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[frank1414]

Hi guys,

This is my first post on this forum, so please be patient with me.  I am in the early stages of building a new home and I want to heat with a wood boiler.  I have 2 questions regarding this:

1) What are some of the best brands and models of wood boiler?  I want a quality product and not something I will have to work on every winter.

2) I would also like to have a central heat and air system (for cooling the summer months and possible heating in winter should I get too old or be unable to use the wood boiler).  Any ideas on this?

thanks,
Frank

[CountryBoyJohn]

As a fellow Newbie, here is what I did.  Read.  Lots and lost of reading.  A great way to start, is to visit the websites with the most activity on this forum.  The threads for Central Boiler, Shaver, Nature's Comfort, Heatmaster, Hardy, etc., all have many posts in the main forum section.  Go to those websites and get to know the terminology.  Then develop a wishlist.  Do I want mild steel or stainless?  Do I want an ash pan or auger or nothing?  Do I want a gasser or a conventional?  Do I want to spend a fortune or just enough to get what I need?  Once you get your wishlist, start ranking your likes and dislikes.  Eventually, you will drill down to a few models.  Then explore the past posts on those models on this forum. 

That's what worked for me anyway.  Enjoy!

[AirForcePOL]

I agree with John.  It's very easy for someone to tell you what kind of stove to buy.  But, unless you know what you want personally it will make your decision very hard. 

A few features that I would recommend are: 

1. Forced air induction over natural draft (combustion)
2. As far as the firebox door goes, bigger is better.
3. Something with a ashdoor to make ash removal easier
4. Brand name.  Look for popular companies that have been building stoves for a while.
5. Warranty

Once you find units that you like, look through the posts on here to see if people are having problems or posting about how much they like their stove. 

Good luck!

[Scott7m]

There are several good brands

System design is probably more or just as important as the stove you have though, finding a good dealer is not an easy thing to achieve, as this industry has many who do this on the side simply to make profit and have no vested interest in the way it works

[baldwin racing]

Hi guys,

This is my first post on this forum, so please be patient with me.  I am in the early stages of building a new home and I want to heat with a wood boiler.  I have 2 questions regarding this:

1) What are some of the best brands and models of wood boiler?  I want a quality product and not something I will have to work on every winter.

2) I would also like to have a central heat and air system (for cooling the summer months and possible heating in winter should I get too old or be unable to use the wood boiler).  Any ideas on this?

thanks,
Frank

frank,
these guys are right check all the well known name brands and (check warranty) most important.....next you want outdoor or indoor model? indoor you will get convectional heat (heating the building it is in example shop, grage plus you will be getting the hot water heat as well....? or out door you will get just hot water heat.....myself i went with pressurized set up not an open system....I have an indoor model in a insulated jacket that woorks very well Thermal-control is what i have and we love it.....heats my shop with convectional heat....has 20 year nonprorated warranty and i know owner (thats helps) lol I have his personal cell number if you have any ?'s for him.......www.nationalstoveworks.com is his web site, but check with all the companies and see what you like best let us know what you end up going with....
kelly

[rick w]

hi frank first off where do you live? i have done 2 yrs of research on woodboilers and to the best i found portage& main to be the best boiler for me. i like the big loading door,the ease of cleaning the ash pan,cleaning the stack from the ground,the dual pass heat exchangerand the ease of cleaning the exchanger,i have never seen a spark come out of my stack. i am burning 1/2 the amount of wood of most the other boilers. to this day i have burned 5 cords of oak and i started to burn sept 1and heat a 28x40 polebarn and a house about the same size. most states say you must have a backup heat sorce furnace,i put in an l.p. furnace and central air when its not cold enough to fire the boiler but chilly out i kick on the furnace just to take the chill out. i hope this will help. feel free to email back. rick

[fryedaddy]

I would recommend a local manufacturer. See if they can provide a list of customers if it's not
listed on the site. Maintenance is the key to your stoves longevity.