Experience with outdoor woodburners?

[richh]

Don I have been selling woodstoves of all types for 25 yrs. now. Im not going to go on about this because I do it all day long, I would rather talke about tractors ha ha/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif But we do sell both Central boiler and Lopi, and I would be happy to help if you have any qust. You can e-mail or I will try and check the board here but Im kind of spoty on TBN, some times there is just not enough hours in the day!
Rich

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Rich,
Thanks for the offer. If I have any questions after I attend the PowerOhio show next weekend, I'll give you a holler. Right now I'm just researching ALL my options.

 

[Corm]

I have been reading this thread with a lot of interest, as I have been seriously thinking about including an outdoor furnace in my plans to do some extensive remodeling to my house this summer. I want a unit to heat my house and my shop. I've sent for and received literature from several of the manufacturers. I'm especially interested in a unit built by the Heatmoor company. I like the fact that their system is pressurized to reduce anti-freeze evaporation, and I like their 10 year guarantee too (others have that as well). Do any of you guys have any experience with the Heatmoor units? Thanks in advance for your replies.

 

[Corm]

I went to a farm show in central Vt this week where there were 3 vendors selling outdoor furnaces. There was one from Mahoning, one from Central Boiler, and one from Heatmoor. The one from Heatmoor was the one I was really interested in. They have the best guarantee of any that I have seen or read about - 10 years unconditional on the entire unit/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif. It looks and feels like a real well built unit, all constructed of stainless steel, has a really neat hand powered ash auger, and some nice safety features built into the apparatus used to open the firebox door. The one from Central Boiler had nothing outstanding about it, but it seemed like it would do the job. The Mahoning unit looked well very well built, and it also has the feature of being able to put an oil burner on the back of the unit. I'm looking for something that I could leave for a couple of weeks in the middle of the winter, and this is the only unit I've seen so far that supported an oil burner that can be used as backup. When I asked the other vendors about this, they said you could use the furnace in your basement as backup, or simply have one of your neighbors come over once a day and fill up your outdoor furnace with wood... Well, I'm looking for one of these units to replace my nearly wornout boiler in the basement, so I sure don't want to have to buy two furnaces... So right now, the Mahoning unit has my vote unless I find something else with this same feature that looks better. One thing I don't like about the Mahoning - only a 3 year guarantee /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif. If I could find one built like the Heatmoor, that supported an oil burner in the unit, and had a 10 year guarantee, I'd buy it!

I just thought I'd pass this info along in case anyone else was looking at these units. If anyone finds one with the features I'm looking for, please pass it along.

Corm

 

[MJB]

Back when I was installing Taylor wood stoves, (about 10 years ago) they were available with an oil burner attachment as well. The furnace my parents bought had this feature and they used it for a while. The problem was that the way the Taylor is configured the oil burner fires into a 8" diameter tube which runs from the back of the furnace up to the fire box in the front. This added to the units efficiency due to the additional heat exchange area but it was very difficult to set up the oil burner to fire properly into a tube. Another problem my parents had was that they did not have "winter mix" oil in the tank and I think that the oil was jelling in the oil burner pump. With proper fuel and adjustment though I think it would work reliably.

 

[heehaw]

how much did it add to the price for the oil burner option?? i've looked at the 2 brands that are common around here, taylor and hardy; i'm not sure if they have an option for a back-up or not, i'll check and see; i know a few folks that have wood furnaces that were made in Harrison, Ar; and they have electric back-up, but they are installed in the house. i can see where a back-up would be important, or your tied to the house all winter. the prices i got for the hardy @ 4 years ago was @ $4500. thats putting a heat exchanger in my existing duct work. the farm show here is the first wk-end in feb; i'll look around and see whats available if i get to make it.
heehaw

 

[Anderson]

Re: outdoor woodburners? / garages

<blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr>

Wonder what Anderson's manufacturer says!?

<hr></blockquote>


The model I own is specifically made for indoor installations, and calls for a minimum of 6" clearance between the boiler, and combustible materials. I have reviewed local codes, as well as the installation instructions, and am convinced that I have a legal, and safe unit. There are redundant aquastats on the draft motor, a heat dump relay connected my indoor furnace, and of course the pressure relief valve on the boiler jacket.

I have the luxury of storing my grill on the deck, and all lawn tools, and gasoline storage containers in my pole barn. As for parking cars in the garage, I'm not worried at all - our cars don't leak gas.

Larry, you are correct about ashes and embers falling out of the burner, that's why I sweep the area around the burner a couple times a week, so there's nothing for the stray embers to ignite.

An outdoor unit could have a spark blow into the grass and start a grass fire an hour after you leave. An indoor unit could have a pop, send an ember 5 feet away into the wood pile, and start a fire an hour later. A standard natural gas or propanem furnace could leak gas into your home and blow up your home, or have combustion problems, leak CO, and kill you in your sleep. You could electrocute yourself working on electrical resistance baseboard heaters. I don't think I need to get into indoor fireplaces. When you work with energy, there is always a possibility of something going wrong. Be careful, and think about what you are doing.

This morning it was -5 outside, and 40 in the garage. The cats like it, I like it, and it is a safe system when operated properly.

Trying to keep warm in MN
Nate

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Yesterday I went to the Powershow Ohio. There were at least 6 manufactures of outdoor furnaces. I checked Hardy, Central Boiler, Mahoning, and Taylor. The most knowledgeable rep was from Central Boiler. Drawback for Central, unable to attach an alternative heat source, such as gas or propane. They also have stats from an epa rated survey that backs up their product. Hardy does not make large furnaces. Taylor is similar to Central, but offers accommodations for secondary heat. Mahoning does also, their exteriors are stainless,they have a very HD shaker grate that is manipulated from the outside, and was the heaviest, coming in at 3300 pounds. Central Boiler was the only one that was able to go into great detail regarding radiant heat. Pricewise, they all are competative. The multi fuel option adds around $1200 to the cost of a unit.

 

[Henry]

On the Smoke Problem:

My "country place" has a 10 year old Taylor stove and it definitely smokes. If you're looking to buy a wood stove, make sure you know which direction your prevaling winds come from so you can make the best decision on where to locate it. While the stove smokes, it's not completely unbearable ..... Tips for managing the smoke: Keep your wood dry and keep the temperature good and warm (around 180 degrees). There's nothing worse that a cold stove and wet wood !!

 

[Henry]

I have a follow-on Outdoor Woodburner question for everyone: How about Woodburners for part-time residences ?

I've got a 10-year old Taylor Woodburner at my country-place in Central PA (for heat and hot-water). We use it on a part-time basis, which means I have to winterize the heating system when we're gone. I've rigged the plumbing so that the in-door radiator piping can be filled with a 60% Pink Anti-Freeze solution (good to 25 below) .... this works great. The real bummer is that I have to drain the Woodburner (approx. 300 gallons), then re-fill when we want to open up the house.... yuck !

The cost of anti-freeze seem prohibitive for the 300 gallon boiler .....

Are there other Outdoor Woodburner systems made to survive the winter-cold when not being used ?

Thanks,
Henry