OWB ratings?

[THE PLUMMER]

How about listing some with problems and problematic brands. I'm curious.

sure thing cause that won't start a huge conundrum. I think there is plenty already on the net, just don't take all your info from 1 site ( lots of bandwagon riders), you will eventually see reoccurring problems over and over from many different sources about the same product. Just like this thread there are about 30 more brands out there never mentioned. Rather than 1 big bashing post that has 10 links to the same customer repeated many times that appears like many. Many owners bring on their own problems with incorrect install or application and the first thing they do is blame the unit or the company because they didn't warranty an improper install. Lots to review but the list quickly shortens, when you compare to your needs & application. I have also seen some very well done homemade units and systems, without a lic of hydronic knowledge

~ Portage & Main
Heatmoor--
Heat Master
Wood Boiler USA
New Horizon
~ Greenwood
Heat Doctor
~ Tarm
~ EKO
Tennessee Outdoor Furnace
~ Econoburn
~ Empyre
Wood Master
~ Viessmann
~ Buderus
~ Effecta
~ Central
WoodKing
Acme Furnace Company
Aqua-Therm
Cadillac Outdoor Wood Furnace
Crown Royal
Earth Outdoor Wood Furnace
Global Hydronics
~ Hardy
Nature's Comfort--
Hawken Energy
Heat Source 1
Midwest OWF
Shaver
Johnson
Legend
~ Mahoning
Taylor
~ Vermoboden
~ Garn
~ Froiling
Profab
Milleniumcraft-
Vir Tau-

 

[emmeg]

Hope "THE PLUMBER" is not refering to my post on Free Heat Machine They went bankrupt and that does not have anything at all to do with wrong applications or improper installations. When a company goes bankrupt and reopens under another name with the same people and the same furnace that is on them. And yea I'm alittle honked off at FHM/Bio Mass Direct but I can back everything up.

 

[Como]

Also there seem to be a number of non OWB's included in that list.

 

[William Balaska]

There are two main players in the OWB game Central Boiler and Portage and main. I own a Central 6048 as well. In my first year and on the 7-8th cord heating 2800 sq feet of living space plus basements and domestic hot water. I like the gasser idea, but well seasoned wood barely smokes in a non gasser as I found out this year and I have nearly all of next years wood split and ready to stack. If I had to buy a gasser I would probably buy the Portage I believe 3400, their largest gasser, as their scotch main heat exchanger has worked well on the design. The larger the BTU output the larger the airtubes, making it less prone to oxygen starvation. For a non gasser that's a no brainr I love the 6048, I was afraid of the gasser after I saw the issues of the Central 2300 had and the 1400 is supposedly a good unit but would go out after prolonged idling, hence the paper clip to feed it air. The 2300 was basically a turd, the 2400 has had good reviews and is much improved but I'll sit back and wait to pass judgement. Both of these companys honor warranty, I've heard to much negative about most if not all of the other's. I reaserched this crap for a year and looked at all of them, but my 12k investment will pay off quickly as I had a 5-6k oil bill last year, and 0k this year.

 

[THE PLUMMER]

Hope "THE PLUMBER" is not refering to my post on Free Heat Machine They went bankrupt and that does not have anything at all to do with wrong applications or improper installations. When a company goes bankrupt and reopens under another name with the same people and the same furnace that is on them. And yea I'm alittle honked off at FHM/Bio Mass Direct but I can back everything up.

Absolutely not, haven't even read your post. I was referring to many of 1st hand repairs , articles, examples shown and documented at seminars and many we read about. usually there is a nice install pic or 2 showing some major piping & install flaws that are clearly depicted in the I&O manual that were not followed. Some pretty gross examples like entire system piped with 3/4 & 1/2" non labeled pex, water tests or treatments never done with buckets of sludge in the boiler closing off pipes, effluent pumps instead of circulators, home made or on sale cheap gimmick header lines. I am definitely not against DIYer's (if I were, I surely wouldn't be helping at all and laughing at all the money wasted) but I hope when they do they are atleast smart enough to know when to say help. Something as simple as using a pump 4 times the size, cost and electricity needed is a very common one, the metal fittings on 1 job actually had pin holes and you could crush the pipe with your fingers from errosion, there was 1 degree difference between supply and return.


Yes there are many indoor boilers on that list, as they are much more popular in higher population areas. With all the new EPA, govt, laws, and tree huggers, sometimes out of sight never raises awareness to complainers and those who do not need to know. Some guys like having it right in their shop for easy access, and some like non-gassers cause they like maintaining the fire and are good at it. Gassers are best filled up and left alone, they don't like to be played with for optimum efficiency. That was just a list cut and pasted from an email, there are more, like Wood Gun,Yukon-Eagle, Charmaster, Benjamin, Heat Inovations, Seton....

 

[emmeg]

Thanks, alittle touchy when you lose a twenty year warranty less than 4 years in no fault of your own and the crooks reopen under another name ain't quite right ya know ?!

 

[emmeg]

We put a twelve foot stack on ours and are burning 4year old wood and have greatly reduce are smoke isssues. We went from 4000 gallons of oil to under 150gallons. It eats a tremendous amount of wood but our wood is dumped by a tree service so our cost is limited to my labor.

 

[THE PLUMMER]

Thanks, alittle touchy when you lose a twenty year warranty less than 4 years in no fault of your own and the crooks reopen under another name ain't quite right ya know ?!

I understand, I said it before. OWB owners have big $$$ and time invested into these "good ideas" only to have blatant BS like that happen. You have every right to be touchy. It bugs me to no end to see a few crooks ruin the business with a bad rap, there are some very good OWB's on the market and some EXTREMELY talented individuals that do great work on them. And they try very hard to maintain the best image, when so many are out to ban wood burning. Unfortunately these OWB's appear so simple, there are many that think they can build one too for the market.


Have you read this drama story of wood doctor, sounds like this guy is doing the very same thing, run it in the ground -bankrupt-open-bankrupt-open and its always someone else's fault, I think there was a post on the same with nature cozy too....theres so many
Wood Doctor - Outdoor Wood Burning Furnaces - Proper Sizing