Please help me figure investment return OWB yes or no

[Tin Horse]

Can I ask roughly what these racks cost and the quantity of firewood they hold?
Thanks. 

[Andries]

IBC stands for Intermediate Bulk Container. Plastic containers inside them hold 1000 litres. They are used anywhere that a bulk container of fluid is needed.
Greenhouses, manufacturing plants, farms, etc.
I found a dozen at an asphalt plant for 100 bucks. The difficult part is to dispose of the poly 'jug', as it had held butanol. If you can find them on Craigs list or Kijiji,  look for ones that are food grade plastic. They're easier to either recycle or repurpose. 
A neat stack in one holds roughly 1/3 of a cord and weighs (green and depending on species) about 1300 lbs.
Once it has set out in the sun and wind for a summer, it'll weigh much less.
I included this info here because many people get really, completely, totally fed up with forever feeding an OWB. These IBC bins will drastically reduce anyone's handling of firewood, which will slant the decision/equation.

[chevytaHOE5674]

That's possibly a little " glass half empty " .

Possible but I speak from experience. Currently I have a winters worth or more of wood cut/split/stacked out in the woods and there is 3 foot of snow with a foot of mud underneath making accessing it impossible.
Thankfully I have other wood up by the stove. But I would never want to rely on having wood stacked out in the woods.

[DDW_OR]

an idea on the IBC,
remove the plastic container from the frame
fill the frame with wood
cut the top off the plastic.
the use the top as a cover for the firewood to keep moisture off
use the bottom for ??

[mitchstockdale]

I am truly missing burning wood, husband not as much but we upgraded from a 22 ton log splitter to a wood processor to make it easier cleaning up down tree tops from logging and we are selling that firewood. We have 60 acres, unlimited supply of wood. We are now currently all electric at .55 cent at last months bill of 2304 kwh. (Which I have to shop around every year for a decent rate). We have a heat pump which saves but when that big furnace comes on, hold onto your wallet! When we had an old wood burner we saved but that unit was free except converting duct work and chimney. With the OWB we want to heat the house, add heat to 6 car garage, hot tub, hot water tank and possibly use it for dryer (somehow). Figure approx 2600 sq ft home plus garage, somewhat drafty and  chilly as I leave it at 65. Figure we will be at least 10-12k for OWB and installation. How long do you think it will take to recoup the cost and start saving $$?

I just recently built a house and piped the floor for connection to an OWB which i plan to install in the future.  I priced out a central air heat pump system and ductless heat pump system and the OWB wasn't much more expensive (although this was me doing most of the install).  Your estimate is in the ballpark... here in Canada things are going to cost me about $15000 for an OWB set up.  

This is a multi faceted topic ... cost / payback / work / time / system flexibility etc.... you could argue every which way.  If all you want is some wood heat perhaps installing a nice wood stove in the house would fit the bill, but if you absolutely need to heat all your out buildings then this changes things. Does your income depend on heating these areas...if you work in the shop on a daily basis it might start being worth it.  If the payback is overshadowing the usefulness of the system its probly not a good place to put your money.

[Traci]

Some nice posts on here. Cutting and leaving in the woods was never an option for knee deep snow and ice with steep hills....thanks, but no thanks. Back in the day stacked half the  length of our 0.25 mi driveway kinda creating a rustic fence. Also helped with snow drift. I will say though, the older I get, the more I crave a warmer climate.

[Wood Shed]

Traci,

I have been using CB 6048 since 2006.  If you were to look at what the cost of heating oil did over the past 14 years I pretty much hit the bell shaped curve, not that I was trying or ever calculated that.  OWB were half the cost then compared to current prices.  If your motivation is saving money you are doomed to fail.  Having the finances on hand and being honest about your motivation is important.  Finding a good professional installer is critical in order to get all the benefits you can from burning wood.  I heat my house and domestic hot water as well as having under floor heat in the tiled areas of the house and capability of heating one of my barns. You might as well have some luxury if you are going to work that hard for your heat.  Let us know what you decide, in the mean time I will try to figure out what is next for me being 65 and using a boiler that has to fail sometime.

[gspren]

Wood Shed, I got my P&M OWB about the same time you got your OWB and aside from the boilers being much cheaper then oil was much higher so a return on investment was realistic, I don't think it is any longer, if/when mine needs serious repairs it will get scraped and not replaced. On the other hand if you just want one and will enjoy cutting wood and tending it the return for most people is better than you get from your golf equipment.

[TKehl]

The gassification stoves really changed a lot of things.  I wanted a boiler until the gassifiers became a requirement.  In addition to the extra price and complication, I would have to change my whole wood handling practices.  I burn wood because it is simple and affordable for me with my Bryan forced air unit and waste wood.  The new OWBs look like neither of those...  

Yes, I know they burn less wood, but for me, the wood savings don't offset the extra labor.  Especially when most of my firewood is a byproduct of other activities!

[DDW_OR]

thinking of starting a poll
please put your suggestions here. I do not want to hijack this thread
Should i do a poll on OWB in Firewood and Wood Heating

[antifreeze]

I had $10K+ in my Portage & Main when I put it in back in 2014 - it's a good unit; no complaints.  The ROI analysis is all a function of the alternative costs.  In the Duluth area I'm in winter of 2013, propane was over $5/gal - if you could get it!  At those prices, the ROI is easy - for my place, break even was 3-4 years.  Of course, since I jumped in, propane has been cheap ($1.45/gal) and plentiful.  My break even is now 7-10 years and that only works if I consider my other expenses (saws, splitter, tractor, sheds, chiropractor, TIME, etc) a sunk cost and exclude them from the analysis.  But, I have no regrets and love the excuse to be outdoors and have some measure of energy independence - it's a lifestyle.

[DDW_OR]

started the poll

what Out Door Wood Furnace do you use in Firewood and Wood Heating