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[nikki3110]

Can someone help me? We are looking for the right burner for us. Dont know which one to buy for the right money. We have a slab home of 1300 sq feet and a garage of 2200 sq feet. Need something the heat both. Was looking at heatmor, central, mohoning.... not sure which one to get is good for us.

[lugnut]

First off....WELCOME TO THE OUTDOOR WOOD FURNACE FORUM!!!!!!!  I'm not yelling, just making a point.

Wow...that is a loaded question.  There was a suggestion on one of the banner pages here discussing just this same issue.  Phin Phan brought up the idea of having a page discussing what to look for in purchasing an OWB.  There are but two pages of suggestions, which you may want to read over.

I will go with my personal experience and I'm certain ore will join later.  Many folks on this site either still have to work for a living or they are out cutting wood.   

I looked for about two years before coming upon my decision, but my decision was based upon cost of the unit and installation as well as I wanted the entire thing done by the company/brand of my choice, due to my physical capabilities.

After looking into Central Boiler and Royal American and pricing out there COMPLETE package...I decided that we would have to live in this house for 50+ years to even think about recouping monies spent.

We have a 3700 sq ft house along with a 1000 sq. ft shop.  The hose is VERY WELL insulated, the shop not so much...but for this year, we were only concerned about heating the house.

Quick note here...you ARE doing something I wished I had done prior to my purchase.....coming to this site and reading EVERYTHING about the brand of OWBs listed on this site.  You might also look over: www.arbonist.com  lots of info there as well on OWBs.

Upon doing my research, I decided to go with a Shaver OWB because of cost.  This furnace is the bare bones deal, but there are options available with this unit.  The total furnace, not counting the under ground pex or installation cost me $5800 and I went with the Shaver Pro Series 250.  This company gives you two choices of fire box thickness and as I said, it is bare bones...but just being on here for the past 3 months, I've discovered just how to make this unit run better.  You WILL find this site has amny knowledgeable people on it...take it all in as you WILL learn.  Side note here, the other reason I went with shaver is that i will recoup my initial lay out of funds in about 5-6 years.

I will step down now and let the next fellow come up and tell about his OWB and why he chose it.

Good luck in whatever you decide, BUT remember to come back here often and just sitting and reading is very relaxing not to mention all that you will learn.

One more thing before I go...where do you reside in these United States?

Lugnut

[woodfuel]

Lugnut, i'm from WI too, so go pack go!. Anyways,  nikki3110, don't know much about shaver, but was convinced to buy a central boiler, and can't say anything positive about american royal because of the dealership, not the product. There's my 2 cents. Good luck on your research.

[muffin]

After a lot of research I went with CB6048. I got it installed and running around this past thanksgiving.  So far I am pretty happy with it and it seemsl ike a quality unit. I like it because it has one of the larger water capacities.  I have also had good luck with then getting back with me when I call.

[jrider]

As many have stated, I researched for about a year.  Almost settled on a Wood Doctor and am very thankful that fell through.  I live in a neighborhood on only an acre and a half.  Most other houses have about the same property.  It is wooded but with houses being that close, smoke was a major concern.  I felt I needed to go with a gasification unit so as not to upset my neighbors, so I went with Portage and Main 250....one of the most expensive units out there but I couldn't be happier.  It doesn't burn much wood or produces hardly any smoke - less than my fireplace overall. 
And with this unit, it literally was have it hooked up and start throwing dry wood into it - thats it!  No tweaking, very little learning curve just nice and simple.  It does require a cleaning of the heat exchange tubes about every 10-15 days but it takes about 20 minutes. 

[Bill G]

Nikki,

     I looked at quite a few different makes/models.  Surprised at the poor quality of a couple, a few more mediocre, and 2 stood at the front of "my class".  Portage and Main, and Central Boiler seemed best.  Those 2 also carried the highest price tags.  I went with P&M. 

     A gasification model does 2 things better than a conventional type.  It typically burns far cleaner and uses less wood.  2 things it requires is, seasoned wood and much more frequent cleanings.  If you have neighbors close, or your state/town/village/reservation etc may have laws/ordinances concerning what type you can have.

     Slightly larger size is a far better thing than too small.  Go top shelve on underground piping.  Spend your money once, in the beginning, and you won't have trouble when you least expect it.  Some one on here just stated, "The underground piping is the most important component of your system". 

     Most of us here, did our own installs.  It is not that difficult and I would suggest you give it a try.  You will be thoroughly educated on the workings of your system, because you did the work.  On down the road, this knowledge will probably come in handy on a future cold, snowy night when some part of your system were to fail. 

    Get the very best you can, and your money will begin coming back to you in rapid fashion.  I don't dwell on how many years it will take to totally pay itself off, but I do know the LP gas man ain't got any money from me since we struck the first match to 'er in Sept!  Last year we paid $800 for LP for Dec and Jan.  That was with me burning wood in a basement freestanding stove, also!  My house is well insulated and 11 yrs old.  So, as you can see, this is a wise investment!  I've always cut and split my firewood, so, no big deal there. 

     Do your homework and go for it.  Keep in touch...

[martyinmi]

nikki3110,
   Ditto to what jrider and BillG say. Buying one that is EPA phase 2 qualified meant a lot to me when I purchased mine. From what everyone's been saying, a phase 2 model will be about the only option in a few years in most states. EPA phase 2 simply means that they burn less wood and emit fewer emissions than their conventional counterparts.

[lugnut]

Lugnut, i'm from WI too, so go pack go!. Anyways,  nikki3110, don't know much about shaver, but was convinced to buy a central boiler, and can't say anything positive about american royal because of the dealership, not the product. There's my 2 cents. Good luck on your research.

Woodfuel....where bouts in Wisconsin???  know anyone looking for tickets for Sunday's game?  I have two for sale, though NOT face value.  Section 112, row 18, seats 3/4.

Going to be a tough game, but Vince will be looking over us and we WILL prevail!   

Lugnut

[candyman]

i also  did a lot of reading before we bought ours to heat our home 3300 sq.ft. & pole barm 35oo sq. ft.

we bought the earth outdoor wood furnace mountain man 505

[Ridgekid]

We wanted a Hawken because we knew someone that had one. Went to the same dealer he purchased from. He was now a Central Boiler dealer. That's when we learned about the new EPA Phase II requirements going into effect. We wanted something simple. "Feed it and forget it". We opted for the Classic.

We= My son bought a 4030 and I bought a 5036. We both could not be happier!!

[woodfuel]

lugnut, i'm from cascade, wi. I don't know anyone looking for tickets, but if i would have been a member here earlier, i might have bought  them from u. Stubhub got us ours.  Giants got me worried 

[6pacmac]

Can someone help me? We are looking for the right burner for us. Dont know which one to buy for the right money. We have a slab home of 1300 sq feet and a garage of 2200 sq feet. Need something the heat both. Was looking at heatmor, central, mohoning.... not sure which one to get is good for us.

Where are you located?

[leguftek]

I went with a Cadillac 5600.  You can go to the following website and read about it for yourself.  Make an informed decision.....I looked in detail at over 24 different brands before deciding on this one!

http://www.nsteelmfg.com/cadillac_5600

[DevanD]

I'm a newbie to OWBs and OWFs too and luckily found this site. It seems like there are so many models to choose from. As far as servicing and warranties, would it be best to buy an OWB or OWF that have a local dealer in case something breaks or goes wrong?

[tbone]

That's what I would recommend.  I don't have any back up heat, so if something goes wrong that I can't fix or I need a part...I can get in touch with my dealer.  I have his cell#.  So I would check on their policy on service.....(i.e. if they can provide 24hour/7day a week service or contact info).