Although we seldom have a fire in the wood boiler we seldom have very cold snowy weather. At least not as much as I expected. But occasionally it gets down to zero and negative temperatures. Then it feels right to put a fire in the stove and enjoy the ambiance and extra heat.
I have explained the workings of the boiler in the past. The fun part is that it still works flawlessly.
First the primary boiler pump is turned on then the fire is lit. When the circulating water in the stove reaches a warm enough temperature the second pump turns on and sends the water to the heat exchanger. I increase the thermostat temperature in the back of the house so there is a call for heat and the system pumps turn on. But the fire warmed water circulates without the boiler igniting because the water is already warm enough. A thing of beauty considering how long it took me to figure out the installation.
What I love is that we are getting heat from the boiler without using gas. That means we are gaining way more from our fireplace than most.