Outdoor wood boiler/furnace

[Bedlam]

Interesting link.
http://www.oag.state.ny.us/press/2005/aug/August 2005.pdf

 

[Andy-H]

If you have a place to cut, and like to cut wood then an outdoor stove might be what you want. There are good ones and not so good ones on the market. The one I have is the Central Boiler 5864 model good for 5k sq. ft. I would not trade it for anything. Try to find some people in your area that have them and talk with them about their stove. By the way the heat that I get from the heater exchanger is hotter than the propane furnace. The smoke is only relative to what you are burning in the stove. Plus you can burn wood that might not want to burn in indoor stoves.

 

[rico304]

If you have a place to cut, and like to cut wood then an outdoor stove might be what you want. There are good ones and not so good ones on the market. The one I have is the Central Boiler 5864 model good for 5k sq. ft. I would not trade it for anything. Try to find some people in your area that have them and talk with them about their stove. By the way the heat that I get from the heater exchanger is hotter than the propane furnace. The smoke is only relative to what you are burning in the stove. Plus you can burn wood that might not want to burn in indoor stoves.

Thanks for all the links. They are helping a lot..... or at least they are giving me the opportunity to see both sides.
AndyH, what area are you from and what how much do you burn in a winter?

 

[Bill Barrett]

I have a friend with a Central boiler. I think all the manufacturers under estimate wood consumption, and how often you have to tend them.
Also you must think about the open system verses the closed system like most conventional systems, open systems have to have water conditioning chemicals and have to be tied in to a heat exchanger or use a air coil
My friend heats two buildings, uses 8 to 10 cords, has to tend two to three times a day. You or somebody is married to it in freezing weather.

 

[Doc_Bob]

With Propane and Oil prices rising like they are, I'm considering buying an outdoor wood boiler. I have plenty of land to cut wood, but I was wondering if anyone had any good / bad experiences with one.
I'm not sure what brand yet, I have only looked at wood doctors.
Combined last year, I spent $4200 on oil and propane! I believe I should be able to outfit a wood boiler for around 8-9K. Won't take long to pay for itself at those rates.
THanks

Let me start with basics. Insulate and seal. For every dollar you spend on insulation, in general you save 3 dollars.

I have a friend who has an outside wood burner with hydronic heat. He loves it. But, he no longer has a free and plentiful wood supply. His two sons load the thing and his wife does it. Takes people power to keep it running. But when the fire runs out, he uses propane at those time.

I know he told me that he got one that uses big long pieces of wood. I just assumed they all did that. Don't really know. just a thought.
Bob