OWB myths .. list them

[ktm rider]

Not much coal out here in the far west. I would not know where to get any if I wanted to. But firewood? Man, that stuff grows on trees around these parts.

I have also read a lot of bad things about burning coal... not the cleanest source of fuel, nor is it sustainable like growing and burning wood.

Hey, now if you could just find one of those money trees you would be set.

As far as the coal being sustainable, It actually is a continual resource, but it takes ALOT longer. They have been stripping coal in my area for 150 years and according to a friend that owns a coal company, they have enough for another 100 years... As far as clean fuel source, I'm not really sure. It does throw more smoke when you first start it up, but once it gets hot it throws no smoke and there is no creosote build up at all in the chimney. Which means less chance of a chimney fire. But if you are referring to the enviroment, I'm not really sure. i would guess that the coal would be worse than burning wood.
Which ever fuel you do use, atleast the money is going to the AMERICAN coal miners or citizen if you buy your firewood and not the camel riders...

 

[MS-310]

I bought the right size boiler for sure. I insulated the lines to the extreme and my old OWB would not go for anymore than 9 hours completley stack with dry red oak. It would eat wood like it was going out of style. not to mention there is nothing like standing outside at midnight in a -20 windchill to tend to a fire
Since I got my INDOOR multifuel boiler,I get very nice long burn times with about a quarter of the fuel and I can tend the fire in my boxer shorts. Not to mention it was roughly half the price of an OWB and ASME stamped.

But like you said, OWB's are not for everyone, and they sure aren't for me.
If you are looking for a few good used ones, my 2 friends are dying to unload theirs on someone else also..

You have said this before about not getting more then 9 hours of burn time..... You had a BIG problem, its close enough that im thinking that its kinda crazy. (im not call you crazy) I would have called some one to find out what is going on. I been to houses that went through $6000 a year in propane and now they burn 9 cords of hardwoods, and they only had 6900 in the boiler and all the parts, and also at least would get 12 hour burn times, it just seems you lost a bunch of heat some where.

 

[Husky137]

Hey, now if you could just find one of those money trees you would be set.

As far as the coal being sustainable, It actually is a continual resource, but it takes ALOT longer. They have been stripping coal in my area for 150 years and according to a friend that owns a coal company, they have enough for another 100 years... As far as clean fuel source, I'm not really sure. It does throw more smoke when you first start it up, but once it gets hot it throws no smoke and there is no creosote build up at all in the chimney. Which means less chance of a chimney fire. But if you are referring to the enviroment, I'm not really sure. i would guess that the coal would be worse than burning wood.
Which ever fuel you do use, atleast the money is going to the AMERICAN coal miners or citizen if you buy your firewood and not the camel riders...

Does a million years count as a renewable resource???:jester: :greenchainsaw:

 

[ktm rider]

Does a million years count as a renewable resource???:jester: :greenchainsaw:

Sure does!! I said it took ALOT longer. But, the big differene is this, If you wait too long with wood all you have in rotten wood. If you wait too long with coal you will be a millionaire that owns a diamond mine !! That is what I am waiting for, Should be any day now !!!

 

[ktm rider]

You have said this before about not getting more then 9 hours of burn time..... You had a BIG problem, its close enough that im thinking that its kinda crazy. (im not call you crazy) I would have called some one to find out what is going on. I been to houses that went through $6000 a year in propane and now they burn 9 cords of hardwoods, and they only had 6900 in the boiler and all the parts, and also at least would get 12 hour burn times, it just seems you lost a bunch of heat some where.

Yep, I posted my misgivings about my OWB before.

I work in a powerhouse ( for the Bureau of Prisons ) and I'm familiar with heat loss, line loss etc.. I only had a 2-5 deg heat loss from the OWB to my plenum in my house depending mostly on the wind that would blow acrossed the back of the OWB. I found that acceptable and didn't think the loss was great enough to dig the lines up. After I sold it I built my garage right in the same spot the OWB sat. I used the exact same lines and the new indoor unit works VERY well.
I do applaud the OWB users, as I have said before, for not allowing the mid east to take advantage of them.

 

[bassman]

KTM has a good unit.
I think alot of people would run a unit such as his if they did there homework.
I would go that rought if i was to go back .
now the good and bad with smaller more effiecient boilers .
alot less wood and the ability to burn oil and pellets and or coal.
the bad.. wood has to be smaller and real dry.
most people that have alot of deadfall and wood in general know that a big firebox OWB is the best for burning big chunks of wood and wood that may be a little wet or green .
I buy alot of my wood so for me to buy 16 inch cut and split is no problem but I also get free stuff from local tree guys that they cant cut and split to sell .

 

[Lagrue]

Yep, I posted my misgivings about my OWB before.

I work in a powerhouse ( for the Bureau of Prisons ) and I'm familiar with heat loss, line loss etc.. I only had a 2-5 deg heat loss from the OWB to my plenum in my house depending mostly on the wind that would blow acrossed the back of the OWB. I found that acceptable and didn't think the loss was great enough to dig the lines up. After I sold it I built my garage right in the same spot the OWB sat. I used the exact same lines and the new indoor unit works VERY well.
I do applaud the OWB users, as I have said before, for not allowing the mid east to take advantage of them.

I have an outdoor wood boiler, it does eat alot of wood, but I have access to alot of timber to wack on. I live in a very old and large farm house 4500sq ft. I was using about 1350gal of propane a yr on the average. I dont know how much wood i am burning. I just cut it and pile it up, but is quite a bit. If I had access to coal. I would most def. take a look at a unit like yours, but I dont think I would want it inside the house. To messy.

 

[omegajim]

Normally, wouldn't have much to add, but.

Coal is still available to the average consumer?

 

[windthrown]

I have a question, what is the problem with buying the next size bigger boiler then what you need???? I here alot of people saying that you over sized your boiler, how do you over size your boiler?

opcorn:

If you are asking me... I sized our OWB several ways. Cubif feet of space heating and hot water demand was one. Another was previous energy used for heating space and water, and the maximum BTU output of both the space and water heaters. Those numbers pretty much matched up at about 125k BTU. I then doubled that demand potential at 250k BTU. Standard engineering and construction practice; double the estimated need because during peak demand you are apt to need more energy, and you do not want to err on undersizing a heating system. 250k was also the smallest OWB that CB had at the time (they have a smaller one now), so it was a simple decision for us to make here.

No problem with buying a larger system, other than that if you do not need it, you are paying more money for a larger system that you do not and will not need. Longer repay time. Also that would mean more expensive shipping, and a larger slab to pour. In our case here we have the potintial to add another hydronic loop and Taco pump on our boiler (taps are already drilled from the factory) and we could heat a greenhouse or a shop or whatever. In the meantime we can easilly deal with any extreme weather here and stay nice and warm, unlike that guy in Canada that cannot burn enough wood in his OWB to keep his house and greenhouse warm enough when a cold snap hits.

 

[windthrown]

Hey, now if you could just find one of those money trees you would be set.

Well, around here trees are money. We have 80 acres of them. Firewood around here is about $200 a cord now. 10 cords is 2 grand. After income taxes and deductions, that is about 3 grand in income equivalent. Looking at it another way in terms of saved energy costs, we save about $300 a month 7 months a year burning wood instead of paying for electricity for heating. That is also about 2 grand a year, and $3 grand in income equivalent. Funny how the energy costs saved pretty much matches the price of firewood. Capitalism for you. In the meantime we save the US a small amount of energy that does not have to be imported from the middle east.

We burn the culls, windthrow and trees that we thin. That leaves the tree stands. Doug fir is way down lately, but still the lumber here is worth several hundred grand in MBF. We also have a lot of red alder and red cedar, and that is higher in price than Doug fir now. So yes, money does grow on trees here.

 

[bassman]

Hey thats me :greenchainsaw:

I think I have a better grip on things this year .
my biggest problem was my lack of good dry wood .
I will keep you posted on what this year brings .


shayne

 

[aandabooks]

Normally, wouldn't have much to add, but.

Coal is still available to the average consumer?

There is a guy in Peoria that advertises it in the want ad section of the local paper. $.10 per pound I believe. So about $200 per ton. I don't have the ability to burn coal in my woodburner but I have noticed the ad before.

Matt

 

[warlock1944]

Southern Michigan OWB

This is the third year on mine. I bburn 7 -8 of red oak, hickory,and maple per year. House is 2000 sq ft and located on a hill where I get some strong winds from the North. Normal winter weather I fill it twice a day 6:30 AM and around 8:00 at night. I think the wind has more to do with the wood consumption than does thye temperature.

Last year when 10 below and 40 MPH winds it was 3 full loads a day but the house was still an even toasty 70.

Yes they smaoke - first 5 minutes in burn cycle

Yes they eat wood - you have to like to cut wood to keep them full

around here you can get all the wood you need for free if you do not mind working.

I live in the Waterloo rec area and very remotely - oil is my only option so this is a great deal.

guess I will go cut some wood



stihl 192T, 036, 044

 

[ktm rider]

Normally, wouldn't have much to add, but.

Coal is still available to the average consumer?

Sure, depending on where you live. I live within 10 miles of about 4-5 coal mines. you just pull up in your pickup truck and they load the bed up with a front end loader. it takes about 5 minutes and $50 for a ton of good coal.

If you live in Pa. they have the best coal in the world. Anthracite and it is very clean and burns great. most people use stoker stoves for anthracite coal. it works just exactly like a pellet stove. But a ton of anthracite is around $180 a ton but it last quite a while.

 

[stipton]

Fired up my owb Saturday and filled it with wood and a 5 gal bucket of bit coal....still burning this afternoon (Wed.) Temps have been 40-50 days, 30-40's in the night. Nice glowing ball of heat. The blower only kicks on two maybe three times in all day.

Supplementing with some coal will cut my wood consumption in half this year I bet.

 

[Husky137]

Sure, depending on where you live. I live within 10 miles of about 4-5 coal mines. you just pull up in your pickup truck and they load the bed up with a front end loader. it takes about 5 minutes and $50 for a ton of good coal.

If you live in Pa. they have the best coal in the world. Anthracite and it is very clean and burns great. most people use stoker stoves for anthracite coal. it works just exactly like a pellet stove. But a ton of anthracite is around $180 a ton but it last quite a while.

You can get coal up here in Mass as well. No coal mines around but it comes in from somewhere out there. Get it bulk or by the bag. I have a couple of friends who have used it.

 

[bwalker]

MY OWB burns green wood with ease, doesnt smoke too much and doesnt use no where near 20 cords a year depsite having a wife that likes to keep the house at 85 degrees.
It also payed for itself rather quickly given propane was costing me $600 a month from Oct through May.

 

[omegajim]

I'm glad my folks didn't find out about this; my dad would've insisted in putting in a wood/coal furnace somehow.

Now they're retired and put in a propane furnace. Not a bad choice either, since propane prices don't bounce around near as much as natural gas.

Also happened to think with current fuel prices, the $200 the ton of coal cost might not save you anything (vs natural gas) if you have to haul it very far.

 

[bowtechmadman]

Mid-michigan here burning a Woodmaster 5500, heating approx 3200 sq. ft. plus 30X40 barn (barn I only heat when I'm going to be working in it). Averaged approx 10 cord a year over the past 3 years.
Depending on outside temps, over 30 degrees and I get 24 hours, under 30 and I make a habit of filling twice a day...once on way to work, once when i get home...easily makes it from 5pm till 6am in below zero weather. This is keeping the thermostats in the house set at a comfy 74.
Would not trade it for inside burner...I'm very happy cutting the extra wood...and definately prefer keeping the mess 140' from the house behind the barn.

 

[omegajim]

I bet that's the longest 140 feet in the world at -20 F and 40 mph winds in January.

Or is February the coldest month these days? I lose track.