Indoor unit outside

[JeffHK454]

I'll preface my question by saying I've been going rounds with my insurance Co. about have a wood burning device inside my house, they haven't cancelled coverage but they're looking for reasons to increase my premiums. I'd been looking at upgrading from the old unit I have to something smarter and more efficient..Kuuma or something on that level but I think plans have changed with the potential future problems with any burner inside my house.

So I've started looking into high efficiency outdoor boilers but they're way out of my budget and I'm not wanting a low tech smoke dragon.

Any reason you can't run a indoor high efficiency boiler in a properly built inclosure outside? Reason I ask is a friend of a friend has a very lightly used Econoburn inside boiler at a very affordable price that I was wanting to adapt for outside use.

Stupid idea? Should I save for a outdoor unit?

Thanks , Jeff

 

[Jeff Lary]

Well I am by no means any sort of expert , with that said... Buy you friends unit it sounds to me that it may be worth more than he is asking for it? If that is the case and your idea works,... well you got a good buy, On the other hand if not maybe you can sell it on for a profit. In the mean time find a good plumbing supply and find some one in there to run your idea by for as I see it you are going to turn cold water into hot. As far as a reason this wont work ask a plumbing pro what they think. Good luck Jeff

 

[cantoo]

I have an owb and love it but I also heat 2 houses and a shop with it. I used to heat just 1 house with a hotblast and loved it too. The owb works great because I have a big enough heat draw to justify having it. If you have a well insulated, efficient house and the room inside to store wood then I would have an indoor burner. My Insurance cost for an indoor unit was an extra $50 per year, no way was it worth it to buy an owb for that small amount.
You might want to find out about owb rules before you decide to go that route too.

 

[stihly dan]

Look into another insurance company, there are a million out there and many don't care about indoor burners. Mine didn't even blink an eye.

 

[NSMaple1]

Look into another insurance company, there are a million out there and many don't care about indoor burners. Mine didn't even blink an eye.

This.

But we don't know how much of an increase in premiums you're talking. $50 is reasonable, doubled premiums isn't.

Also don't know what you have for an existing heating system. I would stick with the indoor furnace idea - cheapest & easiest. Kuuma is the Cadillac of that. Caddy or Tundra are good.

But if you do want to go boiler (big step from a furnace, apples/oranges like), outside the house - then the Econoburn idea isn't a bad one at all. I would put it in an insulated outbuilding along with my entire winters wood. You'd better fully cost everything out first though - example, good underground piping costs over $10/foot, and it's not much use doing it if you don't use the good stuff. Plus pumps, valves, heat exchangers, controls...

 

[brenndatomu]

Look into another insurance company, there are a million out there and many don't care about indoor burners. Mine didn't even blink an eye.

This! ^ ^ ^
My premium didn't change because I was already paying the extra $50 because of the house having a fireplace...doesn't matter if you use it or not, if it is there you pay the money. I have Grange ins BTW...