an epic journey (installing a OWB)!!

[88rxn/a]

i am new to this site. i been reading as much as possibly all weak about the OWB and the differences. i have yet to know which is better (matter of opinion?), but there is a dealer of CB's nearby im going to drill with questions sometime soon. the house i just bought is on 2 acres of land with 25-30 pines trees that need to go, guess where there going?? anywho, its a 2 story + full basement,3 bed +a loft, and 2 full bath house (not sure of the sq. footage) thats 90% finished except for the kitchen and 2 walls nearby (just need drywall). the heating here sucks! i have an OLD moores gas heater in the cellar and a ventless heater in near the kitchen, thats it! my plan is to eliminate the gas bill almost completley and go with wood. id like to go baseboard heating since it would be easist to run 2 1 inch lines in the open walls and make 1 giant loop upstairs of baseboard heaters. i do have a forced air setup in the basement but its not wired or no ducting was ran in the house. i plan on posting pics of m project and would love helpful criticism and advice as i go along.its going to be a summer project but id like to start ASAP and run my PEX lines inside and start buing baseboard heaters.
ill even snap photos of how id like to run the heaters for all to see tommorow!

 

[iCreek]

Sounds good, look forward to seeing your pictures. I am filling my OWB tomorrow with water, and firing it up...

 

[Husky137]

What is your source of wood after you use the pine trees up in the first burning season?

 

[ericjeeper]

Yes???????????

What is your source of wood after you use the pine trees up in the first burning season?

These dudes probably use three times the amount an inside heating source would require. My magic box consumes two wheel barrel load of large split hickory a day, maybe another half on a very cold day.

 

[88rxn/a]

i will prob. just buy a triaxle load. i live pretty much right next to kane PA and in the middle of the allegheny national forest.
http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/allegheny/
here you can pay $15 or maybe a little more to cut up blown down trees and such every year. the triaxle load, well, i can obtain them for around $600. pretty cheap i think over paying triple that in gas bills for the winter. my workplace throws out skids constantly. the floor at work also is covered in wooden blocks about the size of bricks. they are coated in somekind of urethane but i plan to throw a couple in at a time when i load the OWB.

I am filling my OWB tomorrow with water, and firing it up...

congrats!
what kind of OWB did you go with?

the amount doesnt scare me off. burning my house down would be worse off than burning extra wood i think. my GF (soon to be wife) is only 25 and im not to comfortable with a inside fireplace and her alone when im at work.this is the main reason for a OWB.

 

[RaisedByWolves]

. the floor at work also is covered in wooden blocks about the size of bricks. they are coated in somekind of urethane but i plan to throw a couple in at a time when i load the OWB.


my GF (soon to be wife) is only 25 and im not to comfortable with a inside fireplace and her alone when im at work.this is the main reason for a OWB.

The first part is obvious, so Ill just touch on the second part......



Why are you going to marry someone who dosent have the capacity to controll fire?:biggrinbounce2:



.

 

[HUSKYMAN]

JUst be sure you are willing to commit to hauling wood to your house year after year and load after load. At my house all I have to do is jump in my backhoe and go grab a few trees, drag them to the house and cut them up.

It's a whole 'nother ball game when you have to load a trailer, unload a trailer, etc.

By the time you are done you will probably have close to 10k into the OWB, so you need to bust your back for 4-5 years just to break even. Probably less in your case since it sounds like you will need a new furnace if you dont go with an OWB.

The other problem on a small lot is make sure your boiler is not going to smoke out your neighbors.

the floor at work also is covered in wooden blocks about the size of bricks. they are coated in somekind of urethane but i plan to throw a couple in at a time when i load the OWB.

This is a BIG no no, you will be giving off all kinds of toxic chemicals not to mention a ton of smoke. OWB's in neighborhoods with close neighbors are not a good mix, this is the reason you see a lot of communities banning OWB's and giving us all a bad name. If you have no close neighbors and wont for a long time then nevermind my blithering

 

[88rxn/a]

Why are you going to marry someone who dosent have the capacity to controll fire?

no one is perfect right?!:help:
its not the "controlling fire" im worried about. her parents have a woodstove indoors which she helped with. i just dont need another thing to worry about.


on to the pics....
the first pic is the first wall i will run up to.on the left of the kitchen seems to be a perfect spot.
it leads to the closet into the second pic.....

 

[88rxn/a]

BTW: the neighbors is pretty far away.
the first pic is some of the yard. to the left you see a shadow of a tree. 5 feet more to the left is where im putting the OWB. the shed on the right is the neighbors shed. the house is 10 feet form the shed. a fence will be going up since he dont like to keep his yard very clean. my property is RIGHT next to his shed.


the 2nd pic shows a walk in closet to which the first upstairs room is right next to. i can just drill through the wall (i know there is no electric running through this spot) going into the blue room.

the 3rd pic leads to the loft. sorry my buddy GANDER had to have his pic taken. he likes the attention.

the 4TH pic is where the baseboard heaters will end up.my dilema is how am i going to get the pipe to the 5TH pic??

the 5th pic shows my second heating source and proof im in need of better heat.
im thinking i can just remove one of the sheat rocks to run the line and simply buy a new piece or try and save the old so i can run it back down into the basement.

This is a BIG no no, you will be giving off all kinds of toxic chemicals not to mention a ton of smoke. OWB's in neighborhoods with close neighbors are not a good mix, this is the reason you see a lot of communities banning OWB's and giving us all a bad name. If you have no close neighbors and wont for a long time then nevermind my blithering

they move machines constantly so the blocks are very plentiful. once the next winter comes i am going to try a couple out and see exactly how the smoke react (meaning going towards the neighbor or not) and if it seems ok the ill use them. its not a MAIN source of heat, just something to get the fire maybe brewing on a cold day. or is that not needed??

 

[hanko]

i will prob. just buy a triaxle load. i live pretty much right next to kane PA and in the middle of the allegheny national forest.
http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/allegheny/
here you can pay $15 or maybe a little more to cut up blown down trees and such every year. the triaxle load, well, i can obtain them for around $600. pretty cheap i think over paying triple that in gas bills for the winter. my workplace throws out skids constantly. the floor at work also is covered in wooden blocks about the size of bricks. they are coated in somekind of urethane but i plan to throw a couple in at a time when i load the OWB.


congrats!
what kind of OWB did you go with?

the amount doesnt scare me off. burning my house down would be worse off than burning extra wood i think. my GF (soon to be wife) is only 25 and im not to comfortable with a inside fireplace and her alone when im at work.this is the main reason for a OWB.

Congrats dude i see you got you one of the smarter ones

 

[HUSKYMAN]

they move machines constantly so the blocks are very plentiful. once the next winter comes i am going to try a couple out and see exactly how the smoke react (meaning going towards the neighbor or not) and if it seems ok the ill use them. its not a MAIN source of heat, just something to get the fire maybe brewing on a cold day. or is that not needed??

Trust me nothing is needed. You say the blocks are coated in urethane. Urethane which burns gives off toxic chemicals and gasses and I think we can all agree this planet is screwed up enough without our help. All I use to get a fire going is a pizza box or two and some 2x4 scraps. It will be going in minutes. Once fired you only have to restart it from scratch once in a great while

 

[Festus Haggen]

We were just having a discussion at lunch about PA's DEP banning ALL outdoor burning, even brush piles. They've already done it, so there's no "if", they just have to figure out who's going to enforce it and how. Burning anything manmade (finishes, paper, plastic) is already illegal in PA. Just DEP and others don't have the time or manpower to chase down each case, YET.

I can see that OWB's will be next on the block, you owners are going to need to fight for the right to provide your own heat, instead of paying for oil and all of its associated costs, both financial and environmental.

 

[czeigler]

We were just having a discussion at lunch about PA's DEP banning ALL outdoor burning, even brush piles. They've already done it, so there's no "if", they just have to figure out who's going to enforce it and how. Burning anything manmade (finishes, paper, plastic) is already illegal in PA. Just DEP and others don't have the time or manpower to chase down each case, YET.

I can see that OWB's will be next on the block, you owners are going to need to fight for the right to provide your own heat, instead of paying for oil and all of its associated costs, both financial and environmental.

Where have you seen that DEP banned outdoor banning in PA?

I work for a 9-1-1 dispatch center and we have yet to hear of anything. We take notices for controlled burns everyday.

Got this from PA DEPs website:

What about local open burning ordinances?​

Under state law, local officials have the authority to address the needs of their communities by enacting open burning ordinances for household waste with requirements that are equal to or more stringent than state regulations. Municipal ordinances cannot be less stringent than the state requirements.
Many communities across the Commonwealth have enacted open-burning ordinances. Upon request, DEP can provide copies of enacted ordinances. DEP can also provide copies of various studies about open burning.

Where can I get more information about open burning?​

Information on open burning is available on DEP’s Open Burning Web site at www.depweb.state.pa.us (Air Topics - keyword: open burning). You can also call DEP’s Bureau of Air Quality at 717-787-9702.

 

[iCreek]

congrats!
what kind of OWB did you go with?

88rxn/a - I went the Hardy H2, it was an extra in the family, so the price was right Here is a link to my project a few months ago. I picked my location on wind direction and total distance of Pex runs (wanted to stay less than 100'). I had the thermostat guy come this week and wire my 24v relay in my forced air furnace and test the blower motor and pump on the stove. Hopefully I will have smoke tomorrow by noon.

Scroll to Post #14 for some install pictures.
http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?p=826913#post826913

Here is a posting of the exchanger install and pex plumbing.
http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=60148

 

[alan mesmer]

If you have the time and are not afraid of cutting a LOT of wood every year then it will be a great way for you to heat. The first year that I had mine I thought that I had enough wood cut and with 1-1/2 months of winter left I was out of wood and ended up cutting in the worst of the winter. I built my wood burner 3 years ago and although it is not as efficient as many on the market it does a great job. As far as the smoke, make sure you just burn good seasoned wood and most of the smoking goes by the wayside. The minute you burn anything besides good seasoned wood you probably will make lots of nasty smoke! I now try to cut wood at least 1 year ahead to make sure that it is well seasoned.

As far as the brand, C.B. makes a nice unit. It has a simple design that has very little to go wrong with it. If I wouldn't't have built mine I probably would have bought a C.B.

Make sure that you plan on connecting to your hot water heater with a heat exchanger to provide you hot water too. If you plan on doing most of it yourself you can find most of the needed accessories on ebay. You can make your hot water heat exchanger with materials from the hardware store. If you have not considered radiant heat via. pex tubing mounted between your basement floor joists it should be a consideration. Radiant heat is generally a better heat than forced air through a radiator style heat exchanger.

Make sure you use the insulated pex tubing set up for your lines coming into and out of the house. It pays for itself. Don't plan on bending the 1" pex too much because it doesn't bend well. I used 90 deg. fittings without any real flow problems where turns were needed.

If you have any other questions PM me.

Good luck and start cutting wood now.

Alan

 

[88rxn/a]

If you plan on doing most of it yourself you can find most of the needed accessories on ebay.

which ones persay (accessories)??

If you have not considered radiant heat via. pex tubing mounted between your basement floor joists it should be a consideration. Radiant heat is generally a better heat than forced air through a radiator style heat exchanger.

see now i wonder if this is better for the first floor or not? wouldnt that cost more thatn running baseboard heaters?
i have no choice for upstairs to run baseboard heaters but im not sure what to do with the first floor? the future father in law said he has old water radiators he can get for free. he said they arent pretty but i think i can sand blast them and put one in each room in the basement. would this and a few baseboard heaters be enough to heat the first floor?

your hot water heat exchanger with materials from the hardware store

i would love to know how to do this!!
and im thanking the gov. right now for the extra tax refund issued for may for my first tri axle load!!

i think the blocks are coated in some urethane?? not really sure? if i dont need them for the extra boost in cold nites then i wont bother. plus id rather not pollute the air, like stated.

and thanks for all the helpful info on this!!
its been great.

 

[RaisedByWolves]

no one is perfect right?!:help:
its not the "controlling fire" im worried about. her parents have a woodstove indoors which she helped with. i just dont need another thing to worry about......

Glad you took that the way I ment it! Im just jelous that you have a blonde GF that contemplates the treadmill.



As far as outdoor burning, my township (Newtown) allows burning any non recyclable yard waste. This does not include leaves, grass clippings or animal manure, but limbs and scrap wood (cookies, cutoffs and crotches) are OK.



.

 

[88rxn/a]

88rxn/a - I went the Hardy H2, it was an extra in the family, so the price was right Here is a link to my project a few months ago. I picked my location on wind direction and total distance of Pex runs (wanted to stay less than 100'). I had the thermostat guy come this week and wire my 24v relay in my forced air furnace and test the blower motor and pump on the stove. Hopefully I will have smoke tomorrow by noon.

Scroll to Post #14 for some install pictures.
http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?p=826913#post826913

Here is a posting of the exchanger install and pex plumbing.
http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=60148

very nice install!!!

 

[88rxn/a]

Glad you took that the way I ment it! Im just jelous that you have a blonde GF that contemplates the treadmill.

hahaha, yeah no worries...god knows i dont get on it!!
tried that and its just to boring. id rather walk the dog.


1 more question before i go to bed.
what size PEX tubing should i run in the house??
1 inch?

 

[blackdoggy]

+1 On the radiant floor heat.
Thats your best bet for cozy warm toes on the first floor. Your going to need to run from your boiler to the house a 1 to 1.5 inch insulated line buried about 20 inches (so you don't hit it if your out digging and to insulate it more). On the inside of the house your going to want to run your main line into a T to go to two different manifolds to control your first floor and second floor. Another highly recommended addition to your new setup is set your boiler up with solar power to avoid frozen pipes and to keep your self warm in a power outage. Another thing for you to keep in mind when you go to get your PEX there is a difference between regular drinking water PEX and radiant floor heating PEX. This company http://www.farmtek.com/ has a high quality PEX-AL-PEX which is better than regular PEX pipe because it has a layer of aluminum between it and the inner and outer pipe as well as a higher strength.