Outdoor Wood Furnaces

[Kearney.200]

Had a guy come in today and ask about putting one of these in at his house anybody out there know about them and could help me out thanks in advance.

http://www.centralboiler.com/products.php

 

[JAT]

have one works great heats my house and shop not a lot of smoke

15 ft.from shop

 

[Frank]

They are moderately popular here in more rural areas.

Advantages are all wood mess and fire risk is away from the house.

Often the woodshed is built next to the outside boiler so no hauling wood into the house.

Disadvantages are you have to go outside to load it and it requires electricity to get the heat into the house.

You also have to either keep it going in freezing weather or use an antifreeze solution to keep it from freezing and busting when you go on vacation, this creates a cross connection issue if the optional water to water heat exchanger is used for domestic hot water.

 

[Alias]

Had a local business put a pellet version in from the same company.

My advice:

Make sure that a concrete pad isn't required for installation in your area as it iss required here per seismic provisions of the CBC.

Make sure that the vent pipe is not too low for surrounding neighbors. The pellet furnace here came with two sections of pipe. The neighbor complained about the smoke drifting into her business. Installation instructions state to get the pipe high enough that the smoke is not wafting into the neighbor's home - about 2' over the ridge.

Check to make sure that they installed a ground rod.

 

[mtlogcabin]

The term "boiler is misleading in the fact the tempature limit is 185 for the water

 

[JAT]

run mine at 190 unit works at zero pressure has free floating cap on top

get free hot water never run out, works all year round

 

[tmurray]

they are also horribly inefficient when you consider that a large portion of the heat created stays outside.

 

[JAT]

do'nt know where you get the inefficient part mine leaves the unit at 190 goes 100 ft. goes

thruogh water heater coil then thruogh boiler,then through floor heat.

Then back the 100 ft. to unit return temp 170

 

[Frank]

they are also horribly inefficient when you consider that a large portion of the heat created stays outside.

They are right heavily inuslated as is the circulating piping. The controls on them, the combustion chamber and heat exchanger design get maximum efficiency from the wood burn, with low emissions.

Likely more efficient than most interior wood stoves that let alot of heat up the chimney and the combustion air infiltrates into the house first.