Outdoor Wood Boiler questions

[Jonny006]

Hello all-
I need some insight here. I posted awhile back in regards to adding an indoor wood boiler to my existing oil fired baseboard heated home. The more I dig into this idea I am leaning towards doing an OWB for a few reasons.
First off, even though I have enough room to put the boiler inside, the idea of adding storage, getting it into the house, and lugging wood across the yard through bilco doors into the basement is not appealing. I like the simplification of having everything outside.
I am on a little over two acres in CT, and have @ 10+cords of wood. Given that there are many more trees that need to come down I think realistically I have wood for 5 years. Wood is also plentiful from various tree companies who can drop it off in the yard.
I have a perfect spot for the boiler. Its almost a straight shot to the basement about 50' out. The wood pile is adjacent to my intended spot.
My house is 1800sq ft with an additional 800 in a finished basement that is currently not heated. Colonial with newer windows and pretty decent insulation. I was initially going to just put in a nice woodstove in my existing fireplace like I had at the old house. Issue with that is the fireplace is in the north wing of the house in my living room which is 24x13 with only one door at the end. That room would be an absolute sauna.
So, given that info, are there any recommendations on OWBs? I know from perusing this site that y'all lean towards the indoor type but as I have stated, I am more interested in the outdoor. Dealers in the area? I know of one in Oxford, but I have yet to check them out.
I checked with the local code and there is no ordinance on having one.
I plan on doing most of the install myself.
Any and all suggestions advice welcome. Thanks!

 

[hobbyheater]

http://outdoorwoodfurnaceinfo.com/forum/index.php

http://outdoorwoodfurnaceinfo.com/forum/index.php

 

[flyingcow]

I think Econoburn makes a good OWB/gasser.

 

[stratton]

Jonny, look for slimJim on outdoor furnace Tell him stratton sent ya.

 

[ihookem]

Pick your choice. You can burn half the wood and split into 4x4" logs or burn twice the wood and split very little. I split cause I have a gassifier, but I hate splitting that stuff into 4x4 " 18" logs.

 

[mike van]

Jonny, you should do some more looking on ordinances, as the state of Ct. does have some for OWB's. I know of one that was put in without permits, and had to be removed when neighbors complained. I can't believe your local building dept. didn't inform you of this.

 

[tjvt]

Had I gone the OWB route I would have bought a Portage and Main. Don't skimp on the pipe from boiler to house. I think the good stuff is around $15/ft. I'd suggest building a structure around your boiler. Hopefully you don't have anti-wood smoke neighbors downwind or in close proximity. I know in VT most everything is complaint driven. A tall stack may help. I would think they would have setback requirements and/or required distance from adjacent homes. I know we do in VT.

 

[maple1]

Have you considered an indoor boiler, in an outbuilding?

Along with your winters wood. And a workspace/workshop. And maybe storage.

 

[arbutus]

^ Lots of good installs here with an indoor boiler in an outdoor enclosure as mentioned above.
The enclosure doesn't have to be a huge shop either, 8x12 or 10x12 will let you store your boiler, buffer tank if you have one, and half a cord or more of wood pretty easily.

 

[cityboy172]

Have you considered an indoor boiler, in an outbuilding?

Along with your winters wood. And a workspace/workshop. And maybe storage.

I put in an outdoor 7 years ago and am now going this route as we speek. I would seriously consider this.

 

[flyingcow]

Yo.,...johnny where:d ya go? a few of my thoughts.put storage in your basement. Build a small outbuilding for your indoor gasser. 50 feet from your house. just were you want it. 8x12 insulated building.with an attached dry storage for your wood.. when I initially looked at outdoor wood boilers 8 or 10 years ago, I could buy an indoor gasser plus storage and burn 30/40% wood, for the same money. . as long as the wood is seasoned properly the boiler will not smoke. this will make you a better neighbor. And a lot further ahead financially. In my opinion.

 

[NE WOOD BURNER]

I put in an outdoor 7 years ago and am now going this route as we speek. I would seriously consider this.

Which OWB and model are you replacing?

 

[cityboy172]

Which OWB and model are you replacing?

Central boiler, 6048.

 

[NE WOOD BURNER]

Central boiler, 6048.

So you will see a large wood savings then. I was curious if you where replacing an OWB-gasser

 

[cityboy172]

So you will see a large wood savings then. I was curious if you where replacing an OWB-gasser

This whole change for me is about cutting wood consumption. I bought this thing without educating myself first. I fell victim to the OWB sales pitch. Even after changing my wood burning habits over the last few years, that thing still went through a ton.

 

[flyingcow]

Yo.,...johnny where:d ya go? a few of my thoughts.put storage in your basement. Build a small outbuilding for your indoor gasser. 50 feet from your house. just were you want it. 8x12 insulated building.with an attached dry storage for your wood.. when I initially looked at outdoor wood boilers 8 or 10 years ago, I could buy an indoor gasser plus storage and burn 30/40% wood, for the same money. . as long as the wood is seasoned properly the boiler will not smoke. this will make you a better neighbor. And a lot further ahead financially. In my opinion.

Now I'm at actual key board. I hope the O.P. will respond to our thoughts. basically I put in a gasser next door in another building and my storage is the basement. Works very well for me. But i did this for the same money as an OWB and i am burning 30/40% less wood. BUT,......BIG buttttttt..WOOD HAS TO BE SEASONED AT LEAST ONE YEAR. Which I was supposed to do with the EPA compliant OWB.

Is a good old fashioned OWB cheaper than oil? More than likely, yes. But in your neighborhood......it will cause problems. i own only 50 acres......not big enough at times..

 

[Jonny006]

Hey guys
Sorry for the late reply. Had yet another child. Three under three takes its toll on free time.
I've read the replies. My head is spinning. The OWB seems to be hated here. And the Internet has some choice words for them as well. I get it.
It seems that while the concept is great there is a demand issue which leaves them to idle which causes buildup and problems. I think that what I'm really looking for is a setup like I had with my old woodstove. Feed it twice a day and it burns 24/7 in the winter.
I looked at the Garn jr but that seems like you need to start a fire, let it burn to heat the water then the fire goes out and you pull from the heated water until the temp drops and you make another fire. That would be great if I didn't work 60hrs plus a week. I don't want to babysit anything.
This whole process is super frustrating to the point that I almost feel like saying f**kit and just pay for oil. Clearly there's a reason all the houses here are heated this way. It's just simpler.

 

[hobbyheater]

Had yet another child. Three under three takes its toll on free time..

Congratulations. Many years ago we had two under two and can understand the work load, but also very rewarding!

I've read the replies. My head is spinning. The OWB seems to be hated here. .

As for myself and likely others on this forum, we do not HATE but just see a much better way !

That would be great if I didn't work 60hrs plus a week. I don't want to babysit anything.

Which ever choice you make, there is a price to be paid in TIME. Spend the time processing as much as four times the wood for a Conventional Boiler, or spend the 15 minutes a day lighting the Garn.

Our first boiler was much like an OWB; burned 22 cords per year. The gasser with storage is 4 1/2 cords per year doing the same load!

 

[NE WOOD BURNER]

Johnny,
Yes it is a daunting task at the research end. If you post some details on your home a layout, you will find a system on this site that is first sized for your application and efficient. I would suggest for your needs: water storage in basement and the gasser boiler in a shed. so find a system and add the cost of shed and underground lines and your in @ or cheaper than an OWB.
The members here are very helpful. remember sizing your boiler will allow you to cut the costs. different rules for gassers bigger is not better.

 

[maple1]

Hey guys
Sorry for the late reply. Had yet another child. Three under three takes its toll on free time.
I've read the replies. My head is spinning. The OWB seems to be hated here. And the Internet has some choice words for them as well. I get it.
It seems that while the concept is great there is a demand issue which leaves them to idle which causes buildup and problems. I think that what I'm really looking for is a setup like I had with my old woodstove. Feed it twice a day and it burns 24/7 in the winter.
I looked at the Garn jr but that seems like you need to start a fire, let it burn to heat the water then the fire goes out and you pull from the heated water until the temp drops and you make another fire. That would be great if I didn't work 60hrs plus a week. I don't want to babysit anything.
This whole process is super frustrating to the point that I almost feel like saying f**kit and just pay for oil. Clearly there's a reason all the houses here are heated this way. It's just simpler.

Having to light a new fire every day was something new for me with my new system. With my old unit, I lit a fire sometime in October and it went out sometime in May. After two years doing it this way, no way in hockey sticks would I go back to the old way. Actually lighting a fire is small potatoes in the big picture. Compare that to feeding the fire every 3 hours, constantly dealing with coal buildup, cleaning creosote from everywhere every couple of months, rushing downstairs first thing in the morning before I was awake so the house wouldn't go cold, staying up way later than I should have to get that last fire loaded up before going to sleep, processing more wood, etc. etc. - I didn't realize how much time was wasted on babysitting it. Now I light a fire just before supper and load it full (maybe 10 minutes there), re-load it full 4 hours later (another 5 minutes), maybe another half load on the way to bed - that's it for the day, repeat the next. Absolutely NO MORE chasing of creosote, there just isn't any - I haven't swept my chimney in two years. No more coal buildup. No more stumbling down stairs half awake, or half asleep at night when I'm 2 hours overdue for bed. Might sound to be a streatch - but I'm actually healthier now because of the change. Maybe a LOT healthier if I think about the slip I had last time I was up on my roof to clean my chimney - but I try not to think about that day.

So, lighting a fire every day isn't as bad as it sounds at first - there is no more babysitting with burning to storage than there is burning any other way. Way less when you account for everything else involved.

Congrats & good luck with the new one - there was a time in our life when we had 3 under 5 and I thought that was tough. Frazzled times ahead for sure, but some day you will look back with fond memories.

 

[flyingcow]

I'll throw in my routine.

In the summer, 1 fire every 4 days or so. Takes 10 minutes(as maple said) and i walk away. In the winter, I start a fire usually in the afternoon. In the deep of winter I will go back out and refill(my boiler is next door), sometimes not completely, just whatever I figure I need to get thru the next day. You basically will start a fire when storage is down low enough for a full load of wood. But sometimes I'll do a 1/2 or 2/3rds of a fire box, depends on my schedule.

I can see the simplicity of filling an OWB twice a day. But they do burn alot more wood. They smoke the neighborhood out. And alot of towns are banning them. Even the EPA compliant ones are not as efficient as an indoor gasser, and they still smoke.

With all that said, have you looked at pellet boilers? generally the price of cord wood and pellets are fairly close in btu's.

 

[Jonny006]

Ugh..
I've pretty much decided against the OWB. Too many negatives. I actually had a fitfull night of scattered sleep repeating "Garn Jr" over and over in my head. Weird. This forum does that to me.
I don't see me getting up to speed this year with any type of boiler. It's too involved for me right now to do it correctly. Whatever decision I make it has to be wood. I've got it coming out my ears right now and it is what I know. I like wood..
I want to do this down the road and I want to do it right. In the interim I'm going to get a new efficient insert and use that to cut down on my heating cost. Next year I hope to be more up to speed and can plan on installing a good gasified setup with storage. I can always sell the insert.
My wife thinks is a waste of money to get a stove and she is partially correct but to tide us over and save some money it's worth it.
I'll let y'all know what I come up with.
Thanks again for the replies and support.

 

[NE WOOD BURNER]

My wife thinks is a waste of money to get a stove and she is partially correct but to tide us over and save some money it's worth it.

I agree with your wife.

 

[Jonny006]

I agree with your wife.

I spent 3k in oil last year. If I can get a stove installed for 2k and spend 1k on oil I'm even. Next year, say I sell the stove for 1500 I'm still ahead. Especially if I can do the gasser with storage.
And as a bonus my house will be warm and cozy not hovering at 65 with kids that look blue!

 

[NE WOOD BURNER]

3 grand toward a correct sized gasser that can run without storage for a year could put you in a forward moving position.

I like the Garn also but its a large number to invest at one time.