OWB terminoligy-pet peeves

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AOD

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It frustrates me to no end when I see people posting here and read news articles that refer to an OWB as an outdoor "furnace" or "stove".

So to clear up any confusion, I will define all of these things.

A stove is a wood burning appliance meant for direct space heating or cooking. It is something you have inside your home or building that heats it directly from convection and radiation.

A furnace transmits heat directly to air and distributes the warm air through ducts to heat a building.

A boiler heats water or another liquid and uses it as a heat transfer medium to heat a building. It doesn't matter if the boiler is in the basement, on the roof, out back or in another galaxy, if it heats a liquid, it's a boiler.

Unless you have a lil'house heater or something of similar design you do not have an outdoor wood furnace.

Unless you have a stove meant to be used inside sitting out back, you don't have an outdoor wood stove.

Questions?
 

Marc

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Meh, I wouldn't get so worked up about it. I know most HVAC techs will refer to a hydronic heating device as a boiler, but technically speaking, new home units aren't boilers either. It's just a carry over term from true boilers that produced steam for steam heat.

And I've heard lots of people (myself included) use "furnace" and "boiler" interchangably, especially when talking fuel oil. There's nothing innate in the term "furnace" that implies the working fluid is air instead of water. It was probably only associated with forced air systems because it was the shortened form of "hot air furnace."
 

Marc

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My pet peeve is SPELLING. The word you are looking for is "Terminology" - the study of terms and their use. ;)

3050d1196163734-spring-break-08-grammar-nazi2.jpg


/hot linked



Sorry, DebianDog, but you criticize grammar and spelling, the first time you makes a typo, you'll have everyone on yer ass for it. :cheers:
 
DebianDog

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Welkon spelckek n00b.

We all have our peeves :newbie: or not :biggrinbounce2:

Grammar is not spelling.

So this guy is upset that people confuse the term boiler and furnace yet spelling things wrong is O.K.? Got Ya!

You missed my point completely.
 
Last edited:

Marc

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We all have our peeves :newbie: or not :biggrinbounce2:

Grammar is not spelling.

So this guy is upset that people confuse the term boiler and furnace yet spelling things wrong is O.K.? Got Ya!

You missed my point completely.

Yeah but grammar and spelling nazis, if not one and the same, are peas of the same pod. It was just a joke, don't get all bent outta shape about it :)
 
DebianDog

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Oh I am not in the least bit miffed I just found it funny that the poster was "peeved" about something and I did not immediately know the word. I had to sound it out. Just found it funny is all.

Just FYI: I did not come here to start a pissing contest about spelling I came to figure out if I am going to buy a Outdoor Furnace errrr.... I mean boiler.

Sorry....
 
Zodiac45

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It frustrates me to no end when I see people posting here and read news articles that refer to an OWB as an outdoor "furnace" or "stove".

So to clear up any confusion, I will define all of these things.

A stove is a wood burning appliance meant for direct space heating or cooking. It is something you have inside your home or building that heats it directly from convection and radiation.

A furnace transmits heat directly to air and distributes the warm air through ducts to heat a building.

A boiler heats water or another liquid and uses it as a heat transfer medium to heat a building. It doesn't matter if the boiler is in the basement, on the roof, out back or in another galaxy, if it heats a liquid, it's a boiler.

Unless you have a lil'house heater or something of similar design you do not have an outdoor wood furnace.

Unless you have a stove meant to be used inside sitting out back, you don't have an outdoor wood stove.

Questions?

Ok, someone has way too much time on their hands.
 
TreePointer

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I don't beat people over their heads for misuse of terms or poor spelling, but I agree that it does get annoying after a while. I just try to do my best in using proper terms to set an example.

Ever go to a gun site and use "clip" instead of "magazine" for a rifle? (Don't do it.) :blob2::blob2::blob2:
 
Butch(OH)

Butch(OH)

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It's this way on about every forum I visit lately.

Do we need to get out in some fresh air?
Economy?
Ole ladys caus'en it?

It'l be Ok guys,, I think
 
BarkBuster20

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im sorry to have wasted my time looking through all this bickering. this isnt gradeschool and this is not english class or literature. take your grammer peeves to a grammer forum.
 
strongback

strongback

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Petty or not I thoroughly enjoyed the exchange. Since I heat with an insert I've never bothered to learn whether it's most properly a boiler or burner either. I suppose both could be right depending on the appliance in question could it not?
 
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