Owb

[ohioburner]

I just signed up today on this web site because there is more info on OWB than I seen any where else. I got a couple of questions about a OWB that I hope you guys can answer for me. I live in Ohio and have plenty of free wood I can get thanks to a friend who is a treetrimmer. It will be a mixture of everything so keep that in mind when you answer. Thanks for your help.

1. I am looking at getting a CB or a Heatmor and was wondering which one is best in your opinion? Pros and Cons.

2. How much wood should I expect to use heating 4500 sq. feet of buildings. ( House and a Workshop) so I don't hog all the wood and it starts to rot on me, being some of it will be soft wood?

3. As for price they are both about 10000 for everything. Is this about the going price?

4. Is it better to split everthing seeing how it will dry better or leave it chunk?


Thanks again to everyone for their help

 

[November Wolf]

I just signed up today on this web site because there is more info on OWB than I seen any where else. I got a couple of questions about a OWB that I hope you guys can answer for me. I live in Ohio and have plenty of free wood I can get thanks to a friend who is a treetrimmer. It will be a mixture of everything so keep that in mind when you answer. Thanks for your help.

1. I am looking at getting a CB or a Heatmor and was wondering which one is best in your opinion? Pros and Cons.

2. How much wood should I expect to use heating 4500 sq. feet of buildings. ( House and a Workshop) so I don't hog all the wood and it starts to rot on me, being some of it will be soft wood?

3. As for price they are both about 10000 for everything. Is this about the going price?

4. Is it better to split everthing seeing how it will dry better or leave it chunk?


Thanks again to everyone for their help

Welcome OhioBurner,

This is a great place to get answers about OWB.
I just installed a Central Boiler 6048 and I am extremely happy with it. It has been burning for 2 weeks and I get 24 hr burn times with the fire box half full using seasoned maple. I am heating 2200sq ft and DHW. I have a full basement that I am not heating right now but as soon as I get all the base board installed I plan to. My dealer told me to expect to burn 15 face cord through the winter. I really don't know yet. As far as splitting the wood, I don't have to cause the door is pretty darn big. I have about $12 grand in mine and that is with 120 ft of Logstor Insulated pex tubing. You do not want to skimp there. Hopefully this has helped. Good luck to your future Independence.

 

[John D]

Good advice you got from Nov wolf, If i had it to do over I think i would have went with the CB 6048 like he has. It is a nice unit,and probably would have given me a 24hr burn time,with its 390+ gallons of water.I almost bought a heatmor,only reason I backed out was the dealer,I didnt like him after several calls back and forth he just struck me wrong a few times.I have a Shaver 250,but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone as delivered,it is not a finished product.
If you get the logstor pipe and cb boiler expect 15+ cords.10000 for everything is a great price for a CB.My uncle has 2 of the 6048's and one is running a drafty old house that used 4-5000 gallons of oil a yr,he will burn a cord a week in really cold weather with it.

 

[modn]

Welcome to the site!!!! I have a Cozeburn 250, which is the same as Empyre. I'm very happy so far after a month of heating. We had 3 weeks of under 20° and of course 1 week where it was around 40° on average. I have went through 1.5 cord (4.5 face cord) 1/2 was white pine that I was basically getting rid of, I m now burning hard maple and there is a big difference. It looks like I will be hovering around 7 cord (21 face cord) for the year. I had 34 cord in the shed, 15 outside, so I'm not worried if it goes over. I have 100' of buried line 2' underground and heat 3000sqft (2000 living space, but heat 1000sqft of basement to keep the feet warm) I think it is the best thing since sliced bread. I can get 24 hour burn times, but find I would rather load it 1/2 full and tend it every 12 hours, 6am & 6 pm. I keep the thermostat at 73° and set back from 10pm-5am to 66°. Total with tax and install was $8000. Look around here, ask questions, and get familiar with all the brands and make a decision from there. I would choose a dealer that is close by, but don't stop there as there are many to choose from and about 4 that I would recommend. I personally like the forced draft over the natural draft, but they have both been proven. Like November Wolf said: DO NOT skimp on the piping taking the hot water to your house. That is the easiest way to kick yourself for not making the right decision as you will loose a lot of energy if it is skimped on. It sure will hurt at over $10/foot but it is a solid investment and you will not be part of the horror stories. Go ahead and ask questions, PM people or whatever it takes, there are some very smart people on here willing to share their ideas on what to do and what not to do, take advantage of it!!!

PS: I used to burn 700ish gallons of fuel oil per year.......USED to.....I love saying that!!

 

[porta mill]

I recommend Empyre 304 ss no worry like mild steel rotting . I have one and love it .have heard a few good things about crown royal also they have shaker grates so you could also burn coal.like everyone mentioned do not skimp on the under ground insulated pipe. only thing i dislike with cb is in all the ones I have seen there is noash pan for ash removal good look in your hunt for a new owb

 

[troy3300]

+1 on the good insulated piping. I made my own for about $4.65 a foot. I have more time then money.

Leaving the wood in large rounds seems to work the best for me. It gives me a huge difference in burn time. If I can lift it and it will fit in the door it goes in.
I like the 12 hr. fills too.

Just remember that everyones circumstances are different so trial and error will occur. Besides that can be half the fun.
Welcome to the site

 

[rhwright]

I have a Heatmor 200 and love it, as far as wood consumption I really can't say how many cords because I burn mainly scrap blocks from a local pallet mill.
I really like the ash auger and forced draft on my Heatmor ,it only takes about 5 minutes a week to remove ashes and with the forced draft I feel it recovers real quick.I don't know anyone personally with a CB but both have a good reputation and would be a good choice.

 

[slinger]

I have a Hardy H2 furnace (around 120K BTU I think) I like it but, I don't get anywhere near a 24 hr. burn time in temps less than 35 degrees.

I fill mine morning and night. It heats my 1660 q ft house + basement and my hot water.

My last electric bill (i'm all electric) was $92.00 @ .11/KwH

Cost for stove and pex/insul & exchanger ~ a little less than 6K

I split what I can't comfortably put in my stove and dry all wood for at least 1 yr.

Good Luck!

Oh yeah, I burn 6-8 cords/year depending on temps.

 

[Woodcutteranon]

Welcome to the group. You are amongst friends. I am into my third winter with my Hardy H2. All I can say, regardless of what brand OWB you go with, it will become a lifestyle for you and you will find much of your day will revolve around your furnace. It is a great machine and I have loved every minute of mine.

I also live in Ohio and I have started a blog about my OWB. Here is the link

http://ohiowoodburnerowb.blogspot.com/

Leave a comment and call me with any questions.

Good luck

 

[jmcguiretree]

I installed a CB e-classic in oct and love it.I split all my wood to help it season and it is easier to load.I can go as long as 36 hrs on the coldest of days with one fill of wood(using hard maple only).100% happy with my CB.Very little smoke compared to other OWB.I wish I did this years ago.

 

[Kevin in Ohio]

Welcome as I'm a newbie here as well. I have a CB and it's been online for 6 years. been happy with it but as others have said, the ash removal system is a nuisance. On usage it all depends on how well insulated and how much fuel you used before. I'm heating a 1800 sq ft. 2 story 150 year old farm house with full basement and a 1800sq ft new attached garage with radiant floor heat + hot water. House had NO insulation and first year used over 25 cord. Completely redid the house with new windows and stripped it bare with insultion installed in EVERY place I could. Now I'm down to 10 - 14 depending on wood quality and Winter temps. Lot of variables to the amount you use and dealers normally lowball it

Do yourself a fovor and find a DRY place to store your wood and let it season. If you burn wet you'll use more and it makes a mess. I'm near Dayton, how about you?

 

[Marklambert61]

Heatmor

I have had my heatmor 3 years and love it...

At the time I purchased a OWB I studied all available Heatmor was the best option at the time.

Key point for me were as follows...

Expansion Balder, This stove is not vented to air so you almost never have to add water.

Stainless with lifetime warranty.

Open bottom fire box with fire brick, This really help to reduce smoking by allowing higher fire temps over completely jacketed design.

Ash removal, The auger system is sweet.

However saying all that there are some new higher efficient designs built since i purchased mine so i would invite you to study them all very carefully.

Mark

 

[mtfallsmikey]

10-15 cords of wood per year would be a good starting point for usage.
Take the time to design your piping/HX's WELL!
Don't scrimp on materials.

 

[Jon E]

I have a Central Boiler 5648 and I like it, but I would probably look at something different now that I've learned its' quirks and shortcomings. The E-Classic CB model looks good but there's not enough of them out there yet for people to comment.

I burn a cord a month on average. I also burn in the summer to heat domestic water, and I can keep a fire going for 48+ hours on a single full firebox of pine scraps and branch wood. I have been keeping a close eye on usage this winter as it's the first time I've had a neatly-stacked woodshed to pull firewood from. Yesterday my oldest son loaded the boiler and he tossed in almost twice what I do, and it went a full 24 hours until this morning and there was still 1/3 of the wood burning in there this morning. I rake all my coals to the front and stack about 15 pieces of wood in the coal bed, I try to put pieces that are still in there from the previous burn, against the sides and the new stuff in the middle. I do not use the rear half of the firebox at all and only stack in the front about to the top of the door. So it's probably 1/5 to 1/4 of the total capacity of the firebox that I use. I find that if I load it full, it will still burn down to coals, so there's no point in putting more wood than necessary in there. A full load will not last twice as long as a half load, at least in my experience.

The best thing I've done for the OWB is my wood shed. DRY, split firewood greatly improves the function of the OWB. I do toss large chunks in there occasionally but only if they're something I can't or don't want to split.

The only things I don't care for are the creosote buildup (which seems to be consistent no matter what wood I burn), and the ash cleanout. I clean ashes out once every 4-6 months, not what the mfr. recommends, but it works for me. I cleaned mine out a week ago and I doubt I could fill a small coffee can with the ash in there now, even if I had a way to separate it from the coals.

Let's see, what else... I heat 4300 square feet, which is my house and basement, and I will be heating a garage with it sometime in the next couple of years.

 

[zeliespecwriter]

Heatmor Also

Love my Heatmor (and so does the wife)! I researched many models and whittled it down to Heatmor and Central Boiler. You really cannot go wrong with either one of them. I selected the Heatmor because of the local dealer. I real hardworking family guy like what you read about on this site. Helped me with everything for my self-install. Not sure where in Ohio you are but the local rep for western PA was in the Panhandle of WV. If you are close to there check him out. I also wish I could have got the next larger unit. I get 8 to 12 hour burns. My friend up the road (who has had his unit for 6 years) has the larger unit and enclosed it in a lean-too shed. He gets double the burn time. I "guesstimate" I will go through about 7 to 8 cords. He told me he goes through about 6.

Welcome to AS. Next you will get CAD. (Which, in my business had something to do with drafting on computers, now I know the true meaning.)

Good Luck.

 

[mtfallsmikey]

Even though I like my CB 5036, I would probably have gotton a '48 knowing what I know now...go one size larger than what you need, the extra water storage is worth it.

 

[cleanburn]

I have a Heatmor and love it as well. There are many other threads on this subject if you search too.

 

[ohioburner]

Thanks

Thanks for all the replies. I am from St.Marys Oh. which is just south of Lima in the western part of the state. The reason I am thinking of CB and Heatmor is they are close by. Heatmor is 15 miles away and the CB is around 45min away. Is force air draft any better or worse than natural draft? It sound like everyone that has an OWB is very pleased with it. Is there anybody that is not happy with theirs?

 

[cleanburn]

What town do you live in? You are right by me then....I live about 7 miles from Heatmor....

You could come and see mine if you want

Oh and forced draft will make your stove heat up faster and usually burn cleaner, I say forced draft is the only way to go!

 

[November Wolf]

I have heard that with forced draft you will burn more wood. You may get a faster recovery time but if your water jacket is large enough you should not have any problem with a natural draft. Good luck on your decision.