Is it too hot to be thinking about this?

  I had written the first portion of this a few years back

 (March 2011, part of another project).

    (October-November 2010) as I was checking the furnace and getting it ready for winter I noticed my liquid propane gas tank was down to just below 30% (approximately 180 gallons remaining). I would normally have a truck come out and service it up to at least 80% (say 500 gallons) so I was looking at purchasing 325 gallons of liquid propane at $3.56 a gallon, just over $1,100 to heat the house over the winter (OUCH!).  I made my mind up that I was going to make it through this winter burning wood and using the LP gas as little as possible. 

   

    Just up from my house about ¼ of a mile is a hillside that had been logged a year or so back, as they pulled the trees out they left the tops lay and pretty much left it a mess.  So one day each week I would go along the hill with my 20” Stihl chainsaw and spend a couple hours cutting, hauling and splitting fire wood (Actually I looked forward to my time in the woods, the snow, the occasional deer, the peace and some exercise).  As I had mentioned it’s now late March and the LP tank is now at 20% (the water heater also runs off LP gas) there were a few sick days through the winter or times I just couldn’t get the fire wood in so the LP furnace kicked in every once in awhile (I kind of took the sound of the gas furnace kicking on as a bit of a defeat).

   

    The wood burner in my house is a little supplemental unit that was already installed when we bought the house (I had to do a bit of work on it when we first moved in, it had not been used for a few years) the actual box size is 12” wide, 18” tall and 24” deep, not a big unit.  Each night I would load it up before I went to work then the wife would load it again before she went to bed and in the morning when I got home I would load it before I went to bed.  This kept the house at 65* to 68*F through the harshest part of the winter.  Now I just load it up before I go to work to keep the evening chill off (house gets up to around 70* to 72*F now).

   

    The cost for me to heat with wood was not bad at all.  After each use I use a drimmel tool to sharpen the cutting links on the chain myself (no cost). I did buy a new chain mid season ($28.89) I used 5 gallons of fuel ($17.00) 1 quart of 2 cycle engine oil ($3.75) 1 gallon of chain lube ($9.60) and I’ll add 10 gallons of diesel fuel for the tractor driving back and forth hauling the log’s ($36.50) totaling out at $96.00.  Also my saw is 9 years old so this past weekend I bought a new clutch, bar and chain ($92.80) but now the saw cuts like new and is ready for next winter.  Either way you look at it I saved $900 to $1,000 and gained a bit of personal pride in setting a goal and achieving it. In the grand scheme of things a little victory but a victory just the same. 

    Welcome back to today.  I had used the supplemental wood burner for a couple of seasons and almost exclusively heated the house with it the past two winters but I was always a bit uncomfortable with having the fire inside the house.  There is always the potential for an accident plus the chimney is well over fifty years old and is due some major refurbishment (an easy $1,000+ to do it right).  After saving on fuel cost over the years and being comfortable with the supply of timber in the area I’ve decided to upgrade to an outdoor wood boiler unit.  Starting early this summer I began watching for sales on the different company’s web sites.  I finally settled on a company outside of Indianapolis, IN. (www.woodboilerusa.com)..   The unit cost me $4,500 and the installation package (pump, tubing, ect…) was an additional $900 plus $340 sales tax.  In addition to heating the house it also preheats the water going into the hot water heater (this should be a small but noticeable savings).    Being that it was only 200 miles round trip I was able to drive to pick it up from the manufactures shop and make it back home the same day (My fuel expense was $127.00).  I did the installation myself over a few weekends.  A bit of a note on the installation, I did it by myself but it took all of my skills to put it in.  The unit weighed close to 2,000 lbs. a real hand full to move off the trailer onto the concrete pad.  I had to dig an 85’ trench 20” deep, drill and chip out a 6” hole through a 10” brick and concrete wall, all to run the supply and return water lines.  Then I had to run the inside plumbing lines and circulation pump to the furnace and water heater.  There was sheet metal work to mount the water to air heat exchanger in the furnace unit. Then there was some electrical wiring for the pump and thermostats.  I also took the opportunity to move the water heater closer to the furnace so this required some rerouting of the liquid propane gas supply line.  Not a job for the novice and you will need some specialized tools but what a feeling of accomplishment when you’re done.

        

    With a more efficient burn chamber that’s over three times the size of what I’m using now plus the option of mixing in a bit of coal I’m expecting to reduce the amount of wood used throughout the season and more importantly my wife shouldn’t have to stoke the fire at night.  Not that she can’t, I just prefer she not have to (Ya got to pamper the wife whenever you can).  All total, I’m about $6,300 invested into this project but I should start seeing a return within four years after deducting the savings from the past couple of years from using the small unit plus I have the peace of mind from not having the fire inside the house.          

Just a little step back from the world and a glimpse into what I’ve been up to…

I hope you have a good week

The TOMCAT