I am wondering from all you guys with the OWB how long of a pipe do you run?I am trying to figure out if i ran one 200' verse move the unit and end up with 2 pipes each 100' for the 2 buildings. Rob
Thanks but I am thinking of putting it through the wall in the shop where I park tractor with snow blower all winter and heat that space a little and since it is big enough I will be able to store a bunch of wood in there so no out door refueling
Thanks as said just a sec ago if I put unit into shop and just run 1 200' length will save building a roof etc to store weekly fuel so I am torn with the best option
The shortest run to the home will offer the least amount of heat loss. I would have the longest run go to the shop which would not be heated all the time.
Having everything under cover would be good, for nice dry firewood and being able to use the standby by heat loss for some good. Just make sure you size the pipe & circulator right, and use good pipe so you won't lose heat to the ground, and so you get enough GPM to the house. It won't be cheap, but it is one place you don't want to cheap out on.
Using good pipe, your heat loss is going to be minimal going to the house. So I wouldn't worry about the house being further away than the shop. I have mine about 90' from the house and 50' from my garage. I like having the smoke and smell away from my house. Also take into consideration insurance stipulations and fire hazards. I believe most insurance companies would like the boiler to be 50' away from a structure or have a high stack. I have embers come out of my hardy when the wind is blowing hard. I have a small shed next to my stove that I'm not worried about, but I have heard of people having stuff catch on fire.
If you are thinking about putting the burner in your shop, that burner could be an indoor burner. Rather than an OWB. If I wanted to get the fire out of my house but still heat water with wood, I would put an indoor boiler, my entire winters wood, and maybe also storage tanks, all in one boiler building. Tanks might go in my house instead - but definitely the boiler & wood. Boiler building would be above freezing all winter and could also be used for other things.
Yes I want to put the boiler at least through the wall if not into the shed where I can store my wood and also the snow blower tractor & wood so instead of one pipe lets say being 80' and the other 60' I would just have one being 140' long and ether infloor to keep that building & tractor around 45
I would place the boiler wherever it was the easiest location to load it every day. The heat loss in 100' of pipe vs. 200' of pipe is not a major concern if you are using commercially available insulated PEX.
I have a CB 6048 almost exactly in the middle of the two houses it heats. One run is 193’ & the other is 210’ we used the thermapex pipe CB sells. I have a thermometer inline in my basement ( the 193’ line) & I’ve never had more than a 4 degree difference since my install in 2006. Hope that helps some.
Of course that’s assuming both thermometers are accurate. I don’t really have any reason to believe they’re not
