Outdoor Wood Furnace Info
All-Purpose OWF Discussions => General Outdoor Furnace Discussion => Topic started by: pointer80 on December 12, 2013, 01:08:39 AM
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Hi all, I am a new member(posted below). I have a question about shutting down stove in winter. My wife and I leave for a few days to visit family over xmas and I have my neighbor feed my stove while we are gone( he has a owb also). I am just concerned that if he cannot feed my stove for some reason can I let the fire burn out until we get home? I have a forced air gas furnace as a back up and was wondering if I let it go out will it be alright? Will the taco pumps circulating the water keep the water from freezing? My stove also runs too a hanging heater in my barn(separate pump and lines). Will the water running into the house and back keep the water warm enough to keep it from freezing. has anybody else had to shut their stove down for a short period during cold weather? Thanks all in advance.
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Hi all, I am a new member(posted below). I have a question about shutting down stove in winter. My wife and I leave for a few days to visit family over xmas and I have my neighbor feed my stove while we are gone( he has a owb also). I am just concerned that if he cannot feed my stove for some reason can I let the fire burn out until we get home? I have a forced air gas furnace as a back up and was wondering if I let it go out will it be alright? Will the taco pumps circulating the water keep the water from freezing? My stove also runs too a hanging heater in my barn(separate pump and lines). Will the water running into the house and back keep the water warm enough to keep it from freezing. has anybody else had to shut their stove down for a short period during cold weather? Thanks all in advance.
Is it just water in your system or did you add glycol to the system?
kelly
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If you have a forced gas system and if you have your heat exchanger in the plenum, you should be OK. Whenever the gas furnace comes on, heat will backfeed into the OWB system, provided the circulating pump remains running. I am in a northern climate. My OWB is 160 feet from the house and 90 feet from the garage and I have left it unfired and unattended for a week at a time in the dead of winter with no ill effects. The water temp dropped to about 70 degrees and remained at that temp. I would suggest you do not set the house thermostat too low, keep it at a regular temp. Cover up the OWB's stack to prevent heat loss and have someone stop by every day or so to double check.
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Thanks guys, I have just straight water in my system. I also called the manufacture today and they told me the same thing, it would be alright as long as I keep the water circulating into the house and back.
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Let the pumps run and you should be fine. I have about 50 ft of pex inside that I let the water circulate through when I shut down when its below freezing, keeps the boiler warm enough.