Thanks bondo! Option 3 is really want I was leaning towards, but its the initial cost of the OWboiler that is concerning. Wood in my area is fairly cheap - $250 seasoned cut/split, $190 unseasoned cut/split, $1000 for grapple loads (~10 cords) uncut/unsplit, or free when I cut it from my backyard.
I was thinking if I had an outdoor wood boiler I could buy the grapple load and cut it to 2+ foot lengths and either split them in half or not. I thought it would be much less work than the wood stove.
Unforunately in my neck of the woods our state requires we have a specific EPA rating on our wood boilers. I am not sure if OWBoilers are looked down in my neighborhood as I am not aware of any. Although, we all have 4-10 wooded acre lots, so I would hope it isn't noticeable to the neighbors.
Could you give me some more details about your setup? What OWBoiler do you have? How often do you have to feed it? Did you install it yourself, if so how much effort?..Thanks
Ayuh,.... I not only installed mine, myself, I designed, 'n built it, 'n integrated it into the original oil boiler/ hydronic baseboard system,...
Mine is a 42"x 60" propane tank, inside a 54"x 72" salvaged industrial water sofener tank,..
that gives it right at a 100 gallon water capacity...
I studied many of the then available OWBoilers, 'n sorta went along those lines of thought, except, mine is a pressure system, rather than an open top unit...
I wanted to tie directly into the existin' system, 'n not have to use a heat exchanger to heat the oil boilers water...
Bein' a long time welder/ mechanic, I had no problem buildin' a pressure system, cause it only runs 12psi to 30 psi...
'course, I Tested my welds to 100 psi, just to be Sure...
Mine is a chunk wood boiler,... big firebox, ya just keep throwin' wood into,...
If, or more likely When I build my next 1, it'll be a Gasifier unit,...
Google will help ya learn what the Gasifiers are, 'n how they work,...
Unfortunately, by the time I'd heard of 'em, I was too deep into buildin' this 1, this way...
Though I did loose a year, by re-engineerin' it to burn wood Chips, but that's still in the works,...
Dryin', 'n handlin' the wood chips is problematic, in of itself...
'n,... My wood is pretty much Free, as I barter with a fella who owns a local tree service,...
I wrench, 'n weld on his equipment, 'n he keeps my backyard, Full of wood..
I burn alota poorer species of wood, but that just means ya fill it twice a day, insteada just once...
With this last cold snap, I'm fillin' it 'bout 3 times, though it ain't actually empty when I do...
This is an old shot of it, Way back in the build, front, 'n back sides...
I don't have any good shots of it, as it is now, but here's a couple of the loadin' door, draft open, 'n draft closed,...
Basically, I built a steel frame, insulated it, 'n covered it with tin roofin',...
But as I said before,... Look into a Gasifier unit, 'n ya also should consider a wood boiler, in yer cellar, if it's viable...
Donno how it is in yer part of the planet, but Progressive New York has already Outlaw mine, by ridiculous zonin', set-backs, 'n
STUPID stack restrictions...
My next build will be an In-house/ In-cellar unit, just to beat the State, 'n their restrictions...
