winter? About 4.5 tons

I'm halfway pulling your leg. ..... The gasification boiler doing the heating chores in my humble adobe burns pellets at an modulating firing rate of 23,000 to 71,000btu so I'm cheating

You got me good LOL, what boiler are you heating with?

 

[BoilerMan]

The square footage thing is quite variable as some houses are tighter than others. As well as the climate.

Heated space: 3,200 ft^2
Storage: 62 yards^3 of concrete (slab on grade with pex 6" deep)
Wood used: 3.5 cords for 100% heating and 100% DHW in a climate with 9,600 heating degree days

TS

 

[GS7]

1. Heating 1100 sq. ft. plus 1100 sq. ft. basement.
2. 500 gallons unpressurized storage.
3. Three + - cords/year. One three to four hour fire per day, batch burn to recharge storage.
4. Boiler is in basement to take advantage of heat loss from boiler and storage. Big benefit, radiant zones never run while firing the boiler.

I can't wait to move up from the insert space heater, One fire a day I could get used to!

 

[GS7]

The square footage thing is quite variable as some houses are tighter than others. As well as the climate.

Heated space: 3,200 ft^2
Storage: 62 yards^3 of concrete (slab on grade with pex 6" deep)
Wood used: 3.5 cords for 100% heating and 100% DHW in a climate with 9,600 heating degree days

TS

It's amazing how little wood can heat large areas with the right set up, even with the variables of insulation, ect

 

[maple1]

1. How many square feet are you heating? 2700 on two floors, with 1500 of basement underneath where the boiler & storage & the winters wood all sit. Standard 20 year old construction/insulation but on an exposed windy hill top.

2. How many gallons of storage do you have? 660

3. How many cords of wood are you averaging each winter? For all our heat & hot water: about 5.5 cords last year, the first one with the new one. Add $30/month for electric DHW in 2-3 summer months. Before that with our old one, it was about 7.5 cords + 150 gallons of oil for the year for heat & DHW.

To add: our house was never as warm with the old one as it is with the new setup. Not sure how you'd factor that into the equation, but I'd say we'd burn easily another tank of oil to keep as warm if we still had the old combo unit. If sticking to just wood, the old one just wouldn't have been able to keep the house that warm, period. And not worrying about feeding a fire until noon at the earliest on the coldest days (more typically later afternoon), along with not playing chimney sweep two storeys up on a slippery steel roof 3 times a year, has all been well worth the price of admission so far.

 

[JP11]

Since I'm sooo close to getting a gasifier, I'd love to know:

1. How many square feet are you heating? 6k plus Domestic Hot Water, Year round.
2. How many gallons of storage do you have? 1k
3. How many cords of wood are you averaging each winter? A little over 10 cords. Year 1 though, last year was sub-par wood in both species and dryness. Looking forward to this winter.

...and anything you'd like to add

If you're close to buying a boiler.. you BETTER already have your dry wood.

JP

 

[GS7]

1. How many square feet are you heating? 2700 on two floors, with 1500 of basement underneath where the boiler & storage & the winters wood all sit. Standard 20 year old construction/insulation but on an exposed windy hill top.

2. How many gallons of storage do you have? 660

3. How many cords of wood are you averaging each winter? For all our heat & hot water: about 5.5 cords last year, the first one with the new one. Add $30/month for electric DHW in 2-3 summer months. Before that with our old one, it was about 7.5 cords + 150 gallons of oil for the year for heat & DHW.

To add: our house was never as warm with the old one as it is with the new setup. Not sure how you'd factor that into the equation, but I'd say we'd burn easily another tank of oil to keep as warm if we still had the old combo unit. If sticking to just wood, the old one just wouldn't have been able to keep the house that warm, period. And not worrying about feeding a fire until noon at the earliest on the coldest days (more typically later afternoon), along with not playing chimney sweep two storeys up on a slippery steel roof 3 times a year, has all been well worth the price of admission so far.

I almost bought a combo unit, but I really want to completely get off oil. There is light ahead! Do you think there is any noticeable benefit to going over 660 gallons in storage? I'd imagine at some point adding more could become too much? Those tanks have quite a footprint too!,

 

[nrcrash]

I almost bought a combo unit, but I really want to completely get off oil. There is light ahead! Do you think there is any noticeable benefit to going over 660 gallons in storage? I'd imagine at some point adding more could become too much? Those tanks have quite a footprint too!,

The more storage the better!! Wish I had another 1000 gallons!

 

[infinitymike]

I don't know how you guys can burn so little and be in colder places than me!

My house was built in 1951 with no insulation in the walls or attic.
In the early 70's the original owners added 500 sq ft of second floor and 300 sq ft of first floor. While they were at it they blew some cheesy powder in the walls which has settled about 3/4 way down the walls. And some r15 fiberglass in the attic.

My house is 2700 sq ft of heated living space (which includes 700 sq ft of heated finished basement) also I have 800 sq ft of uninsulated/unheated basement and the 500 sq ft of uninsulated garage that the WG is in.

I have about 800 sq ft of my 1st floor that has a poorly insulated attic above it and poorly insulated walls. I did reinsulate the 500 sq ft of second floor attic with R38 last year.
The second floor and the extension on the first floor have fin tube baseboard.
The rest of the first floor has sun-rads that are recessed in the wall. They are just a short piece 3'+/- of wide fin tube baseboard. There is 6 of them total. Real stupid design because they cut out all the framing and recess them, the only thing separating the heat from the outside is a piece of 3/4" sheathing and the vinyl siding.


I keep the house at 70* from 5:30 am- 11pm and then the Tstat is set to 66


I burned about 7 cord of maple, locust and cherry that was barely 10 months old from
Nov 1st thru end of March, ( about the same the first year with even less dry wood) I'm on my 4th cord of pallet wood for DHW which I started burning in end of march. Actually it was the week before Easter that I got my first cord of pallets. It's 90% southern yellow pine and 10% oak. They are small chunks and blocks of pallets they cut up and load in 4x4x4 cribs


Man o man do I need to really insulate this place.
last year I replaced the front windows and siding. I took off the sheathing and found the powder insulation. I reinsulated with r15 roxul. I also redid my roofing and the 2nd fl roof plywood was shot so I pulled it and was able to reinsulate the attic.

 

[heaterman]

You got me good LOL, what boiler are you heating with?

Windhager Bio Win running at 21KW maximum which is actually about 72,000btu. It spent nearly all of the winter last year between 35-65% output.

 

[chuck172]

I too am confused about reports of low amounts of wood consumed. Simple math of the cu. ft. of the firebox, everyday for 5 or 6 months, even one load a day brings one to at least 5 or 6 cords a year.

 

[GS7]

I too am confused about reports of low amounts of wood consumed. Simple math of the cu. ft. of the firebox, everyday for 5 or 6 months, even one load a day brings one to at least 5 or 6 cords a year.

I'm guessing that's where the heat loss and square footage variables come in?

 

[Fred61]

I too am confused about reports of low amounts of wood consumed. Simple math of the cu. ft. of the firebox, everyday for 5 or 6 months, even one load a day brings one to at least 5 or 6 cords a year.

In the shoulder seasons, there is not a fire every day. Only in the coldest months. Some days the fire chamber does not need to be completely filled. Weatherproofing has become a hobby with me. Can't wait for winter when my wife goes back to work to dive into my next project.

 

[maple1]

I almost bought a combo unit, but I really want to completely get off oil. There is light ahead! Do you think there is any noticeable benefit to going over 660 gallons in storage? I'd imagine at some point adding more could become too much? Those tanks have quite a footprint too!,

Completely off the oil = very good thing.

I was always leery of electricity when it came to heating DHW, thinking that means big power bills. I was way wrong all those years - can't believe it was 17 summers of listening to my oil boiler cut in multiple times per day just to keep itself hot even when we weren't using any hot water. All the money I wasted...

Anyway, I would like more storage, yes, but I have pretty well all my practical space for it used up. I would recommend 1000 gallons to anyone thinking of storage, if they have the room for it. The difference in footprint space isn't that much - for two stacked tanks it's 30" wide x 9' long, vs. 36" wide vs. 9 1/2' long. That 6" extra width was too much for my space.

 

[maple1]

I too am confused about reports of low amounts of wood consumed. Simple math of the cu. ft. of the firebox, everyday for 5 or 6 months, even one load a day brings one to at least 5 or 6 cords a year.

My firebox is only 3.5 cu.ft., measuring the useable space inside. I don't try to cram it full, I stop when the wood stops going easily in - that plus a couple inches space fore & aft and my loads are likely less than 3 cu.ft..

Thinking more on what I posted above, I was actually pretty close to 6 cords & not 5.5 - not much of a difference but I should likely call it 6.

 

[flyingcow]

Since I'm sooo close to getting a gasifier, I'd love to know:

1. How many square feet are you heating?
2. How many gallons of storage do you have?
3. How many cords of wood are you averaging each winter?

...and anything you'd like to add

What are you using for heat now?

 

[willyswagon]

I don't know how you guys can burn so little and be in colder places than me!



View attachment 111853

Weatherproofing, insulation, and trees.
Not just the ones you burn, but the ones that block the howling winds of off the frozen Gulf of St Lawrence!

Oh ya 4.5 cords, 2700 sq ft

 

[hobbyheater]

Since I'm sooo close to getting a gasifier, I'd love to know:

1. How many square feet are you heating? 3,400
2. How many gallons of storage do you have? 1,046 imperial gallons
3. How many cords of wood are you averaging each winter? On average 4 1/2 cords per year.

...and anything you'd like to add

Average heat loose 15,000 BTU,S per hour Nov./ April
In Nov 1985 seen 10 days where the heat loose was 60,000 BTU,S per hour.
Summers are damp night day temperature range can get down to 40 f to a day time time high in the low 60,s . this summer being warmer than normal no heat draw days June through to now .

 

[BoilerMan]

I too am confused about reports of low amounts of wood consumed. Simple math of the cu. ft. of the firebox, everyday for 5 or 6 months, even one load a day brings one to at least 5 or 6 cords a year.

One load is not a full firebox, and it does not get fired every day.

TS

 

[GS7]

Completely off the oil = very good thing.

I was always leery of electricity when it came to heating DHW, thinking that means big power bills. I was way wrong all those years - can't believe it was 17 summers of listening to my oil boiler cut in multiple times per day just to keep itself hot even when we weren't using any hot water. All the money I wasted...

Anyway, I would like more storage, yes, but I have pretty well all my practical space for it used up. I would recommend 1000 gallons to anyone thinking of storage, if they have the room for it. The difference in footprint space isn't that much - for two stacked tanks it's 30" wide x 9' long, vs. 36" wide vs. 9 1/2' long. That 6" extra width was too much for my space.

About how much does an electric hot water heater add to the electric bill for 4 people?

 

[maple1]

I put in an 80 gallon heater. Two adults & three teenagers (two boys, the oldest a girl). Bill went up about $30/mo @ 0.16/kwh.

 

[skfire]

1. How many square feet are you heating?
2,950 sq ft with some tall glass facing south & DHW
2. How many gallons of storage do you have?
800+45
3. How many cords of wood are you averaging each winter?
4-5 cords(2-3 YEARS DRY) from Oct 1st to end of May
...and anything you'd like to add