I'll hopefully be building my dream shop in the next year or two and I'm trying to iron out the biggest expenses now so I know how soon I can quit my current job and start woodworking (it will be a wonderful day). In that vein, I'm trying to make my plan for a somewhat unconventional heating arrangement and was wondering if anyone could offer me some advice on their experience with similiar setups.
Basics:
- The shop will be in upstate NY (no nat. gas avail in my area) and I will keep it heated 24/7/365
- My primary heat source for shop and home will be wood with a backup of electric or propane for convenience/vacation.
- I would like to heat the shop with radiant (liquid) floor heating unless there is a compelling reason not to (seems all in all the best option to me).
- I plan to keep this shop/home for the rest of my life (I'm 26 now) so longevity of the system is fairly important unless repairs are easy&cheap.
- Initial cost is immaterial as long as it produces accordant efficiency&savings in the long run
What I would like:
- Something that can heat both my house and my shop at the same time (temps in the house and shop will be similiar year round). Shop will be about 1000sq/ft home will be 18-2500 sq/ft.
- A backup system (propane or electric) that can tie in somewhat efficiently to the main heating system.
- Something that can burn a load of wood 8-12 hours (night) without re-stocking, and hopefully only need one or two loads during the day.
I've heard that I can buy a giant outdoor (well insulated) wood-fired boiler that could accomplish all of my home and shop heating needs and could have a smaller backup system tied in to keep everything above freezing when I'm on vacation. Any ideas of where to start this search or advice if you think my plans are misguided would be great. I've only got a slight clue what can solve this situation, so even the most basic advice would be great.
Thanks in advance for your help, and for slugging through the long post.
Andy