Outdoor furnace

[kalib stock]

Tell me what kind of owb you have, how many sq. ft you are heating, how long you have owned it, and what you do/don't like about it. Thanks!

 

[ericjeeper]

Tell me what kind of owb you have, how many sq. ft you are heating, how long you have owned it, and what you do/don't like about it. Thanks!

I have a locally manufactured unit.. Called "The Magic Box" I heat 3200 feet
I built it back in 2007. I like it because it is outside. I hate it because it is outside. Gee I feel better now..

 

[slinger]

Hardy H2, 1660 upstairs + basement + hot water.

I like -- ash removal door.
Seems to be fairly well insulated. Snow on top hasn't melted in 3 days!
Keeping my house 74 degrees and a hundred dollar elec. bill each month
decent burn times 12 hours or so...
Local dealer for parts!

I don't like-- door is a shade small

Overall-- I would buy another one. I would also check out other brands to compare.

 

[Butch(OH)]

Woodmaster 4400, 3rd heating season.

Likes
Dealer
Up off the ground, sits on legs
Simple design, round firebox, fewer weld seams.
Forced draft
Easy control with electronics


Dislikes.
Door latch needs safety catch in case of flash backs
Roof sheeting has an edge that serves to collect debri, removed by me.


So-so
Ash removal
Electronics are fun when working but I could do without them.
Door needs to have another $100 spent in time and materials when Manufactured, adjustments and safeties.


In spite of my critique I like my Woodmaster and would buy another one. I am heating about 2500 ft house, my 22x24 workshop and domestic water.

 

[Johnny Ringo]

Central Boiler 6048, 3600sq feet with 2x4 walls and hot water for six. What I like about it is I only have to add wood once a day nomatter the temp. So far this winter we have seen days of -25 for a low and not getting above -5 for the high and I still didn't touch it during the day, but they were sunny days and that does help alot......what I don't like about it is it really doesn't hit it's stride until daytime highs do not get above 30 with lows at least in the teens or so. It's alittle to much for spring and fall. If I had to do it over again I would have gotten one years ago. They do go through more wood mass than my indoor stove did but I dont think I'm handling any more pieces, they are just bigger. With less wood handling I know I put in much less effort with my OWB.

 

[kalib stock]

Glad you like it!! Stay warm. Kalib

Woodmaster 4400, 3rd heating season.

Likes
Dealer
Up off the ground, sits on legs
Simple design, round firebox, fewer weld seams.
Forced draft
Easy control with electronics


Dislikes.
Door latch needs safety catch in case of flash backs
Roof sheeting has an edge that serves to collect debri, removed by me.


So-so
Ash removal
Electronics are fun when working but I could do without them.
Door needs to have another $100 spent in time and materials when Manufactured, adjustments and safeties.


In spite of my critique I like my Woodmaster and would buy another one. I am heating about 2500 ft house, my 22x24 workshop and domestic water.

 

[Darth Hawken]

Hawken Energy HE-2000

Likes
Heats 2800 square feet plus the basement without an issue. Also provides hot water without a problem. (Wife and four daughters really put it to the test!!!) It comes pre-plumbed for a second building water circuit which, God willing, will be used for a pole barn in the near future. The loading door is nice and high and fairly large large, and the system electrical control is very simple. A couple of temp switches, and a solenoid/fan/pump is really about it. The firebox is nice and deep too. I can stuff it with 36" logs with room to spare.

Dislikes
It has used a bit more wood than I expected. We are just entering Feb. and I am nearing the fifteenth face cord. I figure twenty to twenty five for the heating season. Also, the external construction has some gaps/openings in the sheet metal that I think the flying critters will be trying to set up shop in come summer.

All in all, I would highly recommend it and would make the purchase again.

 

[Laird]

Hawken HE-1100

Love it! But wonder if I'd been happier with the next size up Mainly to get the extra water capacity and maybe longer burn times.

Likes

Simple
Forced Draft
Heats 3000 sq feet + DHW
12+ hours burn times so maybe I should not complain - seems about average
Dealer is great

Dislikes

None really - I was warned by my dealer that it burns alot of wood so that did not catch me by surprise and I like cutting wood. The power cable sheathing (feeds the fan/blower in the door) snapped on a cold morning. Not sure if that is a design flaw or just a isolated defective piece. Was well insulated except on the backside and I added a couple more batts of fiberglass.

 

[showrguy]

mahoning model 400 multi fuel
heating 5600 sq ft house 73 1st floor, 70 2nd floor
also heating 1800 sq ft attached garage, i turn it on and off as i see fit, never gets below 57 deg, weekends i keep it at 62-65 it's my favorite room in the house...
preheat domestic before it hits the h/w heater
built house in 2001, unit has paid for itself many times over

all heat is radiant, in/under floor... great heat..
burn times vary depending on lots of things, but lately 16-20 hrs without the garage flipped on ( that concrete eats wood to get it up to temp, once up, not too bad )

dislikes......when my wood gets covered in ice like it's been this year, can't we have a regular snow storm for once ??
oh, sorry, do dislikes with my mahoning, love it !!

 

[Mister Twister]

Tell me what kind of owb you have, how many sq. ft you are heating, how long you have owned it, and what you do/don't like about it. Thanks!

I have a CB 5036 Classic, I heat a 1000 square sq ft. house that is pretty well insulated a full cellar that is just block walls no insulation and a 24' x 36' two stall garage on and off when necessary and last but not least DHW (Sidearm).

Likes: I feed it once a day usually after dinner. When it was in the single digits to -10 I would check it in the morning (for piece of mind did not need wood) if I loaded it up well the night before. Less work than running a pellet stove in my opinion and experience. Mess, bugs and bark stay outside where they belong. Very simple design one small electronic controller that may be purchased from Dwyer controls for under 50 bucks.(Not sure what Central wants.) Very little power consumption no grates or ash pans to deal with. Only shovel out some ashes once a month very simple do not let the fire go out just let burn down to coals shovel some out put some fresh wood in and close the door done.

Dislikes: Not really any but if I were to change anything I would make the firebox a little taller and not quite as deep. As for anything I would like to pay less for it.

 

[Windwalker7]

I have a Shaver 165 and heat about 2000 sqft. plus domestic hot water. I've been using since mid October 2008

WHAT I LIKE

House is warm all the time.
Water is hot.
Mess is outside.
No carring wood to basement as before with indoor wood burner.
It burns any wood I throw in it. (seasoned, split, full rounds, green, wet, rotted, pine, large logs, small logs)
No insects in house


WHAT I DON'T LIKE

Furnace door could be higher.
Going outside on those bitter cold days to feed it.
It does burn the wood.


REGRETS


I didn't get one sooner.

 

[kalib stock]

Hi! What kind of burn time do you get out of it? I know a little bit about Shavers. NO MORE FUEL BILLS FOR US ALL!!!! Thanks! Kalib

I have a Shaver 165 and heat about 2000 sqft. plus domestic hot water. I've been using since mid October 2008

WHAT I LIKE

House is warm all the time.
Water is hot.
Mess is outside.
No carring wood to basement as before with indoor wood burner.
It burns any wood I throw in it. (seasoned, split, full rounds, green, wet, rotted, pine, large logs, small logs)
No insects in house


WHAT I DON'T LIKE

Furnace door could be higher.
Going outside on those bitter cold days to feed it.
It does burn the wood.


REGRETS


I didn't get one sooner.

 

[kalib stock]

I myself don't care for Hawken's insulation.Nice talking to ya! Stay warm! Kalib =]

Hawken HE-1100

Love it! But wonder if I'd been happier with the next size up Mainly to get the extra water capacity and maybe longer burn times.

Likes

Simple
Forced Draft
Heats 3000 sq feet + DHW
12+ hours burn times so maybe I should not complain - seems about average
Dealer is great

Dislikes

None really - I was warned by my dealer that it burns alot of wood so that did not catch me by surprise and I like cutting wood. The power cable sheathing (feeds the fan/blower in the door) snapped on a cold morning. Not sure if that is a design flaw or just a isolated defective piece. Was well insulated except on the backside and I added a couple more batts of fiberglass.

 

[kalib stock]

Nice! Stay warm! Kalib

mahoning model 400 multi fuel
heating 5600 sq ft house 73 1st floor, 70 2nd floor
also heating 1800 sq ft attached garage, i turn it on and off as i see fit, never gets below 57 deg, weekends i keep it at 62-65 it's my favorite room in the house...
preheat domestic before it hits the h/w heater
built house in 2001, unit has paid for itself many times over

all heat is radiant, in/under floor... great heat..
burn times vary depending on lots of things, but lately 16-20 hrs without the garage flipped on ( that concrete eats wood to get it up to temp, once up, not too bad )

dislikes......when my wood gets covered in ice like it's been this year, can't we have a regular snow storm for once ??
oh, sorry, do dislikes with my mahoning, love it !!

 

[abohac]

woodmaster

I heat my garage, basement and hot water and 3300 sq ft. Been a good out fit for me. Uses a lot of wood though.

 

[mtfallsmikey]

Boiler: Central CB5036
House: 1200 s.f. 1-story ranch, HX installed in oil furnace, rated 56K BTU @ 180 water temp
Shop: 800 s.f., converted gas furnace to air handler, same coil as in house.
Piped primary/secondary, HX's have their own circ.
Primary circ. pumps: Taco 009

 

[Windwalker7]

I've got 10-12 hour burn times but prefer to go out and toss a few logs in now and then.


Part of my home is set up with self installed radiant floor heat. Currently the water runs through the radiant floor system and returns to the OWB. I lose alot of water temp with it set up this way.

When the weather gets warmer, I'm going to redo it so the water goes through a water to water HX.

This should help with wood usage.

 

[darnet]

I just installed a central boiler e-classic 2300. Heating 5000 sq ft house plus basement and 21 by 24 garage. 12 hour burns easy. I am impressed with hardley any ash and low smoke. Also i forgot dhw.

 

[November Wolf]

Central Boiler 6048 here.

Heating 2200sf and DHW

Getting 24 hour burns with firebox loaded half full. Burning seasoned maple 2+ years old.

The only thing I don't like is smelling like smoke after I load it.

Other than that I wished I would of done this years ago and I would buy the same unit.

 

[showrguy]

I've got 10-12 hour burn times but prefer to go out and toss a few logs in now and then.


Part of my home is set up with self installed radiant floor heat. Currently the water runs through the radiant floor system and returns to the OWB. I lose alot of water temp with it set up this way.

When the weather gets warmer, I'm going to redo it so the water goes through a water to water HX.

This should help with wood usage.

windwalker, i have a 125 gal. nurse tank in the basement, has room for 4 dom. coils..... i have 4 zones coming off of the nurse tank running taco 007's,
have the outdoor unit set at 185, nurse tank at 140...
ya might think about that for your setup ..