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[csnow]

Thanks for looking at my post, I have been browsing around here for a few weeks and just signed up.  Here is my situation.  I have a 1684 sqft house with 9 ft cielings and a full basements.  The house is rated as an energy star house. I currently have a 75,000 btu propane furnace that heats it along with a heat pump.  The basement has radiant floor heat in it which is not hooked up do to propane and electric cost.  I also have a 28x36 attached garage that would like to heat with the owb as well, it is not inuslated or finished at this time and would be hooked up down the road.  I live in central ohio North of Columbus.  As of today I have burned through about 450 gals or propane.  My question for you guys is, how much wood do you think I would burn in a whole season, I know it probably depends on what owb I go with, but just looking to see if for some reason I cant get enough cut and have to buy it that I will still be saving some money. thanks and I am looking forward to hearing from you

[juddspaintballs]

Plan on a lot of wood, as in several cords. 

[jackel440]

I would say it all depends on a lot of factors.Just like you said.Depends on what type of OWB you get,regular or Gasification?,How bad the winters are?How well insulated your home is(I know you said it is an energy star )Also what type of wood you burn,Seasoned or green?hard or softwood?
I am sure others will chime in with more experiance on the yearly wood use.As I have just been running my gasifier since january.

[jackel440]

Judds- you beat me to it!

[juddspaintballs]

Basically, if you decide to get a wood boiler, whether gassifier or not, start with several cords of wood.  If you don't use it the first year, you'll use it the next. 

If you're worried about wood consumption, go with the gassifier.  They will use less wood and heat your house just as well.  Though the expense is higher upfront, the cost of operation will be less if you're purchasing wood.  Even if you're cutting up your own wood, you could probably buy a cord for every 2-3 hours of OT you could put in at your regular job.

That being said, I have a regular OWB.  It uses a lot of wood.  I'm also a tree guy, so I'm getting paid to cut the wood anyways and I need to dispose of it somewhere.  I love my OWB, but, when I build a house someday, I will have a gassifier installed.  I will probably buy a Garn because they are the easiest to operate from what I've been reading.  Plus they look pretty cool.


Some things to think about.

[Scratch]

Here's my take on it.... If you have the time to cut the wood, or maybe you don't have the time, but are willing to spend the time, then get an OWB.  My house is a little more than 5000 sq ft.  I used to burn propane and spent at least 300 to 400 per month in LP.  I was using it to run two furnaces for my house.  I kept my thermostat at 68 and at night, went down to 60.  My basement was always cold.
Now I heat my basement floor (I ran the lines when I built the house just in case) my garage floor and 2 heat exchangers for the furnaces.  I go through about a cord every two weeks.  Cut and split mixed and old dead wood.  Anything I find laying down in my 20 acres of woods.  If I had to buy the wood, I would still do it because I'd be at 300.00 per month, but I have a real warm basement, it stays about 77 or so, my main floor is always 74 and my garage is always 60.  There's never ice or snow within about 1-2 feet of my garage door, and it just feels toasty warm in my house all the time, plus I love the smell of burning wood.

Now I could turn the thermostat down in the garage... I could also finish installing my thermostats in my basement to even that out a little, but I've gotten spoiled.  You have a smaller house, and is probably better insulated than mine.  You should go through less wood because of that.  And if you cut your own wood, you will save a bunch of money.  This is the first year Ive had to buy wood, but I'm still ahead of money. 
I have a CB6048 and have no complaints at all about it , but I think pretty much any well known stove will be fine.  I spent around 10,000.00 on my stove and all the extra stuff that it needed which includes all plumbing, both HX;s, rental of the trencher cement pad etc...

It should  have paid for itself this season or next I can't remember. 

Keep in mind though, I'm sure you realize it's alot of work to get all that wood and  then there's all the loading and stuff.  I load mine twice a day at 6 am and 6pm, but it's well worth it in my mind.

Good luck!

[csnow]

I would say it all depends on a lot of factors.Just like you said.Depends on what type of OWB you get,regular or Gasification?,How bad the winters are?How well insulated your home is(I know you said it is an energy star )Also what type of wood you burn,Seasoned or green?hard or softwood?
I am sure others will chime in with more experiance on the yearly wood use.As I have just been running my gasifier since january.

Well i did some btu comparison earlier after I made this post and according to my finding, for the 450 gals of propane I have used at 91,600 btu i would need approximately 4-4.5 cords of wood depending on the wood and moisture content. but this is also just for heating the house not the radiant floor and also does not take into consideration and heat or btu loss while the system is idle, I would like to get a gasifier, figure if i am going to spend the money might as well do it right. thanks for the response so far.

[juddspaintballs]

If you build an insulated "wood" shed, you can get an indoor gassifier and put it in the shed.  For instance: Eko-40

One thing to keep in mind is that gassifiers may be eligible for a tax rebate of up to $1500.  That might help you make up your mind.

[yoderheating]

 I thought the $1500 tax rebates ended in 2010.

[tulenutn2o]

They did. And, as everyone, knows government(I mean u and me) is out of money. Who knows, if it will be renewed. I would definately go with a gasifier. I would lean toward an outdoor unit because wood does not have to be cut so small. I like mine.

[csnow]

They did. And, as everyone, knows government(I mean u and me) is out of money. Who knows, if it will be renewed. I would definately go with a gasifier. I would lean toward an outdoor unit because wood does not have to be cut so small. I like mine.

Well maybe by the time I decide something they will have another rebate

[MattyNH]

According to the Central Boiler web page..There is a $300 tax credit for 2011...You also got the option of a pellet owb..My bro inlaw has one..Thing works slick.. So you got that option, than doing the hard labor of wood..Just fill the hopper once a week and your good to go..

[tulenutn2o]

According to the Central Boiler web page..There is a $300 tax credit for 2011...You also got the option of a pellet owb..My bro inlaw has one..Thing works slick.. So you got that option, than doing the hard labor of wood..Just fill the hopper once a week and your good to go..

Isn't buying bags of pellets kinda defeating the purpose? Were they able to point you to the credit? Haven't heard this one yet.

[MattyNH]

According to the Central Boiler web page..There is a $300 tax credit for 2011...You also got the option of a pellet owb..My bro inlaw has one..Thing works slick.. So you got that option, than doing the hard labor of wood..Just fill the hopper once a week and your good to go..

Isn't buying bags of pellets kinda defeating the purpose? Were they able to point you to the credit? Haven't heard this one yet.

What kind of purpose you talking?...I buy my hardwood by the grapple.. Only free wood is the junk wood

[willieG]

how much wood is in a grapple? and do you buy it cut and split or in logs?  in my part of ontario (canada) if you buy fire wood it ends up not much cheaper (if any) than heatig oil