These outdoor wood boilers are expensive,and I wanted to see how much I would have into building a gasifier myself. I have built several boilers already, but they weren't gasifiers. I knew that I was going to build one even before I purchased the 100. I used a bit of their engineering in the building of mine,as well as a few ideas I've expanded upon from Wood Doctor and Portage and Main.
I have friends that have bigger ones and they feel that theirs could be more efficient if the primary burn chambers weren't so big, so I sized my home built boiler accordingly. I got such a good deal on the 100 that I couldn't turn it down. Had I bought it new, I would have had well over 7 grand in to it by the time you add in all your incidentals and shipping.
Dry, well seasoned wood is very important to the proper function of these gasifiers. That is the hardest thing that we have to learn when using these newer, more efficient boilers, and once that seed gets planted in our heads, we can sit back and see just how efficient these marvels are. When you finally buy one you'll find yourself checking it as often as you can, and you'll find yourself wishing you could throw some wood in it-ask anyone who's installed one and they will tell you the same thing!
If you get your wood cut and split and stacked to dry right now it should be dry enough by this fall. I burned mostly all white ash last winter,most of which were live trees that didn't know they were dead yet(Ash Bore),and I was able to cut,split,stack, and burn right away. I burned a face cord or so of white oak that was from a live tree that was taken down in October and it wasn't quite ready yet, but it is now and it burns awesome. Wet wood tends to allow more tar and creosote to build up in the heat exchange areas, and it can be difficult to remove.
I hooked the 100 up the last week in January and I've probably used around 3 full cords since then(I've been heating my DHW almost all summer).
Before you buy, you need to make a trip to my place and see one in action. These things smoke so little that most of the time when they are cycling you don't even know it.
The dealer up north that I bought mine from said at that time I was the only one in this state with a 100, so I think I've been a bit of a guenna pig for Empyre.
Give me a buzz and I'll be happy to tell you more in's and out's I've learned.
Marty