Outdoor Wood Boiler Heating System

[Lawnboi]

That gives me a lot to think on. Thanks. We are planning on building a farmhouse out on the family land and I’m looking for ways to just make it where we aren’t so dependent on others. We have quite a bit of trees on the farm and I’m a firefighter full time, but plenty of days off for working on projects and working on the land. I might be better off doing a wood burning stove inside for just the enjoyment and to help offset heating costs.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I would do one inside. As noted above talk to your insurance company first.

Being that you’re forced to buy an efficient unit in the US it means you need dry hardwood. Making wood isn’t terrible, but not knowing your climate makes a difference too. Last year we burned, we burned nearly 10 cord of oak. Putting up 10 full cord is a job in itself. I burned wood right from our property and it was still a pain in the ass. Though if I could have replaced my unit with its exact same, for 6K I probably would have.

 

[magtech]

Have had a boiler 4 years now. I buy 10-12 cord a year and cut enough on the property to cover anything more than that.

Cost WAS 8k when i put it in ( its a woodmaster 4400, not a effecient one)
Just to buy the unit now is over 10k

Benefits over propane.
1. HOT HOT water

2. Dryer/warmer heat from furnace fan vs propane

3. Cheaper yearly vs propane. Do the math for your own setup.

4. Freedom from manipulative propane conglomerates

5. Makes me have to move even when i give up on life in the winter


CONS
1. If you just want heat and dont like the work of cutting wood. Dont do it. A boiler is a commitment of time and energy. Its like having a dog at home that has to be taken care of. If you leave (longer term) you have to keep it fed or have something else keep the water from freezing.

2. Your total cost could be cheaper with just going propane every year. I save 800-1200 a year by buying a 12 cord semi load. Amoritize in the cost of the unit and thats 10 years before im even. 10 years of doing wood... but i dont mind cutting wood.

3. Youll need to maintain it. Door seals, ash, wood area cleanup. If you like doing firewood you know the drill.

If mine craps out before my arbitrary break even time i might just say screw it and stay with propane. The thermostat operates automatically on that. I dont have to wake up to the boiler at low temp and a cold house. Don't have to worry about going on vacation. Don't even need to care if i have enough fuel. It's just always working without me doing anything.

Somehow i inherited the cutting wood gene and i do it... do i always want to or like to.. i don't think i do. Somewhere in me my body just says i need or should do it... so i cut wood.

At the end of the day I'm pretty sure i got the boiler just as an excuse to cut wood and live that nostalgia.

It's the same thing with reloading. Are there advantages? sure...do i enjoy it? sure. An i saving money? at this point i don't even care to find out.

 

[Yellowknife]

That gives me a lot to think on. Thanks. We are planning on building a farmhouse out on the family land and I’m looking for ways to just make it where we aren’t so dependent on others. We have quite a bit of trees on the farm and I’m a firefighter full time, but plenty of days off for working on projects and working on the land. I might be better off doing a wood burning stove inside for just the enjoyment and to help offset heating costs.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If you are building from scratch and trying to be independent, I'd vote that spending the $10,000 on additional insulation and air sealing will likely better than spending it on a wood boiler. Then a small wood stove inside the place can heat it for a fraction of the effort. And insulation is permanent passive protection from both heat and cold and makes you less reliant on both fuel and electricity (if AC) regardless of heat source.

It does cost some money up front, but that was my approach, and I've had no reason to regret it. Currently burning <3 cords a year in Alaska, all easily acquired off the land. A previous house that required 6+ cords a year was a much more sustained effort to keep the stove fed.

 

[Jstumbaugh]

If you are building from scratch and trying to be independent, I'd vote that spending the $10,000 on additional insulation and air sealing will likely better than spending it on a wood boiler. Then a small wood stove inside the place can heat it for a fraction of the effort. And insulation is permanent passive protection from both heat and cold and makes you less reliant on both fuel and electricity (if AC) regardless of heat source.

It does cost some money up front, but that was my approach, and I've had no reason to regret it. Currently burning <3 cords a year in Alaska, all easily acquired off the land. A previous house that required 6+ cords a year was a much more sustained effort to keep the stove fed.

That was my thought exactly when we built. Good windows and insulation. Keep operating cost to a minimum. If you want to run a fireplace or woodstove for the "feel" its always an option.

 

[LargeFarva]

We have a Heatmaster G4000 (gasifier). When I purchased it a couple years ago, there was a 25% federal tax credit. I bought in December, so that softened the expense.
We are in a new home with Propane. Its a 3800 sq ft house with high ceilings everywhere...the high ceilings cost a lot of propane. Keeping the house at 65/66, we were going though $2500 in propane / winter. I can't imagine what it would've cost if we kept the house in the 70's.
With the wood boiler, we keep the house at 71-74 (too hot for me, but the wife is much happier). We spend a lot more time in areas of the house that previously were kept cooler. As someone else mentioned, we have HOT water. If we ever get a pool or hot tub, I can heat that with the wood boiler as well.

I have access to unlimited wood, and I actually like cutting wood.
When its 30 or below, I feed it 2x a day. Once its warmer than that, i can go 1x / day.

The wife actually said to me the other day - thats one of our better investments.
Jump on the facebook groups and do some reading.
No Ragrets for me.

 

[Yellowknife]

Youch. Those are some substantial heating costs.

I'm putting on my engineer hat here though. Heat loss is related to exterior surface area, air leakage and R value rather than internal volume. "high ceilings" alone typically have minimal impact to a heating bill unless it is also making a very substantial increase in wall surface area or your attic insulation is so bad that you are getting air stratification (hot at the ceiling, cold at the floor).

Having a house with many corners, bump outs, dormers and elevation changes on the other hand WILL increase surface area and thus heat loss. Those type of design choices can make your house act like an air cooled engine with fins. And big houses can have complex wall and roof lines that do exactly that.

I have relatively (between 9' and 15') high ceilings in my house as well, but the difference between that and a standard 8' ceilings was <$30 a year in heating when I did the energy modeling. Almost every other choice made a larger difference. And being an engineer... yeah, I modeled everything.