Heat?
- Thread starter SidecarFlip
- Start date
I'm heating a 2400 sq ft house with a heatmor 200x outdoor wood boiler. We also have an oil burner boiler for back up. On the really cold days we light up the high efficiency wood burning insert.
Interesting heating, some of you live in the cold for sure.
Southern France, wood burner keeps the house warm just by leaving doors open.
The lounge though needs a bit extra so a traditional open fire. I disagree that it is a net loss..no fire room cold...fire, room warm so it works.
Mind you i do not light any fires generally until 4 pm as we have clear skys and bright sun as a rule and even with bad days and freezing temps in the worst of it i only need roughly 10 cubic metres of wood for the year. There is not a more effecientway to do it for me after taking into accout the costs of changing. Dropping a liner down the chimney and changing the open fire to another wood burner would cost a fair bit so even that as the simplest and cheapest change is not really worth it.
Southern France, wood burner keeps the house warm just by leaving doors open.
The lounge though needs a bit extra so a traditional open fire. I disagree that it is a net loss..no fire room cold...fire, room warm so it works.
Mind you i do not light any fires generally until 4 pm as we have clear skys and bright sun as a rule and even with bad days and freezing temps in the worst of it i only need roughly 10 cubic metres of wood for the year. There is not a more effecientway to do it for me after taking into accout the costs of changing. Dropping a liner down the chimney and changing the open fire to another wood burner would cost a fair bit so even that as the simplest and cheapest change is not really worth it.
So this thread got me thinking - oil heat is a real problem for insurance around here and my boiler dates back to the 70's. I did a little work on sizing a replacement (electric or propane are my only options) and I am a little confused on btu sizing.
I am burning an average of 3.5 US gals per day to heat which should equate to around 450,000 btu's or around 19,000 per hour. So when I see a boiler rated at 24,000 btu's per hour output, should be adequate, right?
I am burning an average of 3.5 US gals per day to heat which should equate to around 450,000 btu's or around 19,000 per hour. So when I see a boiler rated at 24,000 btu's per hour output, should be adequate, right?
I would calculate a new size based on SQ Ft and construction of the house, try this tool
https://www.supplyhouse.com/sh/control/BTUCalculator
Tom,
Thanks. I ran the calculation and it came up with a number a little less than 140,000. I assume it's not suggesting I need a unit putting out 140,000 per hour? Looking at the suggested boilers it appears it is. Now I am really confused. Using under 4 gallons a day is nowhere near that kind of btu output.
Thanks. I ran the calculation and it came up with a number a little less than 140,000. I assume it's not suggesting I need a unit putting out 140,000 per hour? Looking at the suggested boilers it appears it is. Now I am really confused. Using under 4 gallons a day is nowhere near that kind of btu output.
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If you got a forced air system Google " Manual J " Load calculations it will get you closer then the link provided. Its what we have to use in the industry.
Is your house hot water heat ? How many Sq fT ? How many radiators ?
24,00 btu doesn't seem right to me. That be like heating your house with your dryer.
I'd guess you'd need something around the 80-100k BtU's
I have radiant hot water heat (baseboards). I fully heat about 1500 ft and partially heat another 2000 ft (shop has in floor heat but I keep it quit low) in four zones. I hear you about the 24,000 sounding low (and maybe it is) - I was just converting the actual oil I use as the source for the btus needed. Maybe that's not right.
Your Boiler should have a rating plate inside telling you the BTU load input/output thats what you want to compare to. Or quick guide is 15-20,000 btu per burner
2000sq ft shop with 4 zones seems under sized to me, but you have different climate than I have Im sure.
I have a 1800 sq ft I put 7 zones in. Averaging 260-270 ' a zone
Piped it 8" on center 2' around perimeter then 12' on center the rest. Wish I would have done the porch and apron in front of the building too
I'd burn wood if I had it to burn but I don't, at least not enough to heat the house as it's all farmland around here and while we have trees around the property, mot enough and I'm not about to cut them down for the sake of heat when I can burn free corn and cheap wood pellets.
Total outlay for heat (house) this year will be $214.00 plus the 70 watts to run the stove blower.
Every year isn't like this one but I'll take it.
Very unseasonal here lately. Got up to 50 today and has been above freezing every night for the last 10 da so I'm burning very little corn and pellet mix.
I figure the bottom will drop out and we will be back to sub freezing temps soon.
Just mixed up 4 plastic garbage cans full of mix (corn-pellet) and put them on the deck. With the Kubota and pallet forks.
I still heat the shop on propane however it's in floor heat.
Been heating with pellets, pellets and corn, corn only and soybeans for at least 15 years, mayne longer
Total outlay for heat (house) this year will be $214.00 plus the 70 watts to run the stove blower.
Every year isn't like this one but I'll take it.
Very unseasonal here lately. Got up to 50 today and has been above freezing every night for the last 10 da so I'm burning very little corn and pellet mix.
I figure the bottom will drop out and we will be back to sub freezing temps soon.
Just mixed up 4 plastic garbage cans full of mix (corn-pellet) and put them on the deck. With the Kubota and pallet forks.
I still heat the shop on propane however it's in floor heat.
Been heating with pellets, pellets and corn, corn only and soybeans for at least 15 years, mayne longer
Should have thought of that! Yes it's listed on the boiler (136,000 btu/hr) - so much for my calculations. It still a mystery to me why it's so far off my actual use, but it is what it is.
Thanks for the advice.
Flip, what about all the heaters in the water troughs for the horses and cattle? I installed automatic wateres, and they require no electrical heat.
Lil Foot
Well-known member
Lifetime Member
Equipment
1979 B7100DT Gear, Nissan Hanix N150-2 Excavator
Lil Foot
Well-known member
Lifetime Member
Equipment
1979 B7100DT Gear, Nissan Hanix N150-2 Excavator
Pic is 3024 x 4032 and 6.8MB- should be less than 800 x 800 and 100k.
Having it this huge provides no more usable info than a properly sized picture, it just wastes space & creates a giant PITA to have to scroll all over to see it and all subsequent posts.
If you want to save space on the server, why not clamp down on this instead of interesting content that people want to discuss?
Rant off.
Ready for my slap now.
Having it this huge provides no more usable info than a properly sized picture, it just wastes space & creates a giant PITA to have to scroll all over to see it and all subsequent posts.
If you want to save space on the server, why not clamp down on this instead of interesting content that people want to discuss?
Rant off.
Ready for my slap now.
Waiting for your reply little foots
Let me know if that picture is smaller before I come over there and slap ya
This last picture was on the medium setting
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Let me know if that picture is smaller before I come over there and slap ya
This last picture was on the medium setting
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro