outdoor wood/coal furnace

[Robertsj22]

Thinking about installing one of these in a house we are building. Anyone have one that they would like to share pros and cons. Only other options around here are propane or oil heat, or a heat pump with electric backup.

 

[Steiny]

Not a fan. Have several buddies that have them and more than one has some regrets.
Yes, they are cheap heat, but you kind of become a slave to the dang thing having to go outdoors and feed it a couple times every day.

I think gas heat and an indoor wood stove that you burn if and when you want is a much better way to go. Plus, warming up around the radiant heat of a wood stove in the house is the best.

 

[88man]

depends on your set up. Many of them you can burn big logs even green wood and non hardwood. Can be a hot water heater also.

 

[Robertsj22]

yes i like the hot water option, as they say your water heater is like 1/4 of your electric bill. I have heard people say if its coal u only have to fill it twice a day

 

[Deleted member 18333]

There are still a few people around this area that use coal to heat their homes. We sell about 50 tons a year to them. They seem to really like it from a cost point. I could never get over the stink. Coal fires are not a pleasant smell at all.

 

[Robertsj22]

i guess thats why its outside

 

[Deleted member 18333]

Didn't assume your plan was to lock yourself indoors for the fall, winter and spring. I like to spend time outside, even when I'm at home. Neighbors do as well. To each their own I suppose.

 

[Addicting]

A slave to it is absolutely correct. The maintenance on them is something not talked about normally. We have 4 in the family for the past 10 years. We have replace the door on each of them once. Each one has had multiple water pumps go bad. The blower fills with creosote and requires cleaning or replacement. All of these stoves fire boxes have a ash removal system but none work very well. A shovel is what we use most of the time.

If we were building a new house, it would be build as tight at we could with closed cell foam and a air exchanger.

I loved the idea of them but hate owning one.

 

[Horse]

I know several people that have or had various brands of outside wood burners. I think about all have them are/were heating hot water heaters in house too. I couple use them to heat a shop in pole barn too. Questions to ask yourself: 1. Do you have access to wood to feed it or you going to be buying logs; do you want to cut, spit, haul and stack wood on your days off; is someone going to be around to feed burner twice a day; what is going to be your back up heat if burner goes out? . I know the cost of buying cull logs in my area has gone up, so not that much cheaper in long run, compared to propane. I also don't have to worry about the above mentioned questions. Those I know that have quit using burner is due to cost vs propane and age..They no longer want to cut wood all summer and fall.

 

[Gellar]

I strongly considered a outdoor stove, but opted not to. Everyone I talked to that had one was not using it and they were back to Lp or natural gas. My biggest plus was that I would have been able to heat my house and shed with a big enough stove. I was not keen on the mess and they did not seem to last very long before rusting our.

 

[CUElk]

good friend of mine built a house a few years back and had it in his plans to install one. He owns a large tree company (arborist) so he had access to all the wood he would ever need. After doing the research he scratched it for many of the reasons mentioned above. He ended up with gas heat and a wood stove for back up. We are building in the next few years and that is my plan is well.

 

[jdf]

I have coal/wood outdoor furnace.
They are work. But we use to have indoor coal and wood furnace in our basement, so the outdoor one for us is great compared to dirt and smoke indoors.
I fix mine in morning before work, when I get home from work, then before bed.
We also have fuel furnace back up but no comparison. Outdoor furnace heat way warmer. Just use to it after 40 years of hot heat. My experience with them

 

[kenton]

A few things I've learned from 30+ years of feeding an outdoor furnace:

1. You need way more wood than you think you do.

2. There is a price of LP at which I would consider burning wood myself.

3. We are nowhere near the price of LP that would make me consider burning wood myself.

 

[OhBoneCollector]

I purchased and installed a Hardy Boiler about 12-14 years ago. Back then, they were 50% + cheaper than purchasing one today. I check it twice per day. If it is over 40 degrees, I can load it for the week. When I first installed it, my electric bill went from $100 to $25. (this was before all the big increases the past few years).
I have access to lots of firewood. Don't get me wrong, it burns a lot of wood, but not an excessive amount IF installed correctly. Other than replacing a fan motor 2x, it's been maintenance free. I used to purchase 1,000 gallons of propane/year so you can see my savings. It paid for itself in about 2 years.
I have some friends who only run them Jan-March during the coldest season, but I run mine from October - April.
If I'm going to be out of town with the family, I have a neighbor or family member stop by in the evening and fill it up. If not, the wife can through in a few pieces.

There are a number of companies selling these, but its the design that sinks some of them. Simple is best.

Any questions, just ask.

 

[MO Betta]

Have any of you looked into geothermal? I've thought about going with a geo system when I build a house so I won't be entirely at the mercy of the energy companies, and hopefully solar will have made a lot of advancements by the time that happens.