# Indoor wood furnace outside?



## loganj01 (Jan 11, 2011)

The old Craft stove is still working well but it's not enough and I can't (nope...perhaps I refuse to) afford the propane that is required to heat this drafty old barn of a house. As much as I would like to install an EKO gasifier or equivalent with a couple thousand gallons of water storage, I can't come up with that kind of money short term...I really want to have something in place by next winter. Like alot of stove owners who have houses with lousy floor plans, I have micro climates in the house. 80* in the living room and you can see your breath in the back room. I have a detached open garage...more like a pole shed...and no basement. There is nowhere inside the house that I could install a wood furnace. My chimney is brick with tile liners and I'm not sure what size. I kind of doubt the smaller one will accommodate a metal flue. The Craft stove vents through the larger of the two tiles. The smaller one goes to an opening outside where I think the idea was to have a small barbecue grill. The chimney is around 40' tall. I'm wondering how it might work out to put a hot air furnace in a small building right outside the house and vent it through this chimney. Alternatively, I could locate it anywhere outside and put up a flue pipe. I know there are some manufacturers that make outdoor hot air furnaces but I'm not convinced they're the best quality. Hopsco is one...I think maybe Charmaster makes one as well. I'm leaning more toward a Caddy or a Yukon with efficiency and longevity in mind. Any opinion and/or ideas you have on this subject are most welcome.


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## dave_dj1 (Jan 11, 2011)

Just so you know, you CAN put an indoor furnace outside! I have one in operation and I couldn't be happier, in fact I am going to build another for the house.
http://www.arboristsite.com/firewood-heating-wood-burning-equipment/154832.htm
check it out, easy enough to do if your handy at all. 
It never got above 17 deg. here today and as of right now, my garage is pushing 80. I've had the big overhead door open a few times as well and I could use more insulation in places. 
Don't be afraid to think outside the box!


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## shortcut (Jan 11, 2011)

I helped a friend install a 30 yr old oil/wood unit in a small shed next to his new house and it worked very well . We built a box to vent the hot air in with a cold air return into the shed . The chimney was 4 sections of stove pipe with a metal brace .


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## loganj01 (Jan 11, 2011)

Sounds good! I did search the forum before I posted and missed your post somehow. Looks like you built a zero clearance enclosure around the furnace? It's a great looking job!


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## blades (Jan 11, 2011)

I would not use the house flue for the out side unit, create more problems than it would be worth. I doubt that your insurance co would be thrilled with it not to mention the code inspectors.


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## racnruss (Jan 11, 2011)

*outdoor furnace*

Many options available for outside warm air furnace.

Fire chief, US Stove, Hopsco, Sureflame 6000. Already built and thermostat controlled. 

BTW, check out DesMoines Iowa Craigslist and search "outdoor furnace"

I have one for sale on there because I ended up with 2 of them.

Seems like they are gaining popularity.


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## Outlander (Jan 11, 2011)

Call Yukon-Eagle. I talked to a very nice lady there and she told me that their indoor wood furnaces can be installed outside the house in a small shed and the heat ducted into the house. I plan to do this before next winter.

I have been trying to find a way to heat my house with wood heat, keep the mess outside and not break the bank doing it. The OWBs are costly and seem to use a lot of wood. After a lot of research I think the BJ90 installed outside is my best way to go, your situation may be different but give Yukon a call and check it out.


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## freemind (Jan 11, 2011)

dave_dj1 said:


> Just so you know, you CAN put an indoor furnace outside! I have one in operation and I couldn't be happier, in fact I am going to build another for the house.
> http://www.arboristsite.com/firewood-heating-wood-burning-equipment/154832.htm
> check it out, easy enough to do if your handy at all.
> It never got above 17 deg. here today and as of right now, my garage is pushing 80. I've had the big overhead door open a few times as well and I could use more insulation in places.
> Don't be afraid to think outside the box!



+1
I built my own from a hotblast 1200. It isn't housed like above, but it has a roof, and has side panels built on filled with foreproof concrete. I also have mine set up with a dual blower system. One fan runs anytime there is a fire. The second fan (from a forced air furance) runs off a thermostat to keep the house at 70 degrees. 

My duct work is plumbed into the plenum of the forced air furnace in the basement.

My flue is Double wall insualted pipe, 24 foot of it. It extends 3 foot above the roof line. This was the biggest cost of the project. It set me back 800 bucks, but well worth it IMO. Safe, at least in my mind.

The whole project cost me just under 2 grand. 

And yes, I eat ALOT more wood than the old furnace that was in the basement. But my drafty old house is at a constant 70 degrees too. Makes the wife happy.


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## laynes69 (Jan 11, 2011)

My only issue with placing a unit outside is the heat loss from the furnace itself. We get alot of btus through the radiant heat of our furnace. The cabinet remains cold due to our furnace being insulated, but we get alot of heat out the front. If this was outside that would be lost btus. If your considering a caddy I don't think I would install one in an outbuilding. The need good draft so you would need a fairly fall chimney and very dry wood to operate properly. Other than that they are very efficient.


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## loganj01 (Jan 11, 2011)

While I do want efficiency, wood usage isn't my main concern. I don't mind cutting wood and, so far, I haven't had a problem finding wood to cut. The Craft will only run about 4 hours on a load of wood. That's with the door vents choked down pretty close and the damper almost shut. The only way I can keep the thing going all night is to load it up with coal. I know it needs new door gaskets but I can choke it down enough to put the fire out if it's not full of really dry wood so it can't be too leaky. It isn't really designed for coal as it doesn't have a shaker grate and the combustion air isn't channeled under the grate. It burns the large chunks ok though. I know I have quite a few issues with air leaks in the house and I'm working on those as funds allow. We're tired of being cold. It's either run electric space heaters to keep a couple of bedrooms warm, use the propane guzzler, or deal with the Craft stove. I'm in a situation that has become common of late...my wife lost her job so we only have my income. She's in school full time now which I'm very thankful for but it does mean filling the 1000 gal propane tank or paying exorbitant electric bills just isn't an option. So, that leaves wood. Thanks to everyone on this forum who has answered questions or offered advice. It's very much appreciated.


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## dave_dj1 (Jan 11, 2011)

I don't believe I have much heat loss, there is snow on the roof of it and there is ice on the duct work (from the eaves dripping on them). If there is, it's not much.


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## fields_mj (Jan 12, 2011)

I use an indoor wood furnace, but I have a basement and central air. I tied mine into the cold air return, and the house already had a second chimney. The original owner/buiilder used a wood burner also. I just bought an old add on furnace off craigslist, and installed a stainless liner. 

One thing that may help with your micro climates. Try using a small fan to push the cold air along the floor, back towards the stove. It's easier to push cold air back to the stove than it is to push hot air into a room.


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## CrappieKeith (Jan 12, 2011)

Outlander said:


> Call Yukon-Eagle. I talked to a very nice lady there and she told me that their indoor wood furnaces can be installed outside the house in a small shed and the heat ducted into the house. I plan to do this before next winter.
> 
> I have been trying to find a way to heat my house with wood heat, keep the mess outside and not break the bank doing it. The OWBs are costly and seem to use a lot of wood. After a lot of research I think the BJ90 installed outside is my best way to go, your situation may be different but give Yukon a call and check it out.


 
That was either Lisa or Annette you spoke to and yes if you can put an insulated shed outside the home and keep your ducting from loosing too much heat our furnace will work great.


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