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[5h2oMo]

Has anyone ever seen or bought a Heiss Heater?  Made here in Michigan, this is made with concrete. see www.HeissHeaters.com  We are thinking of getting one but haven't been able to find any reviews.  There were some posted on the hearth site several years ago, but no new updates.

[Scott7m]

Keep in mind you get what you pay for.  If they were truly as good as an outdoor wood boiler and priced thousands less I think they would have already put outdoor wood boiler companies out of business. 

Just from their website and looking at the unit I can say I wouldnt want one.  The hinges on the main door are enough to make me shake my head.

[mlbeardsley]

   I have bought one of these boilers several years ago and despite the cheap door and no insulation it worked like a dream! Once the unit was heated up it could produce heat off just a few splits all day. I dont have to worry about the metal rusting or the welds breaking cause their are none. My house is almost 3000 sq ft and i might have only used 7 cord the whole season. the unit i bought was brought out to me and the new 2012 units are so nice im thinking of trading the old one in for the new one which they said was ok. The new ones have completly taken care of any old issues and have an insulates door and outside insulation. they also use a digital therm anf flow switches to prevent overheating. i would recomend the stove to anyone. They also have gasifiers now which i may get.

[RSI]

   I have bought one of these boilers several years ago and despite the cheap door and no insulation it worked like a dream! Once the unit was heated up it could produce heat off just a few splits all day. I dont have to worry about the metal rusting or the welds breaking cause their are none. My house is almost 3000 sq ft and i might have only used 7 cord the whole season. the unit i bought was brought out to me and the new 2012 units are so nice im thinking of trading the old one in for the new one which they said was ok. The new ones have completly taken care of any old issues and have an insulates door and outside insulation. they also use a digital therm anf flow switches to prevent overheating. i would recomend the stove to anyone. They also have gasifiers now which i may get.

How much did it cost you?

[muffin]

Not much info on thier website.  How do these work?  Soundsl ike they do not have any water jacket since it mentions you need a water storage tank in the house.  Does it just have a bunch of plumbing embedded in it?

[merrellroofing]

They are made within an hour of me.  I went to check them out when I was shopping.  They pretty much put a plywood box inside a 4inch larger box, wrap copper coil around and pour it full of concrete.  The one I saw in action had a plastic 50 gallon barrell in the basement.

[muffin]

Do they then insulate the exterior?  Seems like it would be one huge radiator otherwise.

[MattyNH]

Pretty much all set..Would never consider one of these..So if it cracks and leaks....Go to Home Depot  and get Quikrete to plug the crack...Probably the cheapest OWB that I've ever seen..

[RSI]

If they just use concrete wouldn't it just shatter fairly fast from the fire? I have heard that the moisture in concrete will turn to steam if heated too hot and blow the concrete to bits.

[mlbeardsley]

They use hundreds of feet of a heavy-duty brazed copper that has calcium aluminate refractory cement that is poured around removable forms that they pull out when cured. As it cures they pump 180F water through the pipes to thermaly expand everything and dry them out within a week. I like that it wont ever rust and i can burn anything in mine. They explained water can only hold heat to 212 before turning to steam but the refractory can hold heat to 3000F and slowly release it all day when needed. I easily get 14-16hours per half fill. The new ones are worth looking at.

[mlbeardsley]

I paid 3000 dollars several years ago

[mlbeardsley]

The new ones are insulated  and the refractory cement will not break since its made for heat. I dont even have to clean the thing out in the summer!