OWB question

[TJ-Bill]

Wife saw a OWB the other day and saked what it was, I explained what it was how it worked. We're planning on building a garage in the next couple years, figured maybe that would be a great time to get a OWB (in floor heating in the garage


I'm looking at a large initial cost to install an OWB, infloor heating in the garage, house is not setup up for forced air. My thoughts are that it might not be feesable to install one in this setup because it would take to long to see any savings. How much can I really expect to save a year? I burn 6 cord a year and wood is our only source of heat. I normally buy 4-5 and cut 1-2..
Paid $500 for 5 cord this year..

I'm thinking the intial cost will be to great and the savings will be to small.

Any thoughts?

 

[beerman6]

If just for the garage,I wouldnt do it.

 

[ms310]

i think you are right, for you not enough savings. For me spending over 4k a year on propane, and now 0000 with the Owb it paid for itself in under 2 years.

 

[jeeptj19992001]

all depends if you plan on living in the garage, or make your living in the garage, if it is just a shop garage, i would put in a standard wood burner. and just start it an hour before you plan to use it, also put some good insulation when you build it.

 

[TJ-Bill]

The OWB would be for the house and the garage. I was just going to use the opportunity to heat the garage with it.. My original plan was to replace the stove in the house with a newer more efficent model and out the old stove in the garage. $1400 sounds better then $15-20,000

 

[jeeptj19992001]

The OWB would be for the house and the garage. I was just going to use the opportunity to heat the garage with it.. My original plan was to replace the stove in the house with a newer more efficent model and out the old stove in the garage. $1400 sounds better then $15-20,000

yes then i would do it, if you are combining the two spaces and one unit.

 

[ktm rider]

Why not put an INDOOR boiler inside said garage? I had an OWB and sold it to buy an indoor boiler to put in my garage. I heat the house and garage with it. I use a hydronic shop heater on a therostat to heat the garage. and forced air for the house.

I can't tell you how much nicer it is to stand inside a heated garage to tend the fire compared to the cold blowing snow. ( my wife was sick of that !!)

BTW-- the indoor unit was about half the price as the OWB, is ASME stamped, is atleast twice as efficient and has an oil backup..

PM me if you want a link to indoor boiler. ( i'm not sure i can put up the website here)

 

[TJ-Bill]

PM sent..

 

[trainergeneral]

Why not put an INDOOR boiler inside said garage? I had an OWB and sold it to buy an indoor boiler to put in my garage. I heat the house and garage with it. I use a hydronic shop heater on a therostat to heat the garage. and forced air for the house.

I can't tell you how much nicer it is to stand inside a heated garage to tend the fire compared to the cold blowing snow. ( my wife was sick of that !!)

BTW-- the indoor unit was about half the price as the OWB, is ASME stamped, is atleast twice as efficient and has an oil backup..

PM me if you want a link to indoor boiler. ( i'm not sure i can put up the website here)

go for it ,,,,, everyone needs all the help we can get

 

[pdqdl]

The usual reason for an outdoor unit is to

1. save space,
2. Keep some or all components of the conventional indoor heat,
3. keep the mess & fire hazard (perceived or otherwise) outside.

I don't think anybody in their right mind would argue that putting the heat inside will not be more efficient.

 

[Crofter]

If you have free wood that is a plus for sure. If you are buying the wood do the math. They generally are not very efficient overall when all the losses are considered though there are some high tech systems that put the lie to this, however a lot of those more efficient systems are fussy about their wood and pricey.

Smoke and neighbours can be an issue and there are more than a few who have been disappointed with the short life spans of the units. Again, do the math on the capital investment.

Virtually 100% of the systems are dead in the water if the power goes off. If you have a full load of wood in one then they make a steaming spectacle of themselves for quite a while.

 

[TJ-Bill]

We threw some numbers around I just don't see the benifits right now. We only plan on staying in this house for a few more years before we move a build, when we build we'll probably head in that direction then.

Thanks for everyone input

 

[mimilkman1]

My thoughts on the OWB is, if you have an existing source for wood heat in your house an OWB is not the way to go. If you are wanting to get away from propane , NG or oil and still use some of your existing equipment then it may be a way to go, also if someone is heating a farm shop or buisness as well as a home with gas it may be beneficial. I can't justify switching from an indoor wood heater to an OWB. The expense is too great and the return on investment isn't there IMO.

I am happy with the fact I can still control the temperature in my house with my thermostat, having my OWB hooked into my forced air furnace with the fan turning on when calling for heat.

Kyle

 

[Jkebxjunke]

If you have free wood that is a plus for sure. If you are buying the wood do the math. They generally are not very efficient overall when all the losses are considered though there are some high tech systems that put the lie to this, however a lot of those more efficient systems are fussy about their wood and pricey.

Smoke and neighbours can be an issue and there are more than a few who have been disappointed with the short life spans of the units. Again, do the math on the capital investment.

Virtually 100% of the systems are dead in the water if the power goes off. If you have a full load of wood in one then they make a steaming spectacle of themselves for quite a while.

I went with one..
I have 45 acres of woods
no close neighbors
and as for as the power issue.. I have 125KW generator.. power not a problem

 

[WVwoodsman]

If you would be working with flammable liquids such as spray paint or solvents, you may want to consider an owb simply because there would be no open flame in the garage. This would be a safer alternative, but maybe not a sole reason to justify the expense of the owb.

 

[Scootermsp]

OWB changeover

Today oil dropped to just over $103 per bbl. That simply means for me 1.5 year return rather than 1 year. With Hurricane Ike entering Gulf of Mexico it's likely to creep back up. Even if oil went back to $30 bbl, my $$$ is not going overseas to sh-theads who want Americans dead.
Other benefits are less dust in the house and zero chance of Carbon Monoxide poisoning due to all combustion being done outside. Safety and better indoor air quality are huge plusses in my book.
I made my OWB dedicated circuit one of the circuits in my Gentran switch so that I will have a back-up in case of power failure. In my neck of the woods I have frequent outages (3 hours today!)

 

[ktm rider]

We threw some numbers around I just don't see the benifits right now. We only plan on staying in this house for a few more years before we move a build, when we build we'll probably head in that direction then.

Thanks for everyone input

I agree, if you are going to move in a few years then why bother spending the money. But, I would look into a good ol' wood stove if that were the case. I have one in my basement just for the spring and fall when i don't want to fire up the big boiler. It will heat my 3,500sq ft. home down to around 35-40 degrees outside.
They are Way,WAY cheaper than any boiler and throw very nice heat. You will be surprised how well they will supplement your heating bill.. Could also be a nice selling point when you do decide to move...