Hello everyone. I am new to wood boilers. I have been looking at a few owb's like CB 1450, Heatmaster G200. I want to heat 3500 sq house, water and clothes dryer. I live in central North Carolina where the winters are 10f to 50f. I want to run the boilers all year long. I will have to build a shed to keep the wood dry which is no problem. Right now I am running all electric heat pumps, water heater etc. My electric bills range from 450 in the winter to 285 in the summer. What I am wanting is some direction. I know nothing about iwb's. I know I will have to build a outdoor building to be able to have a iwb. I have quotes for both of the owb's CB 1450 10,300. G200 10,875. Both are with all parts to hook up with 100ft of underground thermopex.
Thank you ahead for any help I receive.
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Have an energy audit done first!
I cannot emphasize that simple point enough
Everything has its Opportunity Cost:
Opportunity Cost is defined as what you are willing to give up in exchange
to obtain something else of equal or greater value.
Outdoor Wood Boilers are becoming an albatross in some areas
where local zoning boards are no longer being allowed due to the
smoke.
Do you plan on buying split wood or cutting and splitting your own wood
It gets old awful fast.
After 33 years of feeding an indoor wood boiler I am not going to burn wood
anymore after this year as i have access to anthracite coal.
If you buy wood you will pay by the thrown or stacked cord and split cord wood will
typically cost you seven hundred percent more than when it is bought by the ton.
A cord of seasoned hard wood splits may cost you $240 dollars plus fuel tax and
will be the same cost as a ton of oiled rice coal or a little bit more due to freight costs
Pellets costs will vary with the season and the affects of the previous winters
heating season and may cost as much or more than a ton of oiled anthracite rice coal.
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About your home
You will be surprised at what is leaking heat.
1.you have to decide what will cost you less, home improvements
or a "Forest Eater" and building a wood shed.
You have to feed the wood boiler several times a day.
If you have a non pressurized system you have to treat the water with chemicals.
Your water quality will also be an issue and a water softener is a good idea for
the water supply for the boiler.
Hint- improving your home with an energy upgrade will make
huge difference and energy upgrade rebates are still available.
2. You would be surprised how much heat is lost to poor construction
materials and lack of insulation.
3. A pellet boiler is also a good option simply because of its simplicity
but the pellet boiler will use twice the amount of pellets in tonnage
of a small coal stoker stove or boiler.
4. A very small coal stoker boiler like a Keystoker KAA-2 is an option
that would fit in your basement and not require a shed.
5. You could build a shed to store some oiled coal if you want if you persue
coal as an option as it gives you the most heat per ton.
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I want you to succeed not fail and I want you to examine all the heating options
as you can buy coal in your area.
A pellet boiler with energy improvements will save on utility costs, ditto for a small coal stove or
coal stoker boiler to heat your home and hot water as they make more heat per ton of fuel.
Think
!! Examine the TOTAL first cost for the complete cost of energy improvements.
Examine and reexamine the total cost of installing a forest eater and wood shed and fifteen or more cords of mixed
hardwoods or softwoods each year.
Your forest eater may develop leaks so take that into consideration.
Look at a small coal stoker boiler, the cost of installation with a small shed to store bagged or bulk rice coal
and their life span, many are still operating after fifty years of service.
Lastly examine the energy efficiency gains from energy improvements B4 you do anything.
With the wild weather we now have and will continue to have energy improvements and a
small coal stoker or pellet stoker boiler will react quicker to heating needs faster with quicker
recovery than a forest eater because of the water volume.
Anthracite coal will provide you with more heat per ton of fuel than cord wood or wood pellets.
Think, think some more, then think some more.
Examine how much work you want to do to heat your home 10, 20, thirty years from now.
you can store bagged coal and pellets for years and as long as you have a dehumidifier to
reduce the moisture in the bags where you store them-preferably the basement you will be better off.
I made that mistake and I wish I had started burning coal 33 years ago instead of wood.
