# Trying to decide on OWB



## NC4AB (Feb 2, 2008)

I've been lurking in the shadows for a few weeks and studying the previous posts. 

I spent all day Thursday at the Southern Farm Show looking at OWBs and spent this morning looking at a dealer about 2 hours from my house. I am currently supplementing the house heat with a wood stove in the basement and want to replace the stove in the basement with a OWB that will heat the house (~ 2,000 sq ft) and a future 1000 sq ft shop.

I had pretty much decided on a Hardy H4 based on its proven track record and 304SS construction, with the only issue being its reduced efficiency from its flue venting straight out the top.

I looked at the Heatmaster MF-5000 today, it is slightly more $$$ than the Hardy but appears to be a more efficient design, has a larger fire box and 409SS construction. I haven't had much luck on finding many owner comments (good or bad) about the Heatmaster.

I don't want to start a Hardy versus Heatmaster war, but would like to hear from some Heatmaster owners. You can e-mail me or reply to the forum.

Thanks in Advance

Andy

Stihl 011, Stihl 029


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## timbrjackrussel (Feb 2, 2008)

*More Wood!!!!*

Factor in the price of a BIGGER saw, to keep up with that new OWB.


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## HUSKYMAN (Feb 2, 2008)

I am not sure why you think stanless steel construction is a bonus, it is not a bonus at least as far as the firebox is concerned. Stainless steel tranfers heat at a FAR less efficient rate, and 304 SS is very prone to cracking from constant contraction and expansion. 

It is also much more difficult to repair. This is why you will find more units made from mild steel than stainless. As long as the proper additive is used and the ashes are cleaned out every spring a mild steel firebox will last decades


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## windthrown (Feb 2, 2008)

I have to agree. I do not think that SS is any better than carbon steel. Actually SS is a lot more expensive, and prone to other problems, as mentioned above. If you run anti-corrosion fluid in the water boiler side, you will not have problems. Our plain steel Central Boiler has no signs of any rust after 3 years of use. 

You may want to hold off on bying an OWB at this late a time in the season and see what is coming out this spring/summer. By the time you buy and plumb it in, it will be March. Heating season will be all but over by then. There are some newer boilers coming out from CB and others companies that are supposed to be more efficient and EPA approved.


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## iCreek (Feb 2, 2008)

*Love my Hardy !!*

NC4AB - We have three Hardy stoves in the family, I just got my fired last Saturday and really enjoy it. Getting an easy 12 - 14 hour burn time with the evenings getting into single digits and 20-30 during the day. There are seven Hardy stoves (H2 and H4 models) within 4 miles of my home, rural Missouri. Some say they don't like the appearance of the Hardy stoves, kind of looks like a square piece of stainless sitting in the yard. We don't mind the look and my father in law has had his around 20 years with no problems, replaced the grates once. I don't think they are as popular up North, but here in the Mid-West you see alot of them installed.

My brother in law upgraded to the H4 model cause he wanted to heat a new shop along with the house. So I got his old H2, which had gone through a wood pile fire, so it was re-cased, insulated, new wiring, pump, etc. and they (insurance) even installed a new set of grates. Here is a picture of his H4.

http://icreek.com/stove/mikes_H42_640.jpg

Here is a link to many photos during our install, we did it all ourselves except hooking up the relays and wiring in the extra thermostat. Hope you enjoy my comments, even though they are Hardy not HeatMaster related. Good luck with what ever you do, but I think going with an OWB was the smartest thing I have done in awhile with propane being over $2.00 this winter.

http://icreek.com/stove/


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## NC4AB (Feb 2, 2008)

I have been planning for the OWB for about a year, and hope to find one in the next couple of months as the heating season winds down and the dealers want to get rid of their old stock before the summer.

Icreek - thanks for the link to your stove, the installation looks really good. I consider the stainless steel as being a positive based on seeing several neighbor's carbon steel stoves lasting ~ 10 - 15 years before the fireboxes started leaking, along with my father-in-law and another neighbor have the Hardy H2 models made of 304 SS, one is 20 years old and the other is 17. The fireboxes in both of them look like new, so I am partial to the Hardys based on their experiences.

When you crunch the numbers on the thermal conductivity differences between carbon steel and stainless steel, the heat transfer is actually better with stainless steel since it is thinner than the carbon steel.

I talked with the Central Boiler factory people at the Soithern Farm Show and looked at the new Central Boiler E-Classic. The main negative that I saw on it is that it is new (I hate to be the guinea pig on anything) at it requires split dryed wood. My wood source is a 10 acre plot with some hardwoods and a lot of dead and dying pines, and I would like to get rid of the dead pines first.

Any way, I'm still looking for any comments from Heatmaster owners on the pros and cons of their units.

Thanks

Andy

Stihl 011, Stihl 029


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## djohn (Feb 2, 2008)

I don't own a OWB yet but when I do it will be one of the new CB gasification stoves. Agree with letting them get the kinks out of new products but CB is not new to the scene and a OWB is not an overly complicated product.


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## Deadman (Feb 2, 2008)

If you plan on burning green wood, be prepared to cut ALOT of wood. Usually figures out to require TWICE as much green wood to heat as much as it would if it was dry wood.


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## NC4AB (Feb 2, 2008)

I try to stay at least a year ahead on my wood, what I'm cutting now will dry until at least this time next year.

Andy

Stihl 011, Stihl 029


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## HUSKYMAN (Feb 2, 2008)

I see the Hardy has a 16 gauge ss firebox. Have any Hardy owners had problems with denting the firebox tossing in logs? That just seems thin compared to the 1/4" in mild steel boilers


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## timbrjackrussel (Feb 3, 2008)

*Comparison link of OWBs*

Check out this link to many OWB Manufacturers
http://www.greenwoodfurnace.com/Manufacturers.htm


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## grandpatractor (Feb 3, 2008)

I have neighbors with heatmaster owb's and they like them. I have and empyre and like it too. They will burn more wood, but that may also be due to keeping everything warmer since it costs alot less to heat. If you are close to neighbors and are worried about smoke you may want to look into a tarm or a garn, but they are more money too. If I was buying again I'd be leaning toward a heatmaster. Just my $.02.


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## highpower (Feb 3, 2008)

HUSKYMAN said:


> I see the Hardy has a 16 gauge ss firebox. Have any Hardy owners had problems with denting the firebox tossing in logs? That just seems thin compared to the 1/4" in mild steel boilers



This is my fourth season with an H4 Hardy. The fire box is just as square as the day I started. Probably because stainless is so much harder than mild steel. The first reason I chose the Hardy above the rest was probably there are so many people I know who own them and have never had any problems. One friend has had his for fourteen years and has only had replace a pump. The second reason was the distributor I bought from has been using his for nearly twenty years and believed in them so strongly he started selling them.


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## HUSKYMAN (Feb 3, 2008)

Are they forced draft or natural draft?


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## highpower (Feb 3, 2008)

HUSKYMAN said:


> Are they forced draft or natural draft?




The Hardy stoves are forced draft.


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## HUSKYMAN (Feb 3, 2008)

14 and 20 years on the fan motor is pretty darn good then


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## NC4AB (Feb 4, 2008)

First off, thanks for all of the replies. 

I probably should have retitled this thread "Any Heatmaster owners out there?" I have looked at at least 10 different OWB manufacturers and have narrowed it down to either Hardy or Heatmaster. There may be better OWBs, but for my situation these 2 look to be the best overall fit.

I'm still looking for any first hand comments from Heatmaster owners, I have had several PMs from Hardy owners but have yet to receive a reply from a Heatmaster owner. 

Also from my experience on the 2 Hardy stoves that are with in a mile of my house the life of the blower fan is about 10 years before the bearings go out. The fan is available from Grainger and runs about $50.00.


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## abohac (Feb 5, 2008)

*Nc4ab*

If you are like me you have probably almost driven yourself nuts on buying one of these things. I finally setteld on a Woodmaster 6 years ago because I liked the dealer. The only issues I can help with are 1. Make sure it's forced air (fires with a fan). 2. I would recommend buying one one size larger than the manufacturer recommends. 3. SS is a waste of money. 4. 2 fans are better than 1. I'm sure there are differences in the stoves, but we have 7 of them (all Woodmasters) in my neighborhood and all are running fine. Oh, also buy a dependable saw, your going to need it!


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## beerman6 (Feb 5, 2008)

and only spilt the wood small enough to fit in the door.


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## ktm rider (Feb 5, 2008)

timbrjackrussel said:


> Factor in the price of a BIGGER saw, to keep up with that new OWB.



Ain't that the truth:greenchainsaw:


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## Corley5 (Feb 5, 2008)

I've got a Heatmaster. I like it


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## iCreek (Feb 5, 2008)

Corley5 said:


> I've got a Heatmaster. I like it



Corley5 - Nice looking Wood stove. Tell us more, how long of burns do you get? Does it have a blower for forced draft? Looks like an ash door up front? What is the small door for by the light? (I like that light!).Was the install difficult, do you heat your domestic water at the stove? etc. etc.. I really like your setup with the wood shack right there, I bet you stay dry loading it


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## Corley5 (Feb 9, 2008)

I usually completely fill it around 6PM with hardwood. Sometime the next morning I'll stir it up and maybe throw in a few chunks of basswood. It's not always necessary though. That's heating my 1,200 sqft house to around 82 degrees and burning green wood. I don't find much difference between green and seasoned. It has a forced draft and shaker grates with an ash pan. The shaker grates were the main selling point for me on this design. Dad has a Heatmor without shakers that I don't like. Grandma got a Heatmor with shakers and it rocks but I'd rather have an ashpan than an auger. The top door houses the aquastat control and switches for the light and to shut off the furnace systems. I started out with a brazed plate heat exchanger for my domestic hot water but it plugged tight with lime scale. I've got a stainless tube and shell exchanger that comes apart for cleaning that I haven't installed yet. The house has two zones of radiant baseboards. It's nice going out to fill the stove in nasty weather


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## tr21 (Feb 10, 2008)

http://heatmor.com/

lifetime warranty i have had my heatmor for 4 years and they sent me my warranty card.


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## Madspeed (Sep 1, 2008)

any luck with getting the Heatmaster? I'm in the works of getting one myself. I like their design and look, and for those of you who have been arguing the steel versus stainless, it was mentionered earlier about the 304 ss being inferior, well, right from their website "Heatmaster SS uses 409 Titanium Enhanced Stainless Steel"


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## woodguy105 (Sep 1, 2008)

djohn said:


> I don't own a OWB yet but when I do it will be one of the new CB gasification stoves. Agree with letting them get the kinks out of new products but CB is not new to the scene and a OWB is not an overly complicated product.



I looked at the new CB OWB the other day at the Woodstock Fair here in Ct.

It's a pretty cool set up. The salesman said they had been running the new Gasification (E) unit at the CB plant for 2 years now?? It is a bit more complicated than the others but as more and more laws start shutting down or limiting OWB's, increased efficiency units are going to be the requirement.

When we get an OWB it'll be a Central Boiler.


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## NC4AB (Sep 1, 2008)

I wound up picking up a used Hardy H2, the Heatmaster was a close runner up but the price of the used Hardy was too good to pass up.


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## abohac (Sep 1, 2008)

NC4AB said:


> I've been lurking in the shadows for a few weeks and studying the previous posts.
> 
> I spent all day Thursday at the Southern Farm Show looking at OWBs and spent this morning looking at a dealer about 2 hours from my house. I am currently supplementing the house heat with a wood stove in the basement and want to replace the stove in the basement with a OWB that will heat the house (~ 2,000 sq ft) and a future 1000 sq ft shop.
> 
> ...


You can drive yourself nuts trying to figure which one to buy. Basically you have a tank with a fire in it. It is not going to be very efficient and don't believe anyone that says it is (just throw another piece of wood in). Try to keep things simple (less welds and less electronic crap the better) and try to do the underground right (it's the most important part of these things) then go with a dealer that you are comfortable with (parts on hand and sold a few). I've had one for seven years and couldn't be happier but it will use wood.


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## mtfallsmikey (Sep 2, 2008)

Was up to visit the dealer I bought my CB 5036 from on Sat, got some immersion thermometers, chemical....he is expecting his first E-Classic gassifier in about a week, going to set it up at his place of biz as a demo. A friend of mine down the valley just had his Hardy delivered, going to see it soon. As long as you go by the mfr. instructions on water treatment, the steel boiler should last a long time.


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## Madspeed (Sep 2, 2008)

Corley, any feedback now that you've been setup with the Heatmaster for a while?


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## Madspeed (Sep 24, 2008)

nope?!


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## blackdogon57 (Sep 24, 2008)

Corley5 said:


> I started out with a brazed plate heat exchanger for my domestic hot water but it plugged tight with lime scale. I've got a stainless tube and shell exchanger that comes apart for cleaning that I haven't installed yet. :




Where dd you get this exchanger ?? I am having the same problem. Thanks.


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## Woodcutteranon (Sep 24, 2008)

I went with a Hardy H2 and have been very happy heating my 2700 sq ft house. My main reason for going with the Hardy was price. I paid $5k three years ago for it and I installed it myself saving me $1k. My freinds recently installed Central Boilers and they both paid over $13k for them. They claim they are more efficient but how much fire wood can you buy for $8000?? I never split wood only if it wont fit in the door.


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## porta mill (Sep 24, 2008)

*owb*

sorry to jump in on your post but there was a comment on 304 being an on inferior grade of stainless . 304 is very good grade of stainless many industrial boilers are made of 304 ,


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## kalib stock (Feb 3, 2009)

I've had a Taylor for two years now and love it! The reason I like the Taylor is their double flu system and water capacity. I burn about 7-8 cords heating my house and hot water. The tubes, the top flu, and the whole bottom of the water jacket are 304 stainless and the firebox,front and back walls, and sides are carbon steel. You def want a carbon steel firebox!! :biggrinbounce2: 


porta mill said:


> sorry to jump in on your post but there was a comment on 304 being an on inferior grade of stainless . 304 is very good grade of stainless many industrial boilers are made of 304 ,


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## NC4AB (Feb 4, 2009)

Time flies !!! I started this thread a year ago.

I purchased a 22 year old Hardy H2 this summer, installed it and got it fired up in late September. Since then neither the heat pump nor the hot water heater have come on, and I figure it is saving me ~$150 each month.


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