Hello,
Just got my second estimate back for a geothermal instal and it was over a 100K as well. I tried to explain to both companies that there is no reasonable time period payback in those amounts but they said it is what it is. Anyways...someone at my work mentioned wood and coal boilers so here I am. I'm just starting to educate myself on them so go easy on me
I live at 7800 feet in Colorado in a 3300 sq foot home (built in 1975) that I moved into in June of 2011. My wife and I are just finishing up our first winter. It is heated entirely by electric baseboard and the old hot water heater is also electric. Natural gas is not available. I'd like to retrofit the house with in floor hydronic heat and it looks like I'm going to be going with a product called Warmboard (sub floor and pex tubing in one) as the means for doing that. I like what I've read about a product from AHS called the "wood gun" which is a wood gasification boiler that seems quite efficient. I was thinking about going with coal but the price of that seems to be always on the climb and since I have access to virtually unlimited free wood at my property, it seemed like the more logical choice. Having said that, the wood IS pine so I'm not sure if that type of wood is going to work well in the wood gun or not? We would also need a separate propane powered system that would automatically take over if we were away for a couple days or if I let the wood run out for whatever reason.
I have some more detailed questions but I wanted to get some general responses from you (the experts) before I go on.
Thanks,
Neil
Just got my second estimate back for a geothermal instal and it was over a 100K as well. I tried to explain to both companies that there is no reasonable time period payback in those amounts but they said it is what it is. Anyways...someone at my work mentioned wood and coal boilers so here I am. I'm just starting to educate myself on them so go easy on me
![Wink ;) ;)](/talk/styles/default/xenforo/smileys/wink.gif)
I live at 7800 feet in Colorado in a 3300 sq foot home (built in 1975) that I moved into in June of 2011. My wife and I are just finishing up our first winter. It is heated entirely by electric baseboard and the old hot water heater is also electric. Natural gas is not available. I'd like to retrofit the house with in floor hydronic heat and it looks like I'm going to be going with a product called Warmboard (sub floor and pex tubing in one) as the means for doing that. I like what I've read about a product from AHS called the "wood gun" which is a wood gasification boiler that seems quite efficient. I was thinking about going with coal but the price of that seems to be always on the climb and since I have access to virtually unlimited free wood at my property, it seemed like the more logical choice. Having said that, the wood IS pine so I'm not sure if that type of wood is going to work well in the wood gun or not? We would also need a separate propane powered system that would automatically take over if we were away for a couple days or if I let the wood run out for whatever reason.
I have some more detailed questions but I wanted to get some general responses from you (the experts) before I go on.
Thanks,
Neil