WHO Fired there OWB?

[Butch(OH)]

Maybe start up this week, ran the gas furnace last night to take the chill out and make sure it still works, all it has ran for the last four years has been one test run in early fall, LOL. I have close neigbors to keep happy and I usualy dont start mine until its cool enough that windows are kept closed.

 

[polkat]

I am going to start mine in mid oct. I like to run my furnace for a couple weeks just to burn the cobwebs out and to see if there are any problems with the furnace side before I start up my outdoor

 

[BLL MN]

I haven't started mine yet. Last year was my first year with it in the new house and I didn't start it until the 10th of November (Due to not moving in until Holloween). I'm sure this year I'll be starting it about a month earlier than last. This week it's in the 70's so no need quite yet. You sure learn a lot your first full year!

 

[Laird]

Temps are dropping into the 30's this weekend so I'll likely fire it up Friday night.

 

[ngzcaz]

Well Laird, you're right. There's something about orange. I just spent the better part of a week rebuilding my wood trailer and painting it orange ( to match the Case 220 that will be pulling it )





umpkin2:

 

[Mac B.]

Scag I burn year round too. I don't know how much I save by doing so but I know I am saving. It is also nice to not run out of hot water.

Mac

 

[scag52]

The hot water part of the stove was just something extra it would do. I never really thought i would burn all summer . Turns out thats one of the best things about it. Takes no effort and washing cars with hot water is the best. I run it through a 99 dollar electric pressure washer and it does a great job cleaning .

 

[rob206]

Fired mine up a couple of weeks ago due to the heater element crapping out. A couple years ago I took out the bottom element when I drained the tank and didn't put it back in, so only the top one was left. This summer I decided not to run the boiler(first time in 3yrs since I started burning) and just turned on the breaker for the water heater. Well I guess the top element crapped out and I had to fire up the boiler. I figure too, maybe any problems will show up while it is still nice outside.

 

[giXXer]

Same type climate issues here. I fired mine up two weeks ago when it got down to 38 F one night. Then the temps went right back up again and couldn't use the A/C because the OWB was running. It has been running now for almost two weeks and I've only loaded it 3 times. I have a good amount of Poplar and soft maple that didn't get used last year so it's nice a dry, but not my "good hardwood" that I use when it gets really cold.

Just getting it going with a little pallet wood and soft maple. And just for you guys with the 20/20 wood I.D. vision, yes there are a couple of really dry pieces of oak in there to help the fire start nice and slow and last. I always build really small fires and ramp them up when all of the burn barrel has had a chance to warm up. Now...bring on the snow!

 

[giXXer]

Just wondering why most dont run theirs all year for the hot water ? Junk wood is everywhere.

The first time of the year that my wife opens the windows in the house she asks that it get shut down. She doesn't care for the smell of the fire all year. Also, on certain days when the temp and humidity are right (or, more accurately, wrong) the smoke seems to linger a little longer than usual. I do plan to add a heat exchanger for the pool this spring so it will most likey burn all year in 2011.

Our OWB doesn't get that much of a break though. It usually gets shut down in June and fired up in September. In the summer our dryer and water heater use propane, but not much. I have had the same 250 gallon tank for almost 2 years with no refills. I think I ticked off the propane company since they just jacked my rate because I am no longer buying the same large quantity. Oh well, $200 per year versus $3,500-$4,000 per year...I'm not going to complain too much about paying $.14 per gallon more.

 

[gwiley]

Same type climate issues here. I fired mine up two weeks ago when it got down to 38 F one night. Then the temps went right back up again and couldn't use the A/C because the OWB was running. It has been running now for almost two weeks and I've only loaded it 3 times. I have a good amount of Poplar and soft maple that didn't get used last year so it's nice a dry, but not my "good hardwood" that I use when it gets really cold.

Just getting it going with a little pallet wood and soft maple. And just for you guys with the 20/20 wood I.D. vision, yes there are a couple of really dry pieces of oak in there to help the fire start nice and slow and last. I always build really small fires and ramp them up when all of the burn barrel has had a chance to warm up. Now...bring on the snow!

You have probably already thought about this but try adding a bypass around your HX in the air handler - that will let you use it for DHW even when you need AC.

 

[R W Ohio]

Here in pa this weekend is gonna dip to low 40's but 60s for a high dont know weather to fire up the furnace yet or tough it out but definately dont wanna fire the oilfurnace H....NO!! WHAT ARE YOU GUYS THINKIN?

Well yesterday afternoon the house temp. dropped to 64° so I took the bucket off of the stack,put in some wood and lit it off.It won't see a day without fire until next June.

 

[wooddog 066]

GREAT POSTS guys glad too see i am not the only one itchin to fire probably this fri i will crank her up CANT WAIT i love heatin off the land and SCREW the foreign oil and next on my list is a windmill so i can tell duquesne light to take a hike LOL!

 

[Blazin]

I've been pondering it when I hear the oil burner kick on some mornings, but I don't wanna touch my pretty stack of wood yet :hmm3grin2orange:

Next weeks forecast is making me change my mind though. lol!

 

[hawken08]

not yet

I run my indoor boiler for about 3 weeks until i fire up the dragon outside. however if this coming week is a sign of whats to come then i may change my mind.

 

[giXXer]

You have probably already thought about this but try adding a bypass around your HX in the air handler - that will let you use it for DHW even when you need AC.

Thanks for the suggestion. Actually, I hadn't even thought about it, but next year I might do that if we end up heating the pool. I think that I even have the parts to do it. 2 valves and a short section of pex should be all that is needed to do it. Thanks again.

 

[gwiley]

Thanks for the suggestion. Actually, I hadn't even thought about it, but next year I might do that if we end up heating the pool. I think that I even have the parts to do it. 2 valves and a short section of pex should be all that is needed to do it. Thanks again.

Yikes! The pool? I almost went that route and then someone got me to do the math on BTUs and the wood required to do it. I decided that I would need to wait until I am retired to have time to do the harvesting or until a long lost relative dies and leaves me a fortune so that I can afford to have it delivered.

Before you go that route you should spend some quality time with a calculator and figure out whether you are able to feed the beast to heat the pool.

I will say that I think that is the only feasible way to heat a pool as the propane costs are crazy.

 

[giXXer]

Yikes! The pool? I almost went that route and then someone got me to do the math on BTUs and the wood required to do it. I decided that I would need to wait until I am retired to have time to do the harvesting or until a long lost relative dies and leaves me a fortune so that I can afford to have it delivered.

Before you go that route you should spend some quality time with a calculator and figure out whether you are able to feed the beast to heat the pool.

I will say that I think that is the only feasible way to heat a pool as the propane costs are crazy.

I assumed it would suck quite a bit of wood, but I should probably talk to someone who heats their pool with wood first. My thinking led me to believe the wood consumption wouldn't be too awful bad because the ambient temp. would be 60-90 so the boiler doesn't have to struggle keeping the 400 gallons in the unit warm, just the 9,000-10,000 gallons in the pool. LOL! I think that your idea about bypassing the HX is certainly feasible, though.

 

[Marc]

I will say that I think that is the only feasible way to heat a pool as the propane costs are crazy.

Solar...

 

[giXXer]

Solar...

Solar? Way too off-topic and way too practical! All joking aside, my mother-in-law heats her above ground that way and it works really well. She has the black panels on one side of the pool that has pool water flowing through them. I am contemplating another idea as well that involves solar heat...the northern michigan hillbilly way. 2 or 3 sections of coiled 100' irrigation pipe left coiled up in the sun with it "T'd" into the filter pipe so water can slowly pass through. I have heard from a few people that this works well in conjunction with a solar cover.