Woodmaster vs Central Boiler advice please

[btlook1]

wow

There's a ton of good information just in this thread! I'm amazed that you guys know so much. I'm still researching my OWB. But I do plan to get one set up this fall is the plan. I wonder do the prices go down on them in the spring? Also what do you guys do with them if say your going on vacation for a week in the middle of the winter? Just curiuos. Thanks for all the info and I'm glad I don't have to pay for it...LOL. Bt.

 

[windthrown]

OWB discount time and vacation

There's a ton of good information just in this thread! I'm amazed that you guys know so much. I'm still researching my OWB. But I do plan to get one set up this fall is the plan. I wonder do the prices go down on them in the spring? Also what do you guys do with them if say your going on vacation for a week in the middle of the winter? Just curiuos. Thanks for all the info and I'm glad I don't have to pay for it...LOL. Bt.

Boilers tend to go 'on sale' in late summer. I would also recommend that you put your boiler in during the summer. By the time fall rolls around, you will want to use the boiler and have it debugged. Also have a lot of firewood ready. These things have a large and steady diet of firewood, especially if it gets c-c-c-c-cold. The more seasoned and dry the firewood, the better. They will burn green and wet wood, but more efficient to burn dry seasoned wood. We will have 10 cords ready to burn by next fall here.

As for vacation... we installed the OWB to replace the existing electric hydronic floor heater and hot water heater. So before we leave I just let the boiler burn out and turn on the electric heater and set the t-stat at 50 degrees inside the house. I let the hot water heater cool down. If we lived in an area that had really low temps, like the upper midwest or northeast? I would turn on the electric hot water heater set to low inside the house. That way the flat plate heat exchanger will reverse and draw heat off the hot water heater to keep the boiler water and boiler loop from freezing up.

 

[fourustircom]

Woodmaster 4400 temp reading accurate?

Hi, Folks!

It's been a while since I was on here, but all your advice has paid off and the machine ran for the first time today. I'm curious, though, is the temp readout adjustable? Mine seems to be high by about 20 deg. I put a thermometer into the water at the fill/vent tube after checking outlet temp and inlet temp. Once the burner got up to 180 deg., I flipped on the heat switch on the thermostat and adjusted up the temp so the blower would run. I immediately noticed the oil burner had also started even though I had the Aquastat set to 130 deg. I adjusted it down to 120 deg. and got the oil firnace to shut off. The A/C was also running, but I killed it with the breaker.

I'll be calling Woodmaster in the AM, but just wondered if any of you had a similar situation. I can always adjust the cut on and cut off temps up 20 deg., but it doesn't seem like I should have to do that. The damper fan worked at the appropriate temps, according to the readout. It was real exciting watching the water run out of the vent as the water expanded in the tank!

Thanks!

 

[kalib stock]

The only thing i don't like about CB and Wood Master is they have a digital read out. I researched them all of them seven years ago and went with a Taylor. I think the simpler the design the better.

I am getting a OWB in a couple months for a new house I am building. I will be heating a 1700 sq ft house and about a 1500 sq ft pole barn, along with all my hot water.

I am leaning towards Central Boiler because I know two guys who have them and they appear to be very well made. I also like the urethane firebox insulation vs the fiberglass used in other models. The problem the CB is that the dealer in my county sucks apparently, and is good for buying the unit only and is pretty useless as far as installation.

There is a Woodmaster dealer fairly close and the 4400 looks like a good model, and is significantly cheaper than the CB 5036. The Woodmaster appears to be a very simple design and easy to maintain.

I am looking for a little first hand experience with both these models, and why one may be a better choice than the other. Thanks

 

[abohac]

Thanks for the response. You have explained well how boilers without fans work, however you have not proven that a boiler without a fan works better than a boiler with a fan. I still think a boiler with a fan will heat up faster and burn cleaner than one without.

That, combined with the fact that the Woodmaster is over $1000 cheaper will have me calling the Woodmaster dealer tomorrow. I think CB makes a good product, but I want to look at the Woodmaster up close and if it is of comparable quality and the dealer is competent, I think that may be what I go with.

Your instincts are exactly right. Forced air has got to be better (I have one).

 

[trialanderror]

this thread is so old....

 

[kicohman]

Stay Away from Central Boiler Wood Furnaces

I would be careful of Central Boiler. I too was very impressed with their product 6 years ago when I purchased one. Now they want me to pay $2000 to get it fixed and they are not standing behind their warranty. My friend and I purchased identical units that came on the same truck and beleive it or not they sprung leaks half way up the fire box in the same locations at the exact same time. The company in no way finds that odd. They just say that we did not burn them properly. The side walls of the firebox consist of 1/8" steel not the 1/4" that the dealers tell you, and the 1/8" steel is not thick enough to withstand the temperatures. I have never been treated so rudely by a company in order to get the issue resolved. I personally think that they have a huge problem that they are not willing to admit and they are hiding the true problems. I would love to hear from other Central Boiler owners that have had similar problems.