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[yoda]

 This may sound odd to some people, but one of the reasons I bought an owb is for the work, I was born and raised on a dairy farm and was taught how to work and a work ethic from a young age. I never really appreciated this untill I was older and realized most kids these days have no work ethic and have no idea how to work.

 I don't live on a farm now, and it has always been a concern to me, how I would find enough things for my kids to do, to teach them what I learned as a kid, and am thankful for. I think most parents today are majorly dropping the ball in this area.

 I have 4 kids, and we all go out to the woods, cut ,split,stack, as a family,from my 4 year old daughter to my 11 year old son,and it is actually kind of a fun time for us as a family. When they get a little older they will also be loading the stove/ maintaining and such.

 Ok I'll get off my soapbox now


 

[zipper]

After having owned one I can give you about 100 reasons not to buy one and only one reason to buy. The freeze up issue, yes you can antifreeze the system however if you have checked on the current price of biodegradable antifreeze, I think you will find purchasing enough to do an OWB is cost prohibitive.  And as for draining down the system, that's a pain in the butt because to be sure you must blow out the lines also and you will lose all your boiler chemicals. I was dead serious about the the wood consumption, in my case it was just a ridicules amount. Yes my house heats hard but if you have new well insulated energy efficient house then why do want to mess with wood heat anyway. As for all the wood mess being outside I'll say this a mess is still there and you still have to keep it cleaned up. You are constantly tied down because you have to be there to feed it. One thing that hasn't been discussed is installed price opposed to to the on the lot dealer price. Along with the boiler you will need the underground pipe, the pump or pumps if more than one zone, also all the heat exchangers, valves and other hardware. Unless you are capable of doing all the install yourself then you must hire someone to do it for you. This can turn a $6000 boiler into $9000 system quicker than you think. I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with an OWB if that's what you want, just make sure it is before you spend your money. The one and only good thing is the fire safety issue. No one suckered me into buying anything, did that stupid mistake all by myself.

[R W Ohio]

We all have choice's to make in life.I made the choice to change from heating with wood inside to using the OWB and so far I am glad that I did . This is the third year heating with the OWB and if gas prices stay the same as this year the boiler will have paid for itself in one more heating season. Yes I was able to do all the install myself and I am sure that was a plus. Having to go out one or two times a day for about three or four minutes each time doesn't cramp my style.Spending some time cutting and stacking wood is not a problem either.The Mrs. helps and that is another plus. I knew going into it that there would be some work involved,but not so much that I mind doing it. Keeping things cleaned up is not a problem either if you keep up with it.
 
I am sorry it didn't work for you,but I am glad that we did it.

RW

[willieG]

zipper and RW both of you make good points for and against the OWB and that is what i think this site is meant to be ..a discussion about the OWB.
I agree with you zipper whole heartedly, you should put much thought into buying one of these brutes, and with your post about the true cost that is why i agreed with you on insulation and making your home more energy efficient..i believe as you that the true cost of an OWB if you can not do the hook up yourself could run well over 15 grand (i have heard one near me going at 18 grand installed and hooked up with only 80 feet of underground pipe

15 G could buy a lot of weatherproofing and insulation!
I built my own for under 1200 bucks plus the pipes and rads and things

one of the bad things about these stoves (my belief only) is that the life of one of these things is "on average" about 10 or 12 years so lets say an average price delivered and hooked up is 10 or 12 grand, tht figures out to 1000 a year towards the cost of your fuel every year so again lets pretend your fuel bill is 2 grand a year..by cutting all that wood you are saving 1000 a year so in ten years you have saved enough to maybe buy another stove to do the same thing over again

now on the good side, i am with RW..i think the family in the bush together is a great thing...you can actually trick your kids into spending time with you  and bonding..i think the time in the bush does teach good work ethics..builds character and you won't believe how much more your teenagers will open up to you with what is really going on in their lives

yes the mess is still outside...but that makes for a lot cleaner house it is much easier to scrape up the bark and chips and have a little fire in the side yard than sweep and mop and dust the house from top to bottom from flying ash or smoke damage from a backed up chimney

and you do sleep better (at least i do) knowing that wood fire is outside and not in your basement or family room

there are some good reasons for different folks on why to buy an OWB but i don't think it should be just to save money...i'm not sure you really do

for the kind of money these things are demanding now and with the grants available for other heat sources, there may be better alternitives for some folks

but im gonna cut wood another 8 or 10 years i hope

[rross]

Zipper, Ohio you both make great points and I have been heating with wood for over 20 years.  Outdoor wood stoves are the best way to go.  If you like work and chain saws you bought into the right deal .  But I hate chasing leaks in minus temps.  As for anti-freeze I'am glad I did not lose 300 gallons. I do not mind the work or welding,  BUT I DO HATE the nonchalant attitude you get from WoodMasters.  The question is should I buy a Woodmaster?  I say NO!  Here is my point, let me know if you agree or disagree.  At 4-1/2 years the stove leaks and they patch it. They told me durning manufacturing some person that was working for them cut the plate off the backside of the drum with a plasma cutter, etching a line in the drum.  They tell me I must not have been using their chemicals, so they check their records and I purchased more than enough chemicals.  I have always used a rain cap, cleaned stove completely out at shut down, changed water and chemicals, covered the chimney.  At 7-1/2 years their patch leaks, They want me to cover 80% of repair bill or they will give me $700 dollars on a trade-in.  Their patch fails and I should pay for repairs?  Take note if your stove fails before 5 years, demand a new stove.  Lesson learned!  Let me know what you think and I will stop crying about it and get back to welding.

[Jason]

You guys have both really hit the nail on the head about the pros and cons.  I too grew up on a dairy farm.  We still run the farm but the dairy cows have been gone for 9 years now (wow).  My 8 month old boy is the 5th generation of our family to live in this house.  But ours is a family that works.  Period.  Sure we hunt and camp but we are workers.  That's not said out of pride or shame-it's just the truth.  I like having the responsibility of cutting, splitting, and stacking wood to keep my wife and baby boy warm.  She goes out with me when she can, as do my dad, brother, and father in law.  We all really like getting all bundled up in the winter and keeping the home fire going, as it were.  I like walking up to the furnace on a cold, clear winter night and watching for meteors and satellites (yes you can sometimes see them with the naked eye).  It's just part of life and I enjoy it a lot, even with all of Zipper's negatives thrown into the mix.