I agree with the ending, get your butt outside and do something! Lol. Material delays had me shut down today, so I made some boiler wood. Up to 11 cords now! Planning on 15 for next season
NO ANTIFREEZE & NO FROZEN WATER? It worked for me. I live in an area of Northern NY that frequently sees a few nights of -10 to -30 degrees F. each winter and have never added a drop of antifreeze to our Classic 6048. For several winters I didn't run the OWB at all. It never froze. In fact, the coldest the OWB water ever got was +38 degrees F. NOTE: Our oil fired home furnace is located in our home's cellar. The cellar maintains about 55 to 60 degrees F. all winter. The two PEX pipes, INBOUND from the OBW and OUTBOUND (Returning to the OWB) are UN-INSULATED for about 50- 60 feet each as they transverse the cellar. The Outdoor Wood Boiler is located 110 feet behind the house in an unheated pole barn without sides, completely exposed to outdoor air temperature. HERE'S HOW OUR SYSTEM WORKS: 1. Where the INBOUND PEX joins the Oil Fired Furnace, I added a simple OPEN--CLOSE BRASS VALVE 2. As the OUTBOUND PEX departs the Oil Fired Furnace, I added another OPEN--CLOSE BRASS VALVE 3.Also added a "PEX LOOP" (ours is a 15" long) joining the INBOUND PEX line and the RETURN PEX line (about 10 feet before reaching the Oil Fired Furnace). CENTERED IN the "PEX LOOP", I added an OPEN--CLOSE BRASS VALVE. ========================================================= ========================================================= WE OPEN or CLOSE THE BRASS VALVES AS FOLLOWS: ========================================================= WINTER with the OUTDOOR WOOD BOILER "--- FIRED and IN USE---" (1) The OIL FIRED FURNACE is ---ON--- but temperature setting is re-set from 180 degrees to 150 degrees. (In the event the OWB burns down, the Oil Fired Furnace will fire when the water temp drops to 150 degrees). (2) The "PEX LOOP" BRASS VALVE is CLOSED and BOTH OIL FIRED FURNACE VALVES are OPEN. The OWB heated water flows into the OIL FIRED FURNACE and returns to the OWB via the RETURN PEX line...the normal flow. ========================================================= WINTER and OUTDOOR WOOD BOILER "---"ON"" but WITHOUT ANY FIRE---" (1) OWB is normal water level BUT no wood is being burned. Water is being somewhat warmed by uninsulated PEX pipes in the home's cellar and not freezing due to the absorbed cellar heat combined with continual movement. (2) We open the "PEX LOOP" BRASS VALVE and close both OIL FIRED FURNACE BRASS VALVES. The OWB water is unable to enter the Oil Fired Furnace, thus forced through the "PEX LOOP" returning it to the OWB without entering the Oil Fired Furnace. It picks up some warmth from the UNINSULATED PEX in the house cellar The 50' to 60' each of exposed PEX PIPE in the HEATED HOUSE CELLAR absorbs some warmth and combined with the natural tendency of moving water not freezing has been sufficient to keep our OWB system from freezing, even with outdoor temperatures at Negative 30 degrees F for two successive nights and below zero for up to ten days in succession. In the described conditions, our lowest water temperature was +38 degrees Fahrenheit. There is/was NO ANTI-FREEZE whatsoever, in our system. COST: HAVING DONE IT MYSELF: $30.00 to 50.00 for brass valves IF DONE BY A PRO : Probably $150.00 ======================================================== -----WARNING----- 1. The "OUTDOOR WOOD BOILER" MUST BE TURNED "ON" AND THE WATER MUST BE CIRCULATING CONTINUALLY. 2. IT IS ADVANTAGEOUS TO HAVE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF EXPOSED PEX IN THE HEATED CELLAR OR OTHER SPACE WIITHIN THE HOUSE. 3. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL YOUR OWB SYSTEM BEGINS TO FREEZE. 4. GOOD LUCK TO YOU
I agree. I can't see spending that much money on that stuff! I got better things to spend my money on then that!! Besides I don't mind running my boiler for how ever long I need to! Stay safe my friend!!
Why not run the boiler inside of an insulated building? Install a back up heater in the building that way the boiler is contained, and it can either be turned on if you are planning on shutting it down, insulated pex and keep the pumps flowing along with having an adequate back up heat system inside your house that will back heat the pex outside? Loading the boiler inside of a building would be nice when it’s -30
That’s a great idea. I’d love to do that if it was possible but prob won’t happen in my case but I have seen guys install them inside buildings. You just need proper ventilation cause when you open the door smoke comes out
Hey jay, do you have any friends or family in commercial, industrial, institutional hvac? I have a couple and they tend to revamp mechanical rooms at schools and such. Meaning new boiler and pump systems. They can’t reuse the existing glycol, tend to drain it and contain it Then share the glycol with others. I’m looking forward to getting my wood boiler setup and getting free glycol.
Hey Scott! Yeah if you can get it for free well then that could change opinions for sure haha! Thats a neat tip to know! Good to know for sure! I am all about recycling/repurposing so thats a good thing to know!
Doesn’t hurt to burn green wood. Put your more seasoned wood on the bottom and greenest on top that way the flames from the dryer wood in theory “dry out” the wet wood before it reaches the coal bed. I’ve done it plenty of times.
If you have a good enough coal bed any wood will burn. The green wood will “use up” more of the coals obv as more energy is needed to burn the moisture out but if you have more seasoned wood deff load that first and greener on top
My new purchased cottage has a wood boiler. The previous owners lived at the cottage but I live 3 hrs away. I had hoped to use glycol as I'm only heating the cottage when I'm at camp. This is a bummer lol
Congrats on your purchase! That sounds like a great investment property! There is nothing wrong with Glychol haha a small perfomance maybe when it comes to heat transfer but id rather have that little loss of heat then a frozen machine LOL
Thank you for always tuning in! I appreciate it! I will have to go over to Jons channel! I normally catch up with his content but havent been by yet! Thanks for letting me know!
Jay, Thanks for the helpful information! If I don’t run my wood boiler at all this winter, do I have to worry about it freezing up or damage to pipes going to my house? It has a mixture of water & glycol in it.
I dont want to tell you you are fine and then something happens. It depends on the mix of glychol, temp, etc... Are you circulating the water? Can you? It may be beneficial ( depending on plumbing) to keep the water moving as long as you are not interfering with your existing heating set up! There is a lot to consider here so be careful!
@@HomesteadJay Thanks for your reply! I’m able to circulate the water through the system without burning any wood. I have an Aqua Therm wood boiler. It’s in a insulated shed. Last year I ran the pump during the winter when the temperatures stayed below freezing. My electric bill increased a lot at times. That’s why I’m asking if I need to run the pump again this winter? Plus due to medical reasons I’m not able to use my wood boiler again this winter.
@@theresaknish5804 I am sorry you can not run your boiler due to medical reasons! Hope all gets better on that note. I would say, now this is just a keyboard analysis. Since your system has glychol, plus insulated shed, I would prob split the difference and run the pump on a timer when its below freezing. I think this is "insurance" compared to just letting it sit idle. I also look at is you can maybe save 1/2 on electricity but still have some peace of mind nothing will freeze. Now ive been told that large amounts of water need a lot of consistent idle time to freeze so I think maybe doing a timer of some sort is the best of both worlds? Just another thought !
@@HomesteadJay Thanks for your kind words! Hopefully next winter I can run it! It does make sense to keep circulating the water & for piece of mind! I’ll try the timer and that should make a difference with the electric bill. Thanks so much for taking the time to reply to me!
If using water to water heat exchangers, with one being for domestic hot water use, does the antifreeze have to be food grade? I'm new to this application, but have been a boiler operator for 40 years and now work in an institution which heats a whole prison with hot water. Anyway, we do not use any antifreeze. But, back to my original thought, could one safely use used antifreeze in their home outdoor wood heating system? Often used antifreeze is available from auto repair shops as they have to get rid of it. It could easily be filtered before using.
Negative. Do not use a automotive antifreeze. If you want a non freezing liquid use a glycol mix. The water in the outdoor wood boiler does NOT actually touch the water inside. The two waters run through heat exchangers. They never actually mix. If you are worried about freezing do 50/50+ or 70/30 glycol water mix. I don’t run glycol in my machine just treated water but I have to keep it running when temps are under freezing.
@@OilHist Heat tolerance. The automotive antifreeze can not handle the heat from the outdoor boilers. A car engine block is different than a wood boiler. I have never ever heard of someone using automotive antifreeze. I would highly recommend using the correct glycol rated for your specific machine. Propylene glycol has higher freeze ratings (can handle colder temps) than Ethylene glycol as well. Your outdoor wood boiler is a massive investment dont cheap out on the antifreeze.
yes I am outdoor wood stove shut it down buddy i am do the some thank you are doing too buddy i like your new video today this will help me out god bless too you guys buddy
I agree with the ending, get your butt outside and do something! Lol.
Material delays had me shut down today, so I made some boiler wood. Up to 11 cords now! Planning on 15 for next season
Oh heck yes! I plan on being out in the woods filming/cutting next few days! I wanna get my firewood in now before summer!
NO ANTIFREEZE & NO FROZEN WATER? It worked for me.
I live in an area of Northern NY that frequently sees a few nights of -10 to -30 degrees F. each winter and have never added a drop of antifreeze to our Classic 6048. For several winters I didn't run the OWB at all. It never froze. In fact, the coldest the OWB water ever got was +38 degrees F.
NOTE: Our oil fired home furnace is located in our home's cellar. The cellar maintains about 55 to 60 degrees F. all winter. The two PEX pipes, INBOUND from the OBW and OUTBOUND (Returning to the OWB) are UN-INSULATED for about 50- 60 feet each as they transverse the cellar. The Outdoor Wood Boiler is located 110 feet behind the house in an unheated pole barn without sides, completely exposed to outdoor air temperature.
HERE'S HOW OUR SYSTEM WORKS:
1. Where the INBOUND PEX joins the Oil Fired Furnace, I added a simple OPEN--CLOSE BRASS VALVE
2. As the OUTBOUND PEX departs the Oil Fired Furnace, I added another OPEN--CLOSE BRASS VALVE
3.Also added a "PEX LOOP" (ours is a 15" long) joining the INBOUND PEX line and the RETURN PEX line (about 10 feet before reaching the Oil Fired Furnace).
CENTERED IN the "PEX LOOP", I added an OPEN--CLOSE BRASS VALVE.
=========================================================
=========================================================
WE OPEN or CLOSE THE BRASS VALVES AS FOLLOWS:
=========================================================
WINTER with the OUTDOOR WOOD BOILER "--- FIRED and IN USE---"
(1) The OIL FIRED FURNACE is ---ON--- but temperature setting is re-set from 180 degrees to 150 degrees. (In the event the OWB burns down, the Oil Fired Furnace will fire when the water temp drops to 150 degrees).
(2) The "PEX LOOP" BRASS VALVE is CLOSED and BOTH OIL FIRED FURNACE VALVES are OPEN. The OWB heated water flows into the OIL FIRED FURNACE and returns to the OWB via the RETURN PEX line...the normal flow.
=========================================================
WINTER and OUTDOOR WOOD BOILER "---"ON"" but WITHOUT ANY FIRE---"
(1) OWB is normal water level BUT no wood is being burned. Water is being somewhat warmed by uninsulated PEX pipes in the home's cellar and not freezing due to the absorbed cellar heat combined with continual movement.
(2) We open the "PEX LOOP" BRASS VALVE and close both OIL FIRED FURNACE BRASS VALVES. The OWB water is unable to enter the Oil Fired Furnace, thus forced through the "PEX LOOP" returning it to the OWB without entering the Oil Fired Furnace. It picks up some warmth from the UNINSULATED PEX in the house cellar
The 50' to 60' each of exposed PEX PIPE in the HEATED HOUSE CELLAR absorbs some warmth and combined with the natural tendency of moving water not freezing has been sufficient to keep our OWB system from freezing, even with outdoor temperatures at Negative 30 degrees F for two successive nights and below zero for up to ten days in succession. In the described conditions, our lowest water temperature was +38 degrees Fahrenheit. There is/was NO ANTI-FREEZE whatsoever, in our system.
COST:
HAVING DONE IT MYSELF: $30.00 to 50.00 for brass valves
IF DONE BY A PRO : Probably $150.00
========================================================
-----WARNING-----
1. The "OUTDOOR WOOD BOILER" MUST BE TURNED "ON" AND THE WATER MUST BE CIRCULATING CONTINUALLY.
2. IT IS ADVANTAGEOUS TO HAVE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF EXPOSED PEX IN THE HEATED CELLAR OR OTHER SPACE WIITHIN THE HOUSE.
3. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL YOUR OWB SYSTEM BEGINS TO FREEZE.
4. GOOD LUCK TO YOU
Good video jay!
Yep! We were quoted $2k to fill out heatmor with glycol.
I spend enough money on wood as it is... so sticking with water for now haha
I was pretty spot on then lol glad you sticked to water and can put that money else! Thanks for tuning in!
I agree. I can't see spending that much money on that stuff! I got better things to spend my money on then that!! Besides I don't mind running my boiler for how ever long I need to! Stay safe my friend!!
Exactly! Thanks for tuning in Tim!
Cons totally outweigh pros. I agree running no glycol is the way to go.
Agreed! Thanks for watching!
Why not run the boiler inside of an insulated building? Install a back up heater in the building that way the boiler is contained, and it can either be turned on if you are planning on shutting it down, insulated pex and keep the pumps flowing along with having an adequate back up heat system inside your house that will back heat the pex outside? Loading the boiler inside of a building would be nice when it’s -30
That’s a great idea. I’d love to do that if it was possible but prob won’t happen in my case but I have seen guys install them inside buildings. You just need proper ventilation cause when you open the door smoke comes out
Hey jay, do you have any friends or family in commercial, industrial, institutional hvac? I have a couple and they tend to revamp mechanical rooms at schools and such. Meaning new boiler and pump systems. They can’t reuse the existing glycol, tend to drain it and contain it Then share the glycol with others. I’m looking forward to getting my wood boiler setup and getting free glycol.
Hey Scott! Yeah if you can get it for free well then that could change opinions for sure haha! Thats a neat tip to know! Good to know for sure! I am all about recycling/repurposing so thats a good thing to know!
I call it lemonade when you are reusing something that are ready is there.
Seen a few stoves totally ruined because of the glycol
I would not recommend it
Is it good that you could use Greenwood maybe green pine and mix it exit you think that's a good idea
Doesn’t hurt to burn green wood. Put your more seasoned wood on the bottom and greenest on top that way the flames from the dryer wood in theory “dry out” the wet wood before it reaches the coal bed. I’ve done it plenty of times.
If you have a good enough coal bed any wood will burn. The green wood will “use up” more of the coals obv as more energy is needed to burn the moisture out but if you have more seasoned wood deff load that first and greener on top
My new purchased cottage has a wood boiler. The previous owners lived at the cottage but I live 3 hrs away. I had hoped to use glycol as I'm only heating the cottage when I'm at camp. This is a bummer lol
Congrats on your purchase! That sounds like a great investment property! There is nothing wrong with Glychol haha a small perfomance maybe when it comes to heat transfer but id rather have that little loss of heat then a frozen machine LOL
I don't have a boiler, but still enjoy watching as always. BTW, Ritter gave you a shout out in his last video for the chainsaw recommendation.
Thank you for always tuning in! I appreciate it! I will have to go over to Jons channel! I normally catch up with his content but havent been by yet! Thanks for letting me know!
Good info keep up the good work
Thanks 👍
Jay, Thanks for the helpful information!
If I don’t run my wood boiler at all this winter, do I have to worry about it freezing up or damage to pipes going to my house?
It has a mixture of water & glycol in it.
I dont want to tell you you are fine and then something happens. It depends on the mix of glychol, temp, etc... Are you circulating the water? Can you? It may be beneficial ( depending on plumbing) to keep the water moving as long as you are not interfering with your existing heating set up! There is a lot to consider here so be careful!
@@HomesteadJay Thanks for your reply!
I’m able to circulate the water through the system without burning any wood. I have an Aqua Therm wood boiler. It’s in a insulated shed. Last year I ran the pump during the winter when the temperatures stayed below freezing. My electric bill increased a lot at times. That’s why I’m asking if I need to run the pump again this winter? Plus due to medical reasons I’m not able to use my wood boiler again this winter.
@@theresaknish5804 I am sorry you can not run your boiler due to medical reasons! Hope all gets better on that note. I would say, now this is just a keyboard analysis. Since your system has glychol, plus insulated shed, I would prob split the difference and run the pump on a timer when its below freezing. I think this is "insurance" compared to just letting it sit idle. I also look at is you can maybe save 1/2 on electricity but still have some peace of mind nothing will freeze. Now ive been told that large amounts of water need a lot of consistent idle time to freeze so I think maybe doing a timer of some sort is the best of both worlds? Just another thought
!
@@HomesteadJay Thanks for your kind words! Hopefully next winter I can run it!
It does make sense to keep circulating the water & for piece of mind!
I’ll try the timer and that should make a difference with the electric bill.
Thanks so much for taking the time to reply to me!
@@theresaknish5804 Anytime! God Bless!
I was wondering if you need to use antifreeze or not and I some people do and some people don't
Yes some people do for sure but I dont see it practical for the most part.
@@HomesteadJay a couple of people I talked to don't
If using water to water heat exchangers, with one being for domestic hot water use, does the antifreeze have to be food grade? I'm new to this application, but have been a boiler operator for 40 years and now work in an institution which heats a whole prison with hot water. Anyway, we do not use any antifreeze. But, back to my original thought, could one safely use used antifreeze in their home outdoor wood heating system? Often used antifreeze is available from auto repair shops as they have to get rid of it. It could easily be filtered before using.
Negative. Do not use a automotive antifreeze. If you want a non freezing liquid use a glycol mix. The water in the outdoor wood boiler does NOT actually touch the water inside. The two waters run through heat exchangers. They never actually mix. If you are worried about freezing do 50/50+ or 70/30 glycol water mix. I don’t run glycol in my machine just treated water but I have to keep it running when temps are under freezing.
@@HomesteadJay if there is no intimate contact with domestic water, what would be the problem with using automotive antifreeze (ethylene glycol)?
@@OilHist Heat tolerance. The automotive antifreeze can not handle the heat from the outdoor boilers. A car engine block is different than a wood boiler. I have never ever heard of someone using automotive antifreeze. I would highly recommend using the correct glycol rated for your specific machine. Propylene glycol has higher freeze ratings (can handle colder temps) than Ethylene glycol as well. Your outdoor wood boiler is a massive investment dont cheap out on the antifreeze.
yes I am outdoor wood stove shut it down buddy i am do the some thank you are doing too buddy i like your new video today this will help me out god bless too you guys buddy
Thanks 👍
No antifreeze for me and I’ve had a boiler for over 20 years , I’m on my second one , got bigger one lol , just get wood and feed it 👍🏻
Yes sir! Thats the idea! Plus it would take 400 gallons a while to freeze anyway
@@HomesteadJay long as your circulator working moving water will never freeze that’s why I have a back up on the shelf in basement
Where is the drain video
Under my “wood boiler playlist” it’s under there.
👍👍
Thanks buddy!