Best bang for the buck Outdoor woodburners?

[IndyGunworks]

Can I get some reccomendations for a budget friendly but QUALITY outdoor wood burner. this will be for new construction, well insulated house. 1800 sqft upstairs (8ft ceilings) 1800 sqft basement (9ft ceilings). Eventually I will have an attached garage around 1200 sqft with an upstairs attic work area.

I would like to be able to use the external wood burner to heat most if not all of this. Some of the models I have seen have two zones which would work for the upstairs and the basement, but would like the option of heating the garage with it as well.

 

[sdh]

I put in a Central Boiler about 4 or 5 years ago and have no complaints. Make sure you don't skimp on the underground piping. I bought the pipe that is already spray foamed with a hard pvc jacket from Central Boiler. It works great. If water gets around your water lines you will burn a lot more wood. I put a 4" perforated field tile under my water lines to drain ground water away.

 

[churchmouse]

I helped install one at a good friends place this summer. It has him smiling ear to ear. Not sure of the brand and it was not cheap but if it holds up and he gets several years of service from it the expense will be recouped for the most part.
They do require attention as in wood supply and keeping cleaned out. If you have a steady and free supply of wood plus the time to attend them this is a good deal.

As to the free wood.....nothing is free. I blew my saw up getting some "Free" wood of his property this week end.

 

[bwframe]

I assume you have researched the negative aspects of outdoor wood burners also? I remember, years back when these systems became popular, some communities were going as far as establishing ordinances against these systems. The continual hanging smoldering smoke of these systems in certain environments is annoying, if not unhealthy.

 

[sepe]

I believe it is a Central Boiler that my uncle uses. It has held up well, been in place 10 or so years so far, and performs well. Always have hot water and a warm house. I've never noticed an annoying hanging smoldering smoke and his place is out in the woods.

 

[x10]

The smoke haze is very prominent out our way, on mornings that air is layered it will blanket the valley's, in 2 places on just the right days you can track the smoke back to the house a 1/2 mile away. Depends on the lay of the land.

I have looked at alternatives and in the past had 1 house that was wood heat only, one house that supplemented. My parents still burn wood.

My opinion is the cost of a quality wood burner vs. the cost of a good high Eff. LP furnace are a wash. if you build in a 15 year life to both products (results vary) the last time I did the math, they were too close to count.

A lot of people forget the $400 chainsaws, the extra $1500 wood truck, the 6-8 weekends a year you spend cutting the wood, The daily toil of going out to feed, clean, maintain.

One of the things that really turned me against wood heat besides the burns on the back of my hands, was holiday's, We would be out late at family gatherings and such and get home late and all I wanted to do is go to bed but I was out restarting the fire and feeding the thing until it got going,

If you've always burnt wood going from an inside stove to an outside furnace is like being freed from slavery, but if you've never had wood before I think the romance would be short lived.

Plus outside furnace's don't work without power so your not gaining a Survival in bad weather option

 

[ghitch75]

unless you get a gasification boiler they will eat wood.....30 to 40 ricks a year.......all brands of outdoor boilers warranty aren't worth the paper there wrote on!!!.....if you have a crack or erosion they will make up the rules as they go.......your ash line is to high,your water treatment isn't right....+ you have to pay shipping both ways and too there pro rated 1 to 5 years 100% replacement(BS) 5 to 10 75% 10 to 15 50% 15 to 25% and to you pay ship both ways....$1200 or more...as said get good underground pipe and zone valve the the appliances......i have installed a many of them......i would get a indoor boiler like a Tarm and a storage tank.....i run a highly modded Royal Crown boiler and as of now i'm heating over 4000sft and hot water and in cold weather(30f and below) it burns a rick a week was 2 ricks a week before mods.....

 

[CathyInBlue]

Tell me more of these indoor/basement incinerators/boilers…