Exterior Wood Furnace Recommendation?

[mooboy76 4]

I am looking to install an exterior wood furnace, but there seem to be a lot of different manufacturers and models out there.

Anyone using one that they really like or hate?

I heard good and bad about them, but nobody had specific details. Just a bit of 'so-and-so's rotted out after 10 years' or 'had to feed it 7 times a day and it smoked like an SOB'.

I see what looks to be called H&H models on 11/17, but don't see much about them online.

Any recommendations?

[Dean 1]

I moved out of the city 2 years ago to a place with a wood furnace. It was old and rusted (don't remember what it was), so replaced it with a Central Boiler classic 5036, from H&H out on 11/17. Heat my house (2500 sq ft bi-level), garage, hot water, and hot tub with no problems at all. Burned well less than 10 cords per winter over the last 2 winters. Load it up twice per day, that's it. I run glycol in it so can shut it down, heat on propane, and can go out of town with no worries in the winter. Its lots of work cutting up wood (no splitting required), but way cheaper than propane. I have heard to stay away from stainless steel models but not sure about that. Any questions just ask! Dean

[mooboy76 4]

Forgot to check back!

That sounds like the type of setup that I am going to put in. We are doing a propane furnace with a plenum tie-in for the wood furnace. Definitely putting the anti-freeze in at the recommended levels. We are only going to be heating an 1800sqft house so far, but with the option of other outbuildings later.

Hot tub is a GREAT idea - I will consider that down the road!

Did you do the install yourself or did H&H do it? I am seriously looking at a Portage & Main BL28-40, but would have to do the install myself because there are no Portage & Main dealers in town. Shipped straight from the plant in Manitoba.

[mooboy76 4]

Might do a plate heat-exchanger for the hot water or go with ON-Demand.

The amount of wood they eat up seems to really vary.

Some say 5-10, others way over 10, but some of those people are throwing any type of wood in there.

I do not plan on dumping green wood into the firebox, although that unit (the Ultimizer) will handle it. I like the option, just in case I get stuck one year.

For a few grand more, the Optimizer setup is really good looking, but would be overkill for my 1800-2000sqft, and needs 20-25% moisture wood or you gum it up. Feed it right and it is supposed to be really efficient, what with burning most of the combustable gases and such.

[Dean 1]

I don't know who did the original install on the system, and when I bought the new stove from H&H, all they did was deliver it and put it in place (and take my old one for me). I did the new hookup myself to the old system. I also have a propane forced air furnace with the plenum heat exchanger in the duct above the furnace. As for the hot water, it is heated with just a copper sleeve that the hot glycol runs around and natural convection moves the water back to the hot water tank as it heats. Its not the quickest for reheating the water but it keeps the water very hot. Then the glycol leaves the house and passes through a rad in my garage before returning to the boiler. My house is 2x6 construction so it is insulated pretty well. I know someone with an older house, not as well insulated, and he says he goes through 12 or 13 cords a year. How your house is insulated will have a lot to do with how much wood you burn. I burn mostly dried birch, and occasionally some pine.

[mooboy76 4]

This is a new construction, modular home with R-29 on the exterior walls, so hopefully I'll be good there. I will have to check on spec for basement insulation though.

The side-arm was an option for hot water, but for an extra $40 I can get a plate-exchanger with better transfer efficiency. I will go that route if I decide to skip On-Demand hot water (wifey really wants the instant heat). Sounds like we will be running a pretty similar system, even closer after 5 years when I start building the garage!

Down the road, I think I'll look into the radiant flooring too. The guy at the factory said about $2000 and I would have everything I need to install it (probably minus the glycol).

That reminds me, I have to source a 55gal drum of ethylene glycol for the system.

How far away is the wood furnace from your house?

Thanks for the good info!

[Dean 1]

Mine is about 50' away from the house. I got my glycol from Western Supplies (Emco) in town. My system holds 200 gallons so I needed 2 drums for a 50-50 mix. Not cheap. If you are running this system I would stick with a heat exchanger for the hot water. Why pay for propane to heat your hot water when there will NOT be ANY more running costs to heat with glycol. And the hot water still has to travel from your hot water tank OR instant hot water heater through the pipes to your taps so you will not get hot water any faster with a instant system. My 2 cents anyways (or is it 5 now with the penny gone?.....). The only advantage of the instant hot water is you will never run out. It is just me and my wife here so the only time we start to get low on hot water is maybe on a weekend after 2 showers, 3 loads of clothes, and a load or two through the dishwasher. So very rare. If you have a larger family just get a larger hot water tank, worth it IMO in the long run. I hate paying for propane. I use 1/2 to 3/4 of a 500 gallon tank of propane a year, running the hot water in the summer when the wood stove is shut down, and the furnace a bit in the spring and fall, and if I go away anywhere in the winter. Hope this helps! Dean