outdoor furnaces

CamshaftLF · Nov 24, 2007

Do any of you have a outdoor furnace, or know of a web site that they talk about the pro and cons of different models and designs. my home has oil hot water heat and with price oil going up I've got easy access to the wood & coal. I'm looking to purchase one next spring that burns wood & coal I am leaning towards a stainless steel design because of my well water being on the hard side.
Thank for any info.

billbill1 · Nov 25, 2007

Years ago, I had an outdoor furnace. Going out to load it at bedtime and the first thing every morning was a hassle. It worked OK but loading would keep me from ever having another one.

scesnick · Nov 25, 2007

I had one for 3 years and I was happy as a clam when i finally found someone to buy that thing. It was a MAJOR wood eater and like billbill! said, It was a Major hassle loading it up outside in the cold. The wife didn't like that at all.
Once i sold it I bought an indoor multifuel boiler and put it in my detached garage. It is an awesome unit. it burns wood/coal and has an oil backup. It is WAY,AY more efficient than the outdoor wood boiler, cost considerably less and is ASME stamped. The best part is i can stand inside my nice warm garage and feed the fire. Not out in the freezing cold.
Fair warning, Asking for the pros and cons of an OWB is like asking which pickup truck is the best. Everyone will have a different arguement.

Try this site: http://www.nepadigital.com/bb/
Try tis site for an outstnading coal stoker: Coal Stoker Boilers

I have the Multifuel boiler from AHS and it is a great unit.

billbill1 · Nov 25, 2007

Scesnik, I have a Johnson wood/coal furnace in my attached garage that blows into my ductwork, sure is nice having a 75 degree vehicle to climb into. I would like to find coal in the NE Kansas area to try but have been unable to locate any. I wired a 120 volt thermostat to mine that opens and closed the air to the firebox that I have located in the house. Makes it pretty efficient. I probably burn a cord of wood a month when it's really cold.

davitk · Nov 25, 2007

Some dork built up the hill from me, fired up his Outdoor furnace and proceeded to smoke us out. If you have neighbors, think of them first. They may not want to call the fire department when your palce is burning!!

....they 'smolder' when it is not particullarly cold outside (the days it is warm enough for me to be outside myself) and create a lot of unnecessary smoke.... most municipalities are in the process of regulating them. FWIW.

Diesel-ME · Nov 25, 2007

CamshaftLF said:
Do any of you have a outdoor furnace, or know of a web site that they talk about the pro and cons of different models and designs. my home has oil hot water heat and with price oil going up I've got easy access to the wood & coal. I'm looking to purchase one next spring that burns wood & coal I am leaning towards a stainless steel design because of my well water being on the hard side.
Thank for any info.

I'm still really liking the boiler that I have. But I'm not up on which brands can handle coal. When I researched my purchase there was not a lot of info out there that compared brands/models/types of boilers. But I will agree with scesnick, that you will get biased opinions when you ask

See my reply posted earlier this year in another thread

And definately figure out the location where you'll put your boiler before you buy!! If you are lucky (like me) you will be able to put it close to the house and have prevailing winds take all the smoke away and NOT bother your neighbors.

~paul

pwl · Nov 25, 2007

I have a Classic made by Cental Boiler. I have had it for 3 years and I love it. They may have a unit that burns coal, check their website. Before I had the outdoor boiler, I had a German made one in my basement. Worked good, but the mess was in the house. In 25 years I have spent $150 for heating oil. That was due to going on vacations. The Classic I have now has propane backup which I have not had to use yet. I have no close neighbors to be bothered by the smoke. As a previous poster stated, they do go through a lot of wood. I average approximately 27 face cord a year. My boiler also heats my domestic hot water, I turn the electric HWH off when I start the boiler in the fall.

pwl · Nov 25, 2007

I have a Classic made by Cental Boiler. I have had it for 3 years and I love it. They may have a unit that burns coal, check their website. Before I had the outdoor boiler, I had a German made one in my basement. Worked good, but the mess was in the house. In 25 years I have spent $150 for heating oil. That was due to going on vacations. The Classic I have now has propane backup which I have not had to use yet. I have no close neighbors to be bothered by the smoke. As a previous poster stated, they do go through a lot of wood. I average approximately 27 face cord a year. My boiler also heats my domestic hot water, I turn the electric HWH off when I start the boiler in the fall.

scesnick · Nov 25, 2007

I also heat my hot water with my indoor ( garage ) boiler. My house sits on top of a very windy and very frigid mountain at 3,000ft elevation. I also heat my garage with it so that equals a grand total of 4,750 sq ft. I only burned 5 ton of coal all last fall/winter for a total of $250 !! And my wife cranks the heat to 75 deg. most of the time.

I am totally biased to my indoor boiler compared to my previous outdoor wood eating boiler.But that is for good reason. I compared the prices of both last fall and a person could buy a boiler like mine AND a 10X12 building at the local Home Depot ( if you don't have a garage to put it in) and STILL save about a thousand bucks!
Then you would have a boiler out of the house ( no dirt in the house) it would be WAY,WAY more efficient than an outdoor wood boiler, A place to stand out of the weather while tending the fire. ( trust me, this is important when it is really cold, especially to the wife) A Quality ASME stamped unit and a grand still in your pocket...