Outdoor Wood Furnace Info
All-Purpose OWF Discussions => General Outdoor Furnace Discussion => Topic started by: b7200 on March 02, 2019, 07:25:29 AM
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Hi everyone, I am researching a new boiler for my house. Our current unit is a Greenwood Aspen 175/Empyre Pro Series. It has recently suffered from catastrophic failure of the firebox/water jacket. It has been running for us for 10+ years. I have fixed everything on it, leaking gaskets, blown fans, melted door, broken firebrick, etc. I installed it in October of 2018. I believe that it was the first or second EP certified unit in my town.
With that being said I am looking for a more reliable unit with less moving parts.
I am open to any manufacturer that has a viable warranty (mine ran out upon installation)
House is 2,500 square feet, new shop will be an additional 1500 square feet.
Laws and regulations aside, what is my best option? No one will know if I change out my boiler, as my closest neighbors are 1000+ yards away. I am also considering a metal shed over the new boiler to give me a place to work that is dry.
Thanks for your advice...
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First question to ask yourself is- closest dealer?
Your top 2 manufacturers IMO is Crown Royal and HeatMaster. I just sold my 2yr old HeatMaster and am switching to a CR. Lived my HM just want to try a CR.
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Prepare for Heatmaster commercial in 3.....2.....1......
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Your warranty was gone long before you installed the stove, they've been out of business for around 6 years already. What part of the world are you in and what is the heat load of your buildings combined? Square footage means nothing if you're comparing a cardboard box to a freezer. Federal law says all OWB must meet phase 2 standards, but some states do not participate in it and will still allow coal stoves which also burn wood, quite well in fact. It would appear as though James is upset that he has no warranty from Portage and Main, while reputable companies like Heatmaster follow through with warranty claims and make it right with the customer. Crown Royal has also been very cooperative with warranty from what I've seen. Central Boiler seems to be getting better with it, while P&M seems to be getting worse. They make up the top 4 manufacturers IMO, all have a good quality product on the market but it may come down to location and dealer support for you; should you happen to need support or service down the road sometime it'll be pretty tough to get when the nearest dealer is 8 hours away.
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Dealer proximity is something to seriously consider. I’ve turned sales away and sent them to a dealer much closer to them. Did that for the simple reason if I’m in the middle of planting or harvest and trying to beat the weather, I’m not gonna stop so I can drive two hours each way to deliver a $50 part.
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Well I’ll be darned James, you hit the nail right smack on the head, you must be psychic or perhaps you have come to the same conclusion that I have, this site is now advertising central.
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I hope Marty doesnt let this forum get sucked into the Facebook muscle flexing. Marty has always been fair, and I think anyone can try to promote their brand on this site...isnt that right Marty?
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Heatmaster G series or Crown royal Prestine series. I don’t like the others for a few reasons, partly because of the mild steel and partly because of manufacturer stuff imo.
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I hope Marty doesnt let this forum get sucked into the Facebook muscle flexing. Marty has always been fair, and I think anyone can try to promote their brand on this site...isnt that right Marty?
Nope, I go thru and delete all posts advertising other brands. I also send a team of chinese hackers after the offending members.
Long as you stick with a reputable manufacturer it breaks down to chevy vs ford vs dodge. Somepeople love their Duracraps and others wouldn’t ever part with their Powerjokes, personally i like my cummins.
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Welcome to the forum b7200.
Find a reputable local dealer, read reviews online, look at several that are burning if possible.
As far as Heatmaster goes (what I sell and service) I'm a pretty big fan of the GS line.
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b7200 - Don't dismiss the Central Boiler Edge line. It's a new series so of course there are some growing pains with it. I have the Titanium Edge 550 and it heats my 3500sqft, 1840's farmhouse and DHW with no problem. I did have a couple of minor hiccups with it; the controller that came with it was faulty so they sent me a new one at no charge along with a return label to send the faulty one back. I'm the quintessential DIY'er so I do my own work so I swapped it out myself. The low water sensor needed to be replaced and again it didn't cost me a dime, only my time to see my dealer, swap it out and ship faulty one back to CB on their dime, no cost to me. The thing I absolutely love about it is the wifi connection. I can monitor my 550 from anywhere as long there is a wifi signal. I can make some adjustments to some of the operating parameters if I wish from my iPhone. It will send me a text message if there is a problem, that's how I learn the low water sensor was bad, I received a text message from OWB of all things. Some folks complain the CB customer service sucks, all I can say to that is my experience is different their claims. I haven't had any negative responses from CB, always been very helpful to me. As others have said, shop around, talk to people and decide from there. All I wanted to do was let you know I've operated CB units for 8 winters and other than the small hiccups (most are caused by something stupid I did) I've been very happy with mine. Roger