Outdoor Woodstoves-Anyone have one?

[Wannabefree]

Ok, now I have looked at the plans...it looks very easy actually. I just wonder how I would be able to use my existing duct work and still have my AC unit run off of it during the summer too. When I figure that one out, I'm drawing up some plans for next year!!! We already have the stove pipe from our wood stove we can use. I wonder if we could make one out of a 20 gallon drum inside a 55 gallon drum and if it would be sufficient to heat our house. Hmmm....got me thinking

 

[aggieterpkatie]

We looked at those before we wound up getting a wood stove. They are expensive!! How does he plan on venting it into the house? Just venting it in passively may not produce enough heat. There would have to be some kind of vent from the outside to create airflow to push the warm air into the house. sorry...talking out loud, haven't looked at those plans, but it is a great idea if you can make it work. Let me know

We'd have to cut a hole in the wall of the house and install a vent. I believe there's a small fan in the box with the stove, so it blows the heat into the house.

well if he isn't willing to research----then off you GO and find out info before he tackles the job LOL

He's done quite a bit of reading on them, that's why he feels confident. I'm more of a "show me" than a "tell me" kinda gal.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

Ok, now I have looked at the plans...it looks very easy actually. I just wonder how I would be able to use my existing duct work and still have my AC unit run off of it during the summer too. When I figure that one out, I'm drawing up some plans for next year!!! We already have the stove pipe from our wood stove we can use. I wonder if we could make one out of a 20 gallon drum inside a 55 gallon drum and if it would be sufficient to heat our house. Hmmm....got me thinking

Well, I'm not sure these kind actually hook into the vent system. This kind just uses one vent to go in the house I believe. We are looking into the kind that hooks up as a furnace though, that way it can go through all the duct work.

 

[FarmerChick]

We looked at those before we wound up getting a wood stove. They are expensive!! How does he plan on venting it into the house? Just venting it in passively may not produce enough heat. There would have to be some kind of vent from the outside to create airflow to push the warm air into the house. sorry...talking out loud, haven't looked at those plans, but it is a great idea if you can make it work. Let me know

We'd have to cut a hole in the wall of the house and install a vent. I believe there's a small fan in the box with the stove, so it blows the heat into the house.

well if he isn't willing to research----then off you GO and find out info before he tackles the job LOL

He's done quite a bit of reading on them, that's why he feels confident. I'm more of a "show me" than a "tell me" kinda gal.

HA HA
yea on this type of project I am more of a "hire a professional" type of gal lol I hear ya!

 

[firemenlovechicks]

I have an outdoor wood furnace made by Central Boiler. It is a CL4030, which is the smallest size they make. I paid about $6000 for it 5 years ago. The units are sized according to your electrical / gas usage. there is a worksheet on their website that will tell you which unit you need based on a number of factors.

I ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY, UNEQUIVOCALLY, LOVE MY FURNACE!!!!!

It paid for itself in about a year and a half. Our average utility bill dropped from $500 to around $150. We used to heat our hot water with it also, until I just recently installed a new heat pump water heater and took that part of the system offline. Go to central boiler (dot com) and look at their website, they have some very good graphics about how these systems work.

Basically, you heat water which is pumped into the house and through a heat exchanger that is placed in your existing ductwork. (picture the radiator on a car, this is what the heat exchanger looks like) the cooled water is then circulated back out to the furnace to be reheated. The heat exchanger for the water heater is basically a 4" pipe with a 1" pipe running up through the middle....... the outer pipe contains the hot water that is circulating from the furnace, the inner pipe is tied directly to the bottom and the top of the water heater...... heat rises, so the system naturally draws the cold water from the bottom of the water heater, heats it, and puts it right back in the top of the tank..... without any pumps or motors.

Yes, these systems are expensive, but no matter what brand you get or if you build it yourself, they are well worth the investment........


BTW.... I just found this site..... it is awesome!!!! LOL I will be spending alot of time in here.

Jeff

 

[big brown horse]

Welcome Jeff!

Do you have photos of your outdoor woodstove?

-Sally

 

[Bubblingbrooks]

One thing that is not often obvious about outdoor wood furnaces, is they do use quite a bit more wood then an indoor wood stove.
They are popular up here though, but we have abundant resources.

 

[firemenlovechicks]

Welcome Jeff!

Do you have photos of your outdoor woodstove?

-Sally

I don't right now, but will see if I can get a couple of pics and post them. In the meantime, the website I gave in my earlier post has alot of pictures. Mine is the model CL4030.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

Hey Jeff, welcome!

Yours isn't quite what I was talking about, though we'd love one of those eventually!!!

I was able to find the link showing the kind my husband would like to buy or build, whichever works better. It's called the Lil' House Outside Wood Heater . *Warning, the site has audio, so turn your speakers down if you don't want to get surprised like I did.