Most are extremely inefficient - which often doesn't matter since most people who buy them have access to lots of firewood.
I've got a dozen farmer-neigbors with outdoor boilers near me - and most of them burn wet and scrap wood that works fine for them. Especially with no close neighbors and smoke is not an issue.
I've got an EPA rated outdoor hot-air furnace that was designed to be attached to a house on the outside. With mine, I built a large insulated room around it and it works great since I can store four full cords inside - where the wood gets warm and dry before burning. But, hot air has it's advantages and disadvantages - like anything else. Hot-air does not travel well without thermal loss, like hot-water does.
I don't know what your sitution is. I heat a large farm-house and a large workshop and barn 100% with wood. Also all our hot-water. I have hundreds of acres of hardwoods - but even with that - the wood I use certainly isn't free. I spend a lot of time, year-round, cutting, dragging, loading, unloading, splitting, etc. Also time keeping chainsaws running, chains sharp, maintaining two log-splitters, etc. I'm by myself - so all-in-all, I don't regard the wood as cheap.
The EPA is just getting ready to intervene and force outside furnace makers to produce something more efficient. There are two on the market now - so you might want to check around a bit. There are also areas in the US looking to ban the standard outside wood-burners.
I'm not a fan of government controls - but to be fair - anything labeled as "woodstove" has to meet EPA efficiency requirements and that has resulted in much more efficient stoves. Furnaces will be next.
The reality is - a fire needs to be hot to be efficient. It's close to impossible to have a low-fire adjacent to a water tank and not have it get cooled off too much. One answer is a hot-water storage system that is used in many places in Europe. Whenever the fire is going, it is run to the max - and the hot water is stored in large insulated tanks. Then the fire is shut down - and not fired up again until the tanks cool down. Some of these systems can go for days between firing. Tarm sells them in the US but they are expensive.
We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]
Today's Featured Article - Restoration Story: Fordson Major - by Anthony West. George bought his Fordson Major from a an implement sale about 18 years ago for £200.00 (UK). There is no known history regarding its origins or what service it had done, but the following work was undertaken alone to bring it up to show standard. From the engine number, it was found that this Major was produced late 1946. It was almost complete but had various parts that would definitely need replacing.
... [Read Article]
Latest Ad:
1964 I-H 140 tractor with cultivators and sidedresser. Starts and runs good. Asking 2650. CALL RON AT 502-319-1952
[More Ads]
All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy
TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.
