Ok I now have three chainsaws.THNX

[ericjeeper]

We had our farm logged. They bought over 600 trees, So you know how much free firewood is laying on the ground. I have been cutting and giving it away, Helping friends out.
My house is heated via radiant hydronic heat in the slab. I heat with fuel oil water heater, and had solar as a back up.On a sunny day the solar would provide ample free heat to get me through the night.But on cloudy days I am paying 2.45 a gallon for heating oil.To make a long story short. I took an old wood burning furnace and cut it apart, using the firebox inside a 30 inch diameter boiler tank end..Welded it all up water tight(for the most part)
Took me almost two days of welding cutting and grinding and a whole 200 dollars for pumps and pipe and such.Now I have a wood burning outdoor water heater.It is not a boiler it is open system.
I have a buried 600 gallon insulated tank in the back yard that serves my solar panels. It has water in it. The panels are glycol, using a 500 foot mess of tubing for heat exchanger, and another 500 foot mess to feed my floor.
In order to not have to use glycol in this water heater, I simply dropped a sump pump into the tank. feeding a 3/4 inch line to the bottom of the heater, Then a 3/4 return from the top.. pretty simple plug in the sump pump light a fire. When sun comes out again or the tank is plenty hot.Unplug the sump pump, the water will drain back into the tank.nothing above ground to freeze.
wahlah, free heat.. well free as free gets nowdays..
well one new chainsawdolmar 6400, poulan 236 then a grinder from NT. I had to justify all them toys.

 

[Urbicide]

Hi Eric. Looks like your heating system might also be augmented by a little methane.

http://www.arboristsite.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=42153&d=1166825552

I would like to use radiant heat when I build my home. I would like to have hot water coils in the slab along along with electric heating cables as an alternative.

 

[ericjeeper]

nah no methane..

That is my mechanical room for the controls and pumps for the solar. It is sitting on the 600 gallon tank. to see my solar photos. go to
www.pbase.com/ericjeeper/solar
Might have to cut and paste into your browser
photos of my house are at
www.pbase.com/ericjeeper/pole_barn_house

 

[omegajim]

so at the risk of exposing my ignorance

What did the solar panels and all set you back? I can understand the wood heat, but the solar panels (quazi solar panels) and the water tank, and the switching equipment and all the diddling around, does it really save that much?

I used to believe more in the energy efficient stuff, until I realized two things

1) There's a lot of work setting up and running the "alternative energy" systems.
2) If you used half of that energy to work another job, invest more wisely, or hell, learn how to repair chainsaws you'd be just as well off. Probably why there aren't many of these systems around now.

I expect the situation to change, though.

 

[ericjeeper]

What did the solar panels and all set you back? I can understand the wood heat, but the solar panels (quazi solar panels) and the water tank, and the switching equipment and all the diddling around, does it really save that much?

I used to believe more in the energy efficient stuff, until I realized two things

1) There's a lot of work setting up and running the "alternative energy" systems.
2) If you used half of that energy to work another job, invest more wisely, or hell, learn how to repair chainsaws you'd be just as well off. Probably why there aren't many of these systems around now.

I expect the situation to change, though.

As far as the solar setup.There are some federal tax credits. and a property tax savings.. that me and the lady at the county are arguing about.. (whether or not it will include the value of the heating system that it is attached to)
I bought the six panels used. for 135 dollars each on average.. The tank is comprised of 15 sheets of 2 inch pink board , and a pond liner and then a concrete lid. All total on the solar I have 3k. I forsee a 3-4 year payback.
I will not fire the boiler on sunny days.
My wife got a little irked when I mentioned building a boiler she said"its always got to be something"
I never rest..
On a side note.. My heating system is optimal for solar., as all I need by design is 92 degree hot fluid flowing through the floor to heat my house.
I like to tinker.. It gives me reasons to buy new tools..
.

 

[Rodauthor]

I suspect you have considered . .

Solar and other low temp heat sources are well suited to your floor system . .but wood can easily generate higher temps than what is normally associated with the floor . . .I suspect you have already incorporated a temperature reduction Valve or dual pumping circuit to blend down the wood heater if needed???

 

[ericjeeper]

I am heating the storage tank

I am heating 600 gallons of water.. and only firing it enough to bring that temp up to 120-135.if it gets to hot. I can just drain the boiler down and let it burn out.
And it is hard to explain. but I am using heat exchangers and bypass valves in the house.. I can send some of my return glycol back with the supply to cool it down if need be.
Today I turned on 4 big loops for theattached garage It had not called for heat in a while as I have it turned down to about 55 degrees.. It sucked the tank temps down to 120 from 130 in just a few hours..so I opened the draft up a bit and manages to almost catch up when the loops closed after the stat was satisfied for temp.
I just wish. That I had planned far enough ahead to stack some firewood out by the solar panels.. Now I am having to pack it out there by hand an armload at a time , do to the MUD. Once the ground freezes or dries up.. I will go cut some ash and stack under the solar panels.

 

[Rodauthor]

You could add a damper

In a differnent time . .1980's I did many of the same things you are doing . . I am even licensed for it here in MI . . to control the temp of the boiler you could have an aquastat in the tank that would drive the a damper with a linkage attached to the draft door . . as the water temp fell the foor would open and when it was at the set point the door would fall completely closed . .the fire tube boiler I made did exceptionally well with this . .no tweeking in the middle of the night . . my problem was the time to glean wood and wife had allergies so even with it outside on calm nights she had problems . . so for me the solution was to simply . .burn water . .open ended water HP system . .

 

[Skooks]

alt energy

Hi there:

I understand the motivation for producing your own power. I have an off-grid cabin with a PV electrical system and our own water supply. I am just a little curious why you don't use a simple air-tight wood stove(s) instead of the boiler. The stoves are getting pretty efficient these days.

Cheers,

Don

 

[ericjeeper]

My house and garage are heated By

Hyronice radiant heat in the slab.
I pump hot water through tubes in the concrete floor. An indoor woodstove would not eat the houes near as evenly as this type of heat,Plus My garage is heated too.
Edited to ad. I am not producing power with those solar panels. They are hot water panels. for the sunny days..

 

[omegajim]

I suspected as much

I like to tinker.. It gives me reasons to buy new tools..

.....somehow, I suspected as much.

"No job is a true success unless you can justfiy getting another toy/tool." anonymous, maybe Tim Allen, like he would know anything about tools.