Print

[mule20]

brand new hear and need help,i just got molested by the propane company and trying to pick a owb so here it goes a little about me i live in north of kansascity mo have no neighbors my house is about 3800 sq ft built in 2010.so i do know i need to buy close to a dealer, and ive read so many reviews and boiler ads .the more i read the more confused i get the stoves arent like a car you can drive and test to see which is best . i dont want a gasser ive read to many negative things on them ,the ones iam liking or think i like are central boiler, wood master ,natures comfort,an portage and main any advise would really helpand does  portage and main really burn 1/3 to1/2 less wood thanks

[Scott7m]

In regards to yoir options

All solid choices...   

In regard to 1/3 to half, it does make a difference having the top half design, but def dont think its on the bigger end of the equation.  We sell a lot of heat master who has the same desifn in the top to collect more heat

Best thing to do

Read here, ignore most advertisements, as every company has to tell you there design is better to get a sale, read here who is having problems and whos not.  Chuckle when u see companies saying stainless dont work,  but best bet is to read here, a lot of stuff online was put there by companies to appear as independent reports

[mlappin]

You need to check any state or local regs. Nothing but EPA Phase II stoves can be sold in Indiana, before the statewide ban certain cities or townships had bans, could possibly be in your area a gasser is your only choice.

At first I was turned off by gassers as well, but the more I read that will be what I have next. Not anymore picky or temperamental than some of the stuff we have around the farm.

Also google the your final choice, a google search might turn up reports or complaints to the better business bureau or other forums. Google the dealer you plan to buy from eventually as well.

[racnruss]

I have a gasser because I live in the city.  I would not own one in the country.   

Just looked at land yesterday out in the country and am dreaming of a big standard boiler that I can put anything in without worrying about moisture content or shape of wood or tubes to clean or nozzles eroding, or snow getting on my wood, or being 2 years ahead with storage, ect....

That being the case, I like the standards built with some attempt to capture heat before smoke escapes.  Heatmaster E series and P&M BL series appeal to me the most.

I live just North of you in Iowa.

One way to do research on here is to find a member that has a boiler brand are curious about and click on their username and read all their back posts, that paints a picture too.

[mule20]

thanks for the fast reply does anyone know a portage and main dealer in nw missouri ive been on there web site and didnt see a dealer locator another problem iam running into some of the dealers dont have any boilers in stock because of there expense so you cant see them in person to compare and for the price of these boilers i want the best i can get. would it be stupid to make your own pex line to your house where i want to put the stove is about 140 ft from the house.

[Scott7m]

thanks for the fast reply does anyone know a portage and main dealer in nw missouri ive been on there web site and didnt see a dealer locator another problem iam running into some of the dealers dont have any boilers in stock because of there expense so you cant see them in person to compare and for the price of these boilers i want the best i can get. would it be stupid to make your own pex line to your house where i want to put the stove is about 140 ft from the house.

Yes thats the worst possible decision you could EVER make, thats for sure! 

I pm'd you

[MattyNH]

thanks for the fast reply does anyone know a portage and main dealer in nw missouri ive been on there web site and didnt see a dealer locator another problem iam running into some of the dealers dont have any boilers in stock because of there expense so you cant see them in person to compare and for the price of these boilers i want the best i can get. would it be stupid to make your own pex line to your house where i want to put the stove is about 140 ft from the house.

Yes thats the worst possible decision you could EVER make, thats for sure! 

I pm'd you

Def spend the money for the good pipe!!

[Sprinter]

I wouldn't be afraid of a gasser if your looking to buy a top of the brand or model. That being said I do like the simplicity and proven design of a quality non gasser. Less babysitting for sure, but also more wood consumption.
The design of your system will have as much or more of an effect on how much wood you use as well.

Yes making your own line set is possible and can perform as well as the high dollar pex lines. Hearth.com has a stickie in the boiler room on many that have done it successfully, with years of documented results. They have cost analysis per foot and full how to.  It's the long runs over 150' that are real cost effective. It really depends on what your local foam sprayer is charging.  That being said, I would still recommend logstor, rehau, wirsbo,central pex. I would keep the DIY for trying to save a line set that went bad.
Your on the right track with a P&M for quality, IMO.

[jtepn87]

What's everyone's opinion on Badger insulated pex? I understand that Logster and Thermopex may be better, but if someone is considering making their own; the premium stuff may not be financially possible. Whereas Badger comes in at under half the cost of the others, and may allow said person to double tile or even do a short run in s&d pvc in heavy water areas.

[racnruss]

I made my own but my run to the garage is only about 25 feet and lines go through the garage to the house.  But, I've actually considered digging mine up and replacing it just because now I think I should have spent the money on the good stuff first.

[cantoo]

I have a 100' run of Logstor and a 35' section of homemade. The only reason I tried the homemade was because it's a temporary run and will eventually be moved elsewhere. I spent lots of research on the lines and felt I could do a good job myself but due to all the horror stories I just decided it wasn't worth the risk. The logstor is under a driveway too so redoing a homemade line there would be money. I installed a used owb, my lines cost me more money than the owb. As for performance I haven't did any real temp testing but using my hands it appears to me that the logstor in next to no loss and the homemade I can tell is a little cooler on the return. PS, my homemade cost me almost as much as the logstor by the time I did all the running around and labor to make it and install it.
 Buy Logstor and be done. Replacing the owb is easier than replacing the lines.

[jefito]

Jtepn87 hey, I'm a newbie don't claim to know a lot, but I can tell you I'm so glad I went with logstor, a 150 run, it wasn't cheap. Neither was the owb I purchased, I didn't want any after the install issues! So I bought what I thought would be the best. Since I'm way to out of the way for dealers help and was doing it my self I just wanted to be sure. Word of caution, I bought a badger pump. Identical clone of a grundfos 26/99. Grudfos pump over 300.00 lasts for a looooong time. Badger pump, bout 60.00 didn't last even 24 hours. I guess you get what you pay for. Best of luck to you!

[jefito]

Mule 20, check out the portage and Maine BL series, I'm up and running just over a month no complaints, 1st time owner nothing to compare too, but even with pine and assorted other junk I'm getting excellent burn time on very little wood. My heatload being 4000 sq ft,  2 story poor insulation,nothing but windows and in a very windy cold area. With about a 3rd full I had over a 12 hour burn. So its worth looking at. No dealer  in new mexico so went straight to the factory. Brian martin took good care of me. Good luck to you

[slimjim]

Welcome to the form Mule 20, You will find lots of help/opinions here but the one with the most bang for the buck is don't cheap out on the pipe, boilers can be replaced pretty easily but the replacement of pipe can be really hard to swallow, Thanks for the recognition of the BL  Series from PM guys, the thing that I really like about that boiler is that it is sectional, in other words when it does leak( and I think all boilers will eventually) it can be split in half to make any needed repairs very easy or simply replacement of a section can be done, I'm not sure but I think that it is the only manufacturer doing this at this time.

[mule20]

thanks jefito great info iam waiting on some emails on different boilers companys you guys talked me into atleast going with good water line ,cant wait to tell the propane company to sticket just ordered the min 100gallons for $409. thats wrong.