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[bcanode]

New here and trying to figure out where to begin? 
I'm wanting to buy a OWB sometime in the next year. Have about 2000sq ft to heat and will be adding a garage sometime in the future.Will be heating DHW. Trying to stay away from all the snake oil  but what is the most efficent for the money?

[rick w]

portage&main

[Speed]

Probably a gasifier from what I understand. Supposed to be the most efficient, but they carry a large price tag. This is a hard one to answer. Ask 10 different owners, and they'll all tell you buy the brand they have. Figure out which have the least complaints, then start sorting from there with your own personal preferences, price, availability in your area, dealer rep, etc, etc, based on your desires. Do you need epa certified in area or will a standard own fit the bill?  Central Boiler, Woodmaster, Portage & Main, Empyre all have good reputations to name a few. Wood Doctor & Shaver are two that come to mind that have lots of complaints. My self, I have a Ridgewood, more of a local entity, yet a good product, but I doubt you would want to haul one from Michigan to Montana. Lots of things to consider. Owb's like lots of wood too, better like cutting wood, and being out in the nastiest weather mother nature can throw at you while filling it. These are things I love doing, but some people hate this aspect of them. Hope I helped you a little. good luck on your search!

[ecc_33]

How much would are you wanting to burn a year and what kind of wood? Big chuncks, wet wood etc will help your choice also.

[slimjim]

Thanks for the plug Rickw I also like Portage and Main over anything else I've seen in the market, but thats natural as I do sell and service them. Here are a few things that I tell people at shows to look at, Look at it up close and compare brands, weight of the unit, construction techniques, adjustable doors on all sides, exhaust temps at the breech, controls and electronics,are they available locally, is the person selling the unit knowledgable about the product and are they available to answer any questions you may have in a pinch. If you have any questions regarding PM boilers I will be happy to answer them, you have started in the right place with the forums, these folks have already gone through what you are about to embark on and are happy to guide you but ultimatly you are the guy that needs to make a decision on if or what you buy. Richard @ PM

[DaveWertz]

I have the Hardy H4. Great OWB. It gets used hard and never gives any issues minus pumps and such but that is not really Boiler related. It did gobble wood but now I got insulated pipe so it should save allot of wood. All stainless also, that might be something you want to look at.

[slimjim]

Lets see, if your buddy buys a brand new Ford pickup truck, drives it for four years, does minimal scheduled maintenance, oil changes etc does not adhere to the rules in the owners manual or warranty, somehow Ford should be responsible at 100 percent for any failure of the truck. I personnally have seen PM come good on warranty issues that were way above and beyond what anyone else in the industry would do and I do know as I am the guy who replaced those few units. I am not saying that we are perfect but I am saying that if we did something wrong we will stand behind the product but if the customer just blew off his end of the bargain then he should bear some of the responsibility! If you would like have your freind PM me with his contact information(phone is best) and I will see what I can do for him. Richard @ PM

[fryedaddy]

Ford vs. Chevy vs. Dodge.... We all have our own opinions about whats the best.

I bought a conventional water stove that's made to go inside an enclosed building.
Most of the folks here don't like this style but I love it.

It great to know that 100% of a companies customers are happy with their product.
Unfortunately the internet has more complaints than positives about the stove.

If it were me I would buy a local product if one is available to save from a possible
headache if something is wrong.

If you decide to go with one of the larger companies stay with the big names. Check the specifications
very closely and don't pay attention to the hype each manufacturer states.

If you MAINTAIN your stove you should have a long life with any of the larger companies.

[johnybcold]

Do some local research having a good local presents is nice

[Speed]

Ford vs. Chevy vs. Dodge.... We all have our own opinions about whats the best.

I bought a conventional water stove that's made to go inside an enclosed building.
Most of the folks here don't like this style but I love it.

It great to know that 100% of a companies customers are happy with their product.
Unfortunately the internet has more complaints than positives about the stove.

If it were me I would buy a local product if one is available to save from a possible
headache if something is wrong.

If you decide to go with one of the larger companies stay with the big names. Check the specifications
very closely and don't pay attention to the hype each manufacturer states.

If you MAINTAIN your stove you should have a long life with any of the larger companies.

Man, if you can find anything with 100% satisfaction rating I'd like to see that! That would have to be a statistical impossibility wouldn't it, lol?!??

But yes, maintenance is key to any product living a respectable life span. And, I wholly agree that you are going to hear more horror stories on the internet. Majority of people that aren't having problems aren't going to be on a website, bragging about every time their heat source made it through that bitter cold snap. Or every time everyone in the family took back to back showers, while someone was doing dishes, and never ran out of hot water. Some people are only going to hit the net when it springs a leak on Saturday night @ -15 in a driving snow storm and be freaking out because something failed, meanwhile forgetting all the months it was trouble free. And they are definitely not going to tell you they never did maintenance on it while they are blaming someone for a product failing!

There are lots of good products out there, by reputable companies, when cared for that will give you years of service if cared for. You just have to find what you are comfortable with, with good support behind it in your area.

[slimjim]

So here is an update on Baldwin racing's June 5 2013 post #6    I have spoken with Canada regarding the problem with his boiler and the two stories do not match, Since the owner nor Baldwin Racing have replied to me Via this forum, PM or phone I think it would be safe to say that one of three things have happened here. #1 Competition bashing, (I really don't like that)#2 The issue has been resolved, #3 both parties are considering options at this time, In any case I personnaly don't think that posting inaccurate information about a freinds problems is in your freinds best interest, Again he may contact me Via the office or PM me with his current contact info.  Richard@PM

[slimjim]

Yes please I would like that very much as I would like his problem solved.

[Jason37756]

I don't know if the original poster is still interested in a own, but I would like to say that purchasing a shaver would be a mistake. They produce a sub par product and the warranty is simply not as they say. Mine started leaking after two seasons after discovering the problem it became obvious to me that I may as well fix it myself.

Buyer beware.



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[franky1]

Check out the BL series.
portageandmainboilers.com

[slimjim]

I just spoke with our wisconsin dealer about the BL series and he says that he likes them very much, big improvement over our ML series, much cleaner, hotter, efficiant. I can't sell them here in Maine as we are one of those states that require the EPA phase 2 tags, what a shame. To my knowledge it will not be tested and if it were it would be at least a year before approval, we just went through that abortion with our enviro 500 wood chip boiler, the most wooded state in the continental US and some of the stictest laws in the nation regarding wood burning and no regulations on coal at all, makes sense doesn't it. I guess what I'm saying is if you can still buy it in your state, do it before you can't.