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[civiccrazy]

I am wanting to get a OWB for my house within the next year or so.  This will be my first one.  My House is about 1900 Sq Ft.  I think I have narrowed it down to the Woodmaster MF3300 ($5175) or the Hawken Energy He1100 ($5595).  I am wanting some pros and cons I guess for each one?  There are dealers close to me for both.   I downloaded the Energy Industy Comparison Report from the Hawken Energy website.  They compared 10 different ones.  The Hawken Energy was the best one. 

[Ridgekid]

Welcome!

I know someone that has a Hawken and operates his 24/7/365. He has no complaints and burns everything in it! (You don't want to know). My son and I went to the same dealer he bought his at and they no longer offered Hawkens. They switched to Central Boiler, which is what we ended up buying. (Won't get into details why they dropped Hawkens).

As far as the comparison report you referanced, it's two years old. The report said they used www.outdoorwoodfurnaces.org as part of thier study. I found the site to be informative, but nothing there to really compare OWB's. When you clicked on Manufacturers, they send you to a distributor for Econoburn. Kinda one sided if you ask me.

Since your a year away, you have plenty of time to make your final decision. Feel free to look over our website and ask questions.

Good Luck!

[Bull]

Welcome civiccrazy, there is plenty of good information here so check out the sections on those 2 brands and others also before you make your choice.

[civiccrazy]

I have seen on here that a lot of people are installing their selves.  I know it would be cheaper.  But how much?  How hard is it to install yourself?

[Ridgekid]

Here's an example for my install. Be advised I did do some of the work myself (Installed pad, dug trench and buried pipe) Note the Labor was approx $750.

Cl 5036 $6160
85' Thermo-pex @ 12.00/ft= $1020
Heat Exchanger $291
Taco pump $213
40' Pex pipe (to make connections to heat exchanger/CL 5036) - $64
Misc Fittings/Insulation for pipe at unit $50
Aquastat and thermo valve-$150
Chimney cap-$76
Power Cord for pump $5
Two Thermopex caps $40
Installation $750 (2 guys coming 70 miles away)
Shipping $ 210
Tax (6%) $540
Grand Total=$9569

Does that help?

[civiccrazy]

This does help.   I am hoping to do the installation myself.  Thank you very much

[civiccrazy]

How do i know how big of a heat exchanger I need?

[Bull]

Here is some info on how to size your HE  Basic Calculation

    One BTU is sufficient to heat about 55 cubic ft. of air by one degree Fahrenheit. To figure out how many BTUs are needed to heat one square ft. of floor area, you need to determine the cubic volume of the area to be heated and the maximum temperature needed. Measure the length, width, and height of each room in a building that is to be heated. Multiply length by width to find the square footage. Next, multiply the square footage by the room height to find the cubic volume. If you are heating more than one room, add up the total square footage and the total cubic volume of all the rooms.

    Estimate the maximum temperature needed to keep the area as warm as you wish. Take the lowest temperature you are likely to have outside during the year and subtract it from your target temperature. If you don't know the probable minimum temperatures where you live, consult the temperature data provided by the National Climate Data Center.

    Finally, multiply the number of degrees temperature change needed by the number of cubic feet and divide by 55. Then divide the result by the square footage to find BTUs per square foot. Suppose you have a 1,000-sq.-ft. building with 8-ft. ceilings and want to be able to raise the temperature from zero to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. You have 8,000 cubic feet times 70 degrees divided by 55, or 10,018 BTU. Divide by 1,000 sq. ft. to get 10.18 BTU per sq. ft.


Read more: How Many BTUs to Heat a Square Foot? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/way_6148246_many-btus-heat-square-foot_.html#ixzz1WhkpXJzT

[civiccrazy]

Well, I have found out in the past couple of days, that the EPA (I am guessing in certain states) is not allowing dealers to sell the Hawken Energy or Woodmaster OWB's.  Unless you get a certain one that costs about 3000 more.  I went to my local woodmaster dealer today and found that out.  They have 3 left of the old ones that they can sell.  So i might be buying one sooner than I thought.

[martyinmi]

You might want to consider one of the gasifiers out there. You will burn around 45% less wood than most conventional OWB's consume. If you have to buy your wood, the savings in wood will pay off the extra initial investment in a matter of only a few years. If you get your wood for free, you will be able to spend a lot less time in the woods and more time with your family. I'd be cautious of buying anything but a gasifier with the EPA throwing their weight around the way they've been lately. It would really stink to spend 5-9 grand on a conventional OWB just to have the EPA or your state or county official tell you a year or two down the road that you could no longer use it. Do a little googling and you'll see it's happening that way in some states already. The best gassers out there in my book are Portage and Main, CB, Empyre, and NC.

[civiccrazy]

What are the prices of the gasifiers?

[oldchenowth]

Last year September my Wood Doctor HE5000 gassifier was $7400.  About $9800 delivered, pex, insulated pex, HX, pump, concrete pad, fittings, wrecker to lift burner off the semi trailer, trencher rental, and a six pack of quality beer to celebrate a job well done and give a 1 finger salute bon voyage MF to my propane company. 

The last one alone was worth the extra $2400.  So my accessories were free!

[civiccrazy]

HAHA, yea i would say it was worth it.  So, they are a little more expensive it seems than the OWB's.

[martyinmi]

HAHA, yea i would say it was worth it.  So, they are a little more expensive it seems than the OWB's.

The gasifiers are OWB's, but they just produce heat a little differently than the conventional OWB's do, in that they burn the smoke released from the wood instead of releasing it into the air. They use a lot less wood, but they require a little more maintenance during the burn season than the conventional one's do. They are roughly 30% more money that their comparable conventional counterparts, but I'm convinced it's money well spent. I already have plenty of wood already cut, split, and stacked for the entire heating season. If I were still burning with my conventional OWB, I'd have been out a few times this summer cutting in the 90* heat, and at almost 50 years on this planet and a little arthritis, I'm glad I have the option of waiting till all the heat, leaves and bugs are gone before I fire up the saws.
   My wife likes your handle. She drives an old ('92) civic. 

[civiccrazy]

I have been talking this over with my wife.  I was down to a gasifier, had one picked out and everything, then she started asking about geothermal heat and air. So we will see how far everything goes.