I like Cave2's idea, homemade solar DHW collecter. That is my next project, hopefully done by the end of this burning season so the electric hot water heater can rest during the summer too.
Sad day ...
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You could always upgrade your heat emitters. Install an above floor radiant system like Climate Panel........but then you wouldn't need the dog to keep your feet warm. 
Too cold to sail here, but Superior's not frozen over yet...just some shore ice in front of my place this morning. I have the sailboat in the shop, 'cause its time to do the upgrades and the fix-ups and dream of spring and fresh breezes. I'm sending my sails away this week to be cleaned/rejuvinated - my Christmas present.
As I work, the dogs lay on the shop floor in front of the boiler and watch me as I buff the hull. I wonder if they're dreaming of sailing too? Two yellow labs make interesting crew on a small daysailer - a Mallard flying by is enough to almost capsize!
As I work, the dogs lay on the shop floor in front of the boiler and watch me as I buff the hull. I wonder if they're dreaming of sailing too? Two yellow labs make interesting crew on a small daysailer - a Mallard flying by is enough to almost capsize!
Jebatty,
I third the motion on building the solar collector for spring - fall DHW + some shoulder season heat maybe? It's the natural next step. Have you seen Gary's homemade solar collectors at builditsolar.com? You could build all your panels this winter in your shop when you're not building fires and then install them next summer.
I third the motion on building the solar collector for spring - fall DHW + some shoulder season heat maybe? It's the natural next step. Have you seen Gary's homemade solar collectors at builditsolar.com? You could build all your panels this winter in your shop when you're not building fires and then install them next summer.
Solar is on the table. In the early 80's I build a hot air collector and installed it on the roof; performed well for a first effort. My new shop I oriented EW so a side faces south, and that was to take advantage of future solar. The "problem" is that my estimated heat loss on the shop is about 45,000 btu, and I have a 140,000 btu boiler with 1000 gal storage.
My wife is not yet ready for me to upgrade the house to hot water heat; she loves the wood stove too much. I easily could bring hot water from the boiler in the new shop to the house -- time will tell. The house had electric baseboard heat before we put the wood stove in, and the electric is now backup. Electric kwh equivalent for the house also is about 45,000 btu's, so the Tarm could take care of both without much effort.
I feel the juices stirring again.
My wife is not yet ready for me to upgrade the house to hot water heat; she loves the wood stove too much. I easily could bring hot water from the boiler in the new shop to the house -- time will tell. The house had electric baseboard heat before we put the wood stove in, and the electric is now backup. Electric kwh equivalent for the house also is about 45,000 btu's, so the Tarm could take care of both without much effort.
I feel the juices stirring again.
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