Outdoor Wood-Burners, any experiences??

[tawilson]

You're right, and I spoke too soon. I enjoy it too. I also have a woodlot and the equipment and have been selling firewood for the last couple of years to help pay for my fuel oil. Now, I figure I better come up with a more direct way to help, like burning it.

 

[HammerFour]

We have a Hardy furnace that came with our property. It works very well for us heating a 2000 sq ft ranch.

http://www.hardyheater.com/

The previous install wasn't done real well and the domestic hot water loop had frozen and split. Once I had everything straightened out it works like a charm.

If you get one, put some extra stack on it for better draft and smoke removal...also look for one with a fan and draft damper that opens and turns on automatically when needed. The outdoor furnaces that don't have those have a tendency to smoke more from what I have read.

 

[B7500]

My neighbor put his too close to the house and said the smoke sometimes bothers him. Other than that He likes it.
Good luck!
-Terry

 

[Egon]

Firewood is not free unless all the work is done by hand.

Chainsaw, fuel, gathering logs etc. all require equipment that has a cost's associated with it.

I enjoy cutting wood too.
/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Egon /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[dmccarty]

Egon,

I was pondering this very subject on Saturday while soaking wet with sweat taking a break from splitting wood. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

The trees I use from firewood have all fallen. I see a few that I'll have to take down at some point if Momma Nature does not beat me to it. I would have to have the equipment to cut up the tree anyway as well as moving it. OR I would have to pay someone to clean it up. So that is a sunk cost. The only tool I have that is used only to split wood is the maul. I don't think it cost that much. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

So the fire wood is saving me money not only to heat the house but in the cost of cleaning up the mess.

And I get excercise. Boy do I get excercise.... But at least splitting the wood accomplishes SOMETHING besides excercise. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif I like watching my pallets fill with split wood. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Later,
Dan

 

[psuedofarmer]

<font color="blue"> Make sure you have a decent dump zone. </font>

this is an excellent point..

can anyone address the use of a outdoor furnace for a greenhouse application?

we're erecting a 30x100' greenhouse next year. we want to use an outdoor furnace to heat the floor - we've met with the distributor and they contend that there will be no problems.. some of their clients are using them for this application.

fortunately, i have no shortage of wood in my lifetime.. but i can foresee a time when cutting/bucking wood is going to be more 'chore' and less 'fun'.

thx in advance.

pf

 

[beenthere]

Have you read anything about your 'sister' state (Vermont) putting the kabosh on outdoor wood burners? Pretty interesting language which would make it pretty expensive, and has to do with the limitations on the smoke, I believe.

Like it might be alright to burn fossil fuel but not renewable wood for heating.

 

[psuedofarmer]

<font color="blue"> Have you read anything about your 'sister' state (Vermont) putting the kabosh on outdoor wood burners? Pretty interesting language which would make it pretty expensive, and has to do with the limitations on the smoke, I believe.

Like it might be alright to burn fossil fuel but not renewable wood for heating.
</font>

i've heard rumblings about this issue - i'd like to see them enforce it. in VT (and especially in NH), most folks use wood.. and with the price of oil these days, it's no wonder a cord of wood is up to $300 in southern parts of the state. it you look at the economic make-up of these states, you quickly realize that the majority of folks heat with wood because they can't afford oil. it's amazing when folks from CT, NJ, MA, NY move here and try to enfore they're view of the world..

as for regulating wood burning, i'm sure if you dig deeper you'll find lobbyists pushing to save us from the wood smoke.

as for me.. "Live Free of Die"..

pf

 

[tc35dforme]

<font color="blue"> as for me.. "Live Free of Die"..
</font>

Shouldn't it be " Live Free of DYE " ?? or is it " Live Free and DIE" ?? "/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[beenthere]

When I searched, this is a site I came up with.

http://www.anr.state.vt.us/air/htm/ProposedAmendments.htm

I can't imagine they will make this happen in VT, but just the thought that there are those who are pushing it is a bit scary.

A local township has banned outdoor woodburners, due to the smoke. If people using the outdoor burners would not burn the green wood, load them so full they smolder away and stink, then some of these reactions would not happen. But even the burner people brag about their burner will 'burn green wood'. That is true, but not efficiently, as the water in the wood has to be burned off, which consumes the energy in the wood, and does not produce any, the way I see it.