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[NCredneck]

Anyone put in a wood boiler and regret doing it? Just too much work on your pretty days that you could be doing other things you would rather do. Only splitting wood and doing it just to pay the thing off and then burn bought wood? anyone!

[MattyNH]

I have yet to meet anyone that has regrets on buying a OWB.. I do tell people that are thinking of buying  a OWB..You gotta like doing the wood part... Wood part really no different than having a wood stove in your house really.. The price of #2 heating oil has pretty much paid mine off..

[willieG]

there have been a couple here that have said they rushed into it and after cutting wood for one or two years felt it best to resell them and go back ot other heat sources

i would say if you have grown up with sood ro have a indoor fireplace or indoor wood funrnace then you know what it takes to run an OWB think also of the cost...lets say 10,000 with all your underground piping and heat exchanges and fitting and stuff (just for average) now think of what that 10,000 could do for you in insulation and things to seal up your home and reduce yoru heating costs. you may find that you could spend the money on  insulation, doors, windows, caulking etc. andn reduce your home heating bills to an "acceptable level" and thus not need to cut wood?

[Ridgekid]

Of course I can't say yeah or neah yet. (Still waiting for delivery) But to comment on your wood cutting. We have been doing that for over 20 years. Why a OWB? This will be the first time to have the "mess" all outside. I'm looking forward to it.

[NCredneck]

I haven't got one yet. I have two fireplaces inside but have gas logs in one and don't use the other one. I have recently replaced windows and the house is already insulated pretty well....for me its just about saving money and being warmer. I have all idea that lp gas will go much higher and I am already spending 2200.00 for last years gas. My biggest fear of getting one is that I will be a slave to cutting and splitting. I aint afraid of the work....just not sure if I want my fishing and other activities to suffer. the system I am looking at is bout 8500 total + or - 400.00 or so but then I need to put in a pole shed to store wood etc. Course I've been wanting that anyhow. I am probably looking at 4 to 5 years before it pays back and the initial cost is a bummer. I don't really have to buy wood but might buy some just to not have to cut wood all the time. Most people say if you gotta buy wood it really ain't worth it. Still thinking and researching....lol!

[Bull]

I have electric heat and part of my reason for getting my OWB is so if I lose power my gen. will run the pump and my furnace blower with no problem but it is not big enough to run the electric furnace.
I live out in the sticks and have lost power before.

[willieG]

I haven't got one yet. I have two fireplaces inside but have gas logs in one and don't use the other one. I have recently replaced windows and the house is already insulated pretty well....for me its just about saving money and being warmer. I have all idea that lp gas will go much higher and I am already spending 2200.00 for last years gas. My biggest fear of getting one is that I will be a slave to cutting and splitting. I aint afraid of the work....just not sure if I want my fishing and other activities to suffer. the system I am looking at is bout 8500 total + or - 400.00 or so but then I need to put in a pole shed to store wood etc. Course I've been wanting that anyhow. I am probably looking at 4 to 5 years before it pays back and the initial cost is a bummer. I don't really have to buy wood but might buy some just to not have to cut wood all the time. Most people say if you gotta buy wood it really ain't worth it. Still thinking and researching....lol!

seem you are an avic outdoors kind of guy..it is my opininon that you would not become a slave to cutting and splitting. i have one son that helps me cut our wood. we get about 1 full cord on our little trailer and we try and cut one full load each time we go (at least)  so we usually spend 10 days out a a whole winter cutting wood. we try 9so far) to cut down only dead elm trees and they die here quick enough that they rarely get over 14 inches across. we split nothing and cut them to 16 inches wide and when i load the stove i just set them on the door sill sideways and roll them in with a long handles shovel. we try and stay a year ahead of our wood needs so that we go to the bush to cut wood when we want and not when we are out of wood. you will find if you go to cut wood when you want it is an enoyable chore...if you go becasue you have to it feels more like work.

[teburman]

No regrets here. This is my third season with the unit and it has paid for itself and the installation costs already. I don't cut my own wood, I have two suppliers that I buy from cut, split and delivered. I don't have a good wood shed situation yet so I am handleing the wood more than I want to. I hope to build a wood shed this year that will hold two years supply of wood and be airy enough to season the wood properly. I look forward to the workout I get from stacking the wood to dry but I hate moving the wood to the shed???

[NCredneck]

teburman, you mind sharing what system and previous energy cost ya had....must be huge to be able to pay for it in the 3rd season with bought wood....I know I would be tickled it I didn't have to cut and split it....

[NCredneck]

willieg,
you are ahead of the game...get that youngin to help and stay ahead by a year or two....my hero....lol...

[teburman]

2200 gallons per year at $3.69/ gallon is what I based my calculations on.  Three years might be a slight exageration but it is close.  I am looking at the savings from a landlord's point of view - I no longer provide hot water to the tenants they pay for their own now.  I always forget that so this is not true apples to apples comparison since I no longer heat water for four appartments, sorry for the confusion.

[teburman]

oops didn't answer all of your question - I am using an ASPEN 175.

[NCredneck]

OK not being used to heating with wood, I decided to see what it would be like to cut and split some. After 4 hours of hard work for both me and my son, I have a cord of wood. Granted I split some just because I wanted to and probably could feed a boiler without splitting (I just wanted to see what effort it took to split a cord). I figure I am 1/8 of the way there for next year if I only use 8 cords for the winter heating. I can tell you that if I buy a boiler....I WILL end up buying a gas splitter..lol..not that I mind the work but hey, if I can do it faster thats a good thing. I figure a 20 ton should do what I need to do..any suggestions?
I really wish I could estimate how much wood I would really use. I read all sorts of usage...I know it depends on the house and location and temperatures and stuff. I have a well insulated house but nervous about usage before buying a boiler ..don't want to regret it...

[Bull]

I have a 20 ton splitter and it splits anything I have ever put on it. The smallest new ones around here are 22 ton.

[dirtryder]

NCredneck
From all the reading I have done and from my own use, if you figure on 10 full (4X4X8) cords of wood you should be in the ballpark. So, more than 5, less than 20
BTW to answer the original question.....NO