Just a quick update: the pile of wood-chips, before being wetted and packed down to condense the digestion-properties and create more heat, is already 112 degrees.

I believe that based on this, we could get temps north of 125 degrees through effective wetting and packing of the chips around the water-coil. So I am going to attempt to construct the mound without shredding the chips, and see what happens.

It's possible that the digestion process will slow once the smaller dust-particles/shreds in the chip pile decompose. But it's also possible that I can get 125 degree water at some constant rate, just by packing down and wetting free wood chips around a water-coil. So I believe I'm going to take the natural path of least resistance on this experiment and see what happens.

We'll know within 2 weeks of building the mound what kind of output it will have. If it doesn't put-out, we'll borrow our friend's tractor, tear down the mound, re-shred the chips, and build it again.

Jesse, Bob, Dave and Marc if you read this I would love your help any time it's convenient for you. I need guidance on the best way to insulate and run buried pex-lines through the trench, and through or under the concrete-block walls of my basement. Please email me at gaelanb@gmail.com if you can lend a hand any evening or weekend. Thanks!