It Only Happens Once A Year - Starting the Outdoor Wood Boiler

[@gringopines3476]

ALL FIRED UP AND READY TO CONSUME THE FRUITS OF YOUR LABOR... PEACE BROTHER...

[@Back40Firewood]

Ohh yes indeed....and I have a lot waiting for it to consume...lol

[@michelleb5612]

Our wood boiler has been mostly running non stop for 15 years. We have a heat exchanger to make hot water, so in the summer we make one quick , hot fire a day to get it up to temp only. No long smoldering fire. We just transitioned to full fire for heat this year. We've never fully drained our water jacket either. Seems like an invite to problems. We also keep an extra pump insert on hand because it always seems to fail on a Saturday night in the dead of winter. Also, a door gasket replacement is a good idea before starting up full time. I like the water indicator on yours. Ours is a Central Boiler and doesn't have that. It also doesn't have a blower.

[@matthewklein9225]

Water carriers oxygen. If there is iron in the system the iron will rust till the water loses all its oxygen. Replacing the water replaces the oxygen and the rust cycle restarts.

[@matthewklein9225]

@@shayjohnson5830 steam boilers need to he flushed rarely. Hot water boilers never. Adding oxygen rots them out

[@IanLang100]

I like the way you say fire.

[@davelindgren5245]

I am 100% sure that over the next couple of years there is going to be a huge demand for wood boilers.

[@ConnerColemanMSHS]

Unfortunately

[@nattydreadlocks1973]

Not in the states. State and Federal EPA has made them almost illegal.

[@PieterBreda]

Due to the high natural gas prices, there is a shortage of fire wood in the Netherlands .

[@stefanp7603]

I’m buying one next time In my next house

[@zakksrage]

I remember seeing these advertised as “free heat machines” in the early 00s

[@davidwilson5483]

Hi Dan...just a suggestion, in the summer when the fire is out for a long period leave the controls on so the pump circulates the water in the system and the sludge doesn't build up in the low points, also keeps the relays and valves active. Great videos, great lifestyle. Cheers from Wales Uk

[@nate_river_]

It's a great idea. I do exactly this with my central heating system. Once or twice a month in the summer I run the pump for about 20min and I've never had a stuck valve or blocked pipe since the system was commissioned 15 years ago.

[@unmountablebootvolume]

In Europe, where 95% of heating systems are hydronic systems with central controls, the controller oftentimes has some code in it to randomly run the pump a few minutes per day or week to accomplish exactly that.

[@GandolphTheGreyBeard]

The boiler house mouse makes an appearance at 9:23 😄

[@tireballastserviceofflorid7771]

As a young man I was friends with a guy who restored and operated a case 40 hp steam tractor. When we filled it for the steam show each year he was lightning a small fire the second we started filling it. He would bring it up to a full head of steam asap. The rest of the firings that season would be slow gentle firings. According to him and many other experts. Once clean water has been boiled it no longer rust steel. The fear is that corrosion can set in around the flue pipes. Don't know how critical and hour would be but he did have a very nice boiler.

[@sergie2822]

Dunno how I ended up on this video, but I ended up watching the whole thing. Pretty cool!

[@jeffy1466]

I'd love to have one of these boilers. Mainly to get rid of all the junk wood I have. Watching your video before the game starts. Go Packers!

[@zack9912000]

they waste a ton of wood, everyone i know goes through 12-20 full cords year

[@jeffy1466]

@@zack9912000 Are those the old ones or the newer gasification ones that are supposed to be more efficient?

[@coggins63]

@@zack9912000 holy shit, that much wow

[@turfie63]

Awesome Dan. Down here in Middle Earth we are having our last fires as You start lighting Your Fire. Keep those Home fires burning and be warm.

[@ianh9696]

Over this side of the pond, UK and Europe, our boilers are batch boilers. A wood boiler that does not have an internal tank, just pipes running through it. A separate well insulated tank is used. The boiler is filled with wood, a fire is lit and then the wood is burned flat out. What I mean is, the fan runs at full rate all the time until the wood is burned or the tank reaches it's set temperature. The boiler and tank are sized to match each other. 1 full firebox of wood to heat the tank from cold to hot. The hotter the wood is burned the more efficient it is. There is a lot less creosote this way. Also, you only need to go out once or twice a day to fill up the boiler with wood depending on how well insulated your home is. You also use less wood. When your wood is smouldering, the fan is off, your are losing heat and wasting wood. If there was a way to install an external well insulated tank to your system you might be able to do something similar. If you have space the tank could be in your basement then all you would have to do is change the internal pipework inside your house. Run the boiler hot until the tank was hot then let it burnout until you needed to restart the fire. Just a thought or too 😊

[@FireSkittlez85]

I like this concept. If only we could use this with a wood stove that would have a water jacket likely behind it, so that the water heater doesn't have to work so hard and refills the water in there. I wanted to do this with my other wood stove so in case the power went out, we would still be able to get hot water. Also with a wood stove, that efficiency jumps greatly. If we'll be truthful, bare metal stoves are going to be about 50 to 80ish percent efficiency, meaning the rest goes up the stack depending on how well the stove operates and how internal parts keep heat from basically escaping. If we'll go further in explaining kinds of stoves like Hybrids of a tube and catalytic stove work well and should improve from here but the efficient ones are catalytic stoves as they recycle the burning gasses in the stove from the wood. They can have long burn times but it's operating a stove at the lowest setting which is practically a slow smolder for 20-30 hours if the wood is the right kind. None of these stoves are the kind found in Europe with a thermal mass that will release heat over time. Most of them are an insulated water tank or a heat sink that is full of heavy heat absorbing materials so when the fire goes out, still keeps the house warm. I'd like one of those if I were living in a place with winters so cold, you need something that stores heat for later until the stove is running again. Theres much less creosote by burning dry wood is helping him here. Most often I heard of outdoor wood burners is they burn wet branches, cut up that stuff in the spring and burn in the winter so it's not dry and it's not split. More creosote happens as the fire mostly smolders all day. These aren't efficient systems by any means but they get their return having to heat such a large space and heat the water for their shower. Unlimited hot water is always good

[@hithere7382]

We don't need that stuff because parts that get really cold in the USA are sparsely populated and we have a lot more square kilometers of forest per person than you do.

[@upnorthandpersonal]

All of the new installations are also wood gasification burners, which have increased efficiency (90% and up even). There is no smoke coming from the chimney with these, and you need less wood. To the other reply to your comment: even if you have all the wood in the world, not having to process it, not needing the space to store it, etc. leads to less work overall. I heat my off-grid home in northern Finland with wood and only need 10m^3 a year, which is what, 3 cords or so.

[@healyfamily4]

On another note I had too much Captain on Friday and forgot to do the promo code 😝 on my order. It was a blast 💥 cheers to the next 150. Nice to see the wood 🪵 boiler humming again.

[@Back40Firewood]

lol....ohhh no! 😆🍻

[@GPOutdoors]

Sweet heat Dan!

[@billmoran3812]

Back in 1983, I put in a wood/coal boiler in the basement of my house in Connecticut. Burned wood spring and fall, and coal in the winter. Used that for many years until the price of oil had dropped to where it was cheaper than coal. Wish I still had that setup, I’d go back to coal. 3-4 tons kept the house warm all winter.

[@ryantannehill2830]

How much was a ton of coal in 1983?

[@willdavidsonakawd3062]

Dan i have always loved your boiler videos which is how i found you in the first place. One day i hope to have one myself or a wood furnace in the house... either way, when i heard you mention that you had started the boiler up on the friday night live i was electric figuring soon id get to see the big boy roar!!! Thank you again for this

[@Back40Firewood]

The biggest advantage I think I have is this boiler...it takes care of all the wood I don't wanna sell....lol...but also helps that I get the wood for free. That's the real advantage!

[@willdavidsonakawd3062]

Ive been looking at way i can up my output for wood and it will be the multitek 2040 that my buddy did most if the restoration on and i just helped him on

[@marknelson6777]

Happy birthday 🎁 and don't forget to mask up when feeding the boiler.

[@mikefromwv1010]

Thanks for the video I enjoy when you do boiler video's

[@HomesteadJay]

This is about right! Im usually 2 weeks after your start up LOL! Happy boiler heating! Lets goooo!

[@killinskindlingfirewood1851]

Happy Birthday Dan!😎🥃🪵

[@Kensgo]

9:22 cute mouse in the left corner :-)

[@bobfitch607]

Happy birthday Dan. The season is here to use the fruits of our labor. Great vidio buddy

[@stanleykeith6969]

I would check the anti freeze level with a tester. I have a Hot water system in my home. Just in case the power would every go out, I have anti freeze in my system, good till -34 below zero. I check it every year. I don't add water Dan. I will add more anti freeze not water. As you add water it dilutes the anti freeze in your system. Dan has your Electric bill gone up, I know mine has. They say Electric bills are going up 37%. Good Video Dan.

[@nebraskawoodstr]

Good vid Dan. I look forward to firing mine up as well.

[@mondavou9408]

Good Video. I'm a city slicker but itching to get out. I have always liked the idea of boiler (coal or wood) especially if you have multi family / multi structures. Glad to see its working for you the way I would expect it to work for me.

[@mlmmt]

As somebody who lives in a part of the country/world where heat is.... not really needed 99.9% of the time, this is rather interesting!

[@Back40Firewood]

I'll be doing a follow-up video soon showing how it all ties into the house for heating.

[@perrylongjr7478]

Great presentation and video, you do great explaining everything and what it takes. Keep up the good work my friend.

[@Webstertron]

little mouse friend at 9:23, wonder if he enjoys the warmth

[@grantfolds3261]

9:23 I think that mouse lost his home for the winter

[@MrButuz]

Great video what a wood burner!!!

[@FJ40J]

You should swap that taco 0014 pump to a 015e pump about 80% less electricity. When running 24/7 that adds up. Depending on where your located some states have huge rebates on the pumps. I am in Massachusetts I get 007e for $50

[@tillburn]

Anyone else see the mouse under the boiler @ 9:21ish? lol

[@tarster]

Hahaha mouse ran through your video under the boiler at 9:23-24

[@redpoole9323]

Nothing like some good dry Wood. 👍

[@jorgenfischer]

9:18 hi mousey!

[@boomish69]

Awesome, just facing extreme costs in the UK & getting a log burner, however just discovered logs cost a fortune :(

[@Back40Firewood]

Yeah I've heard the cost of firewood has really gone up over there.

[@traviscover7002]

Yesthis is nice fire 🔥 you have going and your outdoor wood stove I have my goings too good job on your video love your video

[@olivertaylor8788]

You can't beat wood heat...

[@fjb5263]

I had to restart mine a few times already because it warmed up to much during the day.

[@davemetz5412]

Water level is full when you start after you burn wood my water level goes up water expands does your water come out the top?

[@ConReese]

Water oxidizes better than air so the rust claim is bogus though there may be some validity to other issues presented from introducing oxygen into the tank.

[@atskooc]

We will fire up our stove for the first time in about three weeks. When the low gets to the 30s I’ll grab a match.

[@bear9923]

HEATING SEASON IS HERE AND IT'S GOOD TO HEAR THAT FAMILIAR "BACK 40" VOICE AGAIN. I HAVE JUST A COMMENT TO MAKE ABOUT FILLING A BOILER TO THHE FULL POINT WHEN THE WATER IS COLD. WHEN THE WATER HEATS UP THE WATER WILL EXPAND AND GO OUT THE OVERFLOW THUS LOSING THE WATER TREATMENT/ ANTIFREEZE TO SOME DEGREE. I'VE DONE THIS AND HAD TO ADD MORE THAN A LITTLE WATER BACK ONCE IT'S HOT. JUST SAYIN'.

[@Back40Firewood]

Yep I always get a little water overflowing out when the water starts heating up. Not too much though.

[@keithwright4921]

And very high prices,for wood,Hear in France the price,for wood has gone though the roof,🤠🔥🔥 Keith Ex Pat,France,🍺

[@rmac41981]

I was so tempted to get a fire going on stove last weekend but warmed up to quickly the next morning. I have way to much wood and need to start burning it off so I can justify splitting more.

[@Back40Firewood]

lol...I'm in the same boat that's why I didn't mind starting the boiler up a week or so early. Got plenty of wood I need to get rid of and make room for more, like ya said...hahaha

[@outsideinmichigan]

Thermostat set at 74 wow you keep it warm in the house. 😅

[@tested123]

when the light is out add water. or change the bulb.

[@Rsenior1981]

If you factor in the cost of the boiler, the cost of the tools/tractor, plus the fuel for the tractor, is it really a lower cost than propane?

[@Back40Firewood]

Nah...still WAY ahead. Cost of the tools, tractor, saws, fuel, etc. I also make up for selling firewood. Not having to monitor the meter in the house and leaving it at 74 all day/night, all winter long....totally worth it. 👍🍻

[@vonbuzz9009]

I have a 140 year old farmhouse ,,,first year i lived here i spent over 3 grand on propane that winter and the newer basement that had tubing in the floor and hooked up to an off peak wall heater that was never conected to the grid ,was NEVER WARM,, next year built and installed a wood boiler ,,bypassed the electric heater, and cut my propane use by 70% ,, and ended up cleaning up the deadfall all around my woods,,,, water circulated heat is so much more comfortable than a forced air furnace ,, and i only heat my water to 120 f,,, keep the basement at 80... upstairs stays around 65 ,, and the second story gets to 60 ,,,,,

[@greenwolf401]

This is my first time watching your channel, I'm impressed. 2 questions, how often do you have to fill the furnace with wood? And, at what point do you switch that lever to act as a reburner instead of going straight out the chimney?

[@Back40Firewood]

Hey, welcome to the channel...appreciate ya tuning in and checking things out. I usually add wood twice a day, morning and night. Depending on how cold the temps are drives how much wood I'll add. If temps are below zero I may have to add wood mid afternoon. The lever to open the bypass for smoke to go up & out instead of through the re-burn chamber is only pulled out when you are going to open the door and add wood. Once the wood has been added and the door back closed the lever is pushed back in. Main reason to open that bypass is to prevent a lot of smoke from coming out the door while loading.

[@zigzag6211]

mouse under the boiler at 9:23

[@JohnsonPSanderson]

mouse at 9:22 running from under the boiler

[@mattferreira]

Little mouse under the wood boiler at 9:23

[@DanielAtkinsFirewood]

Simmer to what I do with my pellet stove.. I clean the chimney one last vacuum flip a switch and push a button. Flame is on the whole season..

[@Fredo321]

I am not sure the concept of an outdoor wood boiler does convince me as someone living in Germany and who heats his home during ther winter with wood, but operates a very different system. We use here (and in Austria and Switzerland as well) the so called “Grundofen”, which is IN the house and can be connected to the heating and warm water system. Having furnace in the house seems to me much more efficient. I did not compare the the efficiency ratings of a “Grundofen” and outdoor boiler, but common sense should proof me right.

[@philwillingham1727]

Just curious. How often in the really cold months do you put wood in the boiler? I have a wood furnace in the basement connected into the duct system. I have to add wood at least four times a day. My fire box is much smaller than your hoiler

[@Back40Firewood]

Usually all winter I fill it up in the morning and the evening. If temps are at are below zero I may throw a few pieces on mid-afternoon but otherwise only twice a day.

[@FishGutzz]

Can you reroute that smoke to a box in order to smoke meats?

[@jordancobb509]

You run the boiler during the winter, makes sense. Does that mean you take cold showers in the summer ?

[@judee00]

A cord of firewood went up 100.00 since last year. It cost me 1055.00 to fill my oil tank. It's still cheaper to burn wood than oil even at 350.00 per cord.

[@soisaidtogod4248]

Quite the carbon footprint either way.

[@ryantannehill2830]

Jason....idk where you are and if you're getting it delivered or not but I just paid 450$ delivered and stacked. Crazy times.

[@judee00]

@@ryantannehill2830 that's cut, split and delivered up my way. They drop it off and I stack it. The other option is tree length 7 cords for 850.00. You have to cut split it yourself.

[@rubenmiddendorp]

Anyone else saw the mouse at 9:24 :)

[@Back40Firewood]

Hahaha....wow, I didn't even see that when editing! LOL

[@0iangell]

How often do you need to top up the fire? Does it burn 24\7 through winter? We are using kerosene here in Scotland but have an abundance of firewood so interested in an alternative

[@Back40Firewood]

I add wood usually twice a day and yes, the fire burns all winter long 24/7. If the temps get real cold, like sub-zero I may need to add wood in the afternoon, but otherwise morning & night is when I put wood in.

[@getprobed838]

can you put solar panels on it to power the pump and blower to make it use no electricity of your own?

[@theFailinginfluencer]

What is the water running off the roofing ?

[@charlesbonkley]

It is wise to keep the pine tree directly overhead of the chimney stack?

[@ludosys4903]

It is this time of the year already…; looking at the forecast in Eau Claire, you guys have a big spread in temps between min and max… What you drained from the boiler looks color wise like morning p.. at some days 😂

[@robertdendooven7258]

TMI!!

[@ludosys4903]

@@robertdendooven7258 your name has for sure a Dutch or Belgian background (or maybe SAF) Robert, I can say it in Dutch as well dear Woodhound 😉

[@robertdendooven7258]

@@ludosys4903 The name is Belgian, but I am not sure when those ancestors of mine left Europe.

[@xxbambamxx7261]

Why not use glycol in the water? It will protect the tube for atleast 3 years at the time..

[@Trump985]

How often do you have to add wood to this boiler?

[@Back40Firewood]

Usually twice a day unless the temp is really cold like sub-zero cold.

[@adamfrbs9259]

What would happen if you used Evanscool from day one and never water? It would cost a ton, but never corrode ever.

[@larrykluckoutdoors8227]

👍👍👍

[@huntingandstuff9489]

How often do you have to add wood to it?

[@codydawson886]

The money you save on energy, does it offset the cost of chainsaw gas/oil/maintenance yearly? Obviously the initial expenses of buy the boiler and saws will take a couple years to pay for itself. Recently bought my first house and I grew up with wood stoves / boilers. Just curious about the savings

[@Back40Firewood]

Definitely think it does. The firewood I process half goes to selling and half to my personal heating. The sale of firewood more than covers all the costs to process it so in the end the wood I burn I'm almost paying myself to burn it....lol...making the boiler even more of a savings. If that makes sense.

[@chrismcca]

At 12min what was the water dripping off the roof of boiler ?

[@Back40Firewood]

That's from when I top off the water level...as it heats up it expands and some will overflow back out.

[@ghaljfas]

What do you do for hotwater when you're not running the boiler?

[@Back40Firewood]

Electric hot water heater...that is why my electric bill almost doubles when the boiler isn't running...lol

[@JK-qm1nz]

How well would an upside down fire work in there?

[@Back40Firewood]

It would work to get things going, but once burning I never restart the fire....just add wood to it.

[@treefrog2299]

How many face quartz of wood that you think you go through in a winter months

[@Back40Firewood]

I average 10-12 full cords a burning season...so 30-36 face cords.

[@thisismyalt9010]

Why doesn’t the stack have a rain cap?

[@rudycarlson8245]

Normally during the late spring and The summer I think he has a 5 gallon bucket on the stack?

[@COYO-T]

Does the boiler warm up the building at all?

[@nevillegaines4676]

How often do feed the fire at zero degrees?

[@m7791]

Why 170? Can you adjust that set point? Just curious.

[@armedmariner]

How much wood do you go through in a winter? What latitude you at?

[@iwantosavemoney]

Do you have base board heaters or radiators by chance sir?

[@Back40Firewood]

The hot water coming in from the boiler actually goes through a heat exchanger in the forced air furnace.

[@bardslee]

How many times a day do you need to keep refilling the firebox?

[@Back40Firewood]

Usually twice a day.

[@bardslee]

@@Back40Firewood could you put something like coal into it?

[@aaronkl81]

How much wood do you go through per day

[@hithere7382]

Is there a reason beyond cost why most people have their wood boilers outside in the open air instead of under cover like yours?

[@soisaidtogod4248]

Fire insurance.

[@RI-uv3lm]

How often do you need to check & add wood?

[@axzell2]

how often do you have to put wood in the wood boiler? i guess it depends on the temperature outside.

[@Back40Firewood]

Usually twice a day...morning and night, unless like ya said temps get really cold....sub-zero temps might take a few pieces thrown on mid afternoon.

[@larrymanning5925]

I have no idea why I watched this... I live in Florida.

[@rockybrown7713]

How do you bleed your pex lines and HX ?

[@Back40Firewood]

That was all done when it was installed...have never drained the water since. But there is a line/valve off the 1st exchanger if I ever needed to.

[@dropedlow33]

WARE DOSE THE AIR COME OUT GESS BOTTOM FOR THE DOOR IF U CAN U SHOW US

[@jeremyaltom1303]

How often and how much wood do you feed into it a day in the winter months?

[@davesalzer3220]

How often do you stuff it full in the winter?

[@dedsert9653]

9:23 there's a rat

[@fdgaming]

9:21 anyone else see the rat under the boiler

[@tested123]

you gotta figure out a way to cook stuff in there.

[@circlebmn]

Not quite time yet for me....soon ..

[@stevepettifer4896]

Anyone else notice the rodent scuttling up into the guts of the boiler at about 9:20? Hope the little git hasn't chewed any wires or lagging.

[@tookmyhandle2]

Is the smoke that comes from this kind of lower heat burner less environmentally friendly than smoke from a fireplace? If so, is there any way to improve?

[@patdbus]

guess so, and just dont slow burn, fast and hot with plenty oxygen would be the way to go, yet youd need another kind of setup for that. also a good indcator for when your burning your fire properly is the smoke from the stack: no smoke or almost none means fuul combustion so no lingering gasses other then co2 and co, yet thick smoke means a lot off carbon is left unburnt, wich also means a lot of other nasty stuff is still stuck in there. basicly what it comes down to is if it looks like youd be fine standing in the smoke, then your good, if the smoke looks like youll sufocate, you might have to reconsider what the hell youre doing.

[@tookmyhandle2]

@@patdbus I wonder how it all shakes out in terms of environmental impact. On one hand, this doesn't rely on fossil fuels, on the other hand, that's a lot of smoke. To me, a big appeal of a system like this is the decreased reliance on fossil fuels-- which are costly and not good for the environment.

[@patdbus]

@@tookmyhandle2 its not like burning wood is a lot cleaner then professionally burnt fosilfuels in powerstations, in other words, if everyone gets a wood burner the environment will go to shit faster, if everyone goes electric, it will still go to shit but a lot slower. The reasons to chose a stove would be: cheaper, independability and personal preference. The environmental impact of you personaly using a wood stove could probably be negated by simple acts like using public transport to go to work or going vegan, or buying a smaller car, etc

[@tookmyhandle2]

@@patdbus haha thanks for clarifying. I think I'll stick to driving to work and using more common heating methods. Public transit in my area has become a real nightmare.

[@Slay-qy1up]

mouse alert 9:21 - 9:25 under wood boiler

[@tracynewman5246]

How often do you have to feed in a 24 hr period when it’s cold

[@Back40Firewood]

Usually just twice a day unless it's really cold then I'll go out and put a few pieces on in the late afternoon.

[@garyeaton6212]

what happens if you lose electricity?

[@Back40Firewood]

If the power goes out the system is down...some have backup generators, but I do not....yet.

[@johnwilliams1091]

Pretty sure I’d suffocate trying to sleep @74 degrees

[@ianh6540]

9:23 Mouse