Central Boiler vs Wood Master

[milkie62]

The central boilers are simple as hell.Why would you need anything else ?No need for fans,blowers ,augers.Use the KISS method like they do. Proud CL40 user.

 

[Blazin]

:agree2: There it is in a nutshell!

 

[atwork76]

We are looking at getting a wood boiler and are looking at the heatmor 200 CSS. Noticed the water capacity was only 114 gallons to the 393 that the CB 6048 has. It says it will heat 5000 sq. feet, but so does the CB 6048.

So is the way lower water capacity going to hurt us?
Also noticed it has forced draft, was reading that some of you guys like it and some dont think it's neccessary. I take it that it must be used for this particular wood boiler to work properly?
What's some of your guys' burn times burning hard woods at 0-15 degrees heating a medium insulated 4000 sq. foot house?

 

[milkie62]

My burn time is roughly 12 hrs with pine and poplar,no hardwood.My house is 2600 sq ft.But I had forgotten that half of my house has 20 ft ceilings so another 600 sq ft of heating has to be added.I check it at 7 am and 6 pm.I burn about 9 cord of pine and poplar unseasoned.If I were to use hardwood I could probably do it with a couple less cords.

 

[barkeatr]

I HAVE a five year old central boiler. My pan is showing quite a bit of rust and the blowback when you open the door is really bad. I am putting on a serious mask now as i think its could be come a health issue...yes, i open the door a crack first..that doesnt do crap.

i did install a chimney booster that i switch on when i opend the door. this helps with maybe 20% of smoke.

i love owb and cut 30 face cords a year...but the CB is bad design.

 

[brushfire]

We are looking at getting a wood boiler and are looking at the heatmor 200 CSS. Noticed the water capacity was only 114 gallons to the 393 that the CB 6048 has. It says it will heat 5000 sq. feet, but so does the CB 6048.

So is the way lower water capacity going to hurt us?
Also noticed it has forced draft, was reading that some of you guys like it and some don't think it's necessary. I take it that it must be used for this particular wood boiler to work properly?
What's some of your guys' burn times burning hard woods at 0-15 degrees heating a medium insulated 4000 sq. foot house?

Lower water capacity will not hurt you. Your system should be set up with a plate heat exchanger between your indoor heating system and your outdoor boiler anyway so water capacity isn't an issue. One thing to remember especially in very cold climates is that more water capacity requires more heat to keep it within setpoint temperature ranges. The more water you have to heat, the more wood you will have to cut. As I mentioned in my 11-1 post, during the heating season I'm working with a Central Boiler and a WoodMaster every day. The CB has smoke blowback-in-your-face issues and I've also discovered that the system for adjusting the door is a real pain after a new door rope gasket starts to compress. If you don't get both the top and bottom the door adjusters set just right you will have air leaks. A small air leak will overheat the stove and waste wood.

You have to decide what is best for you. I was fortunate to be able to work with the CB and discover some of its shortcomings which is why I ended up going with the WM. After two years of working with both, I'm happy with my WoodMaster.

Be sure to check out the dealer before you buy, and don't depend on the BBB. A recent report on TV has revealed that companies with bad service, etc. have been able to buy their way to an A+ rating. Take the time to talk to wood furnace owners in your area and find out how the dealer treated them service-wise during and after install. If you see a furnace you're interested in by a home, stop and knock on their door and ask them if they wouldn't mind if you ask them a few questions about their stove and the dealer who installed it. Most people are more than happy to discuss it with you.

 

[atwork76]

That's for the info brushfire.

A friend of ours got the heatmor 200 CSS and the dealer just installed it Wednesday. Will see if he has any problems the first couple weeks and how the dealer is if he does. My father talked to the dealer and said he didn't talk like he was trying to sell you a wood boiler.

 

[mtfallsmikey]

We are looking at getting a wood boiler and are looking at the heatmor 200 CSS. Noticed the water capacity was only 114 gallons to the 393 that the CB 6048 has. It says it will heat 5000 sq. feet, but so does the CB 6048.

So is the way lower water capacity going to hurt us?
Also noticed it has forced draft, was reading that some of you guys like it and some dont think it's neccessary. I take it that it must be used for this particular wood boiler to work properly?
What's some of your guys' burn times burning hard woods at 0-15 degrees heating a medium insulated 4000 sq. foot house?

Don't fall into the "this boiler will heat xxxx square ft!" deal.... Need to do a proper heat loss calc. to size it right. Currently, I have 2 - 56K BTU HX's running off my 5036, heating a total of 2000 S.F, shop and the house, and it keeps up fabulously...And, do your piping using the primary-secondary method. Yes, a 6048 will suck up a serious amount of wood. It's almost too big for an average size house alone.

 

[atwork76]

Do you guys know if the heatmor 200 CSS would qualify for the $1500 tax credit?

 

[NJChris]

I have a CB 6048 and love it. Yes it does eat a lot of wood. I have never once had a problem opening the door and any smoke or heat coming out at all.

 

[milkie62]

CB is tops in my book

My CL 40 which is probably and older version of the 6048.I have a little bit of smoke but nothing to worry about.Maybe your wood is to close to the door.I can put in about a 50" piece of wood but generally only use 24" pieces.My CB is simple in design and I do not think they have changed that much in all the years.I only have to clean mine twice during the season and then when I shut it down for the season.I have yet to burn seasoned hardwood in mine since I have so much blocked up pine and poplar available to me for free.Hopefullyone of these years I can burn a season of split and dried hardwood for comparison.The burn times are way over inflated IMO.If I chucked it full during the winter I might get 20 hrs out of it,maybe.But then again the type of wood I use needs to be considered.Like I have said I fill mine at 7 am when I get home from work and top it off at 6 pm before I take my nap before work.The CB is my only heat source since 1995.So going on 15 yrs of trouble free service except for a few light bulbs.I would not even consider another brand with the reliabilty I have had.I had asked the dealer why they went to a cast iron door and he said because of heat warpage.My steel door after all these years is still as flat and straight as ever.He said I must be one of the few that really know how to use it.

 

[atwork76]

Do you guys know if the heatmor 200 CSS would qualify for the $1500 tax credit?

Called them today and they said it doesn't.

We are still going back and forth between CB and heatmor. The heatmor dealer is great the CB dealer is about as good. The heatmor is $3000 less too..

 

[headleyj]

Called them today and they said it doesn't.

We are still going back and forth between CB and heatmor. The heatmor dealer is great the CB dealer is about as good. The heatmor is $3000 less too..

I can do alot with 3k

 

[scag52]

I would be concerned with nails getting caught in the auger of the heatmor.

 

[atwork76]

I would be concerned with nails getting caught in the auger of the heatmor.

Not concerned with that because we don't burn anything with nails in it.

 

[forcedintoit]

Nails do not bother the auger, i have had this happen a couple of time where i must have burned some rounds with nails in it and it did nothing to the auger.....the auger is not built into the stove anyway. it is separate and looks a lot like a ice auger! so I do not see how a nail could bother it unless it was a railroad spike or large like that! Then it would not fall through the grate anyway............i LOVE my heatmor!