Why are we loading 4x a day ??

[Lea B]

So we bought this >100 yr old farm house and its rugged up to a central boiler classic
..I think it's a good 10 years old. NW pa temps have been hovering 30s...
We are loading this 4 times a day, it's been going down to embers. Sometimes I go out in the morning and its 130, other times it holds at 170. The other day it was 90 something and down to 62 in the house. The former home owner and installer looked it all over and said it's fine. He only loaded 2 x a day. The wood is hardwood...and we are almost through our 2nd triaxle load since Oct. Its Jan and we will need it on through April. I read a lot here about set points...but I dont see a way on ours to program this.

 

[CentaurG2]

Our CB is hooked up to an uninsulated house. Not unusual to motor through about 25 cords a winter. Really cold week will burn a cord easy. I suspect the boiler is a little too small for the size house it is trying to heat. Lowering the temp inside your house and putting the clear plastic over the windows is about all you can do this year.

 

[Lea B]

I wondered about size. Former owners were really only using downstairs plus supplementing with kerosene burners. We have children so we are utilizing the whole home. The windows are all newly replaced ...

 

[Del_]

Does the snow melt where the hot water line from the boiler is buried?

 

[CentaurG2]

You would fill a bigger boiler less often but you will still use the same amount of wood. If you do plan to upgrade the boiler, take a close look at the local laws/ordinances. You may be forced to put in a gasification unit.

 

[H-Ranch]

2nd load of logs since October? Meaning delivered and cut within that time? If so, that's a lot of wet firewood. You would do much better to burn seasoned wood - that will be tough this year though.

Heating an old farmhouse with poor insulation will use a lot of wood so that could add to your struggles. If you're burning 2x the wood then there may be another reason - PEX in contact with ground water or another major loss such as a second loop running to an outbuilding.

 

[panolo]

Seasoned wood makes a difference. Even if you only split it once and let it sit over the summer it should drop a considerable amount of moisture. If you are burning oak it loses a crap ton of energy if it's not dry.

The other thing I would look at is heat loss. Like Del said poor lines will suck up heat very fast. Usually you'll see no snow around the area where the lines run to the house. Or you can take a temp reading where the lines leave the boiler and when they come into the house. I loose between 1-2 degrees on a 107' run.

 

[jimdeere]

Do you have a heat exchanger on your hot water? Kids showers and washing clothes uses a lot of hot water.

 

[cantoo]

A picture is worth a thousand words. So post some pictures and these guys might be able to help you. Start at the wood pile, then OWB, where lines come into the house, heating unit inside etc.

 

[crowbuster]

What is the thermostat set on ?

 

[Lea B]

A picture is worth a thousand words. So post some pictures and these guys might be able to help you. Start at the wood pile, then OWB, where lines come into the house, heating unit inside etc.

 

[Lea B]

What a great idea....

 

[Lea B]

Does the snow melt where the hot water line from the boiler is buried?

What is the thermostat set on ?

 

[Lea B]

Wish I could answer that..there is a red digital readout but no way to adjust it or set it that I can see.

 

[Lea B]

Do you have a heat exchanger on your hot water? Kids showers and washing clothes uses a lot of hot water.

 

[Wazzu]

HOLY Moses that is a crap ton of firewood for one year! I could heat my 3000sf split level for about 5 years with that amount.

 

[Marshy]

At this point I would strongly suggest you go buy a laser pyrometer and measure the hot water line right before it goes into the ground out at the boiler. Then go in the house and measure what that temperature is. Post what you find and tell us approximately how far the run is between the boiler and where it comes into the house.

 

[svk]

What model of boiler and what is the square footage of the house?

My friend bought a CB for a newer home and the salesman told him it should burn 10-12 cords a year. He went through 15 by the end of January. They do like to gobble wood.

 

[NSMaple1]

We're in the dark without more data. Read Marshy above. But it needs to be accurate. But I would bet your underground pipe is heating the earth. For starters.

 

[Marley5]

It's likely a multitude of issues, mainly insulation in old farm house and lines from boiler. That's a lot of wood consumption for PA.

I'm heating 4600 sq ft with a CB classic 5036, all hydronic here in the mountains of western VA at the tune of 7-8 cords per year........it can and should be more efficient than what you're experiencing.

I'd particularly like to know water temps entering the house from boiler.