OT external wood heater

Britcheflee

Well-known Member
Anyone here have one of those external wood furnaces which pipe heat to the house - looks like a big porta potty - we have plenty of wood on the property but have to use a pellet stove as the chimney is too small for a wood stove - to put an internal wood stove will be expensive as it is a two story house - and very difficult to get a clear run to the roof through the inside.
If you have one what did it cost to install and how well do they work?

Thanks,


lee


Lee
 
B,
We have a lot of the out door furnaces in Minnesota. I would check the total cost of the furnace including installation. You will need an underground water line to move heat from furnace to home. If you do decide to get one I believe the stainless steel version is the best. If you have neighbors that are close they may not like the slow burning outdoor furnace.
I personally have an indoor wood furnace. I like not having to go outside to refill the furnace. I had an external block chimney installed 30 plus years ago. The furnace has been very efficient and worth the money. The current cost is around $4000.00 for the furnace. If you had thoughts of an indoor furnace make sure you check on insurance coverage. Hope this helps!
Mr. T. Minnesota
 



Thanks, no neighbours close enough to bother - finding a good location next to the house to be able to run the water line might be a challenge though - back of house with furnace room is right up against a stone retaining wall about 4 ft tall.
 
I have a frend that put one in the cost was $10000.00 he feeds it once every 2 days. has to cut wood for a month or so in the fall. he,s 65- 68 . i put in geothermo $17000.00 no cuting wood. (i dont have any wood on the farm) it cost me $1.00 a day to heat the house in the winter .75 to cool in the summer. with me it was a age thing. ( to old to cut wood) if you have the wood it,s the way to go. Bob
 
(quoted from post at 06:26:45 09/25/12) Anyone here have one of those external wood furnaces which pipe heat to the house - looks like a big porta potty - we have plenty of wood on the property but have to use a pellet stove as the chimney is too small for a wood stove - to put an internal wood stove will be expensive as it is a two story house - and very difficult to get a clear run to the roof through the inside.
If you have one what did it cost to install and how well do they work?

Thanks,


lee

i use a indoor wood furnace, it was i think intended to be used in a basement and connect directly into the duct for the heat pump..i have it in the garage, and connected it into the duct work for the heat pump, didn't work all that well, when the fire goes down in the night and the heat pump turned on, they sometimes would run at the same time, (the wood furnace has its own blower), i ended up having to run seperate duct for the wood furnace to keep the to totally seperate..it's a ranch type house and from the garage to the far end of the house is 70' so there had to be 2 returns one ended up being one on each end of the house..finally works. i bought the furnace used for seems like 700.00. and the duct work and chimney was near 1500.00. took 2 winters to finally get it working the way i wanted, i probably should have hired a pro to do the install, another good thing is that the cars are warm. i have 2 small wharehouse carts that i rotate, take the empty to the barn and bring back a full load or wood, which depending on temp will last 3 days to a week. i usually chuck a few pieces of wood in it in the morning when i get up, and when i get in from work i put quite a bit in, then some later in the evening.

Lee
 
Over my 50 years of heating a farm house, exposed to a predominate Northwest wind in SW Michigan, is smoke and safety and the need for a protected and properly placed on a 2 story farmhouse, outside chimily which eventualy was solved by an outdoor furnace, with a class "A" chimily (double wall, stainless. with 1 inch insulation material). I like the outdoor furnace and the ability to keep active cutting diseased trees (Dutch elm, red elm "Yellows" and now white ash "emerald ash borer") and twice a day feeding, but at 75 may have to eventually buy cut wood and quit this recreation.
the outdoor furnace is now about 10 years old, 100 feet from the house, near an old "granary for wood storage. feed with hot water to a "heat exchanger" in the plenum of the supplemental "fuel oil" hot air furnace, and has probably paid for the high initial furnace cost.
The water jacket is "mild steel" and if the water is properly tested for "Ph" and "nitrates" and treated with "corrision inhibitors", the water jacket should last a long life.
My other neighbors, use a bigger furnace and heat the farm shop and hot water heater, beside heating the house, but added a "forced air fan" to supplement the "normal draft".
More fuel cost saving was accomplished by addequately insulating the house and double pane replacement windows. I now need about 12 to 15 face cord of wood, with firewood delivered costing $ 50. a "rick".

HTH
Charles Krammin SW MI
 
(quoted from post at 07:17:56 09/25/12) Over my 50 years of heating a farm house, exposed to a predominate Northwest wind in SW Michigan, is smoke and safety and the need for a protected and properly placed on a 2 story farmhouse, outside chimily which eventualy was solved by an outdoor furnace, with a class "A" chimily (double wall, stainless. with 1 inch insulation material). I like the outdoor furnace and the ability to keep active cutting diseased trees (Dutch elm, red elm "Yellows" and now white ash "emerald ash borer") and twice a day feeding, but at 75 may have to eventually buy cut wood and quit this recreation.
the outdoor furnace is now about 10 years old, 100 feet from the house, near an old "granary for wood storage. feed with hot water to a "heat exchanger" in the plenum of the supplemental "fuel oil" hot air furnace, and has probably paid for the high initial furnace cost.
The water jacket is "mild steel" and if the water is properly tested for "Ph" and "nitrates" and treated with "corrision inhibitors", the water jacket should last a long life.
My other neighbors, use a bigger furnace and heat the farm shop and hot water heater, beside heating the house, but added a "forced air fan" to supplement the "normal draft".
More fuel cost saving was accomplished by addequately insulating the house and double pane replacement windows. I now need about 12 to 15 face cord of wood, with firewood delivered costing $ 50. a "rick".

HTH
Charles Krammin SW MI



Its killing me as I have more wood than I know what to do with but I still have to buy pellets for the pellet stove!!!!


Lee
 
I have one and intend on utilizing it until I get too old to cut the wood and feed it. I am 44, figure I might have 15-20 years of wood cutting left.
When 100 inch loads of oak and ash mixed can be had for $65 a cord I pop for one and then just have to block it to stove length. One 12 cord load lasts me 2 years if I supplement it with any blowdown from my property. My $9000 install was paid for in savings in 4 years. Now its pure savings.

I heat 2500 sq feet, DMHW, and a small shop. I have a Central Boiler and would buy anotherone in a minute.

Jon
 
I put one in almost 5 years ago, and figure it has paid for itself this year. Cost to install was about $6,000, but if I would have known what I know now, I could have saved quite a bit of money by installing most of it myself - not that difficult. Mine is not the typical stainless steel box looking one (Hardy). It does have a stainless steel firebox, and tank though. Downside is I do burn quite a bit of wood, and it would never pay off if I had to buy wood. Mine has a low volume pump that circulates the hot water (7x24), but I have an extra thermostat in the house that kicks on my propane furnace blower when it calls for heat. Simply an extra water to air heat exchanger on the top part of my furnace that works just like the heater core on your car/truck. Maintains the house temp within 1 degree. I also have two heat exchangers that heat my hot water, so my gas hot water heater simply acts as a storage tank during the winter and I have all the hot water I can use. Another down side is I have to fuel it at least 2-3 times a day and make sure it is full prior to going to bed. I had heard many stories about people only having to fill once a day, but I find that very hard to believe unless it does not get below 40 degrees, and the sun shines during the day - then perhaps. The furnace I have is supposed to heat 5000 sq feet and has two connections (one for home, one for another shop etc), but I would not want to keep it fueled unless I was home all the time and had plenty of wood. A lot depends on how much time you have, and a good supply of dry wood - do not try green wood on them - been there, done that.
I have the MF5000
 

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