wood stove heat exchanger with base boards?

[nuke4u]

Hi,

On my 1st floor den I have a Vermont Castings Vigilant from the 80s. I like to heat with wood, although the heat distribution to the rest of the house other than the den is poor, so I end up using my primary heat source, a hydronic boiler (oil fired) with 2 zone baseboards (1 zone 1st floor, 2nd zone 2nd floor). My boiler is on the opposite side of the house in the basement relative to my wood stove.

Would there be any way to tie in the wood stove to my baseboard closed loop(s) in order to supplement my baseboard heat and reduce demand on the boiler? If it could tie directly into the loop (around the middle of the zone loop), that would only be a few feet away. But if the wood stove heat exchanger needs to run all the way back to the boiler, then it would have to go down to the basement and across the house.

I don't really plan to do this myself (would have a plumber/heating specialist do it) but I wanted to ask around to see if what I'm asking makes any sense.

 

[webbie]

Although it could be done - If I had to weigh the cost and complexity against the benefit, I'd say it isn't worthwhile. The amount of heat you could get "to water" is relatively small compared to all the work.

 

[smokedragon]

Although it could be done - If I had to weigh the cost and complexity against the benefit, I'd say it isn't worthwhile. The amount of heat you could get "to water" is relatively small compared to all the work.

I agree. Sounds like you are trying to install an OWB in your house.

I would install a larger and/or newer stove in replacement of that VC, or perhaps a second stove. More heat and less hassle than what you have in mind.

 

[begreen]

Definitely consider simpler alternatives first. For better heat circulation in the house consider using a small table fan at floor level blowing air from the cooler part of the house into the stove room. If you can post a sketch of the floor plan we may be able to help you with placement.

 

[nuke4u]

The end goal I suppose is to decrease oil consumption and actually get livable heat on the opposite side of the house. My 1st floor rooms are laid out in a square (you can walk around the house in a circle). It's not that open. We've tried putting a fan to blow the hot air towards the dining room, but it didn't seem to help too much. It's hard to blow it the other direction because the wood stove is along the wall that the other doorway leads.

I'm expecting close to 800 gallons oil usage from last summer to this summer. I burned about 2 cords this winter before I ran out of seasoned wood, but it didn't make much dent in my heating bill. It doesn't help that we have an infant so need to keep the upstairs heat running at 72.

 

[begreen]

For sure it made a dent in your heating bill. 2 cords is a lot of btus. It's just that you had a long and colder winter. If you had heated just with oil I suspect your heating bill would have been 25-30% higher. A square floor plan can sometimes work ok. Post a sketch of it.

PS: Infants do fine in cooler temps. My mom told me she always left a window cracked in New England winters when we were babies. Our house was about 68F when raising two boys.

 

[smokedragon]

Our house was about 68F when raising two boys.

Raising two boys now and their bedrooms will get to 66 or 67 on the coldest of nights........dress em warm and they will get used to it

 

[begreen]

Our bedroom temps drop down as low as 64F in the winter. I like it that way and sleep better.

 

[smokedragon]

I like it that way and sleep better.

Ditto to that begreen.

 

[Ydiduc1]

Hi,

On my 1st floor den I have a Vermont Castings Vigilant from the 80s. I like to heat with wood, although the heat distribution to the rest of the house other than the den is poor, so I end up using my primary heat source, a hydronic boiler (oil fired) with 2 zone baseboards (1 zone 1st floor, 2nd zone 2nd floor). My boiler is on the opposite side of the house in the basement relative to my wood stove.

Would there be any way to tie in the wood stove to my baseboard closed loop(s) in order to supplement my baseboard heat and reduce demand on the boiler? If it could tie directly into the loop (around the middle of the zone loop), that would only be a few feet away. But if the wood stove heat exchanger needs to run all the way back to the boiler, then it would have to go down to the basement and across the house.

I don't really plan to do this myself (would have a plumber/heating specialist do it) but I wanted to ask around to see if what I'm asking makes any sense.

Like you I have a Vermont Castings Vigilant from the early 80's. I went through 6 cords of seasoned wood to heat my home (I purchased it as a grapple). On a normal month I would go through anywhere from 200-250 gallons of heating oil. But burning wood I had cut that back to about 250 gallons in 5 months. I am now looking at putting an air to water heat exchanger on the back of my stove and circulating the water through my base board heaters. I had placed a data logger behind my wood stove and found that it would be on average 120° F in my fire place. The data logger was on the brick floor of the fire place and about 6 inch back from the wood stove. So I expect a higher temp attaching it to the wood stove.
Unlike you my fire place is above my boiler, so my run is not that far. The heat exchanger that I have will be attached to the heat shield behind the stove, and once it is up to temp I will have a temperature relay start the circulator pump. I also plan on having some type of a dump zone in the event that the other zones don't call for heat. I have four zones (first floor primary, first floor secondary, second floor, and domestic hot water). This make sense in my mind but untill I put the theory to accual operation, I won't know. Then maybe I can sleep, at least until my mind starts pondering on something else.

Alan

 

[Enzo's Dad]

Maybe you could install central air... In the winter the air handeler can move the air throughout the house