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Need help deciding

Discussion in 'OWB's and Gasification Boilers' started by Redfin, Jul 25, 2016.

  1. Redfin

    Redfin

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    Howdy,

    Im getting ready to build my shop and I am planning on radiant floors and also supplimenting my house with baseboard radiators.

    I will have the space in my shop for a boiler but I also could install an owb. Im not sure which route would be better as this is new territory for me.

    At this point I just need to decide which one to go with before I pour the floor. Size I will figure out later.

    Any help deciding which would suit my needs is appreciated.
     
  2. pappy88

    pappy88

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    I have my boiler in my shop & really like not having to go outside to build a fire. I also store my winters wood right next to it. You could build a lean to for a boiler & wood storage.
     
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  3. Redfin

    Redfin

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    Do indoor boilers put off much radiant heat or does the water absorb most of it?
     
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  4. brenndatomu

    brenndatomu

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    The guys that I've talked to that did this were VERY happy with it. If there is decent insulation a lot of guys claim to not have to run the fan on the HX much...radiant will often be enough to keep the shop at a working temp
     
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  5. Redfin

    Redfin

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    Im thinking if I can keep the shop at 60* it will be plenty. I dont plan completely heating the house either.

    Just looking for the pros and cons of both. Pappy has brought up a great point of maintaining the fire inside, which I hadnt really considered.
     
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  6. Redfin

    Redfin

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    Does anyone else have some wisdom to share?
     
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  7. Canadian border VT

    Canadian border VT

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    BIL, has his out doors for his house and in a shed addition to his slaughter house... he like slaughter house better.. no tracking of snow... bring in crates of wood to thaw before use.. distance of water pipes to lose heat before building etc etc
     
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  8. yooperdave

    yooperdave

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    The set temperatures (water leaving the boiler) are usually lower (?) for infloor heat as opposed to unit heater and/or baseboard heaters.

    Some boilers (typically conventional cast iron boilers) usually fail earlier due to the lower set point of departing water temps.
    I believe cast iron boilers are designed to run at higher temps and are used for radiant baseboard and unit heaters; they don't fare so well for the lower set point of infloor demands.

    Correct me if I'm wrong.

    With an outside boiler, you can light a fire and not have to worry about the inside mess or going outside to "tend the fire" as they can meet their heating demands (dependent on how much load there is....house/garage or both...etc) by being fired up only once a day.

    Clear as mud?
     
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  9. Horkn

    Horkn

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    I'd get a closed system OWB, not an open one like the majority of owb's are. Putting one in the shed will keep the shed pretty warm, and usually you can save $ by not having a "shed" on the boiler since it's already inside. You'll spend a little on the chimney, but not much if you plan it out right.

    You can put the wood in the garage toage/ shed and it will be easy to keep it warm and the wood dry.
     
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  10. pappy88

    pappy88

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    Here's a picture of my chimney, a 55 gal drum. camera oics 129 (Medium).jpg
     
  11. Redfin

    Redfin

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    What would be the benefit of closed system?
     
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  12. yooperdave

    yooperdave

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    I have an OWB with an open system. It is not pressurized at all and the only electricity it uses is the circulating pump and the solenoid that opens the firebox damper when the aquastat calls for heat. VERY pleased with it!
    The OWB is outside (where it is designed to be used) along with the wood pile and all the mess associated with feeding the firebox, etc.
     
  13. Redfin

    Redfin

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    I hope Im not the only one who is confused by this pic.
     
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  14. coal reaper

    coal reaper

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    garns have the option to exhaust like that. they are indoor open systems that shine for use with low temp distribution. they extract so much heat out of the fire that you can hold your hand in that barrel.

    i put my indoor closed system with thermal storage in the barn. Vedolux 37 install | Firewood Hoarders Club wouldnt change much at all . i like that i dont have a flame in my house. warm workshop out of earshot from the wife. can bring a winters worth of wood under cover. extended times between fires due to storage. wouldnt have it any other way.
     
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  15. Horkn

    Horkn

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    Efficiency. Plain and simple. Open systems are no where near as efficient as a closed system.
     
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  16. coal reaper

    coal reaper

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    im buying you a pizza!

    if i may elaborate, closed systems remove the oxygen from the water within. we all know what water and oxygen do to metal. the pressure allows the dissolved oxygen to form bubbles where those bubbles are then mechanically removed by a bleeder, scoop, or air eliminater device similar to a float pin on a carb. most residential heating systems are closed to limit corrosion. this may not be the case if everything is pex and plastic fittings and stainless circs. but mostly, closed systems on the house side. when you add an open wood boiler side of the system to your closed house side of the system you need a heat exchanger to get your BTUs from one side to the other. there is never 100% exchange. maybe only 170* water gets extracted from the 190* the boiler puts out. now if you have low-temp emitters you may not need the hottest of the hot water your boiler produces. a closed system eliminates the need for an expensive heat exchanger, extends the life of the system components, and negates the need for water testing and chemical additions. if you incorporate storage tanks then there is considerations since these will be pressurized. plenty of systems work just fine running open. depends on you situation.
     
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  17. Redfin

    Redfin

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    I do appreciate all your inputs. Thank you. There will be a portion of my shop under the same roof that I will be using as a "shed". It will be seperated from the heated portion.

    This may be a good space for the boiler. About the only reason I thought about putting it inside the shop was because I thought the radiant heat off the boiler would be nice.
     
  18. Deer Meadow Farm

    Deer Meadow Farm

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    If I was to put the boiler in my shop for the advantage of keeping "a winter's supply of wood" inside, I'd need a big shop! I've burned as little as 6 cord/year and as much as 12. Even stacking 6' tall that's a lot of floor space used up....
     
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  19. coal reaper

    coal reaper

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    pictured is a year supply of properly seasoned wood for my 2500sqft cathedral ceiling house on top of a mountain with northwestern wind exposure. i resupply end of september. i lose that floor space for half of the year, the cold half.
    my barn itself is not insulated. my 10x30' "boiler shop" is. stays 65-70 all year. besides the single wall pipe, i can touch all surfaces of the boiler when it is burning. not too too much residual heat coming off of the thing, but i do catch it all. additionally, i have about 15' of uninsulated return pex line that i let leak into that room. the water in that line can be anywhere from 120-160*. when its colder out, house demands more, return water temp is higher, boiler shop stays same temp. nice.
     

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  20. fuelrod

    fuelrod

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    I have an "indoor" gasser in a separate dedicated room attached to the house. The amount of heat that it put's off is incredible, we dry our clothes on an old fashioned clothes drying rack in that room! It is super insulated as the house is and is usually at 100* all winter long. I'd highly suggest it for your shop. As for the different temps for the different distribution means (radiant & baseboard) I think you'll need some mixing valves for each type. Radiant uses about 110* water and baseboard is much higher from what I understand, like 180*??
    My boiler is made in PA, iirc west of Greencastle, should be pretty close to you and they might even be able to give you some design advice. They were very helpful during my self installation and the last thing I am is a plumber:whistle:
    I also heat my attached shop with it (38x64) with 16' ceilings & 3 giant marginally insulated doors.
    They also make a coal fired boiler and if you don't have your own wood access, you're in coal country. They heat their shop with one of their units. It has an old dairy barn as part of the shop with a concrete stave silo attached as many of them were. Now they have coal in it with a screw feed system to feed the boiler, pretty slick.
     
    Last edited: Dec 3, 2016