Outdoor Wood Furnace Info

General => General Discussion => Topic started by: ffbare on February 23, 2014, 11:51:09 AM

Title: feeding wood
Post by: ffbare on February 23, 2014, 11:51:09 AM
I have been heating my home with an Osborn 2400 (indoor stove) for 4 years I love it like today Sunday I can get my house in the 70s no problem.  The only problem is every hour I have to feed the beast. How many of you guys had just a indoor wood stove before you up graded to an owb? I plan to do that for next year I wish I did that originally.
Title: Re: feeding wood
Post by: jefito on February 23, 2014, 01:35:25 PM
FFbare, hey Man I have burned my whole life, bout the the last 30 plus years in a wood stove, fed her hourly, I miss the view of the fire, she served my family well. Now I have a portage and main BL34/44. I load  2 times a day my entire house is as warm as we would like it to be. No more having to leave some one home to keep the pipes from freezing,  now I can easily be gone 12 or more hours. No worries, I also don't have to get up at night every 3 hours for the nightly feeding,,all that just to keep 1 room in the low to mid 60's, all that and still had to run the propane boiler. Only 2 months with the BL, ( no more propane) wouldn't imagine life with out her, whatever brand you go with, you will be amazed!, but look into the portage main. You won't have any regrets,,,best of luck.
Title: Re: feeding wood
Post by: ffbare on February 23, 2014, 02:54:53 PM
 :post: these are the stories I like to hear. I'm stoked
Title: Re: feeding wood
Post by: MattyNH on February 23, 2014, 04:42:11 PM
 Ive grown up with wood stove heat at my parents..Then I installed a wood stove installed in my basement…Stacked all the fire wood in my basement for the first yrs ..Like another wood stove gotta fill it every hr or so..7 years ago I purchased my OWB..Mess it out of the house..All rooms are evenly heated..No hearing the oil boiler kicking on for hot water  and/or for 2nd floor heat..I do gotta say wood stove heat is a nice heat..But its a dirty heat with all the dust and soot that can accumulate over the yrs on the walls, ceilings, etc..Wood stove is still a back up..I'll never get rid of it..
Title: Re: feeding wood
Post by: Roger2561 on February 23, 2014, 05:11:43 PM
I've heated the home with wood and coal stoves located in the living room.   Like others have said, wood heat inside the house is nice except the mess associated with it.  Now, the mess is outside and I do not have handle the firewood as many times, and I only fill put wood in it every 12 hours.  The house is comfortable throughout.  But, more importantly, I'm not handing out over $5,100.00/yr for fuel oil.  Plus, the cutting, splitting and stacking is considered a portion of my wellness program.  Good luck in your search.  Roger
Title: Re: feeding wood
Post by: ffbare on February 23, 2014, 05:18:38 PM
 :post: I'm getting in the owb boat
Title: Re: feeding wood
Post by: mlappin on February 23, 2014, 05:28:21 PM
Grew up with a wood furnace in the basement and a standalone unit on the first floor for a little boost when it was really cold. You had a choice to make on really cold nights, fill the furnace clear full then either turn the damper down a little bit and get up at least once during the night to refill and keep it reasonably warm, or turn the damper way down so the fire would last thru the night but wake up to a cold house.

Outdoor boiler ended all that foolishness. Fill it up at dark and leave the thermostat alone, house will be warm no matter what.
Title: Re: feeding wood
Post by: ffbare on February 23, 2014, 05:31:24 PM
 :post:
Title: Re: feeding wood
Post by: oldchenowth on February 24, 2014, 05:24:46 AM
Like jefito said, check which brand fits your needs and go with it.  We burned in an indoor when I was a kid and my parents still do.  Messy, sooty, handle the wood more times, mice hide in the wood and get in the house, load 10 times a day, etc, etc.  My owb I load twice a day, wood is in an chicken coop away from the house, ashes are already outside, no worries of chimney fires, heats my hot water and keeps the propane man away.  Not to mention my insurance guy said if I put an indoor unit in he would cancel me. 

The wife wants a small greenhouse we can heat with an OWB, garage, pool, workshop, whatever else you can think of.  OWB is one of the top three investments I have ever made, if not THE top.  I do not think you will be disappointed with one.
Title: Re: feeding wood
Post by: ffbare on February 24, 2014, 12:35:40 PM
 :post: thanks
Title: Re: feeding wood
Post by: Pinehouse4 on February 24, 2014, 08:42:47 PM
I have heated with wood using indoor stoves since 1981.

Have had 4  stoves going round the clock during the cold spells this winter.

Buying an OWB this spring. A 250 or a BL34/44 most likely. I intend to heat two hot water tanks and a pool as well.

Even a stubborn guy like me knows when it's time to change.

Bob
Title: Re: feeding wood
Post by: browncty on March 08, 2014, 04:08:35 PM
I grew up with an indoor wood stove as well. Its messy and smoke gets in the house. But we never were cold always warm, sometimes too warm. I always wanted to heat with wood again and now I do with an OWB, got it last year as part of my house project. We love it and the heat it produces. Everyone loves never running out of hot water for a shower. I'm also glad my community I live in doesn't have an ordinance that outlaws a boilers. I live on 2+ acres on the edger of town, so I place my boiler closest to the City Limits. My City neighbors are far away, but my Country neighbors are closer. So if they folks in the Country complain no one will care they don't live in the City limits. So far I've had no one complain and I only burn wood, which is what it was built for.
Title: Re: feeding wood
Post by: fireboss on March 08, 2014, 04:22:23 PM
It was the best thing I ever did! This winter would have broke the bank . We saved so much money iam in ohio for a weekend get away with the old lady!
Title: Re: feeding wood
Post by: hoardac on March 11, 2014, 08:14:49 AM
Wife has used wood all her life. Loves the OWB way better than a stove it keeps the mess outside and you can sleep feeling safer and warmer at night. We do have a stove for the apocalypse but would not use it except for last resort. They use more wood that is for sure but way nicer heat.
Title: Re: feeding wood
Post by: LittleJohn on March 11, 2014, 09:25:39 AM
Parents ran an indoor wood furnace (for 1500sf house) from about 1981 til about 2012 - burning about 10 FULL cord, firing 3 maybe times a day.  Then moved into new house and detached garage (heating about 7000sf at the moment) and got a CB eClassic 2400 - will burn thru about 25 cords this year, firing 2 or 3 times a day.

That and both grandparents used to have indoor wood furnaces.

NEEDLESS TO SAY, when I was a younger man I cut a lot of firewood!!!   :P