Most efficiant OWB

[Big86inthestixx]

I am new to this section, normally in the chainsaw. But i have a question, who builds the most efficiant OWB. I am asking this because i have always had add on furnaces and every one i know with an OWB goes through twice as much wood as I do. I mean on average i burn 5-7 chord, depending on the winter, they burn 10-15 chord depending on the winter. Is there a certain OWB that will not increase my wood average?

 

[johnb]

look at what they do!!

I have look at what my OWB does. I heated for years with a small forced air wood furnace attached to the house, It burned a pickup load of wood every week (cut & dry). This supplimented the heat we got from our oil furnace to keep the house at 72 degrees. My winter heating use was around 400 gallons of furnace oil. Today with my Hardy H4 I burn a pickup load of wet wood mostly unsplit every week. It heats the whole house to 75 degrees and keeps my electric hotwater heater filled with hot water and I burn NO Furnace oil. It smokes and stinks when burning hard but I have no close neighbor to complain. I have it place 140 feet from the house behind other buildings and pointed so the prevailing wind takes the smoke away. If I had a close neighbor I would hook him up too. Not efficient but what a furnace.


The Hoosier

 

[Johnny Ringo]

During my quest for the most efficient OWB I spoke with several OWB owners. Heatmor, central, are popular around here, No complaints from any owner of either one. Regarding efficent I found that is something that should be defined. Personally I think you should factor in many more variables than how many BTU's you can get out of a stick of wood. Like how many times do you have to pick the wood up and move it....split it .......etc...And what really is a cord as far as your handleing is concerned....I used to burn 12 face cords indoors 16 to 18 inch wood. Now I'll burn about 15 face cord of 24 to 28 inch wood. I don't care that it's longer. No more work as far as I'm concerned so I'm really only burning a few more cords but I don't handle it near as much as I use to..... and no splitting, well very little. Just a thought

 

[coostv]

There are several variables involved here. How big the house is, how well insulated, heating water and air, or just water, how long of a run from the OWB to the house... ETC.

From the experience I have had with mine (Timberwolf out of Hersey, MI), I go through roughly 6-7 cord a year. This is heating my house and my 24x40 garage (only when I am working out there though). My in laws have the same stove heating their 2200 sq ft convieniece store and they burn about the same amount. My home is newer and well insulated, my shop is new and insulated fairly well, their store is neither of those two.

My OWB is natural draft and works quite well for me. I have posted a picture in the past, look Here at the post for that.

I see your located not far from me. If you would like to see my set up you are welcome to PM me and we can set something up.

Chris

 

[chainsaw1]

I think the OP want to know what brand is the most efficient as far as 30%-50%-90%. I have herd that their is a maker that is like 80% you can hold your hand on the stack it uses almost all the heat out of the wood with very little wast, i will try and find out who makes it and get back with you.

 

[dahmower]

26 yr old hardy

mine is real easy on wood I hired a little Mexican to just stand there and shove a log in every 15 min!! It's old and loves to eat wood!!

 

[HUSKYMAN]

During my quest for the most efficient OWB I spoke with several OWB owners. Heatmor, central, are popular around here, No complaints from any owner of either one. Regarding efficent I found that is something that should be defined. Personally I think you should factor in many more variables than how many BTU's you can get out of a stick of wood. Like how many times do you have to pick the wood up and move it....split it .......etc...And what really is a cord as far as your handleing is concerned....I used to burn 12 face cords indoors 16 to 18 inch wood. Now I'll burn about 15 face cord of 24 to 28 inch wood. I don't care that it's longer. No more work as far as I'm concerned so I'm really only burning a few more cords but I don't handle it near as much as I use to..... and no splitting, well very little. Just a thought

Thats hitting the nail on the head. The biggest rounds I can put on my splitter only need to be split in half to be burned in my OWB. Yes, there is more usage, but just put the OWB next to the wood pile and there is a lot less handling. No carrying wood in the house, no splitting over and over, etc.

 

[Blazin]

That depends on how you define efficient. 14-16 cord per year (80% free wood) replacing 3000 gals of fuel oil at whatever price the !@@#$%^^&**!! charge, is efficient to me. Two houses and a garage completely heated and hot water included. That's a CB5648 makin heat, which IMO is efficient, just depends on a wood source and how much drive you have to spend some time cuttin wood!

 

[dahmower]

in my hardy I burn a truck bed load a week in bad weather which equals 1 tank of gas in saw splitting what pieces that need it and loading in truck all this happens I'm about a hour so 1 hour of work for a weeks worth of heat IMO it's worth it!! Before I got the owb I was using 3 500 gallon tanks of propane in my area it's around $3.00 a gallon I bought a brinks truck last year to cart around all the money I'm saving now!!

 

[ray benson]

Here is a list of OWB's that meet the EPA's voluntary standards.
http://www.epa.gov/woodheaters/models.htm

 

[dwinch53]

DAHMOWER, Do you really think that is funny about having a mexican load your furnace or is it that YOU can't find the door? that is B S man :censored:

 

[abohac]

I have look at what my OWB does. I heated for years with a small forced air wood furnace attached to the house, It burned a pickup load of wood every week (cut & dry). This supplimented the heat we got from our oil furnace to keep the house at 72 degrees. My winter heating use was around 400 gallons of furnace oil. Today with my Hardy H4 I burn a pickup load of wet wood mostly unsplit every week. It heats the whole house to 75 degrees and keeps my electric hotwater heater filled with hot water and I burn NO Furnace oil. It smokes and stinks when burning hard but I have no close neighbor to complain. I have it place 140 feet from the house behind other buildings and pointed so the prevailing wind takes the smoke away. If I had a close neighbor I would hook him up too. Not efficient but what a furnace.


The Hoosier

I'm with you. I don't care what that other guy says about them. I love mine. Since I built my house it has been the single best investment I have made.

 

[gink595]

DAHMOWER, Do you really think that is funny about having a mexican load your furnace or is it that YOU can't find the door? that is B S man :censored:

Hey maybe he wasn't joking and he said he was paying, besides they say they do the jobs nobody else wants to do. My question is what is more efficient the Mexican American or the the Hardy?:greenchainsaw:

 

[Big86inthestixx]

well guys thanks for all the quick replys, what you have said is helping on the decision. Right now i cut,split, stack wood pretty much 1 whole month out of the year to get enough for the winter. If i didnt have to split it i would cut that in half, b/c even with my huskee 35 ton splitter it takes forever to get 1-2 years worth of wood split up. Plus my wood usage now is only for my very well insulated 1300 sq ft home. If i had a boiler i would probably have a little more wood and be able to heat the garage and my hot water. That would Rock since i do quite a bit of wrenching in my spare time. And at the moment i have an electric hot water heater. Never had a gas bill since i owned the house, just electric.
I may be looking into a CB, or Timberwolf for next winter.

 

[Marc]

Look into gasifiers, or the pseudo-gasifiers, like the Greenwood. Most are meant for indoor installation, but you can put them in an out building. Downdraft gasifiers will be by far the most efficient. Look at Tarm, Eko, Woodgun or Econoburn.

 

[woodyacres]

This is my first post but have been lurking for weeks. Unbeknownst to you, you definitely helped me buy a logsplitter, last week. Thanks for all the help!

Now, I am looking for help and advice again. I need to get an OWB to eliminate my propane worries. I live between Ann Arbor and Lansing, Mi and need to find a good dealer and a good OWB. What suggestions can you give me?

I am going to look at a Cozeburn today after work. Thanks in advance!

 

[windthrown]

Here is a list of OWB's that meet the EPA's voluntary standards.
http://www.epa.gov/woodheaters/models.htm

It wood be interesting to see the efficiency of these units compared to their standard models. I like the fact that CB has the smaller 1200 EPA model now.

These standards are not so voluntary considering that these are all you can install in several places in New England and the midwest. And in WA state, for that matter.

These types of OWBs are the wave of the future.

 

[windthrown]

Welcome to the AS site! I would also look at the Central Boiler, as they are made near you in MN. I installed one at the ex's place 3 years ago and it has been running great ever since. It is an older type (non-EPA) and it eats wood, but it runs good and in the situation there, she has all the free wood that she can even burn. Keeps the house at whatever temp she wants. No need to split wood, toss in whole logs. Burns wood green, wet, dry, old, new, buggy, rotted, whatever. One thing that you cannot do with a Greenwood gassifier is burn huge logs, or any wet or green wood in them. Which is funny, becasue they are called Greenwood. I know people that have had problems with Greenwoods too. Issues with bricks cracking mostly. And having to have a large storage water tank to store the heat in. You do not need that with an OWB like the CB.

This is my first post but have been lurking for weeks. Unbeknownst to you, you definitely helped me buy a logsplitter, last week. Thanks for all the help!

Now, I am looking for help and advice again. I need to get an OWB to eliminate my propane worries. I live between Ann Arbor and Lansing, Mi and need to find a good dealer and a good OWB. What suggestions can you give me?

I am going to look at a Cozeburn today after work. Thanks in advance!

 

[johnb]

Welcome!!!

Look at the Hardy!


www.hardy.com



The Hoosier

 

[ktm rider]

Is there a certain OWB that will not increase my wood average?

Yes, an INDOOR wood boiler