outdoor woodburner

[gregdoerfler]

does anybody have one that they can offer input on or know what to look for in one? i have not investigated them much but what i can figure that it heats water and pumps it to your house then somehow heats your house to save on gas bills.

 

[QRTRHRS]

Get yourself over to Harrisburg for the State Farm Show in January. Lots of folks will be there selling them and will gladly educate you. I gather that you circulate water from your domestic system to the outdoor burner. That would indicate either oil or gas hot water not electric heat. Keeps the dirt and safety issues out of the house.

 

[Bigsaint]

We have one farmer in town that has one, not sure which make ? Anyhow, make sure you place it far from the house or at least downwind as they smoke like a smudge pot at idle. It's a cool concept, but I wouldn't want one upwind of my house. I use a Charmaster wood furnace to heat my house. I see that they also make a outdoor unit, here's a link... http://www.charmaster.com/index.html . They make a outdoor forced hot air unit as well as a indoor boiler and a indoor forced hot air unit. I've seen others that make a outdoor boiler as well. I think I saw some at the State Fair this year that were made by the North Carolina Water Stoves. Do a search under outdoor wood boilers for more info .



Scott W.

 

[**ICEMAN**]

i have had one for 2 years now and always ask myself why i didn't get one years ago. no need to split wood anymore. just cut it to whatever size you can handle. wet wood,green wood it dont matter,,if there are coals in the furnace it will burn. i heat a 3000 square foot home plus a 2 car garage,,plus my hot water for the home and my outdoor furnace could probably take care of another home like mine too. i did alot of searching and question asking and finally bought the one i thought was the best. i went to dealers that sold other brands of outdoor boilers and when i would ask how it compares to the central boiler they were tounge-tied.

check it out here:

http://www.centralboiler.com/home.html

i have the CL5648.

it is a $$ salty $$ investment but i feel it is well worth it. the main thing is that there is no need to worry about chimney fires in your home and all the dirt,bugs in the wood etc that go along with indoor wood burners.

in order for you to see a savings with going to an outdoor boiler you must have a supply of FREE wood. if you have to buy wood then you might as well pay for gas or electric or whatever you use.

i wouldn't recommend it if you live in a neighborhood with other homes close to you because when the draft door opens to maintain the water temp the stove will let some smoke roll from time to time.

the furnace has it's own 385 gallon water tank. the water is circulated by a small pump into your home and through a water to air exchanger( if you use forced hot air) and then to your water heater,hot tub,or whatever else you want heated and then back to the furnace to be reheated. the furnace water never comes in contact with your potable/drinking water. i haven't had to add water to the furnace tank since i've had mine. it is a open/non-pressurized system. the website above will help you understand how it works. they will send you a video and paperwork for a refundable fee.

any questions ?? feel free to ask.

 

[blacksheepdiesel]

I have wanted to purchase and use one of these units for a couple years but the money tree hasn't bloomed enough yet. Of course, I am not buying a regular sized one to heat a house and garage with - I want to heat my 30 x 100 greenhouse as well! Some companies offer a conversion kit to LP or CNG if you decide you need that option in the future although I haven't heard how efficient that would be $$ wise.



Good luck!



Trent

 

[Glen]

I use a wood gassification boiler manufactured by HS Tarm. My hot water heating system is pressurized; it is the only boiler that I found that will work in parallel with my gas-fired boiler. I never use the gas anymore. This boiler is very efficient. I cut my wood use from ten cords to six cords when I replaced my old boiler.



It is sold in the USA by Tarm USA in Lyme, NH. 1-800-782-9927

www.woodboilers.com



I recommend it.

 

[gregdoerfler]

thanks for the suggestions, we are buying a farm and it has gas heat now and with the price of gas i am looking into other methods of heat, in our old house we have oil heat and a small wood/coal burner in basement now and only use 150 gallon oil a year so the price of gas would be a real shock. and don't really want to put a wood burner in the farm house basement for a couple of reasons, dirt in house, need to put in new chimney and safer if there is a fire in the chimney.

 

[Blackcloud]

greg-ICEMAN has hit the nail on the head. Outdoor wood burning boilers are a fenominal way to heat your home. Yes,they are pricy and you do need a endless supply of free or almost free wood in order to make it worth your while. I am a heating contractor and have installed several different brand for customers that purchased a unit then got "cold feet" about doing the install. From my experience,Central Boiler is hands down the best on the market. I like them so much,that I am going thru the process of becoming a dealer right now.