Outdoor wood gasification furnaces

rockyridgefarm · Feb 8, 2011

Hey fellas,

I found what I hope is a good deal on an outdoor wood gasification furnace. I haven't done any research because I thought I wasn't gonna be in a position to buy one this year. So now I'm casting about looking for info before I go look at it tonight.

It's capable of heating 6000 square feet and my house is 2000 or so square feet. My hope is to build a shed with shop in a couple years, so the extra capacity would be nice. However, I'm concerned that too much extra capacity will result in wasted wood (it still costs money and time to make it!) or some other unforeseen problem.

The house has a 15 year old fuel oil furnace now that we'd just leave as-is for backup, but it's sure a hungry hippo. We've refueled it for a third time so far this year at 600 bucks. Worst is, we keep the house at 60 degrees most of the time, so we're not even enjoying a nice warm house!

Any thoughts?

caterpillar guy · Feb 8, 2011

I would go to an outside wood furnace, as they have bigger fire boxes thus wood can be cut longer.I have a Wood Master 5400 It is supposed to heat 10,000 sq ft I keep the thermostat at 70. We cut it about 3-4ft long and only split what wont fit in the door which is 27"x27". Obviously we don"t split much. I built a hoist from a shed door track with an electric cable hoist to lift the big stuff. If it is -10 or colder I will go through a pile of wood 20ft long by 3-4ft high cut 3-4 ft length in 2 weeks.

Gary in da UP · Feb 8, 2011

I would think that more insulation and the best doors and winows you can afford would give the best payback. Oversizeing any heating system is not economical, and with an outside woodburner you would generate a lot of smoke from a smoldering burn.
Improve your homes efficiency, build your shop, then size your heater accordingly.

Zachary Hoyt · Feb 8, 2011

We have an indoor wood gasification boiler which we run year
round. In winter it does heat and hot water and in summer it
does hot water only for our main building. It is very economical
because the burn is controlled by a draft fan. When the water
temp in the boiler reaches 200 F the fan automatically shuts off
and comes on again when the temperature drops below 200.
When the fan is off combustion stops. I have opened the door
when the fan has been off for an hour or two and the charred
wood is not even hot to the touch, but when the fan comes on or
the door is left open for a few minutes it will flame right up and
burn quite hot. I am not sure how a furnace application might
be different from a boiler.
Zach

Ken Macfarlane · Feb 8, 2011

Exactly why I wouldn't put a normal outdoor wood boiler in. They use too much wood. Go crazy tried to keep up with their appetite.

Geo-TH,In · Feb 8, 2011

I agree, not to mention, insulation, doors and windows have a tax advantage. All improvements pay you back each month without you doing anything.

Craig2 · Feb 8, 2011

I have an outdoor wood boiler.("Central Boiler"). This is my 5th winter using it and I love it. My house is an old farmhouse built in 1911 and not well insulated. Keeps our house at 74*. First year in our home we spent $2500 buying oil during a fairly mild winter. Haven't bought any oil since buying wood burner. I spend approx. $350 a year for gas and oil for saw, gas for splitter and fuel for truck. I have a good supply of wood and plenty of help to get it. Dad and Bil both burn wood. As for using a lot of wood. I burn about 10 cords from early fall to early spring. Mine is properly sized for my house though. Can you adjust how hot you want it to get on the one you are looking at. How hot you burn mine is a big factor into how much wood it burns.

Anonymous-0 · Feb 8, 2011

Many states already require EPA Wood Gasification furnaces and more will be soon adding the requirement. They are more energy efficient, burn less wood and are much cleaner burning all while using a renewable wood resource.

TomH in PA · Feb 8, 2011

Gasification heaters need some way to store the heat between firings. A big water tank (>600 gallons) or something else with lots of thermal mass is necessary because when they burn they produce a lot of heat.

Good news is that with a large tank you could probably go a couple of days between firings.

rockyridgefarm · Feb 8, 2011

Thanks for the info guys.

A couple answers to asked questions -

We have already replaced the most inefficient windows in the house and plan on doing a couple a year until all are replaced. The house itself "seems" to be pretty well insulated, but it was built in 1930, so I wouldn't be surprised if it's not as efficient as I think.

I'm only considering such an oversized furnace because it's the only one offered. If there were a smaller one, I'd buy it. I think $5800 for a brand new one is a pretty decent price. The seller said he could have me burning wood by the end of next week for $8 grand.

I'll keep looking here for more comments.

Bill

RockRon · Feb 8, 2011

From personal experience with an outdoor wood boiler...oversized boiler=smoldering wood=creosote=inefficient burning
=more wood needed. I don"t know how a gassification would figure in, especially with a heat storage source.

John S-B · Feb 8, 2011

You can also use it to heat your hot water tank, as well as heating your garage. I have a neighbor that had that problem of too much heat output, he put a heating unit in the barn just to keep it from boiling off the water in the system. I do believe they work better if you use most of the heat.

woodywood · Feb 9, 2011

Guys,
If you are looking for a gasification furnace, check out the FlexFuel by WoodMaster. It is capable of burning wood, wood pellets, or wood chips. Solar capable and also has a money back guarantee. Most efficient furnace on the EPA website. Spend less money and time at your furnace and more free time to do what you love. Check it out @ www.woodmaster.com

Outdoor wood gasification furnaces

rockyridgefarm

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caterpillar guy

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Gary in da UP

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Zachary Hoyt

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Ken Macfarlane

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Geo-TH,In

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Craig2

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Anonymous-0

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TomH in PA

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rockyridgefarm

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RockRon

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John S-B

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woodywood

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