FBWNDR wrote:
I'm trying to determine the pros and cons of having a wood boiler
installed on my property. If you haven't heard of these, the boiler
is built to circulate water around the firebox. The water gets pumped
into a heat exchanger which is located in the main heating duct of the
house. The existing indoor furnace pushes the air around the house.

Anyway, I'm looking at a Heatmor boiler, and I'm now looking for
people who have experience with these. The website says that the
boiler has a forced draft fan (75 cfm). It also says that the boiler
can heat a 3000 square foot house. I know a little about combustion,
and I calculated that with 75 cfm, you cannot burn more than 10 lbs of
wood an hour. And if the wood is 45% moisture, then the available BTU
is around 40,000 BTU. A 40,000 BTU furnace is very small for a 3000
square foot house.

45% seems awfully high for moisture content. From
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/new...toryType=garde

Seasoned firewood contains less than 20 percent moisture and generally takes
from six to eight months - and sometimes up to more than a year - to dry, or
cure. Much depends on the weather, the type of wood you have and how you prepare
and store it. Hardwood such as oak takes longer to dry than softwood like
Douglas fir or pine.