Best OWB??

[rd35]

Funny the subject of mini-splits has come up. I just built an office inside my shop. The office will be heated by my Wood Boiler. However, as a back-up I am preparing to purchase a mini-split system that will be my A/C as well as a back-up heat source in the event I have to stop heating with wood, (travel, run out of wood, mechanical problem with system, etc). I plan to install the system myself and then hire an HVAC company to do a check-over and start-up on it. By doing it this way, the manufacturer of the system will grant me a standard warranty.....and the HVAC guy will also be able to fix anything I might have done wrong before any additional damage is done.

 

[504 farmall]

I didn't see any mention the Garn boiler. We've been using ours for over ten years now and our neighbour has had his for 24 years. No issues with either of them, just a few gaskets to replace and once a year cleaning of the flues.

 

[rd35]

Hey thanks 504 farmall! I had never heard of Garn. Just looked them up now. Impressive! They've been around for a long time. Interesting they build their furnaces from mild steel in lieu of stainless. After all the research I've done recently I now understand that a good water maintenance practice along with an anode rod system can virtually eliminate any and all corrosion that can damage the firebox and tank. My plan was to have an outdoor unit. The Garn is designed to be located inside a building. I was going to build a woodshed anyway...so....Yep you got me thinking here! Hmmmm.....!

 

[504 farmall]

We had a Heatmor before we bought the Garn, it was okay but, smoldered and smoked when not running. When we started using the Garn we saved six cord of wood that first year! We have the 1500 model and heat house, shop, domestic water, and the green house from March to May. Most years we use 12-15 cord of wood ( aspen, balsam, spruce, a little black ash, and alder brush, and willow. Plus anything that gets in the way of the chain saw.
On the Garn site they have a video of Ernie running his Garn ( 2000 model ), I do all his maintainence on his Garn once a year.

 

[rancher2]

I didn't see any mention the Garn boiler. We've been using ours for over ten years now and our neighbour has had his for 24 years. No issues with either of them, just a few gaskets to replace and once a year cleaning of the flues.

I have a Garn 2000 model and I wish I could say it been all roses. It started leaking last year Dec in the ninth year of using it. I kept adding water and I got it threw until May. I run year around to heat domestic water. The fire box had a huge crack threw the weld on top were it is welded to the front of the tank. I had shoulder surgery in Feb so I had to hire the welding done and traded some work with a guy for the cleaning part. By the time I got back up and running it cost me $3,000. You could see at least two different people had welded on my Garn when it was built. One of them was not the best welder. The welder I hired re welded a fair amount of welds on the Garn. If I were looking today I wouldn't buy a Garn I would go with one that has a closed system. When I emailed the pictures from the poor welds to the factory I got no help from them. For what the Garn's cost they should have helped out on the repair some.

 

[Preacher Mike]

Are the Switzer boilers still available? They are like a Garn but pressurized.

Econoburn also sells a indoor type gasser in a prebuilt sheet metal enclosure.

 

[rancher2]

Are the Switzer boilers still available? They are like a Garn but pressurized.

Econoburn also sells a indoor type gasser in a prebuilt sheet metal enclosure.

As far as I know Switzer is still in business. I wish 10 years ago when I bought my Garn I would had bought a Switzer. I looked at them but he was over twice the distance to go pick it up and another guy on a different forum really sold me on a Garn. A closed system would be a lot less maintenance. With a open system chemical is a big deal and you will be adding water and chemical over time. Of the $3,000 I spent on my Garn last year to repair it and get it up and going almost $1,000 of it was chemical cost.