Today I Learned...

Probably just worn out and cranky from trying to burn gopher wood :lol: We are so spoiled here, I know people that heat with wood here that will only take certain hardwoods, and even then will not burn them if they get into a good source of oak. After a few years they just torch the whole pile and start fresh.
 
Hearth.com is a pretty cool place to discuss all things woodburning and pellet and boiler and alt stuff too. As a sweep I find it interesting and helpful to stay up on tech and learn about all different types of stoves and installations. There are some regulars there who really know their stuff when it comes to woodheat.
 
Have you ever worked on a rocket mass heater? I follow an off grid family on YouTube in Idaho that heats a small cabin with two cords of Doug fir every winter. Very neat.
 
No I haven't worked on one. I've read about them and seen some vids too. The consensus that I've gotten through forums I visit is that their efficiency claims are overstated and that their living conditions aren't as comfortable. Also that they can not always be as simple/easy to run and maintain as YouTube shows. Also up here there is no code around them yet so no one will insure them and as a certified sweep I don't think I'd clean one.

They make silly claims like 10x as efficient. I've seen/read the arguments go on and on but you simply can't get 10x more efficient or even close to it than say a 70-80% efficient modern stove.

They do look interesting though and I commend innovation in wood burning. But I don't ever see them becoming mainstream myself. I think you'll find them mostly in alternative type of lifestyle/living. I know they can be made to be not quite so unattractive, but still.....
 
You can make them pretty much invisible, if you build them as an integrated part of a new house.
You can even use them for baking bread or pizza.

Personally I prefer a central heating system, because it is easier to regulate the temperature.
I think you, as a chimney weeper, would love my furnace set-up.

It measures temperature and water content in the smoke and adjusts the amount of air to fit whatever I'm burning at the time.
Once it reaches working temperature, you can't even tell it is running, no smoke at all.
Since I have a large buffer tank with water, it runns flat out all the time, untill that water is hot, then shuts off.

The water lasts me a day in winter, so I have to fire it up when I come home from work.
Spring and fall it lasts 2 days.
 
Sounds like a cool system. I do quite a few wood furnaces around here and it sounds like yours is pretty high tech.

I'm more of a traditionalist with the wood heat. I like flame view in my living area. The ambiance. As well as the heat. My house is fully rigged for heat with two stoves(one is a insert) and a high efficiency natural gas forced air furnace. Between the two stoves I can heat my home during the coldest of snaps no problem and during normal temps the basement stove easily keeps the upstairs thermostat bumped up off of ever calling for heat from the furnace. Depending on the temps I load my basement stove two or three times a day and it mostly never goes out.
 
I like a live fire , too, Justin.
Used to have a stove in the living room area, but the chimney is situated really stupidly, so one sort of had to dance around the stove when going from one end of the house to the other.
I finally got tired of it and took it down.

It is standing in the shop, rerady to be set up if the power goes out for a longer period. That should take all of 15 minutes.

I have a generator and usually have at least a drum of alkylate fuel on the premises, but I like to be prepared for the worst.
Got a coleman lantern and a water purifying filter as well, so I can use the old well.
We haven't had a bad one since 1999, but you never know.
 
It's a nice feeling to be self-sufficient. No one thinks on it much it seems until the power goes out.

I've got quite a bit to figure out still to be setup properly. Need a good generator.
 
There are some cool woodburning tech in Europe that we never see over here due to codes and certifications. They may meet or exceed code or certification requirements but never bother getting tested due to the expense so never hit the North American market.
 
Same goes for some stuff the other way.

Sometimes manufacturers just decide not to go with a certain market.
Like my beloved VW 4 motion van isn't sold in the US, not even in the 2 wheel drive version, even though it is one of the best selling vans in Europe. Go figure.
 
A cool set-up. Not much to sit around and watch, though, as mentioned. haha.


$5000 USD for the largest boiler, ~$3000 for the smallest. How much space does the whole set-up occupy?

What kind of lifespan do you expect?
 
My last Atmos lasted 15 years. Burned through last year for x-mas.
My entire furnace room, which is fireproof, is maybe 6 x 15 feet.
 
15 years. That will go against the grain in North America where some people like to assume a wood burning appliance can last forever. Lol. The amount of 30-40 year old stoves I come across still in use is ridiculous. ......oh wait....I have one in my shop too.
 
There's an interesting concept for heating with burning wood inside a house, enclose it in a fireproof room. Is it masonry or concrete?
 
We have one furnace, called the Salamander, that seems to be indestructible.
Only problem is, they have very low efficiency, like in the 50% range and pollute a LOT.
So a few years back, the government offered people in congested areas money to exchange them for a newer model.
 
Masonry, Sean.
With a huge amount of mineral wool insulation and a special sealing steel door.

It is not 100% fire proof, but will contain a fire for a long time.
We had to make it that way, in order to keep our fire insurance premium at a reasonable level.
 
It’s quite a thing in the UK, people getting rid of Arb waste by calling it free firewood and the like.

I think the idea is to turn up with a supermarket chainsaw, fell it into the house, say you’ve changed your mind and leave.
 
There are constantly folks here who try to sell the removal as a do it yourself for wood turners.
Quite funny.

2-3 years ago a group of turners hired me to take some do it yourself trees like that down for them.
I just put them on the ground, they did the clean up and kept the wood.
Big size walnuts.

They were quite happy about paying me.
 
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