[Blue '66]

Originally Posted by Ed Fitzgerald

Blue, I wish you were closer to me or better still right next door I could cure your heating problem with my outdoor wood boiler. I put about a wheel barrow load of wood in it once a day and forget about it. My shop is 26x40 with 16 ft ceilings- 2 14'x14' overhead doors and a man door. It also has 5- 4'x4' fixed unit thermo pane windows. It has been about 5* below zero F for the last few days and supposed to stay that way for the next week or two. I have infloor heat and the building is ICF. I turned the mixing unit back again today as the wall thermometer is reading 80* F. I want it around 60* F as I have some work to do in the next few days. Right now I'm off to flood the out door rink I built my 13 yr old.Ed

My parents had one of those when I was growing up.I cut and split ALOT of wood with dad back in the day,there is nothing better wood heat!Dad built his own wood splitter and it would go thru just about anything.
I don't have good access to cut wood and no splitter,I am too old to do it by hand.

I'm sure most will find it hard to believe but I do miss cutting/splitting wood.Really hard work but it was something we did together.

[Ed Fitzgerald]

Filled the boiler up with wood today and checked the temp inside the shop 70* F. I turned it back on the mixing valve yesterday and the outside temp here is -25* C or about 10* below zero F. The radiant floor heat is great heat but if you work in it too long it dehydrates you something fierce. It seems you have to hydrate yourself as if you were working in 70* F in the sun. Ed

[Blue '66]

My boiler FINALLY made it today!The shipper was supposed to send it yesterday afternoon(it was in the truck she said)I guess having no heat doesn't make it a priority?

[Stuckinda60s]

If you lose power, you should have check valves in the system which you can open manually to circulate the hot water in the boiler, manually. You seem to have a pretty large storage tank and that should keep you warm for a while. The water circulates naturally when the valves are lifted..

I'm sure you've noted the pluses and minuses of the system, by now.

I love the system, the zones give different comfort levels and that's nice. Our house is over a century old and I converted the steam boiler to hot water many years ago. We did an addition in '98 and all we had to do was add zones. The house is 2700 sq. ft., the new sections are very well insulated, the old ones not as well.

It's a great system to install in an old house. I installed slightly less radiation than I calculated we needed but we've had no problems when the temps have been lower than -15*F. The house actually feels warmer in sub-zero temps because the heat is on longer and the radiators stay warm, Usually the room heats up and the radiators cool off. Then you don't feel the heat from the radiators. My wife misses that cozy feeling from when they're hot. One thing to do is make certain that the the upstairs zones are set higher than the lower, otherwise you get hot air circulating up and cooler air coming down and it can feel drafty. At least that's the way it works for us.

[Blue '66]

They finished the boiler yesterday,it's great to have a warm house.The only problem we are having is the thermostat is very touchy,the slightest bump turns it on.So we need to replace it,it is probably 30+years old.

[rexs73gto]

I've had all 3 kinds of heat I like the boiler / baseboard heat for overall use the best. It's very clean & the apt. that I lived in , in OHIO it worked great & kept us warm & steady very nice. Both of my houses I've had here in Michigan , I've had foced air heat & wood heat. Forced air (regular heating system) is noisey & costs a snot load now. Gas has gone up so much it has gotten out of control & the gas companys know they have you by the balls with it, so they think. My last house I had wood heat for 10 years in it & loved it. Yes you have to dust a little more but the cost is really low. I've been in this house now for 26 years now & went back to wood heat about 5 years now & I don't know why I didn't come back to wood heat sooner. My neighbors house is about the same size & his furnece is aboth the same size & age & his last 3 bills have been over $ 300.00 per month. I pay for wood & I pick up any free wood that falls during the summer when it storms & some times friend give me wood if they know of someone who has taken a tree down or they know where a tree is down, but that is only about I'd say 1/10 of my wood , so I buy most of my wood & when it's real cold like it's been for the last 2 weeks, or under normal cold weather it only costs me about $ 50.00 per month to heat my home & I like it warm. I have a good wood stove , it's made by a company that is no longer in business called , I think, It's called Blaze. I had the same stove in my last house & I had one in my garage when I was still working & in business & I like them a lot. For me because I'm cheep I prefere a wood stave to heat with but I do rather like baseboard heat if I were to build another house. It's not as expensive as forced air either. Because you have to remember that the forced air hits you twice with the gas bill & the electric bill & both are high for the forced air because that fan takes a lot of electricty to run. The little pump on the boiler doesn't take as much so it's going to be less expensive.

[77 Canamman]

We have it, and it works good. Unfortunately, since I have switched to hard wood flooring on the first floor, the system has been maxed out when we have had those -10 degree nights. The cold from the basement radiates through the wood floor and 68 degrees is the warmest the downstairs will get. The system is clean and does not blow dust and other allergens throughout the home. At any other temp above -10, the system can and will roast you, and it is a good quality heat.

[Ed Fitzgerald]

Canam, do you have an older home with an unheated basement ie. limestone/poured foundation??? Have you looked into spray foam insulation. I have sprayed numerous basements for people over the years and while they were skeptical at first after the 1st winter they would have kissed my butt in the middle of town square they were so happy with it. It will cut down on the cold air infiltration in the winter and keeps alot of the moisture out in the summer. Just a thought, take it for what it's worth Ed

['ol Pinion head]

What do the baseboard vents look like? I can't remember running across baseboard heat... maybe in a tornado-attractor.

[77 Canamman]

Originally Posted by Ed Fitzgerald

Canam, do you have an older home with an unheated basement ie. limestone/poured foundation??? Have you looked into spray foam insulation. I have sprayed numerous basements for people over the years and while they were skeptical at first after the 1st winter they would have kissed my butt in the middle of town square they were so happy with it. It will cut down on the cold air infiltration in the winter and keeps alot of the moisture out in the summer. Just a thought, take it for what it's worth Ed

Yes. The 1925 house has a stone foundation, and no insulation on the floorboards. I'm sure that a quality spray insulation would do wonders for the heating during such cold weather conditions. Fortunately, it very rarely dips below 15 degrees all winter.

[Stuckinda60s]

Originally Posted by rexs73gto

It's not as expensive as forced air either. Because you have to remember that the forced air hits you twice with the gas bill & the electric bill & both are high for the forced air because that fan takes a lot of electricty to run. The little pump on the boiler doesn't take as much so it's going to be less expensive.

You can have the best of both worlds. Here's a wood/hydronic system that needs no electricity other than that required to run the pumps and cycle the dampers. In a power outage, you shouldn't even need that power. http://www.greenwoodusa.com/greenwoo...od-furnace.php

I'm starting to consider one of them to tie into my existing system.

[Ed Fitzgerald]

Rich, get yourself an outdoor wood boiler. Best way to go. Google outdoor wood boilers and see for yourself. I have one and I love it. Just put up an outdoor wood storage unit and no ashes in house , bugs, bark, dust etc. Ed

[JerseyGTO]

Originally Posted by Ed Fitzgerald

Canam, do you have an older home with an unheated basement ie. limestone/poured foundation??? Have you looked into spray foam insulation. I have sprayed numerous basements for people over the years and while they were skeptical at first after the 1st winter they would have kissed my butt in the middle of town square they were so happy with it. It will cut down on the cold air infiltration in the winter and keeps alot of the moisture out in the summer. Just a thought, take it for what it's worth Ed

Hi Ed, how does that foam insulation work? Is that something a pro should do? I have a 1920 home with an unheated basement. I have the original hardwood floors with no subfloor. Would the foam come up through gaps in the boards?

[Ed Fitzgerald]

Jersey, the way that's most effective is to spray it directly onto the cement walls, limestone etc. basically whatever your outside walls are made of. The amazing thing is the walls don't have to be super clean ie, loose mortar, gaps in stone/cement even dirt doesn't affect it. When the foam comes out of the gun it has the texture of water so when it hits the wall it starts to expand on contact and if you watch it closely it will roll the dirt right into the foam and grabs/adheres really well. I have taken and installed steel man doors with wooden/steel frames into limestone entrance ways. Now if you have tried this , it's a bitch of a job to say the least. The door is hard to secure into the limestone and add to the fact of shimming it, it's tedious work. Then when you're done you have all the shims to contend with and try and insulate around. My buddy who has the spray foam company told me to take a beer case that was made of corrugated cardboard and tear him up several pieces 4"x6". He took them and put them in the door (between the door and the jam) then we set the door in the opening and shimmed it off the floor. We flushed and plumbed it and he took the spray and gave it a shot on all four edges of the door. Now that the foam was holding it in, we removed all the shims. He then sprayed the outside of the whole frame. I laughed that I thought it wouldn't be that secure. He told me he would bet me a 1000 bucks that I couldn't go outside and kick the door/frame in. So I went outside and hit it hard with my shoulder and it didn't budge...... Now if you wonder why the cardboard was in put in the door it is because of the expanding foam, it will swell the doors closed that you can't open them and if you do you usually can't get them to close. The cardboard puts about a 1/8" gap perfectly around the door. Then you can take screws /tapcons and anchor the door. Otherwise someone with a drywall/hole saw could cut the door out in a matter of minutes. Ed

[JerseyGTO]

Originally Posted by Ed Fitzgerald

Jersey, the way that's most effective is to spray it directly onto the cement walls, limestone etc. basically whatever your outside walls are made of. The amazing thing is the walls don't have to be super clean ie, loose mortar, gaps in stone/cement even dirt doesn't affect it. When the foam comes out of the gun it has the texture of water so when it hits the wall it starts to expand on contact and if you watch it closely it will roll the dirt right into the foam and grabs/adheres really well. I have taken and installed steel man doors with wooden/steel frames into limestone entrance ways. Now if you have tried this , it's a bitch of a job to say the least. The door is hard to secure into the limestone and add to the fact of shimming it, it's tedious work. Then when you're done you have all the shims to contend with and try and insulate around. My buddy who has the spray foam company told me to take a beer case that was made of corrugated cardboard and tear him up several pieces 4"x6". He took them and put them in the door (between the door and the jam) then we set the door in the opening and shimmed it off the floor. We flushed and plumbed it and he took the spray and gave it a shot on all four edges of the door. Now that the foam was holding it in, we removed all the shims. He then sprayed the outside of the whole frame. I laughed that I thought it wouldn't be that secure. He told me he would bet me a 1000 bucks that I couldn't go outside and kick the door/frame in. So I went outside and hit it hard with my shoulder and it didn't budge...... Now if you wonder why the cardboard was in put in the door it is because of the expanding foam, it will swell the doors closed that you can't open them and if you do you usually can't get them to close. The cardboard puts about a 1/8" gap perfectly around the door. Then you can take screws /tapcons and anchor the door. Otherwise someone with a drywall/hole saw could cut the door out in a matter of minutes. Ed

Thanks Ed, I guess this will be a project I might not be able to do. A few years ago I had the basement walls all redone with that waterproofing cement and paint, not that I get water anyway, but it looks nice and clean which is what the wife wanted. I would hate to spray over that considering how much it cost...

[Ed Fitzgerald]

Jersey if you're happy with the basement as is, considering the work you have had done. I would look into the B pacs that Lowes sells for around 6-700 bucks and spray the main plate area (the area that meets the cement wall on the outside plate). In your house this could be an 8x8 with the floor joists butting up to it. You spray from the cement wall up and under the plate to encapsulate everything and make it air tight. Alot of older homes the air infiltration is from the bottom of the main floor decking to the top of the cement wall. This area is usually between 8-10" and runs the entire length of the wall. If you can stop the air from coming in here you will see a big difference in the comfort level of your home. Ed

[JerseyGTO]

Thanks Ed, i will check that out. There is already batt insulation stuffed up in there. Maybe this will be better.

[Ed Fitzgerald]

My foam guy says the only thing Fibreglass is good for is furnace air filters as far as in a home building situation. You could lierally spray 1' of foam over the area and seal it up and although the 1" of foam might have a R-value of 5 and the batt insulation R-20 it will 5 times as warm once you stop the air infiltration. Ed