Living off grid in the PV farmhouse. a diy scenario

[piddy3825]

So I am temporarily sheltering in place in the old farm in PV, cause something always draws me there for some reason.  Maybe because it reminds me of the old farm in Kansas I spent a couple of years living at when I was a little kid with my great Auntie.  But I remember in the winter time when the snow storms blew thru the plains it would push you along merrily or punish you mercilessly depending on which direction you were going.  yeah fun times

I remember the old farm house was steam heated with a big ole coal burner/boiler down in the basement.  We had cast iron radiators like this and the little spigot down on the bottom dripped constantly when the heat was going.  My grandmother would but a little teacup under the drip.  

the upstairs one would clank and clang and you could hear the pipes expand and knock  like they were ready to bust through the walls.

oh, but the warmth those things put out when the system was finally thawed and running was luxurious.  I mean when that furnace was stoked we would have to open the windows because it would get so hot the dogs would start panting like they'd been left in hot car with the windows rolled up in July.  It was all or nothing in those days!  We had a party line and everybody nearby in the county could get on the phone at the same time.

anyways, Looks like they were using an oil fired boiler, I'm assuming on account of the 50 gallon drum?  It looks like possible fuel storage?  But at any rate, the DIY'er in my says that I should be able to convert this old old burner to a wood/coal burner without too much hassle considering all the plumbing and exhaust venting is in place.  This would be a fun project and you would need the heavy hammer, the crowbar, the hacksaw and the quality tools in addition to 100 liters of water, 30 pieces of metal and enough wood and or coal to bring all that water to a boil and be able to sustain it.  I'd design it with an damper of sorts so you could keep the fire going without having to add fuel constantly.  

No electricity required for radiant steam heating, right?  the biggest challenge would be for sustained usage.  It would probably take a lot of fuel to initially get the system running and considering the poor fuel supply near the farmhouse makes the project impractical at best.  You'd end of spending most if not all your time sourcing firewood and the occasional coal chunk while trying to travel over encumbered over long stretches with rabid predators constantly nipping at your heels.  But I would do it if I could.