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Outdoor woodburner (boilers) anybody?

747mopar

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So I've decided to go with an outdoor boiler to heat both my garage and home but am having some trouble with deciding on which one? I really was settled on a Central Boiler, from what I've seen they are the most advanced and most well built but reviews are all over the place. I've searched forums and have found ones that just rip them apart for bad customer service, bad warrantee, etc then others with nothing but praise? Very hard to get a feel for what's true or false. Most bad reviews come from the E series which was the introduction of the high effeincy units that require seasoned wood, green wood causes tremendous creasote buildup which shortens their life... possible cause for the bad reviews? I have family that owns the classic (non effecient models) that have had great luck with them making me question the bad reviews.

Mohanding is the other big brand around here but they are hideous to even look at and don't appear to have high effeciency models? Portage and Main is another but also not very good reviews?

Any suggestions out there?
 
So I've decided to go with an outdoor boiler to heat both my garage and home but am having some trouble with deciding on which one? I really was settled on a Central Boiler, from what I've seen they are the most advanced and most well built but reviews are all over the place. I've searched forums and have found ones that just rip them apart for bad customer service, bad warrantee, etc then others with nothing but praise? Very hard to get a feel for what's true or false. Most bad reviews come from the E series which was the introduction of the high effeincy units that require seasoned wood, green wood causes tremendous creasote buildup which shortens their life... possible cause for the bad reviews? I have family that owns the classic (non effecient models) that have had great luck with them making me question the bad reviews.

Mohanding is the other big brand around here but they are hideous to even look at and don't appear to have high effeciency models? Portage and Main is another but also not very good reviews?

Any suggestions out there?


Personally I would avoid central boiler, they are pretty popular around here but the reviews are not that great. I have been using a HEATMOR stove for 15 years now and did a lot of research when I bought it, they are simple and well constructed. You want one that sits directly on the slab not standing on it with legs. Cold air will blow under it causing it to cool faster and use more wood. Get the largest one so you don't have to fill it as often, I fill mine once a day in any condition. Since I
bought my HEATMOR they have improved the insulation thickness and they have a lifetime warranty. When it comes to these units you want simple available parts. Forget the fancy gimmicks, its a woodstove and reliability is priority. All they need is a pump, aquastat and fans. Fill it with 50/50 antifreeze will help with corrosion for years to come. If you need any more info let me know. You will be very happy if you don't skimp in these areas.
 
I would say in this type of use SIMPLE is always better. For the most part the "extras" usually cause the headaches.
I would expect some of the reviews are actually of the service guys and not the equipment itself. Many times with boilers the problems are simple and some tech's don't fully understand that and things get out of hand an the parts guessing starts and the real problem never gets fixed.

I would stick with as simple as possible a set up. Also with a simple set up many times a mechanically inclined person can repair and maintain these systems with some reading of manuals and guides.

My 2 cents,Joey D
 
I agree that simple is always a great thing but at the same time so is using 20-50% less wood with a bad back. The gasifier units rely on more circuitry but also save a lot on labor so I'm a bit more inclined to consider them. Now... is there such a thing as a really effecient model that doesn't use gasification? Gasification models are where I'm seeing all of the bad reviews and it's premature Firebox failures on standard steel units. If I go with a gasser I'm opting for the stainless model for an extra $1,000. Talking to Central Boiler they said the E series was never offered in stainless which happens to be the model that garnishes the bad reviews (The original gasser), they also go on to inform me that they're going back to all stainless in the future so is that the answer?

Recently came across Econoburn boilers, they utilize a closed loop which takes the oxygen out of the equation and supposedly last much longer?

I'll look into the Heatmor and many more I just really like the Central Boilers I've looked at and have relatives with 11 year old units that have been rock solid (non gassers).
 
In my experience it takes a certain amount of fuel to get a certain amount of heat, there are no shortcuts. The EPA passed a law a couple years ago restricting these stoves so they had to change them, but you can still get dual fuel models coal/wood that are the same as the older versions.
 
In my experience it takes a certain amount of fuel to get a certain amount of heat, there are no shortcuts. The EPA passed a law a couple years ago restricting these stoves so they had to change them, but you can still get dual fuel models coal/wood that are the same as the older versions.
Yes but the trick is burning all of the fuel and absorbing as much of the heat as possible. For instance my little fireplace insert plumbs oxygen in above the flame burning vapors that otherwise wouldn't have oxygen to create heat... would have been wasted energy. Then the absorbing, a typical brick fireplace is horrible at effeciency because most of the heat goes straight out of the flue, the more area you pass the heat threw before exhausting it the more of the energy you can actually use. There's more to it than just the amount of fuel per heat.
 
Your right, but you'll see wood is not constant like gas, you have different moisture content of your wood sometimes, your heating water to around 180 deg then exchanging it to whatever system you use. Whatever you choose get the large one, you'll be happy you did.
 
For what it's worth. I use an old Hotblast 1400 forced air wood furnace mounted outside my shop in a heavily insulated small shed. There is a 10" pipe that runs from a dual speed blower in the loft, down & out the wall and into the unit, then back into the shop at ground level.

I work in this shop full time all year and like to work in T-shirts even in Ohio winters. The shop is a fully insulated 30x48x14. Simple and efficient with us living on wooded acreage.
 
For what it's worth. I use an old Hotblast 1400 forced air wood furnace mounted outside my shop in a heavily insulated small shed. There is a 10" pipe that runs from a dual speed blower in the loft, down & out the wall and into the unit, then back into the shop at ground level.

I work in this shop full time all year and like to work in T-shirts even in Ohio winters. The shop is a fully insulated 30x48x14. Simple and efficient with us living on wooded acreage.
I work 10 hour+ days and don't spend much time in the garage except on the weekend but want to keep it above 45 degrees at all times so it's hard to keep wood in a typical woodburner all week when your not in it. That option is fine if it's where you work or if your retired but for me it's not feesable. The boiler allows me to consolidate all of my heating needs both home and garage into one unit while gaining flexibiliy to quickly and easily add heat wherever I want. This will likely down the road get radiant floors added, possibly heat the upstairs of the garage, hot water heaters and if I ever put in a pool I can heat it as well lol. It just makes the most sense to me.

My other garage uses a hotblast but being away all week means that while I may get it comfy in there the floor, tools, machinery and cars are all still freezing cold making it less then desirable. I may find that this new setup won't require much to maintain 70 degrees which would be great.
 
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