Hydroponic wood stove as backup

Piwoslaw · 02-11-14, 01:05 AM

We've had a few power outages now and then, short ones but still the boiler's electronics wouldn't work. A few weeks ago, when the temperature outdoors fell to below -15°C, the boiler would jam and had to be reset manually.

All of this prompted the wife and her dad to mention that we should invest in a wood stove as a backup for the boiler. It would also be used in the autumn and spring to reduce our natural gas usage (for ecological/economical/political reasons).
So now it's up to me to find the best one before someone else buys and installs the cheapest (and probably least efficient) stove they can get.

What to look for? I know I want it to be fed air from the outdoors, it has to be hydroponic (water coat), and it does not need to, in fact should not, heat the basement where it will be installed. Most important, it needs to be able to operate without electricity, though it may have a pump when that is available. Are there any special parameters I need to pay attention to? Can any wood stove be insulated from the outside to increase the amount of heat going to the heating system?

02-11-14, 01:05 AM	#1
Piwoslaw Super Moderator Join Date: May 2009 Location: Warsaw, Poland Posts: 964 Thanks: 189 Thanked 111 Times in 87 Posts	Hydroponic wood stove as backup We've had a few power outages now and then, short ones but still the boiler's electronics wouldn't work. A few weeks ago, when the temperature outdoors fell to below -15°C, the boiler would jam and had to be reset manually. All of this prompted the wife and her dad to mention that we should invest in a wood stove as a backup for the boiler. It would also be used in the autumn and spring to reduce our natural gas usage (for ecological/economical/political reasons). So now it's up to me to find the best one before someone else buys and installs the cheapest (and probably least efficient) stove they can get. What to look for? I know I want it to be fed air from the outdoors, it has to be hydroponic (water coat), and it does not need to, in fact should not, heat the basement where it will be installed. Most important, it needs to be able to operate without electricity, though it may have a pump when that is available. Are there any special parameters I need to pay attention to? Can any wood stove be insulated from the outside to increase the amount of heat going to the heating system? __________________ Ecorenovation - the bottomless piggy bank that tries to tame the energy hog.