Outdoor wood stoves

[Raymond]

I've seen these things but haven't looked into it really. I can imagine they want big bucks for them.

:monkey: So I let my cheap redneck ways take over and thought about a cheap 200 dollar tin shed with a grave floor. 20 ft. or so from the house.
With a double wood burning 55 gallon drums inside. Heat ducks with blowers running into the house taking heat out of the shed with out the smoke.

Sounds like a set up for well under 500 bucks to me.
But then I see the word boiler...so it's a little more than that huh?

 

[ngzcaz]

Wrap copper piping around your barrels, run water thru them and heat your water as well.. we should go in business.

:monkey:

 

[LeakyWoodDoctor]

Boiler Water Treated, Anode Installed and Boiler Grounded!!

Could your problem be from not having your unit grounded with a ground rod? The reason I ask is someone told me It is critical to have a stainless boiler grounded.

And still, holes straight through this Heavy Gauge Stainless Steel in under 3 heating seasons!!!

You have to wonder just what kind of Stainless Steel Wood Doctor builds their OWB out of???

Would you call it, "Heavy Gauge"?

Would you even go so far as to actually refer to it as, "Stainless Steel"?

 

[LeakyWoodDoctor]

Hey,

I have heard via the grape vine that Wood Doctor maybe soon be sending a certified welder to my home to repair my leaking beastie! :chatter:

If this actually happens, the words "On Site" in my warranty will actually mean, "On Site!" .

I hope to be impressed by the work that is done to repair the many leaks and cracks in my Wood Doctor boiler and will be sure to post a number of pictures here to document the work for all to see!

Perhaps next heating season will be a "leak-free" one! :dunno:

 

[ngzcaz]

I dont want to throw water on your parade, but is the dealer/company telling you what caused this mess in the first place and what steps they will take to prevent a reoccurrence of the same problem ? Annealing is probably what happened to cause the failure of the weld. Simply welding over a bad spot may not be the correct way to solve this. Replacement would be the answer or better a refund to buy another product. You arent the only one to have problems with stainless and you probably purchased it thinking it would last your lifetime. Thats a real shame.. mild steel, boiler plate, whatever you want to call it is looking better and better.

Good luck.. you should have people falling over you not to give their product ill reviews. And ill reviews would be mild if it were me.

 

[ngzcaz]

I just checked their web site.. Why is it they give LESS of a warranty to the S.S. units than to their mild steel units ? What the heck is that ??

:monkey:

 

[LeakyWoodDoctor]

Swiss Cheeze Stainless Steel!

I dont want to throw water on your parade, but is the dealer/company telling you what caused this mess in the first place and what steps they will take to prevent a reoccurrence of the same problem ? Annealing is probably what happened to cause the failure of the weld. Simply welding over a bad spot may not be the correct way to solve this. Replacement would be the answer or better a refund to buy another product. You arent the only one to have problems with stainless and you probably purchased it thinking it would last your lifetime. Thats a real shame.. mild steel, boiler plate, whatever you want to call it is looking better and better.

Good luck.. you should have people falling over you not to give their product ill reviews. And ill reviews would be mild if it were me.

So buddy comes and welds over all the leaks currently in my Wood Doctor Boiler and maybe I'm leak-free all next season . . . "Maybe!".

What worries me is this crappy stainless steel this Wood Doctor furnace is made out of! :rant:

It's supposed to be 409 stainless but it's about as resistant to corrosion as an old soup can!

I just have this feeling that year after year I'm gonna find myself facing the same problem . . . :sword:

All I can do is document it all and pass it along to anybody who's interested!

 

[django]

Howdy all, I can't believe it has been over 8 years since I started this thread!
I also am amazed at how popular arboristsite has become, but I am not surprised. It's a phenominal website.Haven't posted in a long time but my homemade mild steel OWB is still going strong. I do scrape it down and oil it every spring, mostly because I don't want to build another one anytime soon.
Sorry to hear of your troubles Leaky, but I am not surprised. 409 is vey low grade stainless, and if I remember correctly, is used mainly for car exhausts on cheaper cars. I have a co-worker who bought a Pacific Western a few years back and went through some major headaches with leaks, and actually had to return it to Thunder Bay Ontario to exchange it-At HIS expense.
I can guarantee you I would not have done that. But the weld and material quality were sub par. As a side note ( I have not read all of the posts so I may be repeating something someone else has said) one of the best things i have done with my stove is line it with firebrick. What a huge difference in smoke, ash content and longer burn times. I initially though this would not help, but it has and in a big way. highly recommended.
Stay warm
Django.

 

[CalGray]

What to Buy

Hello,

I am new to this site and I just joined cause I am going to buy an outdoor wood burner in next month or so. I have read through a lot of posts here but they go back a number of years... hoping for updated info.

I am Looking at Central, Heatmor, and Profab/Empyre Pro Series.

Heating old leaky farm house 3000 sq ft, plus 3 car garage and hotwater for house. (Maybe hook up the pool as well but am told this burns a lot of wood.)

Questions I have and that I am hoping for some basic advice on:
Maryland law says you gotta run a gasification stove.

Heatmor is really expensive 200 btu ($10,400).. is it worth it?
Empyre/profab 200k btu ($6800.)
Central Classic 500k btu (not gasification) ($7600)

May be able to buy a one year used Central 500 btu for $5000

Are the gasification stoves that much cleaner and more efficient?
will a 200k btu rating handle what I am looking for?

Thanks Cal

 

[Techstuf]

So I let my cheap redneck ways take over and thought about a cheap 200 dollar tin shed with a grave floor. 20 ft. or so from the house.
With a double wood burning 55 gallon drums inside. Heat ducks with blowers running into the house taking heat out of the shed with out the smoke.

Way to go Raymond.


5 years on an inexpensive double barrel system here. Works great, and eminently moddable. Darned efficient and durable.



Blessings in Christ Yeshua

 

[donho]

well heres my two cents first off mine as I call it IS A BOILER not a wood stove its made by Royall and ditto to most of the things said in this post about adding water it introduces air into the system and makes for premature rot mine does not I look for a long time and only found TWO closed systems also My boiler is ASME welded and it shows and yes the components are off the shelf stats and blower etc. it also has grates (shaker) if want to burn coal OR SHOULD I SAY HAVE TO. I load it once a day when its 0 degrees f out yes once in 24 hrs and empty the ashes about once or twice a month depending on whats going in it. I WOULD BUY IT AGAIN IT WORKS GREAT ! my friend has a stainless steel unit and had to send it back to have it repaired as stainless does crack in time and the factory now has him putting only rain water in it for make up water. I didn't want floats etc. mine is just like any other boiler but fired by wood NOT AN OPEN SYSTEM THAT HAS PROBLEMS AND THE WELDS IN IT ARE TOP NOTCH! :greenchainsaw::greenchainsaw:

 

[donho]

the best to buy!

I bought the Royall and it is top of the line and preasurized not a water stove its asme welded of heavy boiler plate 1/4 inch plus I load it once a day in zero degrees f I looked and looked at all the hype and being in the business for some 30 plus years I wanted the best I could find. any questions? thanks :greenchainsaw:

 

[Dobeman]

Suggestions on New OWB for 4000+ sq ft home

I am really on the fence about what system to have installed for my home. It is approximately 15 years old and is a little over 4000 sq ft. Decent insulation, but not great. I would want to heat with wood in the winter but only use LP gas in the warmer months (dont' want to be buring wood just for the water heater). obviously there are quite a few opinions out there. I am great at cutting /splitting wood, but not so great at fixing appliances, so I want something that is as maintence free as possible (other than general care). Live in north central illinois, so winters are moderate- obviously a few below zero days, but mostly lows in the teens. Want the best quality my money can buy. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.