firemaxbioheat ever heard of them?

[irishcountry]

Stumbled onto this website and a dealer is 20 minutes away so if you don't mind take a look and see what you guys think I value your opinion. The wesite is www.firemaxbioheat.com never seen it before found the link on my areas craigslist looking for used wood boilers price seems pretty good and so does the warranty if they are in business in 20 yrs. (prorated) says it also burns coal which could be a plus also. We'll any input is appreciated!! Thanks

 

[pdqdl]

I would want the firebox made with stainless steel, or lined with fire brick and have a heat exchanger above the firebox. Their comments about a hotter firebox from forced draft are important, but it is vastly more efficient to let the firebox be HOT, and capture the heat from the fire after it has left the firebox.

I suspect that all that metal and water would be VERY difficult to bring up to temperature quickly. The metal would suck the heat out of the fire before it could spread, creosote would be a problem on startup. Hence, the draft blower to help it get started.

I have never seen mild steel last in a constantly burning environment. Either it is stainless, cast, or it will rust itself to nothing in a few years.

I don't own an OWB, and I am not familiar with the market, so take my opinion for what it is worth.

 

[sstan]

If your talking about the Natures comfort .. ask me in the spring and I will tell you how it works!! Installing mine now .. did a lot of looking and the price and simplicity drove me this way .. plus the dealer being local. I can tell you I have talked to the president of the company times so far about my install. Very helpful and informative.

 

[irishcountry]

Thats the one! Please do keep me posted I appreciate it. Like I said the price and warranty seem pretty decent. Hope all goes good thanks!

 

[Grace Tree]

I have never seen mild steel last in a constantly burning environment. Either it is stainless, cast, or it will rust itself to nothing in a few years.

I have an H.S. Tarm that's mild steel. I installed it in 1978 and no rust through so far.
Phil

 

[fletcher0780]

I ran across their site when I was shopping for my boiler. I was working with the Shaver salesman at the time and noticed striking similarities on the two websites (the used the same photos and wording in many cases). I was just about to place my order with Shaver when I saw this and became concerned, I wasn't sure which company was ripping the other off, or if they were both the same, etc. I sent the following email to my Shaver rep (in orange) and received his reply (in blue). Make your own determination, I'm not trying to bash one company or another, just thought I'd share my experience:

I stumbled on the following website today while looking for
insulated pex and noticed some amazing similarities between not only the
stoves, but the warranty language,design descriptions, and even some
photos are the same. Are you affiliated with this company? Are you aware
that they basically cut and paste your info in their site. I can only
assume the furnace design is yours since you been in business for so
long. On a side note I do like the door size and firebrick on their
model, but like your overall stove and sizing options better.

http://www.firemaxbioheat.com/

I know a lot of these stoves are similar, but though it was a bit
strange how similar theirs is to yours.

They were a dealer for us until the unscrupulous owner of Nature's
Comfort staring calling all of our dealers and recruiting them to their
furnace, which costs more and is ugly too.

They copied my site originally and now changed it to their new brand and
self-designed (unproven) stove.

Best regards,

 

[irishcountry]

Very interesting I think I will check out shaver too. Thanks for the info

 

[sstan]

Sounds like the Shaver guy was upset about the dealer switching brands. I know when I talked to the Nature comfort guy he told me he worked at another manufacturer and then decided to go on his own to design and build his own. As a customer I certainly hope he used the knowedge he had to design and hopefully inprove his brand! I think http://www.thecornburner.com/index.htm carries both brands to look at them side by side.

 

[pdqdl]

I have an H.S. Tarm that's mild steel. I installed it in 1978 and no rust through so far.
Phil

Is the fire in a mild steel, unlined box, or are you talking about a heat exchanger that does not have a fire in it?

 

[Grace Tree]

It's an unlined mild steel boiler. The firebox is unlined.
Phil

 

[pdqdl]

Well ! I stand corrected.

That puts you in a fine position to answer a different question: does the unlined firebox suck all the heat out of a startup fire, so that it is hard to get started, and smokes a lot at the same time ?

 

[Grace Tree]

Yes, I'd have to say that it does. In winter it's not a problem because we also use the boiler for domestic hot water so it's going 24 hrs. per day. We generally turn the house thermostat all the way down so there's still hot water for morning showers. In summer we switch to oil so the neighbors don't have to put up with the smoke. This time of year and in the late spring I build a small fire of pine or cottonwood kindling for the domestic hot. There is some smoking until everything heats up and I generally go outside to check the atmospherics and if conditions are bad I'll skip the fire and just use the oil burner. I have good neighbors so I try to be considerate. I dread the day when I have to replace the Tarm I think I paid around 2 grand back in '78. Other than 1 oil burner and a couple of controllers it's been problem free.
Regards,
Phil

 

[pdqdl]

Thanks. I thought it would work out that way. But I also thought the mild steel firebox would rust out, too.

Is the firebox part of a water jacket for heat transfer ? Assuming it was never allowed to run dry, that would keep the steel temperature below 250 F. I guess that would make it last a long time.

 

[fletcher0780]

Sounds like the Shaver guy was upset about the dealer switching brands. I know when I talked to the Nature comfort guy he told me he worked at another manufacturer and then decided to go on his own to design and build his own. As a customer I certainly hope he used the knowedge he had to design and hopefully inprove his brand! I think http://www.thecornburner.com/index.htm carries both brands to look at them side by side.

It's very possible that he was, I'm not taking sides or making accusations, just thought I'd share my experience. I did end up buying a shaver 290 with a custom large door. As others have said here before, the shaver is not the prettiest out there, nor does it have the bells and whistles, but it is a solid well made heavy duty boiler. My shaver 290 weighs about the same as my friends CB 6048, which physically appears to be at least 50% larger and has a much bigger firebox.

I think a lot of the options on the natures comfort furnace are nice: the slide out ash pan, the large door, firebrick floor, and legs. Have you used your boiler much? What do you see as its pros and cons?

 

[urhstry]

What was the difference in price between his CB and your Shaver?

 

[fletcher0780]

What was the difference in price between his CB and your Shaver?

almost $2000

 

[Grace Tree]

Thanks.
Is the firebox part of a water jacket for heat transfer ? Assuming it was never allowed to run dry, that would keep the steel temperature below 250 F. I guess that would make it last a long time.

Yes, you're correct. The firebox is jacketed by water with the exception of the bottom/floor of the firebox.
Phil

 

[sstan]

Ask me in the spring!! I just bought it and am in the middle of the install .. that is why I am spending so much time on this site! I did a lot agonizing and exploring this spring... visited about 6 diff dealers from name brands (woodmast and heatamore) to no name ones. agonized over the stainless steel and mild steel debate and all the other issues. Price and dealer availability drove me to this one... will I be sorry .. who knows. I liked many of the features I saw on this one .. brick floor, ash drawer and blower in back and below. may be smiling in the spring and may not .. wish me luck!

steve

 

[irishcountry]

Yes please keep us informed and good luck seems like it should be a good unit. thanks for all the replys