Boiler Shopping

[sawjunky23]

Been getting more serious with my OWB shopping, I have been doing a lot of talking with various dealers and such about the different OWB's out there. I will admit that my knowledge of the OWB's is not where I would like it to be to make an informed decision. I am actually quite surprised at how helpful many of the dealers have been. Many of them seem to be hard core wood burners themselves and so they seem to enjoy talking about their products which is kind of a refreshing break from the usual if you ask more than 2 questions without opening your wallet you are dumped into the infamous "tire kicker" category.
So I started off by looking to pick up a used unit but I don't really know enough of what to look for to not buy someone's headache. I have been getting a lot of conflicting info regarding brands etc.

I figure obviously whatever brand the particular dealer is selling is going to be the best in their opinion however here are some of the idea's I have been given. Feel free to chime in with ideas or personal experience.

• From an Aqua Therm Dealer- You could save a good amount of money by going with an unsheltered unit and building a small building around it.
• Stay away from used unless it is from a dealer that had tested and inspected the unit and will stand behind it.
• Round Firebox is better than a square as there are less welds to fail
• Stainless is better than mild steel

One thing that seems to be repeated by all of the dealers I have talked to is that the new "gasification units" don't work very well. They are high maintenance and require a large amount of very dry wood. I am not sure if this is a dealer sales pitch to try and get rid of any remaining OWB's before they become scrap metal or if they are being honest.

Does anybody out there have any real experience running one of the "new" units to actually verify if the units work as advertised.
I am feeling a crunch to have a traditional OWB installed to make the deadline, but if the new unit would be a reliable option I would feel like I have more time on my side.

Thanks for any advice you can provide.

 

[NSMaple1]

Sounds like all the dealers are doing a hard sell to try to get rid of the 'traditional' units while they still can.

I don't have an OWB, but rather an IWB. For the first 17 years here, it was a 'traditional' variety. Last 3 years, it's been a gasifier. Looking back I can't believe I put myself through those 17 years the way I did, I wouldn't go back to a non-gasser for anything. Way less maintenance, way more heat, & less wood burned. It needs dry wood, but not what I'd call 'very dry'. Which everyone should burn anyway or you're wasting wood. It definitely won't work well at all with anything close to green or wet wood. 20% m.c. is great, some get by OK with up to 25.

The aquatherm guy has a point - if you have an outbuilding you could put an indoor unit in that would make use of the standy-by heat loss and also store your whole winters wood in (and could be used for shop or garage duties), bonus. Then you could put some storage in the house if wanted & possible & save even more wood. (My boiler is only actually burning for 6 hours a day).

I would stay away from any used OWB, but would consider a used indoor gasser even if private sale. Stainless is not necessarily better, unless maybe in a traditional OWB that makes lots of creosote in the box. Not many indoor units I know of are stainless.

And my firebox is square - that comes down to quality of workmanship & materials.

 

[morewood]

I like a square box, more surface area to transfer heat. I chose not to have stainless, was told and read that the welds can be more brittle.....also, stainless transfers a slight bit less heat from all the reading I did. I don't have a gasification unit, but if you can get/keep dry wood I would go for it in a heart beat.......I love efficiency. By the way, most fireboxes are warrantied by the manufacturer. CB has a 25 year warranty if I remember my paperwork. Other things to think of. Do you want a blower/fan assist? Multiple pump locations to heat more than one building? Lots of things to look at.

Shea

 

[Mike Van]

One thing that seems to be repeated by all of the dealers I have talked to is that the new "gasification units" don't work very well. They are high maintenance and require a large amount of very dry wood. I am not sure if this is a dealer sales pitch to try and get rid of any remaining OWB's before they become scrap metal or if they are being honest.

Does anybody out there have any real experience running one of the "new" units to actually verify if the units work as advertised.
I.[/QUOTE] All gassers are NOT created equal. There are some of the European type that work this way, needing really dry, really small wood, a pain to clean I bought a Garn boiler 2 winters ago, it has to be the Abrams tank of gasser units. One year dryed wood, an 18" dia. door, i've put some huge [dry] chunks of wood in, and it's burnt to dust in short order. No smoke, no idle time, as the heat is transferred to the 1000 gal water tank. I cleaned it twice in 2 years, takes a half hour. used 6 to 7 cord last year from oct. 1 to may 15, hot water too. Best money I ever spent.

 

[sawjunky23]

One thing that seems to be repeated by all of the dealers I have talked to is that the new "gasification units" don't work very well. They are high maintenance and require a large amount of very dry wood. I am not sure if this is a dealer sales pitch to try and get rid of any remaining OWB's before they become scrap metal or if they are being honest.

Does anybody out there have any real experience running one of the "new" units to actually verify if the units work as advertised.
I.

All gassers are NOT created equal. There are some of the European type that work this way, needing really dry, really small wood, a pain to clean I bought a Garn boiler 2 winters ago, it has to be the Abrams tank of gasser units. One year dryed wood, an 18" dia. door, i've put some huge [dry] chunks of wood in, and it's burnt to dust in short order. No smoke, no idle time, as the heat is transferred to the 1000 gal water tank. I cleaned it twice in 2 years, takes a half hour. used 6 to 7 cord last year from oct. 1 to may 15, hot water too. Best money I ever spent. View attachment 446915[/QUOTE]
Thanks for the info!

 

[super44]

How many of you have rain caps on the stack, why or why not?

 

[H-Ranch]

How many of you have rain caps on the stack, why or why not?

The only time I have a rain cap on is during the off season - I use an old metal coffee can that just fits over the pipe. When it's running I see no need for a rain cap. Even an inch of rain down a 7" pipe would be barely a puddle in the bottom of the firebox and that's assuming that none of it evaporated. I would bet very, very little liquid water ever makes it to the firebox. I have never seen any indication of water in mine. I have seen several others with rain caps that have creosote forming and dripping from them.

 

[hupte]

the problem with stainless is that its so expensive that manufacturers build their boilers out of such thin stainless that they can crack the stainless so easily. in my experience all boiler manufacturers offer a warranty, and all the warranty's are a joke. they just charge you an outrageous amount to fix or repair the boiler or they say, "you burned green wood" or "you didn't scrape the ashes out right" or "you didn't maintain the proper amount of water treatment." the warranty is just a way to sell a boiler. then sell you another in a few years. like one major manufacturer for example offers a lifetime warrenty. after 10 years, this is their warrenty= 10% off a new stove. and after 25 years= 5% off a new stove.

yes round is better but round is not without its flaws. like you have to scrape the ashes off the flat ends otherwise they will corrode the burn chamber and leak just below the door. also look for a thick burn chamber. and double welded is another huge benefit. the best built unit I've found is hoss stoves. I'm not a dealer. http://realwarm.com/tennessee/tennessee-outdoor-furnace

 

[Landmark]

I have owned a central boiler for past 6winters and love it. Never had a minutes trouble. Imo you cant beat CB. Good luck with whatever you get.

 

[jrider]

I have a Portage and Main gasification unit, going on my 5th heating season with it. I don't have any comparisons but I'm happy with it. It is not that picky with wood and I feel that it doesn't burn a lot of wood. I live in a neighborhood and my neighbors never know when I fire it up for the season so that's a great bonus of the gasification unit. I spend about 20-30 minutes cleaning it about every 3-4 weeks during the burn season. If I had to do it again, I would do it just like I did without hesitation.