I'm planning a house with Radiant floor heating and an OWB. I am trying to find out aprox. cost for a unit to heat 1800+/- ftsq. The OWB will be less than 100ft. from the house. Concrete will be insulated underneath. Also looking for an approximation of how much wood I will burn. I'm in Maine, and the house would be kept at about 68. Thanks guys.
OWB for 1800Sqft?
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iCreek
ArboristSite Guru
Cost?
I think the cost will depend on brand, have you researched any local dealers? We got by cheap and settled for a used one. See alot of people using the Central Boiler brand here on the forum, pricey but very nice. Garn, Aqua-Therm, Shaver, Royall, Hardy, and Wood Master are some other brands I researched. You might look around your neighborhood and see what others are using near you. Prices could range from 4k - 6k depending on product and installation. Wood consumption could range 4 - 10 cord a year? At least that is what I was told depending on the temps and length of winter weather. Your 100' distance I would say is max. I wanted mine to be total under 100' so settled for 55' outside and 35' inside (can't adjust that inside measurement) : )
Glad to hear you are thinking about insulating the concrete, we did that a few weeks ago before we poured our slab.
http://icreek.com/stove/pour.jpg
Good Luck in your research, I am sure you will get some input from others with more experience here on the forum.
I think the cost will depend on brand, have you researched any local dealers? We got by cheap and settled for a used one. See alot of people using the Central Boiler brand here on the forum, pricey but very nice. Garn, Aqua-Therm, Shaver, Royall, Hardy, and Wood Master are some other brands I researched. You might look around your neighborhood and see what others are using near you. Prices could range from 4k - 6k depending on product and installation. Wood consumption could range 4 - 10 cord a year? At least that is what I was told depending on the temps and length of winter weather. Your 100' distance I would say is max. I wanted mine to be total under 100' so settled for 55' outside and 35' inside (can't adjust that inside measurement) : )
Glad to hear you are thinking about insulating the concrete, we did that a few weeks ago before we poured our slab.
http://icreek.com/stove/pour.jpg
Good Luck in your research, I am sure you will get some input from others with more experience here on the forum.
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do your homework!!!
I have a cozeburn 250 and love and hate it ...
If I had to do it all again I would make sure it had the coal option so I could burn grain coal pellets and whatever else I could get when wood is hard to find.
Tarm and others smaller more effiecent units are the way to go if your wood is smaller and dry .
coal is good if you can get it .
I am getting 16 hour burn times heating about 2000 sq ft with good dry wood but my good dry wood is running low as my wood guy is in the hospital and couldn't deliver my wood this year .
heating with anything is all good if whatever fuel it burns is easy to get .
keep posting and asking questions cause when its in you yard and runnin there is no turning back.
shayne
I have a cozeburn 250 and love and hate it ...
If I had to do it all again I would make sure it had the coal option so I could burn grain coal pellets and whatever else I could get when wood is hard to find.
Tarm and others smaller more effiecent units are the way to go if your wood is smaller and dry .
coal is good if you can get it .
I am getting 16 hour burn times heating about 2000 sq ft with good dry wood but my good dry wood is running low as my wood guy is in the hospital and couldn't deliver my wood this year .
heating with anything is all good if whatever fuel it burns is easy to get .
keep posting and asking questions cause when its in you yard and runnin there is no turning back.
shayne
windthrown
361 Junkie
Our Central Boiler was about $7,000 installed, with parts and slab (did our own labor). The house is a little under 2,000 sq ft and heated with hydronic floor loops. There are a lot of windows and skylights and lofted ceilings. Lots of heat loss here. We were told that we would burn about 5 cords a year. Maybe with a mild winter year and all oak we could just get by with that with the temp set at 68. We set the temp at 70 though, and burn more like 7 to 8 cords of mixes species a year. I would guess that in Maine you will burn over 10 cords in an OWB, maybe as much as 15. Depends on age of your house, the layout, and quality/quantity of insulation. Also window area, and if kids and wife keeps the doors closed, elevation, sun exposure, snow build up, etc.
If I had it all to do again, I would do what we did all over again. No regrets here. The OWB burns a lot of wood, but it grows on trees, and we have over 80 acres of trees here. It works well with the existing heating systems (solar DHW and hydronic flooring heated with flat plate heat exchangers). There is usually more windthrow than we can burn here, really. And if not, there are dozens of slash piles to raid within a few miles of here (we are deep in timber country). We also set our OWB less than 10 feet from the carport at the side of the house. There is a draw behind the house, and the smoke flows down that 90% of the time. Smoke has been a complete non-issue for us with the OWB. I would think before putting the OWB as far as 100 ft from the house. You have to fill it twice a day. Maybe build test fires and see whare the smoke drifts naturally at different locations. You may be surprised where it drifts.
If I had it all to do again, I would do what we did all over again. No regrets here. The OWB burns a lot of wood, but it grows on trees, and we have over 80 acres of trees here. It works well with the existing heating systems (solar DHW and hydronic flooring heated with flat plate heat exchangers). There is usually more windthrow than we can burn here, really. And if not, there are dozens of slash piles to raid within a few miles of here (we are deep in timber country). We also set our OWB less than 10 feet from the carport at the side of the house. There is a draw behind the house, and the smoke flows down that 90% of the time. Smoke has been a complete non-issue for us with the OWB. I would think before putting the OWB as far as 100 ft from the house. You have to fill it twice a day. Maybe build test fires and see whare the smoke drifts naturally at different locations. You may be surprised where it drifts.
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Kenora
ArboristSite Lurker
there is a company in Parrsboro Nova Scotia that makes some incredible boilers, I don't know if you have checked them out. Here is there www address..
http://www.kerrheating.com/
Since you are just across the border it might be worth checking into
http://www.kerrheating.com/
Since you are just across the border it might be worth checking into
rx7145
ArboristSite Guru
Always plan on more. The unit, cost of install, saws, trailer for wood all add up.
All said though I love my OWB.
All said though I love my OWB.
hockeypuck
ArboristSite Operative
for heat and hot water I would guess 8 chords.
hockeypuck
ArboristSite Operative
I narrowed my two choices down to central boiler and woodmaster (not wooddoctor, did not like the small door design). I chose the woodmaster because of the dealer and it had a forced draft (it will burn anything). The woodmaster also sits on 4 legs so the prep work was alot easier than having to build a small patio for the central boiler. I do not think you would go wrong with either. If you are going to wait until next year, you might want to wait for the epa boilers. Freeheatmachine has a hybrid out, my only problem with them is the firebox is made out of stainless steel (some would say that is a plus, I have talked with local welders and said definitely go with the carbon steel no stainless- you will find many opinions on ss or carbon steel).
Here are few links to get you going
http://www.woodmaster.com/
http://www.freeheatmachine.com/
www.centralboiler.com
Make sure you use good pipe like this
http://thermopex.com/
and not some bubble wrapped crap in a black corregated tube.
Here are few links to get you going
http://www.woodmaster.com/
http://www.freeheatmachine.com/
www.centralboiler.com
Make sure you use good pipe like this
http://thermopex.com/
and not some bubble wrapped crap in a black corregated tube.
windthrown
361 Junkie
I also narrowed it down to Central Boiler and Woodmaster. I think that they are both he best in class. We went with Central Boiler, mainly becasue of the dealer and many good recommendations. We also avoided stainless steel, though CB has them available. They also have a forced fan draft if you want, though I have found that a natural draft is fine. In researching stainless, I found several issues with them. One is that they do not conduct heat as well. Another is that they are pricey (add another thousand for SS). Also they are more difficult to weld if they crack, and they seem to crack more than plain carbon steel (according to several buddies that do a lot of welding). The dealer also does not recommend them. A lot of people love them though. If you keep a good level of anti-corrosion in the boiler loop you will be fine with carbon steel. The firebox side will usually not rust out if you keep it dry and scrape the ash pan and creosote so that water does not collect in there.
As for insulating the PEX lines, as long as you keep the lines away from ground water you will be OK. That is the biggest robber of heat out there. I stuffed them into foam insulation and stuffed that into 4 inch corrugated drain pipe, and that works fine for us. We have a short outdoor PEX run here, but it keeps the rain and ground water from contacting the PEX. It was cheap too, and it has held up well. As for EPA boilers, I have heard that they are going to be rediculously expensive. I think that our boiler smokes less than any of the houses near here that use regular old style western fireplaces that are pretty inefficient and suck all the heat out of your house up the chimney.
As for insulating the PEX lines, as long as you keep the lines away from ground water you will be OK. That is the biggest robber of heat out there. I stuffed them into foam insulation and stuffed that into 4 inch corrugated drain pipe, and that works fine for us. We have a short outdoor PEX run here, but it keeps the rain and ground water from contacting the PEX. It was cheap too, and it has held up well. As for EPA boilers, I have heard that they are going to be rediculously expensive. I think that our boiler smokes less than any of the houses near here that use regular old style western fireplaces that are pretty inefficient and suck all the heat out of your house up the chimney.
kalib stock
ArboristSite Member
I have a Taylor T-500CB its going on it's seventh year! This is their 37th year making the stoves. No problems with it. Its has more than paid for itself, as far as the the care of it goes you drain the water jacket ounce a year and put two Quarts of chemical and a Anode rod in it and you're set! I've seen a LOT of them that are from 15 to 30 years old that still work great! God luck with your purchase! Kalib
mtfallsmikey
Addicted to ArboristSite
Do a heat loss on your house/buildings!!!!
No boiler sizing by S.F. allowed!...that is soooooo wrong!
Plan well, don't scrimp on piping/valves/fittings/pumps
No boiler sizing by S.F. allowed!...that is soooooo wrong!
Plan well, don't scrimp on piping/valves/fittings/pumps
Scootermsp
ArboristSite Guru
Big mistake
IMO it would be a big mistake not to take advantage of the OWB for your domestic hot water. Perhaps you could rig something for Fall/winter/spring use and use your tankless in the summer?
IMO it would be a big mistake not to take advantage of the OWB for your domestic hot water. Perhaps you could rig something for Fall/winter/spring use and use your tankless in the summer?
ericjeeper
Addicted to ArboristSite
I agree
With scooter about the Hot water feature. Just buy a 50 gallon electric water heater, simply never wire it up. Use it for storing your hot water/.
I agree it is total bs to design a furnace on square feet.. Do a professional heatloss. Cost a couple of hundred and know what you need.
As for plumbing to the radiant slab. You do not need or want to send 180 degrees to it. So plan on some sort of mixing valve to control the temps. (Otherwise the slab will get hot around the perimeter and never get warm in the center of the house before the stat is satisfied.
With scooter about the Hot water feature. Just buy a 50 gallon electric water heater, simply never wire it up. Use it for storing your hot water/.
I agree it is total bs to design a furnace on square feet.. Do a professional heatloss. Cost a couple of hundred and know what you need.
As for plumbing to the radiant slab. You do not need or want to send 180 degrees to it. So plan on some sort of mixing valve to control the temps. (Otherwise the slab will get hot around the perimeter and never get warm in the center of the house before the stat is satisfied.
I too bought a CB 5036 to heat a house about the size of yours. I started out wanting the Shaver, but am glad I went with a local guy. I looked long and hard at the Proctor and Maine (spelling ?). I really liked the set up on it but the $ were too much. I have radiant heat in the basement and love it, got it set at 70 and it's a very comfortable heat. The up stairs has baseboard, and the dom h/w is off an indirect hot water heater. Using the electric h/w heater would be cheaper for you since you have an alternate solar heater for the summer. My under ground pipe is 135 feet, I had to snake around a tree and patio. I spent almost 2 G on the pipe and loose almost no heat and the return is usually quite hot coming back to the boiler. Like they all say, spend it now or spend it later. Do your homework and buy quality material, you'll find a set up that will work for you.
modn
ArboristSite Operative
I too bought a CB 5036 to heat a house about the size of yours. I started out wanting the Shaver, but am glad I went with a local guy. I looked long and hard at the Proctor and Maine (spelling ?). I really liked the set up on it but the $ were too much. I have radiant heat in the basement and love it, got it set at 70 and it's a very comfortable heat. The up stairs has baseboard, and the dom h/w is off an indirect hot water heater. Using the electric h/w heater would be cheaper for you since you have an alternate solar heater for the summer. My under ground pipe is 135 feet, I had to snake around a tree and patio. I spent almost 2 G on the pipe and loose almost no heat and the return is usually quite hot coming back to the boiler. Like they all say, spend it now or spend it later. Do your homework and buy quality material, you'll find a set up that will work for you.
Portage and Main.....I looked at them too and found them to be impressive also. I ended up with my Cozeburn 250 and have loved it since.
I just noticed....this thread is way old!!!
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