Outdoor Wood Furnaces

[newchickwi]

We moved to Northern Wisconsin last year and our house has an exterior wood boiler. We have had wood stoves for heat before, but this is our first wood boiler (they are very common around here). Ours is small compared to most and is set into a workshop that is an add-on to our garage. It holds +/- 24" lengths and can be filled twice a day. It's nice to have in the shop--it stays about 60* in there even when the garage is 0*. That said, I miss having a wood stove, since you need electricity to run the pump on the boiler; otherwise, it will overheat. It cannot double as a wood stove. I don't miss the mess of wood in the house, but I do miss the flexibility of lighting a small quick fire in the morning when that is all you need.

The previous owner added this to the original house so some things are awkwardly located (pipe, register locations...). If you are reworking or adding a system, available space to work in may be a factor.

Vikki

 

[patandchickens]

I have a friend who has one. She sez it was EX PEN SIVE, but she loves it... sez it is low maintenance (at least relative to a regular ol woodstove or fireplace) and very reliable. They do have to have someone come in every couple days, whenever they go away during heating season, to refill it so the house stays warm enough the pipes don't freeze.

Whether it's worth it to you would depend mainly, I think, on a) whether you even HAVE the upfront cash (I am under the impression that they are in the $6-10k range) and b) whether you have an economical source for large quantities of wood.

HTH,

Pat

 

[ChickenTender63]

Pat, I do have the source of wood on my property to last at least the next 10 years. It comes down to the fact of up front cost involved. I received a package of information in the mail today from central boiler, but did not list prices. I have not gotten anyone on the phone yet either.

Thanks for the info pat.