my house is now 100% oil free!!

[husky455rancher]

the last 2 years ive heated 100% exclusivly with wood, eliminating the use of oil for heat. i continued to heat my water with the oil boiler until today. i ran the tank almost totally empty then added a electric water heater in line with everything. i installed shutoffs so if for some reason i need or want to use the oil burner to heat my water i can do so with just the swing of a few valves.

im figuring my electric bill will probly go up 50 a month we will see. but the way i see it it sure beats coughing up 690$ right now for the 150 gallon minimum oil delivery that wont last me all that long with the tankless waterheater. especially in the winter when the wife likes to take melt my skin hot showers for what seems like 60 mins lol. well guess what honey the waters gonna run out alot faster now lol get in and get out lol!

 

[Scootermsp]

My CB getting hooked up this week

Another tip=> make sure the wife does all of your laundry in COLD water only. Mine switched in April and there is no noticeable difference in how the clothes come out. Just make sure you use good detergent. I plan to use oil for hot water in July-August only and go with wood only for 10 months.

 

[stihl sawing]

Another tip=> make sure the wife does all of your laundry in COLD water only. Mine switched in April and there is no noticeable difference in how the clothes come out. Just make sure you use good detergent. I plan to use oil for hot water in July-August only and go with wood only for 10 months.

Bingo, words of wisdom. Wash all my clothes in cold water.

 

[Engineeredlawns]

My bet is that you may not see $50 for the hot water. Hopefully it will be less.

 

[husky455rancher]

yup i been doing the same thing. the wife hates the cellar i could put anything i want in there and shed never even know its there lol. i wash the clothes she folds them.

im hoping its less than $50 i take a real fast shower and i shut the water off for half the time so im doing all i can.

 

[Rookie1]

I have oil heat and everything else is elect. I get a little break on elect. bill for having elect water heater. I actually have two,with 5 kids I go through alot of hot water. I use my furnace as backup like when we are out all day. So I dont think Ill ever be done with oil.

 

[Jkebxjunke]

Husky,
I remember reading an old Mother Earth News magazine that my parents had gotten.. and they had an article in there on a wood fired how water heater that someone had built out of an old gas water heater.

 

[Jkebxjunke]

also a 'solar clothes dryer' save lots of electricity...

 

[cantoo]

husky, have you considered putting a water tank beside your wood stove to preheat the water going to the tankless heater? I'm hoping to do this soon to see if it makes a difference in our electric heater costs. Just going to use an old hot water tank sitting beside the stove with the cold line running into it at the bottom and coming out the top to the electric water heater tank. I know the water won't heat that much but it should at least be room temperature. If it works good I am considering finding a 4" x 36" rectangular tank to fit tight to the furnace to heat the water more. Our furnace has an air chanber around it so the water shouldn't get too hot.

 

[husky455rancher]

mmmmm i was thinking today after me and my dad had it all done. now how could i put a woodstove in the cellar now? my chimney is pretty friggin huge but i dont know if i could tap into it again legally. it'd be nice to have a cheapie down there to heat the cellar if i wanted to do some work down there. since i doent heat with oil anymore it gets no heat at all. at least before it got radiant heat off the water pipes and stuff fopr the registers. it got in the mid to high 40's down there at the worst point of last winter. in the lows 50's with the avg outside temp.

 

[husky455rancher]

lol i dry the towels on the "solar clothes dryer" thats about it. they feel too stiff for me for me to use my clothes on it.


cantoo i dont have a woodstove i use a fireplace insert. if i had a stove id definatle do that same thing infact i was telling my dad that today when he was over. i believe it would work well if i can think of a easy way to get a old stove in my cellar i will definatly do the same.

 

[Jkebxjunke]

Husky.. yeah I know but there is a solution..its not perfect but it does help...put the dry clothes in the dryer on NO HEAT and tumble for 20 min... it softens them up a bit and removes the excess pollen that gets on them outside

 

[Rookie1]

also a 'solar clothes dryer' save lots of electricity...

Dude Id like to see some pics or plans of that solar dryer.

 

[logbutcher]

Dude Id like to see some pics or plans of that solar dryer.

"Solar Dryer" = "Clothes Line": a past antiquated technology.
Take that "Dude".
Instructions: Take 1 50' rope ~ 1/4" dia. Find 2 (two) trees. Tie ( "...the rabbit gosinta the hole....") round said trees at head height. Buy clothes pins to hold said drying clothes. That's it, Dude.
BTW: What's a "Dude" Dude ?

 

[Wood Scrounge]

I have been contemplating getting rid of my oil furnace too; I have 2 150 gallon tanks in the basement that are just waiting to start leaking. I also could use the space down there. I heat with 2 woodstoves right now that give me a maximum of 10 hours of heat per load. When no one is going to be home during for over 10 hours the furnace has to kick on. What do you do for heat when\if no one is there to feed the OWB\woodstove?

 

[mga]

I have been contemplating getting rid of my oil furnace too; I have 2 150 gallon tanks in the basement that are just waiting to start leaking. I also could use the space down there. I heat with 2 woodstoves right now that give me a maximum of 10 hours of heat per load. When no one is going to be home during for over 10 hours the furnace has to kick on. What do you do for heat when\if no one is there to feed the OWB\woodstove?

why 2 tanks?

 

[Wood Scrounge]

why 2 tanks?

The house came that way don't know why, when Oil was cheap it was nice to fill up once every 3 years. But seems like a mess just waiting to happen now.

 

[mga]

if you're heating with wood now and the oil is just for 'stand-by" or back up, why not get rid of one tank? keep one for emergency use.....

 

[Wood Scrounge]

if you're heating with wood now and the oil is just for 'stand-by" or back up, why not get rid of one tank? keep one for emergency use.....

That was a thought but both tanks are over 20 years old and I blieve they recommend changing them after 20 years.
I am thinking about adding a couple of electric baseboards for backup. seems like the cheapest solution.

 

[olyman]

hell, ive pulled oil tanks that were over 50 yrs old--that still werent leaking---only the one i pulled about a month ago was--dont know how old it was--but quite--as the basement looked like a afterthought------