Drained the boiler , hauled out the stove... I am going gas!

[bassman]

I have a bad back and as you all know burning wood is not a light job!!

I have installed a small electric water heater to do the kitchen floor as well .

I do have a fresh load of popular (28 cords!!) that I will use for heating our greenhouse in march but the rest is gas.

gonna see how it goes and I will post what I think of my new gas stove and what it is like to not have to fill a boiler every 12 hours.

shayne

 

[Rookie1]

Wow. I never thought Id se a post like that here. well youll have lots of free time now. I see gas prices went down,maybe it will be OK fo you. Im curious and will be watching for your updates.opcorn:

 

[Mike Van]

The way the markets can change, I wouldn't haul that boiler too far away.

 

[A. Stanton]

Bass,
We got something called "Geothermal" down here in the states. You can always look into this option in a few years. I expect the price will be coming down. In geothermal, well(s) are drilled to capture the heat of the earth for winter and the coolness is captured during summer. When your refrigerator is running, feel the heat that comes blowing pass the cooling fins. Same principle.

 

[ngzcaz]

My sons builder talked him out of geothermal in favor of a combo gas/electric hybred something or other. The geothermal was approx 10 to 15 year payback which is fine if you plan to stay there. He probably wont so it may have been the right choice for him. At age 64 it wouldn't be the right way to go for me. To be young again and have the time to make mistakes all over again....

 

[Stihl310]

My sons builder talked him out of geothermal in favor of a combo gas/electric hybred something or other. The geothermal was approx 10 to 15 year payback which is fine if you plan to stay there. He probably wont so it may have been the right choice for him. At age 64 it wouldn't be the right way to go for me. To be young again and have the time to make mistakes all over again....

What is it that costs so much for a Geo-Thermal system anyways??

 

[ngzcaz]

Not sure, probably a general search would give you an accurate assessment. This was 4 years ago before the rebates, incentives etc. It now may be a more viable alternative.

 

[Stihl310]

Hello,
The high cost is associated with the cost of drilling the wells. A home would need between 3 or 4 wells, and depending on the price per foot, it adds up very quickly. The other option is a ground loop system, but even then, the excavation costs can be high (not as high as the boreholes, however). It also requires large amounts of pipe. All that being said, they are very efficient, but they have a long payback. Thanks.

I can't see the effectivness of having wells... seems like a large waste. The loop system seems to be far more effective... however even so, how can the cost of excavation be so high??? Doesn't seem like the excavation would be all that hard or extensive... Maybe I'm wrong

 

[Dalmatian90]

Take the following with a big grain of salt as it's just some rough figures off the top of my head:

Typical residence in Connecticut:

-- Needs 3 Tons of capacity...1 Ton = 12,000BTUs/h
-- 1 Ton needs about 300' of trench dug below frost line
-- So you need about 900' of trenching
-- Will cost around $11,000 incl. excavation, mechanicals, installation

Currently you get a 30% Federal Tax credit ($3300) plus Connecticut's major utility CL&P will chip in $500/ton ($1500) so that's $11,000 - $3,300 - $1500 = $6,200.

Not that bad, but for a lot of people living pay check to pay check, that's still a really big investment all at once, especially since you have to front the whole price.

And you're still left with the pansy limped wristed heat from baseboards or forced hot air...and folks, we all know that just ain't the same as the warm you to the depth of your soul heat from a woodstove

 

[603doug]

We drill water wells and geo thermal here in New Hampshire and my personal opinion is the expense is not worth it in this climate. The science is not there yet. Water temp is much colder so larger units are needed and your system runs 24/7 for 7 months a year. Some installers will feed you b*llsh*t that payback is 5 years, maybe heating oil at $8.00 a gal.
Well insulated home with a gas, oil furnace at 92 to 95% efficiency will not approach the initial cost of a geo thermal system for several years. I thought about installing a system and decided to install a wood boiler, cost mush less and my "carbon footprint" is less. The cost to maintain my boiler over the years vs new pumps, heat exchangers (especially if it is a pump and dump system because of water quality) is much less. I have also found that the folks who have geo systems installed money really was not an object.

 

[TomB]

Go with a 95% gas furnace - tax rebate...
Go with a 16 SEER HEAT PUMP... Yes a HEAT PUMP you will save big on gas and get plenty of heat. Heat pump technology has make improvements by leaps and bounds. Find a residential HVAC company that installs hybrid systems. Have them show you the cost saving by using the heat pump. Most systems have 10 year compressor and parts warranty. If you go with a 95% furnace and a 16 SEER unit you should be able to take advantage of the Energy Tax credit of up to $1500 of the cost of the installation. Also have the duct work sizing checked, I will bet you return air is too small. Your return/payback may be in as few as 5 or 6 years. Check out Bryant.com.

If you are in Canada, with or with out the rebate, you can save big with the heat pump.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Blazin]

The first problem is poplar for wood, there's no way your ever gonna get a burn time from that no matter what stove/boiler/furnace/wood burner you have! Hope it works out for ya!

 

[MJR]

The best of luck to you with your back.

 

[bassman]

The first problem is poplar for wood, there's no way your ever gonna get a burn time from that no matter what stove/boiler/furnace/wood burner you have! Hope it works out for ya!

here in saskatchewan my wood choices are birch, popular,spruce maybe and black popular , I burnt birch last year and saw very little or no extended burn time but alot less ash at about %30 of what popular left.

this load of popular was $10 a cord plus delivary and picker truck option which I got as I have no loader capable of unloading.

total for 28 cords of popular was $1400 and last years birch load of 18 cords was $2000!

my boiler is very hungry so only heatiing the greenhouse will be 3 years on this pile!

 

[mtfallsmikey]

I have a bad back and as you all know burning wood is not a light job!!

I have installed a small electric water heater to do the kitchen floor as well .

I do have a fresh load of popular (28 cords!!) that I will use for heating our greenhouse in march but the rest is gas.

gonna see how it goes and I will post what I think of my new gas stove and what it is like to not have to fill a boiler every 12 hours.

shayne

Didn't you start a similar thread back in the spring?.....
I can see one of these days eiether selling the house,getting a smaller piece of land, not using wood so much, as I get old.....er?

 

[Butch(OH)]

And you're still left with the pansy limped wristed heat from baseboards or forced hot air...and folks, we all know that just ain't the same as the warm you to the depth of your soul heat from a woodstove

You get a double X2 X2 from me for that

Sorry to hear about your back Bassman. I have "the back" myself but it has been in remission as of late.

As for geothermal I know of exactly twice as many failed systems as those that work as at all and none that have totaly lived up to the billing. A lot of dough to invest not knowing if its going to supply your heating needs IMO.

Give me a fire, I know it works

 

[belgian]

The way the markets can change, I wouldn't haul that boiler too far away.

Bingo ! sorry to hear about your back though.

Going gas (here it is pipeline) is what the government wants you to do : you become dependent of a gas cy and the state, and you are at the mercy of their pricing and taxing policy.

They don't like firewood people as they do not suit the state's interest. When I see my woodstove burning, that thought alone gives me a warm fuzzy feeling

 

[YCSTEVE]

Bad Back Sucks

If your back is messed up there just isn't much you can do until it heals. Irritating it by hauling wood will only make your problem worse.

What you need is a wood slave / stove loader. There used to be a guy on this site that would show pictures of his very attractive stove loader.

 

[Haywire Haywood]

My FIL has geothermal and it has been nothing but a PIA. Never has worked right. It malfunctioned and went on emergency electric backup and he didn't know till he got a $1000+ electricity bill in the mail. The local guy was no help and a year later they got a regional rep down who claimed to know that the problem was. This winter will be the test.

Ian

 

[mtfallsmikey]

My FIL has geothermal and it has been nothing but a PIA. Never has worked right. It malfunctioned and went on emergency electric backup and he didn't know till he got a $1000+ electricity bill in the mail. The local guy was no help and a year later they got a regional rep down who claimed to know that the problem was. This winter will be the test.

Ian

I got involved trying to heal up a couple of botched installs...the concept is sound, some equipment is ok, but the designs are wrong. I'll be passing thru KY. in a couple of weeks, Ian...will I need a passport?