SHTF Hot Water System

For us SHTF might have been needing heat in the dead of winter and not being financially able to afford a refill. Refilling our propane was going to cost over $900 and changing companies over $2400 for a new tank and fill.Desperate times call for desperate measures... So with that in mind, I used what we had and put together my own wood fired domestic hot water heating system. The entire system cost around $700 minus the tools, pot belly stove and existing hot water heater. This system can be expanded using solar heat collectors or an outdoor boiler. With the addition of a distribution manifold and zone controllers it can also be used for in-floor radiant heat, heater cores installed in the forced-air furnace or piped to radiators in other rooms of the house. We have been using this system for nearly 2 months now and with the exception of an occasional luke warm shower it has worked out great! We do consume a lot of wood keeping this thing lit, but a problem we have in Michigan is that our Ash trees have mostly all succumbed to the dreaded Emerald Ash Borer and many people have an abundance of dead standing Ash trees. Ash is a hardwood which is good to burn where otherwise it would just lie and rot. So getting the wood it's not as big a problem as it might otherwise be. There are people on Craigslist giving the stuff away, some even split and deliver for a reasonable fee, usually around $50/face cord (or truck bed full). I know I'm not going to be using this in the summer ...

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