OWB myths .. list them

[bassman]

this one comes up alot .

"they will burn green wood no problem"

good luck with that.

 

[rx7145]

"they will burn green wood no problem"

"only smoke when they start up"

"get free heat!!"

"never need to stoke the fire at 2am"

 

[upandcommer]

use less wood than a woodstove
pay for themselves in one year
are nearly indestructable
maintenece free

 

[RaisedByWolves]

opcorn: opcorn:






opcorn: opcorn:

 

[Husky137]

Even stupid people can run one successfully. Oh I guess that's a myth....:greenchainsaw: :greenchainsaw: :greenchainsaw: :spam: :spam: opcorn: opcorn: opcorn:

 

[ktm rider]

48 hour burn time

inflated heating capacity claims for model size.

will last forever ( yeah right )

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

pay for themselves in one year

I did the math, and since I cannot do a a lot of the install plumbing plus the cost of the material, it would cost take 10-12 years (more now since NG prices are down from then) to break even with my small house.

When the money comes in (without flying out right away) I'll put in an insert. When we build I may do a wood furnace in the garage.

One needs a lot of SQFT to heat to have a boiler pay off.

 

[dimanager]

My dealer must be more honest than the others out there.
He said it would burn green wood, but would not recommend it.
Nothing is free.
Less wood than a woodstove, I'm not sure how much they use, but I heat 2500 sq. feet and my hot water in south central Illinois with about 7 cords of oak, hickory, ash, and elm.
Pay for itself in a year. My system cost about $5500 more than a forced air HVAC, but I put in baseboard radiant heat so that was most of the extra cost. At $500 to $700 per year for propane I think I have come out ahead in the 15 years I have had it.
When it is cold here, high of 20 degrees, I stoke it half full in the morning if we are not at home, and fill it full before I go to bed and I have not run out of wood yet. The box is about 1.5 ft. by 1.5 by 2 ft. deep.
I was told to drain the water every year and clean out. I do it every other year because I use rain water to fill it, I believe it is less corrosive.
I have yet to see anything idiot proof, just when you think it is, they make a better idiot.
Just to let you know, I have a Taylor 450.

Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to argue that an OWB is the best system out there. I am just saying this is my experience with mine. I have no experience with a wood stove so I can't compare the two, but I am very happy with my OWB.

Sam

 

[MS-310]

This will be a good thread......

"They smoke alot and they eat alot of wood"

 

[wood4heat]

I'm new here, what is an OWB?

Outdoor
Wood
Burner
???

came up with that after I posted.

 

[Al Smith]

I know three or 4 gents that are on this and other forums that have them,They work fine.They however comsume a bunch,and I do mean a bunch of wood .On the other hand,the mess is outside and they can heat a very large area.

Now if somebody was in the tree biz,you have to slice it up and haul it away ,any way.In reality you really are getting paid to cut your own firewood if you look at it like that.Now how can you beat a deal like that.

 

[dimanager]

Just double checked my math, I use about 10 to 11 cords of wood. Damn fat fingers. I would also add that this is the only source of heat that I have. I know, still alot of wood. But no propane bill and with the rate increase and an all electric house my power bill are about $80 in the winter.

Sam

 

[Al Smith]

One guy in eastern Ohio said he burned over 15 cords while one in Michigan said about 20.The gent in Indiana has some type of a retention tank hooked up to his and installed in conjuction with a regular boiler.I didn't ask what the conventional boiler used for fuel.

Heat is just an option.,whatever means are available. I have a geothermal,cheap but like the OWB not exactly free either.

 

[ktm rider]

I used to have one. (Thank God I found someone to buy that wood eater) I would usually burn between 14-17 cord a year. I now have an INDOOR wood/coal boiler and I burnt 5 ton of coal last year @ $50 a ton and MAYBE 3 cords of wood. I heat a 3,500 sq. ft log home and a 1,200 sq ft. garage at 3,000ft. altitude and it is brutally windy at my place.

Total cost for heat from Oct - April = $250

 

[windthrown]

They smoke a lot.
They need a draft fan.
They burn tons of wood.
They will not burn green wood.
They will not burn wet wood.
They rust out fast.
They take a long time to pay themselves off.

But myths be daaaayyyummed.

Factoids:
1) Our OWB WILL pay for itself in less than 5 years, with install, shipping, plumbing, and electricity to run it, as well as pay for the gas and price of the chainsaws to cut wood for it... and probably even sooner as they are raising rates on electricity here at a fast pace.
2) Our OWB hardly smokes at all. Yah yah... its true. There are a lot of other threads on AS with photos of my unit in operation, and the "smoke" produced.
3) Our OWB heats this house and hot water in it just fine and could heat another one like it. This house was designed with lofted ceilings and a lot of windows, and is really EXPENSIVE to heat with an electric boiler. It has a hydronic heat floor loop, and the electric boiler was turned off he day that the OWB was turned on.
4) We have all the free wood we could burn, with or without an OWB. So efficiency is not an issue for us. Actually, we would just burn it in slash piles, or have to dispose of it some other way. No dent in the carbon footprint.
5) I fill it half full 2x a day with light wood (grand fir, willow, pine) during warmer periods (like now) with 50 degree days and 35 degree nights. That keeps it from producing charcoal and letting all the gas escape unburned. More efficient that way. When it gets colder (30s during the day and teens at night) I fill it with oak or madrone and it keeps the house nice and warm.
6) Most days the fire burns down to coals by morning, and I toss in some more wood to get it back up to temp.
7) We burn 7-8 cords of mixed wood a year in it. We could go with 6 if it was all oak and madrone, maybe 10 if it was grand fir, willow and cottonwood.
8) They do burn green wood. I cut some doug fir here yesterday and tossed some into the boiler. All gone now. It also burns wet wood. 2 years ago we got a really cold spell and were low on wood, and I cut up some soaking wet alder that was in the creekbed area. It burned great and kept the house nice and warm. Yes, it is not as efficient to burn wet or green wood. But so what?
9) They burn trash wood, rotted wood, bug infested wood (termites pop just like popcorn), bark, scrap lumber, paper, cardboard, junk mail, and wood that one would otherwise throw away. Pretty much all but treated wood and garbage.
10) Maintenance is a no-brainer. I have VERY litte superficial rust in the unit after 2+ years in use. Keep the anti-corrosion of the water at the right level, and it will be fine. Keep the ashes stirred up and water pockets from forming in the firebox, and that is about it. Creosote does not cause any corrosion. This is a mild steel unit too, not SS.
11) This is a natrural draft system. I have not seen any need for a fan draft at all. I did add a rain cap last year for it though. Doubles as a spark arrester.
12) We keep the house at 70 degrees, no matter what the weather is like outside. We also have all the hot water that we can use.

 

[Peacock]

They smoke a lot.
They need a draft fan.
They burn tons of wood.
They will not burn green wood.
They will not burn wet wood.
They rust out fast.
They take a long time to pay themselves off.

But myths be daaaayyyummed.

Factoids:
1) Our OWB WILL pay for itself in less than 5 years, with install, shipping, plumbing, and electricity to run it, as well as pay for the gas and price of the chainsaws to cut wood for it... and probably even sooner as they are raising rates on electricity here at a fast pace.
2) Our OWB hardly smokes at all. Yah yah... its true. There are a lot of other threads on AS with photos of my unit in operation, and the "smoke" produced.
3) Our OWB heats this house and hot water in it just fine and could heat another one like it. This house was designed with lofted ceilings and a lot of windows, and is really EXPENSIVE to heat with an electric boiler. It has a hydronic heat floor loop, and the electric boiler was turned off he day that the OWB was turned on.
4) We have all the free wood we could burn, with or without an OWB. So efficiency is not an issue for us. Actually, we would just burn it in slash piles, or have to dispose of it some other way. No dent in the carbon footprint.
5) I fill it half full 2x a day with light wood (grand fir, willow, pine) during warmer periods (like now) with 50 degree days and 35 degree nights. That keeps it from producing charcoal and letting all the gas escape unburned. More efficient that way. When it gets colder (30s during the day and teens at night) I fill it with oak or madrone and it keeps the house nice and warm.
6) Most days the fire burns down to coals by morning, and I toss in some more wood to get it back up to temp.
7) We burn 7-8 cords of mixed wood a year in it. We could go with 6 if it was all oak and madrone, maybe 10 if it was grand fir, willow and cottonwood.
8) They do burn green wood. I cut some doug fir here yesterday and tossed some into the boiler. All gone now. It also burns wet wood. 2 years ago we got a really cold spell and were low on wood, and I cut up some soaking wet alder that was in the creekbed area. It burned great and kept the house nice and warm. Yes, it is not as efficient to burn wet or green wood. But so what?
9) They burn trash wood, rotted wood, bug infested wood (termites pop just like popcorn), bark, scrap lumber, paper, cardboard, junk mail, and wood that one would otherwise throw away. Pretty much all but treated wood and garbage.
10) Maintenance is a no-brainer. I have VERY litte superficial rust in the unit after 2+ years in use. Keep the anti-corrosion of the water at the right level, and it will be fine. Keep the ashes stirred up and water pockets from forming in the firebox, and that is about it. Creosote does not cause any corrosion. This is a mild steel unit too, not SS.
11) This is a natrural draft system. I have not seen any need for a fan draft at all. I did add a rain cap last year for it though. Doubles as a spark arrester.
12) We keep the house at 70 degrees, no matter what the weather is like outside. We also have all the hot water that we can use.

Good post!!

What unit do you use?

I've got a real good friend with 2300 sq.ft. of new construction and he uses his OWB as his ONLY source of heat and to heat his water. He uses 5-6 cord per year. No matter how cold he fills it twice per day.

 

[Butch(OH)]

I was going to type up some things but I think the Wolf man has it right. I am just going to sit back and enjoy,,, in between of shoving wheelbarrow loads of wood into my OWB.
opcorn: opcorn: opcorn: opcorn:

 

[joecool85]

I'm thinking of an OWB for when I buy a house this coming summer. I live in Maine and will be burning a ton of pine. I don't care if I need to cut 10-15 cords a year for it, doesn't bother me. I am curious though, how far away from the house should the boiler be? Also, isn't it much more expensive to buy an OWB as opposed to one you might put in your basement?

 

[hockeypuck]

"they will burn green wood no problem"

"only smoke when they start up"

"get free heat!!"

"never need to stoke the fire at 2am"

I am sorry that you bought the wrong size wood boiler and then improperly installed it. I burn green wood, burns from 6 pm to 7 am no problem on the coldest nights, and I have plenty of free wood. OWB's are not for everyone, but seeing that oil is at 3 bucks a gallon, mine will pay for it self sometime next season if not sooner. I ran it last year for heat and hot water and burnt 7 to 8 chords from october to beginning of june. Now that I said my piece, i will opcorn: opcorn: opcorn:

 

[hockeypuck]

I'm thinking of an OWB for when I buy a house this coming summer. I live in Maine and will be burning a ton of pine. I don't care if I need to cut 10-15 cords a year for it, doesn't bother me. I am curious though, how far away from the house should the boiler be? Also, isn't it much more expensive to buy an OWB as opposed to one you might put in your basement?

I would not put one in the basement because it defeats one of the great advantages of having an owb. Keep the mess, bugs and mold outside. Less moving it around in the yard. I live in NH and I have my owb about 80 feet from my home to the ENE (I would keep it 75 to 100 feet away from the house) . The only time i get the smoke is when we get storms, thus the windows are closed. If you live on the side of a hill also remember at night the air will fall down the slope in the evening. I would also make sure you have a good stagging area for the wood next to the burner. You will want to burn some hardwood with the pine to keep hot coals there for start up.