Outdoor Woodburners

[jgillott]

I've been looking at outdoor woodburners now for a couple of years and I think I am finally going to pull the trigger on one or two this year. I noticed that there were a few threads on the subject a few years ago and I wanted to see what your opinions are now.



I am specifically looking at the Central Boiler systems Central Boiler - Outdoor Furnaces - Wood Stoves. We will probably be purchasing two systems at one time. One will be for my house and the other for my parents next door. I had originally intended to use one large unit located between both homes, but with the distance between them (~500 ft) and the cost of the PEX pipe, it may be easier in the long run to just purchase 2.



For those of you who have outdoor units, how are they holding up? What brands are you using? Is there anyone that is using one unit to heat multiple houses? Any suggestions or comments you have will be greatly appreciated.

 

[gregdoerfler]

Justin, I have a central boiler 500,000 btu unit, it works good to heat 2 houses one is a farm house with no insulation and the other is small about 30 x40 one level. the only thing I dont like about it is to clean out the ashes you have to let the fire go out but we only clean it out 3 or 4 times a winter. if you have any other questions just ask.

 

[TboneMan]

Just a word of warning, check you local building codes and town ordinances. These things have gotten a bad rap over the past few years and many places have put tighter controls on where they can be used.

 

[jgillott]

Justin, I have a central boiler 500,000 btu unit, it works good to heat 2 houses one is a farm house with no insulation and the other is small about 30 x40 one level. the only thing I dont like about it is to clean out the ashes you have to let the fire go out but we only clean it out 3 or 4 times a winter. if you have any other questions just ask.

Greg, what is the distance between both homes? If I were to heat both, I would be placing the burner just over 400' from this house and about 90 from my parents. At $10/ft for the Thermopex pipe, I'm not real excited about the length of the ditches. But it would still be cheaper than two small units. Their house is a 32x58 split entry and ours is a basic 30x30 2 story so I was considering that CL 6048 like you have or that new E-2300 wood gasification model.

 

[jgillott]

Just a word of warning, check you local building codes and town ordinances. These things have gotten a bad rap over the past few years and many places have put tighter controls on where they can be used.

Thanks, I will do that. My neighbor just ordered 2 for his farm, so I'm pretty sure it is still OK. But I'll double check.

 

[gregdoerfler]

it is close to both houses, about 30'from one and 20 from the other. it still would be cheaper running the pipe(i know it is expensive) then buying 2 furnaces, and you will have to fire both units not just one.
ours uses a good bit of wood usually fill it up once a day, on real cold days like below 0 I put some in it in the morning before work also. but like I said our house is not insulated. but it keep it nice and toasty in here.

 

[gregdoerfler]

The only thing with using one it depends on how level the land is in between the 2 houses,Im not sure how much up hill they can pump you may want to talk with somebody.

 

[jgillott]

The only thing with using one it depends on how level the land is in between the 2 houses,Im not sure how much up hill they can pump you may want to talk with somebody.

I talked with the Central Boiler dealer pretty extensively yesterday and he said, just as you did, that as long as you are within reasonable distance, you are better off with one boiler. The price of the additional pipe is going to end up being almost as much as the boiler itself. All things considered, we still should end up a few thousand less initial cost using one and and end up burning less wood over the long run. He should be out within the next few days to give me a firm quote.

 

[gregdoerfler]

Justin,what is the name of the guy you are talking to? there is a guy near brownsville, Mattys marine. I havent really dealt with him much but I know a guy who is good friends with him.
We had our burner for 4 years and I know it more then paid for itself. good luck

 

[jgillott]

Justin,what is the name of the guy you are talking to? there is a guy near brownsville, Mattys marine. I havent really dealt with him much but I know a guy who is good friends with him.

We had our burner for 4 years and I know it more then paid for itself. good luck

I've been talking with Jim Marsh from Woodwise Heating in Acme.