Barn conversion heating solutions

Bendy_House

Very envious, Baby! Could you give over part of your workshop for the biomass boiler?

If you don't mind the manual labour, there are models that'll burn logs, but I would suggest you do this 'properly' and go for a pellet burner, which will be far more acceptable to more people (future-proofing). With pellet burners, there are auto-feed - so you fill a large hopper, and this then supplies the burner on demand - or ones with much smaller hoppers on the boiler where you have to tip bags of pellets in more regularly. Also, I understand, variations in how they deal with the ash (which can be used as fertiliser, I understand), from manual removal to an easy to handle collecting thingy.

GREAT project! PLEASE start a new thread about your renovations when it gets under way

FreeBear

Bendy_House said: Very envious, Baby! Could you give over part of your workshop for the biomass boiler?

If you don't mind the manual labour, there are models that'll burn logs, but I would suggest you do this 'properly' and go for a pellet burner, which will be far more acceptable to more people (future-proofing).

If you go down the biomass route, one that can handle wood chip as well as pellets would be a better option - Opens up a wider range of alternative suppliers.

babyblade41

I knew you will give me exactly what I need & yes @Bendy_House plenty of room in the workshop 

@FreeBear. good advice thank you 

BUFF

it may also be worth considering supplemental local directed radiant heating for some areas. This might be worth a read (the Engine Shed is the practical offshoot of Historic Environment Scotland) https://www.engineshed.scot/publications/publication/?publicationId=7a69ec6b-1488-4a14-8560-a59400bbfc2a I am sure that they will have other case studies that you will find of interest for your whole project.

babyblade41

@BUFF I have some interesting reading to do 

Woolsery

I have one like that too: 60' x 28' and basically like an Atcost in profile.  I'll watch with interest, though I'm not doing any work myself. Been there, done that, got too bloomin old now!

liberty_lily

Looks like a fantastic project,  babyblade...will also be interested in your progress as it's something we'd like to do going forward (if we ever get our old mill finished 🙄)....

babyblade41

we are just moving into the crappy mobile home next week 

babyblade41

Thanks everyone for some amazing suggestions... I'll keep you all posted but a long way to go yet .

gm0

Getting the heatload down is super critical.  Roof design and insulation approach esp if open to apex.
Roof height may need to increase to give you what you want inside and a thicker "blanket" behind the interior design (exposed beams, any beams on sloping roof etc.  When a new roof is going on is the ideal if not the only time to do it and get creative. 

Rafter space and beam thickness if left open to apex and exposed can leave the "blanket" too thin and with a lot of awkward edges and seams even if you can scrabble the design to regs. This point more applies to an existing roof vs sticking up or raising a new external one - the better approach if you aren't height constrained and can just design a good one.

If there is going to be a lot of foundational digging and a new pad anyway then dig a little bit more, insulate, and put the UFH in.  Retrofit is between awful and unworkable.  We regret that the builder didn't do that on ours back in the 90s.

UFH would let the place be heated with an ASHP later instead of a multi-fuel stove which a future owner may think is a swell idea even if you are happy with neighbour and fuel supply etc.  But I can see it is somewhat costly for something you may not intend to use. 

Hoppers and pellets and blowers and augers etc are a bit of a different approach to rustic wood supply.  I have a wet kerosene system and a log burner which I use as a secondary (for power outage, swing season - using up my tree surgery offcuts - but that's the decorative route - in room not multi-fuel boiler in shed.  I'd love to cut down kerosene but the energy density of pellets is depressingly low by comparison.  Clearly once you get the heat load down in the first place it matters less.

If you have space for and plan ground mount PV can ignore this but in roof solar is worth a look if for some reason it's not.  I'd hate to put up a new roof and go and drill holes in it straight away to fit solar over it.

Another key decision on ventilation scheme - MVHR + ducting or old school.  Not sure where we are up to on latest BC on this but it's a tough thing to get right visually/cost/industrial etc. with exposed ceiling apexes. In flat conversions with conventional ceilings it tends to be boxed in - walls and ceilings.  The barns with blown membranes inside an old damp breathable structure with an insulated house built inside that tend to use MVHR because the envelope is a rubber balloon with insulation and PB inside it.  Pros and cons I believe and may not be appropriate to your preserved structures - there were pilots of this but I don't know what the long term feedback was.