Outdoor Wood Furnace Info
All-Purpose OWF Discussions => General Outdoor Furnace Discussion => Topic started by: lefty on July 27, 2009, 05:03:40 AM
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most people i talk to or read about have not had there owb for more then 5 years. has any one had a owb for 10 years or more ? if so what kind and what problems have ya had? thank you
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most people i talk to or read about have not had there owb for more then 5 years. has any one had a owb for 10 years or more ? if so what kind and what problems have ya had? thank you
lefty, mine is home made and i just finished year 8...this winter (near the end of the season) i replaced a solenoid switch and a blower
i have a brother inlaw that has been burning a "green valley" that is (i believe) Heatmore for i think a little longer than myself, (maybe close to ten years) i think he has had no major problems. He replaced a blower about 2 years ago and i think a door gasket
i have never really looked at his stove in the past 4 years so i can't comment on how it is aging but i believe he is still happy with it
but i do believe that he is getting near the end of the stoves life expectency (only my opinion)
i often wonder how long a life span the manufactures give one of these things..perhaps one of the dealers will chime in on that?
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Had my 434 woodmaster for 7 years. Burned it 24-7. Just shut it down to drain and refill yearly. Never any problems. Sold it in 4 hours after listing it for sale, for 1500 dollars. PAXO 60 gasification boiler in the works with 1500 gallons of water storage. Burn only when needed. Like charging a battery. About half the wood consumption. I think that soon , non epa stoves ,will be the original owners to keep. I'll bet they'll make it illegal ,to resell and install the traditional OWB"s soon. So I would say, get your use out of them, or unload them while you can, or if your not happy with your wood consumption ,etc. I'm not knocking OWB's, just a heads up. I can see something like this comming. Just my 2 cents. Sure beats the oil man!
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We went to look at a log splitter that was listed in the paper maybe 2 years ago now and the fellow had a Hardy H2 that he claimed was close to 20 years old. I think he said it was 18. Said they replace the grates every three years as preventative maintenance but that it was a real good unit. In case you don't know, Lefty, Hardys are all stainless steel on the outside, not painted or anything. Just a silver square box. His looked like a pop can you'd crush and then kind of straighten out again. Even the stack was all mashed up. I can't imagine what they did to it but the thing was rolling smoke.
As a thought, you could maybe contact some dealers and ask them for names of people in your area that have old furnaces. Most OWB owners seem more than happy to talk up their furnaces.
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I have a friend in Portland, Ohio that has a Taylor that is 21 years old. He bought it used but in new condition, and has had no issues with it. He uses it all year round to heat his home, shop, and domestic water, He has replaced the usual,,,,,,, blower,, temp controller, etc, but has had no major issues.
His advantage is, he is a metallurgist by trade, and is meticulous on water sample testing, and really keeps a good eye on inspections. He is able to do detailed water analysis at the industrial plant that we both worked at. (He is still there currently) He says that is the life of the stove. He says if his ever finally goes, he will build an identical stove to replace it.
Mine is homemade,,, all 1/4" mild steel, and 245 gallons I'm very happy with it, and for the price I have in building it, if it lasts only 10 years, I will be extremely happy. I plan on a few modifications this year, but nothing major.
I think some stoves go early from users filling them with water, filling them with wood, and thinking the stove will take care of itself. Bad idea. This is a learning experience for all OWB owners.
Mark
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wow..looks like my thoughts on 10 years being the average life span are way off...that is a bad guess on my part but a good thing to be wrong about
i hope to hear more posts on the subject?
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we have just got one of our earliest models in for a trade and it was 140 aqua-therm it was 22 yrs old,if you run antifreeze in the system they will last 10-15 yrs and keep it clean and maintain well
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I know 4 people burning Central Boilers that are between 5-10 years old. I do know someone using a Hardy that's been burning for 20-25 yrs.
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I have a used Hardy H2 that was originally installed in 1987, I burn ~ 6 months of the year.
My father in law's H2 was installed in 1991, burns 6 - 8 months of the year.
Neighbor has a H2 that was installed in 1990, he burns his burns 24-7.
Other neighbor has a Carolina Water Stove (locally made brand) that was installed in 1985.
Andy
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wow i guess witn my home made stove that is q12 thick mild steel i can hope for a lifetime of trouble free use?
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WilleG -
From my experiences your stove should last a very long time if you keep your water treated properly and the welds don't crack.
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My brother lives next door to me and has had his CB for over 12 years. It's the early model 6048. He does pretty much no maintenance, doesn't use rust inhibitor, and burns EVERYTHING in it too.... :bag: No problems and loves it.