anyone use a outdoor wood boiler?

[jackel440]

I am planning to switch my house over to wood heat with LP back-up.I live in the country so the smoke issue isn't a problem.When I built my shop I installed radiant heat tubes in my cocncrete floor.I am looking for anyone who can give me some good advice on what they have ,and how well it works for them.I cleaned out some fence rows.So I am definately getting one monster pile of wood built up.I have to finnish cutting all the logs I got and then split it all.
Any info I can get to help me decide on a brand and model.What features to look for would be great
Thanks Aaron

[jackel440]

Shoot! I was hoping somone on here had one.Oh well I will keep waitn I guess.

[mikepmcs]

Check your state laws.  The greens have gotten hold of the wood boiler market and the states are putting restrictions on them now.

Here's an example article.

http://www.revisionenergy.com/images/wood/Woodboilernews.pdf

[694spdRT]

I have several friends that love them and several that don't. I don't have any first hand experience but from what I have heard it is best to spend more money and get a good one vs trying to save a little and end up with cracks in the boiler. I decided to set up a standard wood furnace in my basement for around $800 because I already had a chimney. The cost to set up a wood boiler was around $8,000 and it did not pencil out for me. With the cost of LP my setup paid for itself this winter alone.

Because you also have a shop set up with floor heat a boiler would be a nice ecomomical way to heat that and the house. I would have likely went that route too but my shop it too far from the house and across a roadway. 

[69 OUR/TEA]

Hi jackel440,I put radiant floor heat in my garage/house addition.I did it because it is all living space above the garage and did not want the cold to penetrate the second floor.It's not rocket science,you heat below,it takes the load of the second floor.The most efficient way is in the concrete as it retains the heat for a long time,since I have natural gas,I did a high efficiency condensing modulating boiler.It is a Weil Mclain Ultra 155 that can modulate from 26k BTU's up to 156K BTU's.There are 5 -250' loops in the slab which I made extra thick,6",to retain the heat better.I  got it up and running around last Oct,ran it all winter with the slab temp set at 48 degrees.The addition is not insulated yet,and to show you how well it worked,when the slab sensor(t stat) called for heat,the pump station starts,and boiler turns on,my water temp running thru the floor is only 90 degree water(set with a adjustable thermostatic expansion valve),it runs for about 5-6 minutes maybe a little more on a real cold day,but stays OFF for about 5-6 hours!!!!! I can tell you that I love it,but 694spdRT is right saying 8,000.The boiler was just about 4,000,to pipe it was another 1,500,the tubing,insulation and wire in the floor was another 1,500,and to build the pump station another 500.Totalling around 7,500 give or take,and that was me doing all the install.Before I forget to mention,this was all not for the garage,this boiler system is also for running 2 Hydro air units,and a hanging hot water unit heater in my back garage.As far as wood boilers,I do know they can be very expensive too,and have no experience with them so I can't tell the pros and cons with them.Hope this gives you some input.

[jackel440]

Thanks for the replys.I know that the gov. is cracking down on some of these units.Especially seems to be hardest hit in the northeast states and people that have them in close nieghbor hoods.
I live out in the country ,and so far there is nothing that I have found around here on limitations on were they can be used.
I cannot get NG were I'm at.I wish I could.So I am stuck with LP which is getting prtty high.I switched my water heater and stove to electric from LP.So now all i have is the furnace.I am in the process of insulating my shop.Yes I too installed a 6" floor in my shop and I believe it has 5 250' long loops in the floor I put in a couple years ago.
I want to build on to my house between the shop and also on the other end of the house,and it seems that using radiant heat would be about the best way to heat the additions.(probably in a couple of more years)
It's good to here that the floor you put in is working good.I know I look forward to getting my shop heated.

[Todd Wilson]

Not to steer this off course here but I have been studying the solar end of things. Theres plenty of ways to get solar heta in the winter without spending a ton of money. Theres still ways to spend a ton of money  but lots of cheaper ways.  I plan to build some solar heaters by next fall.

http://www.builditsolar.com/



This one looks really interesting. AN entire outside wall of your shop could do this.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Modern-Homesteading/1977-11-01/This-30-Solar-Setup-Heats-a-30-x-40-Workshop-For-Five-Hours-or-More-Every.aspx


Todd

[jackel440]

No problem Todd.I will have to check that site out whenever I get some time at home.I can't access anything from work unlessit has mopar,dodge,jeep,and chrysler in the web address
I did find this forum I don't have the link here at work,but I think it was "Hearth.com" or something.they had lots of different forums with diff. styles of heating in it.
I think the wood boiler deal would work good for me right now.I wish I had more time to get some research done on the darn things
being stuck on second shift is for the birds!