Wood boiler Lessons I Have Learned...

We installed our wood boiler this fall. I am VERY thankful for it, but there have been some things that I struggle with...

1. For the house to be warm you must put wood in it. - You would think this would be a no-brainer, however, I am not very good at remembering that it must be done. Most mornings Chad loads it before work, NORMALLY it should be good till he gets home, but there are times when it is really cold, that i need to realize that the temperature is dropping and get out there and CHECK it!

2. It is REALLY hard to load a wood burner in the dark. - The key to loading the wood burner is FILLING it REALLY FULL, so you don't have to do it again for a long time. However, if you wait till dark, it is very hard to piece together the puzzle of neatly stacked, fully loaded wood. *insert sarcasm here* I do NOT understand WHY they can not get a light in the back of the wood burner so I can see what I am doing! *return to normal voice* Flashlights help, but daylight is better.

3. When you load the wood boiler, you will smell like smoke.- It does not matter if the wind is blowing or not, you will stink. Putting your hair in a hat and wearing stinky clothes will help, but not eliminate the smell.

4. If there is a wind blowing from the north, you will stink until you take a shower. -A northern wind is a terrible thing for our wood boiler filling, the smoke blows in your eyes, it is very hard to see in the daylight and even more impossible at night. (This is not true for ALL wood boiler folk, but ours loads on the south side, so north winds are bad.)

5. Getting the wood is hard work. - We have spent many a day getting wood, Chad more than all of us.

These are some of the HAPPY things I have learned about our wood boiler...

1. We are warm. Very, very warm. In warmer temperatures (50's or over) we open windows to reduce the heat in the house. And as long as I follow the above mentioned step one, I have yet to be cold since the wood boiler was installed.

2. Wood boilers save money. (at least for propane users) - Last year we were spending $800 a month in propane. This year we are only spending elbow grease!

3. We have unlimited (as long as I follow the first #1) hot water. - Chad has hooked the wood boiler to the hot water heater. We now can take shower, after shower, after shower, after shower, after shower, after shower, after shower, after shower. (And if Tracy is here... after shower.)

4. My husband is amazing. - He installed the whole thing with just a little bit of help. (Well, a big bit of help from his dad digging trenches for the underground pipes) He saved us lots of money by doing it himself. He spent many hours on the internet and talking to people who have wood boilers to make sure he did it right, and I am so thankful for his commitment.

5. We have an awesome workforce. - When we get all eight of us out working on the wood, we get allot done fast. I know they may not like it, but it is good for them.

Wood boilers are not for the frail or lazy! I am so glad that Chad had the vision to do this. It is allot of work, but I actually enjoy working beside him with wood. Wood boilers are good.