"dianne gigler" wrote in message
...
My house is heated by a radiator based hot water heating system powered by
natural gas. Given the expected increase in the cost of natural gas, I
would like to add an auxiliary wood burner to power the hot water system.
I have searched the internet and have found nothing. Am I looking for
something that does not exist or cannot be done? Any help and/or leads
will be appreciated. Thank you.


First and foremost are you handy with electrical and mechanical products?
Call a local licensed contractor and see what they can put together for you.
Adding another fuel source will certainly complicate the situation. I am
always up for a challenge, I know some great controls guys in the Midwest.
I know your not talking about my neck of the woods, cause we are pretty much
interested in cooling only.

Questions you need to answer,
Does your local area have "no burn days"?
Are you ready to commit to the labor and effort that it is going to take to
deal with wood?
What does a cord of wood cost? (4'x4'x 8' or 128 cubic feet)
What kind of wood can you get for what cost? Different woods burn
differently.

Have you checked the insulation in your home recently? last couple of years.
google to one of the .gov sites and see what they recommend for your area.
I added R-30 to my home in July, August's a/c bill was 50% less. (my home
circa 1977)


WAG your talking about a several thousand dollars to get started. Money
might be spent better upgrading the system you have.