Outside wood boiler question

[mike delaney]

Been thinking about buying one, but I thought I'd ask to see if you all have one. If so what brand is best to buy? Thanks in advance Mike

 

[Sure]

Sure Mike, the kind that has the best insulation, just ask to see the one you want after a snow fall (( that's heating ))
IF there is snow on the roof,
if it does have snow on the roof, that's the one with good insulation.
if it don't -- your heating the out side

 

[Anonymous-0]

I am on my 9th winter with a Central Boiler. I agree with the snow on the roof part, mine currently has several inches on it from snow a few days ago, and a some snow on and off since. The snow doesn't melt off unless it gets sunny and warm. Mine is not a dual fuel, they weren't available until after I bought mine. When I bought mine, a big selling point was the insulation, although I suspect in the last few years others have improved too. I would investigate several brands and decide what works best for you. I would also investigate the dual fuel option if that is something that might work for you. All in all, I do certainly recommend Central Boiler.

 

[Anonymous-0]

i think a lot of the fly by night co. are gone and you have about 5 or so to chose from . i have a Johnson friend has a Wood doctor and another a Central boiler all are good what ever you get keep it simple and make sure the door is big stay a way from a lot of electronics simple is better you don't need fire brick or a bunch of water chambers but the mane thing is KEEP UP ON THE WATER TREATMENT YOU MUST TREAT YOUR WATER FOR THE RIGHT PH or it will rust out in a few years [unless it is stainlesteel but they should also be tested and treated.it's just like anything YOU MUST DO MAINTENANCE ON THEM. have had mine for 6 years and have spent less then 100.00 on it other then the water treatment and that runs about 50.00 a year. there are some real good water treatments and some that are a joke. mine was paid for in three years and i heat a big farm house and a 30x40 shop with heated floor don't have to cut any wood get that all free [old cut up pallets] just got to haul them home. run your under ground PEX in 6in PVC pipe and insulate real good you don't want to heat the ground. any place that your pipes are exposed is a heat loss.i lose 1 degree from stove to house 100 ft. away and nothing to the shop 20 away. if you have to buy your wood DON"T get one it will not work out cost wise

 

[jrh009]

You may wish to check local zoning. In Ontario some of the Municipalities near us are starting to prohibit them in updated zoning regulations.

 

[WCS]

I have a Heatmor outdoor wood burner. It has been trouble free , but this is only the second winter that I'm heating the house with it. I agree with marloweg about buying your wood. If you have to buy wood, the burner (any make) won't ever pay for itself. I have all the wood I will ever need already on this farm; just have to go out and cut it. I'm probably only saving about $1000.00 per year in propane costs, so it will take many years for this thing to really pay for itself.

 

[Pair-a-dice farm]

I've got an Earth wood boiler made in Mountain Grove, Mo. I picked it up at the factory and talked to the owner. I've been very satisfied with the customer service and the performance. It's a little finicky about the kind of wood, I've been burning a lot of junk wood out of fence rows and it burns alot more than if I stick with oak and hickory. I am on the 2nd winter and believe that I will come close to paying for it this year in propane savings. Like others have said keep up the water treatment and make sure it's insulated well. Last winter mine kept a blanket of snow on it.

 

[steve terplak]

got a woodmaster 4400 to heat a big old farmhouse
love it
but as said earlier...only cost effective if you don't have to buy wood.

 

[Gun guru]

Just a thought, I have a pellet burner.

It is + 15F outside right now in S. Michigan. It is 76F in my living room and about 68F in the bedrooms down the hallway. Large ranch, 2500 Sq. feet. Way cheaper then an outdoor wood boiler. My pellet burner costs $2000 with all the Pell vent pipe. I save about $600 in Propain on average per winter. Not bad. Pellets cost $240 per ton last summer.
I have read that it is only cost effective if you have a source for cheap firewood to feed it.

 

[Welding man]

I have a Hardy.Manufactured in Miss.Have been in business since the mid 70's. This is my 6th winter. It is all Stainless Steel except the cast iron grates. Had to replace those last year. I heat a 2800 sq.ft house and partially heat a 3000 sq ft shop with the same heater. I burn 25-30 LWB pick-up loads of hardwood a winter at a cost of approx 1000.00.If I had to burn propane or heating oil it would be close to $4000.00. Friend of my sells Central Boiler by the tractor trailer loads and can't keep up with the demand. Both are good furnaces, but neither one is cheap.

 

[redtom]

I don't own one but can only tell you what my brother in law has/says. He has an Aquatherm?, I believe. He said it was the only one at the time with a sealed system that actually operates like a boiler system and I thin k uses an antifreze/heat transfer type fluid. Something in it did crack after several years and they replace it but he had to do the labor. He lives in the woods and is walking on firewood so wood is not a problem. He uses a lot of wood but heats a multstory home and 2 car unattached garage.

 

[Butch(OH)]

I own one, a Woodmaster and love it but I have talked far more people out of buying an OWB than the other way around. Operating one is not a part time operation like a stove can be. You have to be home, or have someone keep it going while your gone. Anti-freeze is an option but a darned expensive one the cost of filling and most stove mfgs say you will burn 30% more wood. Most people who buy them just to save a few bucks on heating end up hating being married to the thing all winter plus cutting wood is drudgery for them. Before anyone who has not been burning wood spends the big bucks my recomendation is to buy a cheap used woodstove and use it to heat with full time all winter for two years and cut and prap all it will burn plus enough more to make the 8-10 cords you will burn in the OWB. All that being said if cutting wood itsnt misery, and you stay home in the winter and you spend enough on heat now to get a payback have at it, you will love it like we do. We used to spend over 3k per year and have not spun th egas meter since it was installed 4 winters ago. Buy a brand that is sold and serviced localy and for my bucks the simpler the better as others have said. Advantages in efficiancy brand to brand are far more advertising and proud owner hype than reality IMO. They all burn about the same amount to heat equal spaces. Good luck

 

[farmerjohn]

I had considered getting one for my new house 15 years ago but, as was pointed out by my local plumber, the salesman makes them sound easy, and notice that when someone get one they have a nice little woodpile the first winter and the second winter the pile is half the size of the house. I decided to put in geothermal and love it- yes it is expensive to install but costs about $300.00/year to heat my house so it paid for itself in about 6 years with cheap heat bills.

 

[PJH]

I've had a Hardy in year round use since 1998. Replaced one pump several years ago. Took the combustion fan apart once - it was dry from lack of proper lube (my fault). Lubed it up and still using it. Still using the original grates. I have never used any type of water treatment. The dealer recommended distilled water only with no treatment. Original fill was from a gadget he has - works like the water treatment they use on ships - can't remember the process name. If this boiler fails, I'll replace it with another Hardy.

I don't know how much propane I save with this thing because I heated with a basement wood furnace before getting the Hardy. It uses about the same amount of wood as the old furnace. All of my firewood comes from the hat slappers that hang out in my face around all of my fields. I can cut a green tree down and be burning it within the hour.

The best thing about an outside boiler - any brand?? I have several wood trailers. I back them up to the boiler and take the wood right off of the trailer and into the firebox. Never have to cover it, just thump one end on the concrete to knock off the snow and pitch it in.

This boiler needs attention every 12 hours in cold weather. Don't buy one if you don't have a supply of firewood on your own property. I won't even take free wood unless I can bring it home behind my tractor.

I know absolutely nothing about any of the other brands. It's possible that I own the very worst one, but I'm happy with it. . .

Good luck
Paul

 

[john *.?-!.* cub owner]

I have several friends who have them, and in this area Hardy is the mos popular. The 2 complaints I hear are the amount of wood they use, 2 or 3 times as much as an indoor stove, and the smoke when the blower comes on. Make sure it is where the breeze carries the smoke away form your house, not toward it.

 

[ohio dick]

I bought a taylor out door furnace 18 year ago no problems cut 300 dollars a month off electric bill. cost was 3600 with me installing.

 

[Ray in Mich]

Mike, do yourself a favor and do 2 things. First, go to hearth.com,forums, The Boiler Room, and search through that for information. Just about any type and manufacturer has been discussed. Second,Google Wood Gasification Boilers and read up on them. Information on the manufacturers of these will also be found in the Hearth Boiler Room forum. I have a Tarm. Very little or no smoke, less wood consumption, and no chimney creosote, among other things. You"ll see that most are designed for indoors, but many/I got around that by putting it in an outdoor shed. Just FYI.

 

[mike delaney]

Thanks Guys for all your input, I greatly appreciate it. The good thing is I'm sitting here surrounded by 10 acres of timber and I work for a city that cuts trees in winter. Wood will not be a problem. I'm thinking about the Central Boiler brand, It has a multi-fuel. I also have a access to pallets. Thanks Again and Have a Merry Christmas. Mike

 

[JOHNNY from MI]

I have a central boiler. Here in northern Michigan -35 or colder in not uncommon. This keeps my 2000 sq ft house as warn as I want it.
I'm on my 7th or 8th year with it. I only split what wood I can't pick up. Cut all my wood 2 foot long. I burn a lot of sawmill waste wood because its real close and free. When burning mill waste 12 hour burn time is no problem. Burning oak after 24 hours there is still alot of coals and some soild pices of wood in the stove. I am happy with mine and would buy another one without a second thought.

 

[RMinVa]

4436 Central Boiler here. It"s been in service since 2005. No problems. One thing to focus on is the underground insulated pipe. Don"t skimp there. As others have said read, read and read some more. I had read and asked enough questions that I installed mine very easily. And I had to construct everything but the ductwork. I sized the fan,intake duct, filter rack, fanbox and plenum by reading on the Aborist site. Those guys are great and full of information. Mine came up running and was just a matter of selecting the right fan speed and spraying a 2 part closed cell insulation on the equipment I installed(it"s all outside the house/no basement). At 180 at the stove I have 178 at the exchanger and 139- 143 at the heat registers. If anything over size where you can. I did that on the exchanger(240,000 btu) and sure glad I did. My house was built in 1917 so it needs lots of heat. With the spray foam insulation I"ll improve on weak areas of the house this spring.

 

[JoeBob-IN]

Have two Heatmor's here with Central Boilers and Woodmasters in the area. They all work good. They all burn more wood than a furnace but usually due to you heating more footage and warmer. I recommend a Heatmor. They use stainless steel BUT it is of a particular number that best resists shrinkage and expanding to avoid cracks. The Heatmor's also have the best way of removing ashes and getting fresh air under the fire.

 

[JDseller]

I have an Aqua-therm that I installed in my shop without an insulation kit. The radiant heat kept the shop warm and I ran the water pipes to the house. The reason I went with the Aqua-therm, at that time, was that it has a closed system that you pressurize like a boiler system. Why this is important is that the open systems are limited to about 160-180 degrees. If you go higher you loose too much water to steam. The closed system let me run 200 degree water. It cuts down the size of radiators or heat exchangers needed. I run it at 12 PSI.

I have not used it in several years as I came across a corn boiler, Amaizing Heat corn boiler. They are made at Pella, Iowa. I installed it in tandem with the Aqua-therm wood boiler. I can use either one or both. I have not used the wood stove in several years since my wife can"t be around smoke, she has emphysema. The corn boiler is much cleaner burning. I have my own corn so the higher cost has not been a factor.

I also found that I was using fifteen to twenty cords of wood each year. I was heating a older farm house and a 40x60 shop. As I have gotten older I liked working with the firewood less and less. The corn stove is much easier to use and it does not have to be watched as close. If it is cold very few wood stove/furnaces will last twelve hours. The quality of wood makes a big difference too. Hardwood will produce much more heat than soft wood. Slabs don"t work real well in a big wood furnace either. To much surface area to burn too fast. A friend tried that and he could just about stand at the stove throwing wood in. LOL

If you have a wood supply then get yourself one. You will love not having the mess in the house. If you do not have a wood supply then get a some other type of stove/furnace.