Info needed

[medic]

I currently have an oil burner with winter/summer hot water and hot water baseboard heat. I'm looking to do something, anything in order to suppliment my oil, like maybe a woodburner addition. Any ideas are appreciated.

[MadTripper]

I have a propane setup with radiant floor heat and an indirect tank. Currently, we have a wood burner with forced air that augments the space heating needs and I'm investigating a solar hot water system to help as well.

In our last house, we had an old oil burner and everything was on one zone, with the exception of the domestic loop which was integrated in the boiler. We used about 250 gallons of oil a month during hard winter, (Northeast PA). After a year or two, I fired up the woodburner and went down to about 45 gallons per month. In the summer, we averaged around 37 gallons of oil used for hot water.

So location is a large variable but burning wood can really offset some costs if you are up for the labor. Coal may also be an option. I think it is around $140.00 per ton around here. Other alternative energy's like solar are probably feasible but they require some planning and possible contractor work to tie into your existing system.

Tripper

[medic]

What I'd like to do is a woodburner either as a stand alone addition or plumbed into the loop somehow. That way I can cut the oil down to bare minimum when not at home and just stoke the woodd burner when there. I'm hoping to be able to put said woodburner in the basement next to the existing oil furnace and use the same chimney too. I don't know how feasable this will be. I'm just in the research and early planning stages, but when I find what looks like the unit for me I want to be able to just get it all done in a day or two.

[Drawbar]

What I'd like to do is a woodburner either as a stand alone addition or plumbed into the loop somehow. That way I can cut the oil down to bare minimum when not at home and just stoke the woodd burner when there. I'm hoping to be able to put said woodburner in the basement next to the existing oil furnace and use the same chimney too. I don't know how feasable this will be. I'm just in the research and early planning stages, but when I find what looks like the unit for me I want to be able to just get it all done in a day or two.

You can pretty much do what you want reasonably...as in the time frame you mention and with wood heat. The only thing I saw in your post that is a HUGE no no, is the sharing of the chimney. You cannot do that!! No ands, ifs or buts about that. That is a flagrant violation of any heating appliance set-ups I have ever read about,and for good reason. The carbon monxicide produced could, and has killed people by sharing chimneys.

Its been done a lot in the past but now oil burner techs, and insurance companies are onto this and can refuse you insurance or not work on your appliances until your home comes into compliance. Please, please don't try to share a chimney with a wood burner.

But its not that hard to do what you propose. I am going to do that with my place next summer I think...that is add an outside woodstove to help me heat my water.

Its very, very easy to do with an existing hot water heated home. You just need to tap into the hot water loop. This is the main loop coming out of the boiler. As long as the water is hotter in this loop then is what's coming out of it, then your boiler won't come on. Obviously this will save you considerable money.

It does not matter if the water is heated via a woodstove, solar collectors, compost heat or electricity...it just has to be warmer then what is being used. To do that you just have to locate your main hot water loop and cut and install some T fittings. I would add valves as well, then pipe the water to your heat source and a 24 volt circulatory pump. Connect that to your boilers PLC and everything should work just fine.

[medic]

Well, it looks like a new chimney will run around a grand, but I'll be able to put a wood stove in the basement and one one the first floor with this set-up. With two wood stoves and a few registers to get the heat to the second floor bedrooms, it may just be the route I'm looking for. I'm also looking into a water heater seperate from the winter/summer oil burner hook up. Since I know a couple of electricians and plumbers I figure an old fashoned venison chili party on a weekend should get me some free labor in those departments.