Wood furnace v. woodstove

[rguseman]

With the price of NG expected to go through the roof we are looking to supplement our current system with either a wood stove or furnace. We currently heat 2100sqft with a boiler (about 4 years old). I have ruled out an OWB as I don't believe my municipality would allow it. I (more appropriately my HVAC guy) does not think an add-on is viable. As I have a hearth in our basement and a separate chimney from the basement (previous owner had a woodstove) I have a good setup for a stove. My HVAC guy suggested a stove which could be setup to with a blower fan and a collector box and then run ducts to three or four floor registers located in the main living area of the house. Of course, I didn't think to ask until now whether I could use a wood furnace instead of a stove.

We were initially considering just a stove as the location of the stove is near the staircase which is open to the main floor and our thought was that sufficient heat would come up the steps to make a difference. However, I am not convinced that would make that great a difference as I would also be heating a 2000sqft basement in the process. What my HVAC guy describes would seem to be more expensive in the short run but much more cost-effective in the long-term.

I am wondering if anyone else runs a similar type setup (either a stove or a furnace with ductwork separate from the main system).

I have been halfheartedly looking at this for a couple years but now that I have good firewood sources and skyrocketing NG bills I need to get serious.

Any thoughts and opinions are welcome

 

[Mike Van]

Why not an add-on? If you use the search tab above, look up Harman SF 260 there's a thread somewhere here with pics. of my setup, it's been trouble free for about 10 years. I can't see adding ducts when you have a boiler & pipe already there? Also, we have FREE hot water, all winter long.......

 

[rguseman]

It still is in the back of my mind. The primary reason is that the system is inefficient as currently designed. . Right now the system struggles on a cold day to heat the house to 70. The boiler itself is fine (appropriately sized and cycling correctly) but the registers are too close to the carpeted floor by about 3/4 to an inch. According to my guy (BTW he did not install the initial system in case you were wondering just the new boiler) there is insufficient drafting so the heat sits at the register and dissipates instead of being pushed up and out. He figures we may be losing up to 50% of our BTUs at the register.

The other problem is that my boiler is located in a separate part of my basement from where the chimney we would use to exhaust whatever we buy. My thought is to figure out an estimate on a separate system as outlined above and then have my guy estimate the cost of raising the registers plus the cost of an add-on and see where we are at.

On the hot water we currently have an electric hot water heater. However, once that goes we will tie into the new boiler. It is all piped and ready to go.

 

[Jkebxjunke]

one thing about heating the basement .. heat rises .. and I think you would get some benefit from a wood stove but I agree you should explore your options... also with the not enough heat issue.. what about adding a few more feet of baseboard here and there?
just a thought...

 

[ericjeeper]

I would go with a furnace

something with a forced draft firebox.
Thermostatically controlled. Put a nice floor register above it and force the hot air through it with the blower. It will work just like the old in floor furnace.

 

[wkpoor]

Auxiliary and/or add on systems will need to be researched pretty thoroughly as you wouldn't want to invest alot of money to find out it isn't what you were hoping for. I've been on the fence myself for yrs now about an upgrade to something forced air. Problem is a wood burning stove in the basement is a very cheap way to go and can do wonders. If I get tired of the whole firewood thing then I'm not out much to go back to the way things where. If I invest thousands and then get hurt and can't cut then what? Thats my whole issue with committing to a nice wood boiler or add on furnace.

 

[cantoo]

I have the 1400 model. If you can find one buy it, you will be happy. I bought mine at TSC last fall for $1200. The price is now $1964 and still worth it. Hooks up to your existing ducts or run a couple of new ones. We heat our whole house with it.
http://www.usstove.com/products.php?cat=4

 

[jasoutside]

Furnace...

The set up I have is a add on furnace with a blower that simply hooks up to my cold air return for the natural gas supplied furnace. I just run the blower for the ng furnace and it circulates through all of the duct work. But...

Probably just as much as it is a forced air system it is also a radiant system. Yes the basement is heated but all of that warm air is warming our first floor (all wood floors) much like a water radiant floor system would. The other piece of the puzzle is the chimney. My 8'x3' mason chimney runs right through the middle of the house and continues to radiate heat long after the fire down below is out.

I have run natural gas and propane (forced air) and my wife was always bumping the thermostat up (along with our gas bill) because she was always cold. Now, with the wood furnace, she is never cold. It is far and away the most comfortable and consistent system we have had. Cheap too!! Cheers!

 

[ken45]

Heat does not move upstairs very well by itself.

The previous owner had installed a wood furnace (Hotblast 1400) in the basement rec room, about 10' from on open stairwell. It did heat the house, but the basement was too hot and the upstairs was cool.

I finally got up the courage and cut a hole in the ceiling above the wood furnace and connected it with a single duct to a new register in the floor above. Wow! What a difference! There is enough draft in that six feet of pipe that it pulls the heat up by itself, the blower rarely comes on! Lots of great heat upstairs. Much less wood consumed.

Ken

 

[cantoo]

ken45, we have the hotblast 1400 too. If you cut a cold air return in in the corner away from the stove it will help to draw the hot air to where you want it. I did that but had to close it off because it made the air in the room too hot. We prefer to heat the floor instead of the air. Warm feet make you feel warmer all over.

 

[wdchuck]

If you are comfortable with a few simple duct runs from an add-on type wood furnace, and the necessary cold air returns for it to work optimally, then go with that. They are easy to install, but most models require electricity to function well.
My Daka, while cheap, has an easy to remove sheetmetal housing so the unit radiates all the heat out in the event of a power outage, works pretty well that way too.

Gettting hot air to rise up from the basement sounds good, but doesn't work well, btdt.

 

[Stihl_fan]

If an OWB is out of the question an indoor one is a great investment. I picked mine up used for $500. It paid itself off in the first year. Only downside is the small mess when loading wood. No more than a normal fireplace in most living rooms I guess. Ties into the main trunk line and has a damper which can be closed in the summer so your not letting your A/C backfeed the basement in the summer. My home is around 2200sq ft and I save around $200 a month from using electric heat.

 

[logbutcher]

If you have the space, the $$$, and the skill, get a real wood furnace: Tarm is a reliable brand. Some are multi-fuel that kick in the fossil fuels when the wood dies out.
BUT: for a OWB indoors, or wood stove ,don't even think about efficient heating in a cellar or basement. :censored: Yes, "heat rises" AND it goes down and sideways . You want to heat dirt and your foundation ? That's where most of the heat goes: out to heat that big mass holding the house up. That's why stoves in a basement make the celar hot and the upstairs cold. And--THink fire: open ducts in the floor are a big NO-NO.
JMNSHO:monkey:

 

[Zodiac45]

Almost everyone here is recomending a furnace and that may be the way too go (if you can afford it). The cheapest , fastest way is too suppliment with a woodstove (but maybe not in the basement although I seen them work well there). Last year I used a kitchen cookstove too suppliment an oil burner that used less then 400gal. This year I'm adding a second wood heater that was previously hooked up with the oil burner (same flue) but will be on a seperate stainless flue within the chimney. I won't use any oil too speak of for 2500 sq ft. in a 200+ yr old house.