Would this simple idea work? Wood boiler.

[777funk]

I see a lot of wood boilers for sale comparatively cheap used due to leaking etc. The leaking got me thinking... maybe it doesn't have to be as complicated as fired enclosure in a boiler tank.

Would it work to have an long wood stove (like pictured) with a 55G steel drum filled with with coolant sitting atop the stove. Then lines would run to/from the house like any other wood boiler. The works would have to be insulated and encapsulated. Obviously there'd be a more complexity to it than this (pressure valves, thermostatic control, etc)... but the concept, would it work?

 

[maple1]

Define 'work'.

 

[777funk]

Ok... this:

-Coolant regulated to 200F 75% of each day
-Burn less than 4 cords per winter doing the above (average winter temp here is around 25F)

Sounds simplistic but in theory if it was insulated near perfection, it's a similar concept to any water jacketed boiler. I guess the insulated to near perfection would be the difficult part.

 

[BoiledOver]

Sounds simplistic but in theory if it was insulated near perfection, it's a similar concept to any water jacketed boiler. I guess the insulated to near perfection would be the difficult part.

Yes it does sound simplistic. I like to tinker too and appreciate how you think.

My opinion on this is: If it were the way to go, manufacturers would already be implementing this method. Think about the research and development teams of all the stove manufacturers in the world, could they all have missed this? It may very well heat a home but the efficiency would be in question.

 

[woodsmaster]

heat transfer to the water would be poor, resulting in poor efficiency and a lot of lost heat up the chimney.

 

[Bob Rohr]

heat transfer to the water would be poor, resulting in poor efficiency and a lot of lost heat up the chimney.

A kettle on a stove? How would you provide high limit control? I suspect condensation on cold starts would be messy also.

 

[maple1]

Ok... this:

-Coolant regulated to 200F 75% of each day
-Burn less than 4 cords per winter doing the above (average winter temp here is around 25F)

Sounds simplistic but in theory if it was insulated near perfection, it's a similar concept to any water jacketed boiler. I guess the insulated to near perfection would be the difficult part.

Not a chance.

 

[hobbyheater]

The Jetstream used a similar idea with the heat exchanger sitting on top of a high temperature refractory base. The heat exchanger externally shows no wear after 30 plus years of use. The heat exchanger steel may be a better grade of steel than just mild steel as it is very hard to drill.
The refractory base is the expensive part with a lot of high temp refractory cement.

There are some pictures of that Jetstream and its replacement in this thread.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/aquastat-well-question.130442/