Outside Woodburner Comparisons....

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never2muchwood

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My second question for you guys. As posted below, I am going to install an OWB this summer for next season, fas as I have gotten is to read tons and tons of information, as well as cut alot of wood. All manufacturer's stake claim to have the best boiler, for a new person involved in this, it's hard to decipher it all. One question I've asked all companies so far is how much wood to expect to burn and it's really hard to get a straight answer. Never fails, I always get a "depends". I understand that, but even telling them how much it is costing in propane and giving details about current LP heat being used, no one seems to want to go out on a limb and give a guy an idea. That isn't overly important, I just just want to know what to expect is all. Although I am interested in buying the OWB that will provide the most heat for the least amount of wood fed into it. Have also seen where some claim their 185 gallon model will outdo the competitors 400 gallon model and so on. There is alot of info out there, and seems to be alot of misinfo as well that I'm trying to decipher. My question....is there anywhere on the internet that all OWB models are compared side to side? Or, Is there any trade show anywhere a guy can go to actually look at in person and compare all the models in the same place? Your help will really be appreciated here, Thanks!
 
Everyone I know around me say they burn 15-20 face cord a year. They all have different brands and size OWB. This is my first year with mine and my dealer told me to expect to burn 15 face cord. Only time will tell. Since the end of december I have burned around 3 face cord.
 
I doubt you will ever see a true comparision between any OWBs since there is no standard laboratory test method for OWB wood consumption.

How much wood a stove will burn is strictly a function of how much heat you need to heat your house / barn / pool etc. Here is the story of 3 identical Hardy H2 OWBs, all being fired with wood slabs from the same pile:

I heat a 1700 sq foot very well insulated house plus domestic hot water for 4 and feed it once per day, twice per day when the weather gets cold. House is kept at 70 F. (I have modified the damper and fan control to a two stage control scheme and this seems to save some wood.)

FIL heats a 1800 sq foot 100 year old farm house and plus domestic hot water for 2 and he feeds it twice a day some times 3 times a day when the weather gets cold. House is kept at 75 F

Neighbor heats a 1400 sq foot 40 year brick rancher plus domestic hot water for 2 and he feeds it once per day, some times 2 times a day when the weather gets cold. House kept at 68F

As far as the different manufacturers pick one with a good reputation (search the board for threads on the bad OWBs) and also one that has local service in case you have problems. If you are strictly looking for the most efficient OWB look at one of The EPA certified models but expect to pay a significant premium up front and also you will have to be choosy on the wood supplied to the EPA model.

As far as trade shows the Southern Farm Show was in Raleigh NC this week and most of the larger manufacturers had a booth there. Easiest way to get recommendations is to ask the prospective dealers for phone numbers of 5 or 10 customers who have had their product for at least 2 heating seasons, and give them a call and see what they have to say about the OWB and the dealer.

(BTW all of the Hardy stoves mentioned above are 18 to 22 years old and are still doing well.)
 
I have found that with my Hardy that weather,wind,wood type and how seasoned or green the wood is will determine how much is burnt. I live in a 180+ year old brick house and I burn 14-15 cord per year.
 
Thanks guys, all great advice. I could easily handle anywhere around 15-20 facecord per year. NC4AB--I hadn't even thought about going to a Farm Show to look at them, I bet that would be a great place and I know there are a couple in my area every spring, Thanks! Huge help guys, I'm sure I'll have more questions....wonderful site!
 

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