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wood fired question?

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alwayslearning
alwayslearning Member Posts: 15
in Radiant Heating
Does anyone have any thoughts on setting up an outdoor food burning boiler connected to cast iron radiators as a gravity system?  If the power goes out (no circulator) but the fire remains going in the wood burner, could one with some creative plumbing, have a viable heat source?

On a day to day basis, the functionality of the device and radiators would be as designed.  I am simply asking the question about in an emergency (no power) situation.

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  • Ironman
    Ironman Member Posts: 7,376
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    question?

    If you have no power, what's gonna run the controls, draft fan and circ. on the wood boiler?



    It would be much easier to connect a generator to the wood boiler with the house boiler connected to the same circuit.
    Bob Boan
    You can choose to do what you want, but you cannot choose the consequences.
  • Ironman
    Ironman Member Posts: 7,376
    edited October 2012
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    duplicate

    Bob Boan
    You can choose to do what you want, but you cannot choose the consequences.
  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 22,157
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    I agree

    most of the wood burners shut down fairly quickly when the power goes out. Either a flapper door and or fan will shut down.



    Be sure all the door gaskets seal well so it doesn't have a source of air to keep the fire burning.



    If the boiler is outdoors and piped with pex into a building I'm not sure you would get much gravity flow thru 1" pex.



    Some wood burners add a small golf cart battery and UPS to keep a pump circulating for an hour or so while the fire burns out.



    I suppose it depends on how much $$ and technology you want to throw at a infrequent condition.
    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
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