Im new at this whole OWB thing, but I gotta say, Im having a lot of fun with it and learning alot as I go. I started about two months ago without anything outside of the house as far as outdoor boilers go and have managed in that time to get my system set up and functioning as it should. Its not perfect or high tech, but its ten times better than the wood furnace I had in my basement for the past ten years.
I went the cheaper route and found a used boiler about five miles from my house......long story short, I ended up knowing the guy and he answered any question I had about it and was honest. I couldn't swallow the $11.50 a foot price for the Thermopex so I made my own run out of 4" sewer PVC wrapped in Prodex insulation. No snow melting on it so far. I'm not sure I'd go that route again though.....Talk about a major pain in the butt wrestling a 300' coil of pex in 30 degree weather, although I would say that getting the PVC slipped over it and the elbows added in were probably the most difficult, especially when doing it yourself. I bought a HX for the furnace as well as a seperate thermostat to run the LP furnace fan and then added a sidearm exchanger for my water heater on the return side of the pex. I built a 12X16 shed to cover the boiler and to use as storage for wood so I didn't have to deal with tarps or snow anymore. So far I'm happy with everything and really enjoy not having the mess or the worry of having the fire in the basement. Hopefully everything continues to work the way it has been, although I do expect a few hicups along the way.........nothing runs forever.
BTW.........thanks to everyone who contributes to this site. I learn something new everyday I'm on here!
[attachment deleted by admin]