Wood Boiler - Outdoor wood furnaces

**Ross** · #41 12/09/10, 10:30 PM

If anyone has used antifreeze in their boiler I'd like to hear what type and how much they used. Antifreeze isn't always the best heat transfer medium, but I'd sure like to use some to give me a little more time to get things fixed or changed if needed.

Tom VH · #42 12/10/10, 07:55 PM

We have antifreeze in our in floor heating lines but that isn't much volume (2500 L ft of 3/4" Pex) , our 6048 Central Boiler circulates about 400 glns. No facts but I was told that enough antifreeze for that volume would cost about $1500.00. The type of antifreeze used is food grade, used in ice cream to keep it creamy. I figure running our out door boiler is very similar to animal husbandry, it and your critters need your attention twice a day; you'll need help if you're going away for the week or a day, but as with many here, home is where you love to be.

**Ross** · #43 12/10/10, 09:06 PM

I'm pretty sure you wouldn't run a straight antifreeze in the boiler. Still if $1500 saved the system I'd spend it. I'm always amazed how cheap boiler systems are in the USA, we have about $30k in the one triple zone system and my dad spent over $12k on the house my BIL +SIL lived in. He thought the roof he put on and the new oil furnace and water heater he paid for were pricey! LOL!

just_sawing · #44 12/11/10, 07:25 PM

In Mn it's cold and Anti freeze is needed unless you realy have a good setup.
Here in TN we have water and a Hardy. We love it and I kid a little bit thast my wife would get rid of me before her heater.

Tom VH · #45 12/11/10, 10:00 PM

Ross, my Darling Wife and I installed all of the infloor pex tubing and the in ground line, but we had an HV/AC pro install the manifolds and pumps, as in a car radiator they mix a percentage of antifreeze based on predictable lowest temp. If we were away for two or three subzero days our 400 gallon boiler may have ruptured, the house water lines would burst, our three house dogs would have run out of water and food, if not dead-nearly, our 24 layers with out electric heat would not have water, our rabbits go through most of their electrically heated water bowls in less than a day, our pigs and meat chickens have already gone to freezer camp so they will be just fine. We have a backup ready boiler, but no backup yet, so for now we view tending the boiler like animal husbandry, twice a day care plus regular maintenance. My wife and I work hard cutting and feeding fire wood but it's a task like caring for livestock, cooking, gardening, canning, mowing, we do it together. I think, like most on HT, life is a team effort.
A labor of love. Tom
P.S. What is a Bil + Sil ?

Beeman · #46 12/11/10, 11:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ross

. I'm always amazed how cheap boiler systems are in the USA, we have about $30k in the one triple zone system and my dad spent over $12k on the house my BIL +SIL lived in. He thought the roof he put on and the new oil furnace and water heater he paid for were pricey! LOL!

I don't think many are giving the whole cost when talking about their systems.

**Ross** · #47 12/11/10, 11:57 PM

It gets very cold here too but we use the boiler through all that.... to keep warm. I'm concerned that if a circ pump dies over night the line it serves could freeze. I know I could add and test until I have a mixture just right but I was curious if anyone knew where I might start.

Tom: BIL means brother in law but of course I meant my brother and my SIL or sister in law. Musta been tired!

rowan57 · #48 12/12/10, 05:32 AM

We had a huge boiler in Kenya to heat all the poly-tunnels at night, we used macadamia nut shells by the ton. It had round about a 50ft chimney, but when it got backed up the smoke was real low-lying on a still day, and this boiler required somebody to be with it basically 24/7 to feed it.

English Oliver · #49 12/12/10, 08:14 AM

We are heating 2000 sq ft with a Hardy Wood Boiler and we love it. The two time it was shut down while we were away in the winter I just ran a cord, from the electrical plug in the back of the unit, down the chimney and plugged in a heat lamp then covered the chimney so heat wouldn't escape.

"O"

**Ross** · #50 12/12/10, 08:26 AM

I've heard your oil furnace can backfeed heat through the rad to keep the boiler from freezing while away. I've not tried it but it does make sense.

DaleK · #51 12/12/10, 08:42 AM

Ross an electric water heater might do enough to keep it from freezing as well depending how much water you have in the system (and assuming the power stays on).

I've had mine off for a few days in the dead of winter and the water never got below 71 degrees.

**Ross** · #52 12/12/10, 08:55 AM

Dale....... I met a fellow who tried that and yeah it worked, but his hydro bill was nutz that month! Not that oil is free

Mutti · #53 12/12/10, 03:44 PM

We've had our Central Boiler for about 8 years and we love it. Clean hot water heat plus it heats all our domestic water,too. Know in some places firewood is prohibitively expensive but not in the Ozarks. We get a full log truck plus pup for $400 and that is a year and a half of wood. Seasoned oak mostly. A friend is a logger and saves all his hollow/unsellable logs for us thru the year. We do cut/stack it all ourselves but you can burn anything you are able to fit thru the door. Even though we have a splitter I have to make my DH split stuff down more 'cause he seems to think I'm Hercules.

We know that we save $30 monthly not running our electric water heater. Love the screaming hot water but could be a problem with kids. Guess we have the minor drawback of the electric to run the pump but we've not had any power outages that lasted long enough for it to be a problem. Plus have a generator if we need it.

Sure,we need to feed it twice a day but since we have barn chores it just isn't a big deal. Since we live in an old two story farmhouse propane would be beyond our means. Even in the 40-50 mph winds we are getting right now it stays comfortable. Be sure and have enough radiators; we added more after our first winter. We burn about 6 cords of wood(real cords, not ricks and ranks and whatever else they try to sell people).Since we don't live close to others our smoke doesn't bother anyone; really only noticable on a down pressure day.

Our lines run into the rock cellar that is only under the kitchen,thru the water heater and circulate thru the house and back to the stove. Could actually flip the breaker and use the hot water heater to heat the house, I guess. Only unfortunate thing is the cellar is too warm to store veggies now. DEE

**Ross** · #54 12/12/10, 03:49 PM

DEE maybe you should install a tempering valve on your hot water so you have a more controled temperature for the kids. Increases your total hot water capacity too. Instead of whatever gallons at 160-180f you have 40% more at 120-130f (approximately)