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jdemaris
11-03-2004 05:40:58
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Re: Hmmm... in reply to paul, 11-02-2004 19:39:49
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That's not a bad price for the Tarm if they do what they claim. As far as outdoor units, best price I got here in Central New York State was around $7000, and that's with me installing it. That's for a unit with a stainless-steel firebox. But, most wood boilers are inherently problematic by design because the wood fire gets cooled to an inefficient temperature. Compound that with the way many outside furnaces are used, and they become extremely inefficient. Most owners I know or have spoken to regard their outdoor furnaces as "fireproof" since they are not attached to their houses. Subsequently, they burn wet and/or green wood, trash, and also let them smolder on fairly warm days. I've yet to find someone that uses their outdoor furnace with the same care as an inside unit normally receives, so comparing is difficult. Many companies that sell such furnaces advertise them as being able to burn green wood, unsplit wood, etc. I heat my barn and workshop with oil-hot air and/or a convection wood furnace. I keep the thermostat set at 35 degrees F., and only turn it up when I'm working in there. When it gets real cold, or I'm working for a long time, I fire up the wood furnace. When it gets -20 to -30F, I keep it going constantly. My house has oil hot-air and a woodstove. As long as I'm home to load it, the woodstove heats the entire house unless the temp. gets down below zero F. So, I've hemmed and hawed, and finally decided to build an addition on the house that will store firewood and install a wood furnace in. At first, I was considering installing a Tarm boilter, and then using a water-to-air heat exchanger to connect it to my two oil-hot-air systems (house and barn) along with a very large heated water tank. This would enable me to fire up the furnace every couple of days, heat a large amount of water, and then shut it down. But time is getting short before winter, I got fed up, and bought a simple, crude (by today's standards) hot air wood furnace. I will pipe one underground heat duct to my barn that is only 75 feet from my house. Just buying a conventional wood furnace was not easy. Many companies exagerate, or just plain lie about the furnaces they sell. I wanted a furnace with a heavy-duty firebox since I've had lots of experience repairing burnt out baffles and fireboxes. Tractor Supply Company sells furnaces made by United States Stove Company and has them in stock - for around $1800. But, the firebox looks thin and they offered little information on it. So, after a lot of looking around, I found a farm equipment manufacturer that makes and sells furnaces called "The Woodchuck." The company is Meyers. They market their large furnace as having a 4 gauge steel, firebrick lined firebox, so I bought one for over $2000. Got it home, unpacked it, and found out they lied - plain an simple. The upper part of the firebox IS 4 gauge, but the lower part - which gets hidden by the firebrick, is like a beer can and is only 12 gauge steel. I called the company, complained, and they offered me a $200 refund which I took only because I am so frustrated. In retrospect, I probably should have bought the Tarm but I need to get something done. After getting this Woodchuck furnace that was misrepresented, and having the Canadian company basically refuse to sell me their EPA rated furnace, I gave up. Maybe I would have been ahead to buy a used furnace for $100, they are in the newspaper often. My new "Woodchuck model 4000" still sits on my trailer, and I have moments when I feel like calling up New York State Consumer Fraud - but - I bought it through a local "mom and pop" dealer. They are nice people that I've known for over 20 years, and I don't want them involved. The Meyer's Company has their furnaces with the "specifications" at:
http://www.meyermfg.com/woodchuck.html
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