Owb brands?

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Glen2504

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Athens,AL
I'm looking to add an owb to the new house I'm building but I want to make sure I have everything correct before i make any purchase. What brand do you have and would you purchase the same again?
I plan to heat a 2500sq feet house, 2-800 sq feet garages, hot water.
I was looking into central boiler and hardy heater. I was leaning toward central boiler but have read about several problems with them including water leaks and poor customer service.
 
Seems like everyone @ me in Ohio has a CB. They all seem to like them a lot. I bucked the system and got an Earth out of Missouri. They exhibited at a farm show in Ohio last fall and I was able to pick one up for @ mid $5k for the biggest one they have a mountain man 505. I am heating a pretty big house and garage with it and last year I think I went through @ 13-15 cords of wood. The people at Earth are very friendly. The people I know that have a CB seem to go through less wood, but there are so many variables that come into play. Whatever you get make sure you don't cheap on the insulated apex lines to your buildings. Good luck
 
Sorta like: Which is best Ford or Chevy.
I've been running a Heatmor for about 6 yrs. and like it fine. But I don't know much about any others.
And like Ash man said: GET THE VERY BEST INSULATED LINES!
And put it as close to the house as you safely can.
 
I with my have use a central boiler for4 or 5 years and i like it. some have use hardy heater 20 years with out many problems. Have not had any problems C.B. yet. And like Ash man said: GET THE VERY BEST INSULATED LINES!
 
Look for a company with a reputable dealer in your area. Not much for dealers in my neck of the woods. I ended up going with Portage and Main and couldn't be happier entering my 3rd year with it.
 
Looks like I am agreeing with others. I have a CB 5036. Very happy with it. I know folks with other brands that are happy as well. I don't know if I would go with the company that installed mine again, kinda sloppy and slow.

Get the super insulated PEX mucho dollars a foot stuff. It is worth it.
 
Looks like I am agreeing with others. I have a CB 5036. Very happy with it. I know folks with other brands that are happy as well. I don't know if I would go with the company that installed mine again, kinda sloppy and slow.

Get the super insulated PEX mucho dollars a foot stuff. It is worth it.
Fuzly your right, get the high dollar thermopex or logster . I would hate to have to dig up 135 feet of underground piping and redo it !
 
We have a CB 6048 for a couple of years now and would buy another one in a heartbeat. I have heard Hardy's smoke quite a bit.

Like everybody else has said, get the high dollar insulated PEX lines. I know from first hand experience. For the first run of lines, we used the cheaper stuff and now we are paying for it, literally. Whenever it snows, there is a 2 foot wide area where the snow melts because of heat loss. And occasionally, water will come into the house from inside the pipe whenever it rains buckets.

We will be replacing it eventually but dread doing so. One reason is because it runs underneath our asphalt driveway. When it was dug up the first time, we put concrete on top for the driveway part. Not sure how that will work out.
 
this is year ten with a CB 5648 Classic heating a 2000 sq foot home and domestic hot water and a 1000 sq. foot shop. Unit runs year round for the DHW. I'd buy another one tomorrow. Any regrets.......only one........that I didn't do the install sooner.
 
I'm looking to add an owb to the new house I'm building but I want to make sure I have everything correct before i make any purchase. What brand do you have and would you purchase the same again?
I plan to heat a 2500sq feet house, 2-800 sq feet garages, hot water.
I was looking into central boiler and hardy heater. I was leaning toward central boiler but have read about several problems with them including water leaks and poor customer service.

Think long & hard & realistically about exactly how much wood you think you can supply or produce every year before you take the plunge on an OWB. Going indoors, either the house or a shop, might be a consideration too.
 
I have been burning with a Woodmaster for 6yrs and have been very happy heating approx. 4k sq ft home, DHW, and when I want 30x40 barn. Best PEX available if probably more important the stove maker.
 
For what is worth I fix several owb a year and the two oldest I have fixed are a Central Boiler and a Woodmaster at 21 and 19 years respectively. Both developed leaks due to owner neglect. The CB was moved to a new location and its weather cap was lost and water ran down the stack during the summer, I firmly believe that all three repairs done could have been avoided by not allowing water to run down the stack. The inside of that stove looked just like new, no sign of corrosion anywhere, the owner claimed to be diligent about the boiler treatment though. The Woodmaster leaked rainwater around the outside of the stack and corrosion ate the top of the water jacket around the stack. The silicone sealant, where the stack goes through the roof needs to be cleaned out and redone occasionally. Both seem to be well built units though.
092512120259.jpg Here is the top of the CB's firebox after twenty seasons.
 
Thanks for all of the great information. Wood supply is not really a problem. There is a central boiler dealer near me so I'm gonna go speak with them. I have a friend that's a hardy heater for 15 years without much issue and can supposedly get a great deal on them. I am just hoping to be able make the initial investment and not have any big problems for 10-15 years.
 
20131014_183327.jpg
Portage and main that light colored spot is a little stream of water leaking where the tube was welded together, two year old stove customer not happy with warranty or service from the company.
Forgot to mention a real PITA to weld, right in the middle of the stove.
 
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I purchased a Central Boiler 5648 in the fall of 2001 and love it. I have a dealer a few miles away who has been excellent. Very little trouble with the owb but my biggest issue is the amount of smoke that comes back out the door when reloading. I have to reload fairly quickly and shut the door, not sure if other brands are better in this regard. By the time spring rolls around I have really had enough of the smoke.
 
I purchased a Central Boiler 5648 in the fall of 2001 and love it. I have a dealer a few miles away who has been excellent. Very little trouble with the owb but my biggest issue is the amount of smoke that comes back out the door when reloading. I have to reload fairly quickly and shut the door, not sure if other brands are better in this regard. By the time spring rolls around I have really had enough of the smoke.

Don't worry, our CB 6048 does the same thing when reloading. It seems to be worse in the winter time than the summer. We burn all year round. Sometimes you do have to be careful when you open the door so that it doesn't blow up in your face. You don't want to open it right after it shuts down, don't ask how I know.
 
I bought my CB 5036 in 2008 and my only regret also is that I didn't do it sooner. I would definitely do it again.
You only swing the door open just after the draft door shuts once ! ! ! After that lesson learned and hair does grow back....
I also spent the long dollar for the good closed cell pre-molded pex pipe from CB. It is expensive but worth it in the long run.
 
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