#Draft fan with draft control for owb plus#

#Draft fan with draft control for owb plus#

We've got over 100 acres of woodlots plus hedgerows and such, so there is plenty of supply. We cut 24-25 standard cords of firewood per year and burn year round. It is amazingly clean-burning, at least from the look of the smoke. Tarm gasification boiler that heats our building and hot water. Isn't wood smoke (pollution) still better than fossil fuel pollution? I don't know, only hope so. But a few shouldn't give the stoves a black eye. It is a concern - people burning stuff other than wood. My stoves, when burning, don't even show smoke. I for one burn only wood and wood scraps. I wonder about the control of such furnaces, compared to wood stoves (including pellet), by city zoning and other regulations in a city. I would not want to be downwind from a furnace burning toxic substances.įrom Professor Gene Wengert, forum technical advisor: People frequently burn trash, garbage and pressure treated wood in them. Many countries have these and they burn chips, not pellets, although the concept is the same. The EPA has asked for the builders of OWB to voluntarily join with the EPA to monitor and migrate boiler designs to meet the same standards as the indoor woodstove. The heat exchanger tends to be quite good in these boilers with nearly a 2000 F difference between the combustion temperature and the chimney exhaust temperature. Gasification is the process of wood decomposition from a solid to a flammable gas it requires the stove to reach and maintain a high temperature and then to route this 'wood gas' mixed with fresh air to create a secondary combustion, and this step is what greatly increases the overall efficiency. A significant savings in fuel is realized. When used properly, this boiler burns very hot and cleanly. The water boiler solution that appears to be popular because it is more efficient is called a gasifier. Only a few states have insisted that the OWB (outdoor water boiler) burn cleanly. Other units are not used properly or installed correctly and they pollute for those reasons. Some designs are just too dirty but are still being sold. Anyone thinking about doing it should check it out!Īir pollution can be a big issue. Open the big overhead door to move wood around, the shop cools right down - but that's okay, as we just burn more scraps, not dollar bills. I live in northern Wisconsin - 30 f is not uncommon. I also have one for my shop - a lot bigger stove heating a space of 8500 sq.ft. The nice thing is, if you set the temp at 70, it stays there. New stoves all setup run around $8-10,000. Before switching over, my gas bill was $3,500 per year at 60/gal. With it I also heat my domestic hot water (never a cold shower). I have been using outside woodstoves since 1995.

What has been your experience with outdoor wood furnaces? When comparing outdoor wood furnaces to other wood heating methods, outdoor wood furnaces appear to be more efficient and reduce environmental impact, and proponents of outdoor wood furnaces claim a cleaner, safer, and more efficient heating system that will help everyone, not just the operator. There has been much debate concerning outdoor wood furnaces and their cost, efficiency, and environmental impact. These include wood heat's impact on the environment, emissions, local disruption, and health problems. There are less desirable characteristics of wood furnaces that also need to be considered. Minimal loading is a convenience as some outdoor furnaces only require loading once or twice a day.

Outdoor wood furnaces also have a thermostat control that keeps the heat at a constant level, which is sometimes difficult to achieve with a woodstove or fireplace. With the unit outside, smoke, soot, and ash are eliminated, and dryness is reduced in the buildings.

Another benefit is cleaner building interiors. Safety is the most recognizable since these units are placed outdoors, there is less concern regarding fire and smoke hazards. We've found there are a number of benefits to the use of outdoor wood furnaces.