Outdoor boiler

[S.A. Boggs]

Anyone using one, how do you like it.
Sam

[clintonhater]

Anyone using one, how do you like it.
Sam

Everyone I know who has one loves it because they can burn anything it--like green pine wood--without fear of the problems that would result if the same thing were done in a conventional indoor stove.

[Allen]

A little off subject but it relates. I have a gas grill and a charcoal smoker that I use as a grill. Naturally meats cooked on the charcoal grill taste better. I think I got the idea here from this forum years ago about an electric charcoal starter. I bought one off of ebay and have used it ever since. It was $35, you place it under the charcoal, plug it in and 10 minutes later you have red hot coals with no lighter fluid taste. Now while this unwanted taste wouldn't apply to a boiler if charcoal was being used to start the larger pieces of wood then you might find this tool helpful and most of us do grill. It looks like the prices have come down over the years.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/KETTLE-KAMADO-STLYE-ELECTRIC-CHARCOAL-STARTER-MADE-IN-USA/182361638996?epid=1300290603&hash=item2a7599c854:g:tjUAAOSwj85YMkQn

One of my old previous gas grills had a side burner for deep frying or for use as a boiler. I never used it mainly because we don't eat those type foods any longer and I figured boiling a pot of peanuts using the bottle of propane would end up costing more than it was worth. I can see where wood might be the route to go.

[RED]

I have an outdoor boiler. It is a made from a 15 1/2 gal. beer keg with the Sanke valve removed. It use a 50,000 BTU propane burner on a 30 gal BBQ tank. It is too slow and takes a good 45 minutes to bring a 7 1/2 gal wash up to temperature. I would like to go electric and move it inside. I have been told the new electronic controls can maintain an exact 199F degree temperature and only takes 20 minutes to start the drip.

But, if you are talking about a heating system... I recommend a air tight unit hooked to your regular HVAC sitting preferably in an attached garage. I don't understand the advantage there is in hauling your tootsies outside 2X/day in 0 degree weather to load frozen wood into the unit. My Fire Chief furnace sits inside the 2 car garage and next to the propane furnace. I keep 2 wheel barrows full of wood indoors that will last 3 - 4 days.

BTW Inside or out, burning green pine or any other unseasoned wood is asking for trouble... the smoke still has to go up the chimney and at the very least maintenance time and expense will increase dramatically.

BTW, I am a bit better but still too sick to go outside.

[Allen]

BTW, I am a bit better but still too sick to go outside.

You haven't missed anything lately.

[clintonhater]

BTW Inside or out, burning green pine or any other unseasoned wood is asking for trouble... the smoke still has to go up the chimney and at the very least maintenance time and expense will increase dramatically.

The chimney is outdoors, so if the inside of it catches fire from creosote build up, you just let it burn itself clean.

[barretcreek]

Some folks I know have them. No thanks. We have only softwood here, but I don't think I would go for one even if we had oak and other hardwoods.

Unless you get a real brick lined fire box with a heat exchanger you can clean easily it's going to be creosote city.

There is a guy who posts regularly on Saubier.com who is making a wood stove which appears to be innovative. Ask over there.

[clintonhater]

We have only softwood here, but I don't think I would go for one even if we had oak and other hardwoods.

What do you think folks in the Rockies--where there is relatively little hardwood, but vast forests of Ponderosa pine--burn?

[barretcreek]

What do you think folks in the Rockies--where there is relatively little hardwood, but vast forests of Ponderosa pine--burn?

Here, 30 miles west of the Continental Divide folks burn Douglas Fir mostly. And clean their flue two or three times a season and still get chimney fires.

[Sako]

Creosote problems can be greatly reduced with insulated chimney pipe as it keeps the exhaust gases hotter and carrying the creosote out of the chimney instead of cooling off and building up inside of the pipe.

[holdover]

I have a Heat Master out side boiler that heats both my 3K sq ft house and my hot water. This is year 11, I bought it when fuel oil was 4.00 a gallon. It paid itself off after the second year with oil savings. I have not burned a drop of oil since I installed it. I live on a farm in a rural area and wood is available free. I am retired and cutting the wood is exercise. Even before I had the outside stove I heated with a inside wood stove, so I had chain saws and pickups etc. Having one might not be for everybody. I burn both hard and soft wood, when it is cold, say below 30 at night I load the stove about 5PM with hardwood, next morning about 8AM I load it with soft wood and depending how cold the day is I might have to add some softwood about 12. If the temp is above 30 day and night one load of softwood will go 24 hours. No more worry about a flue fire, and contrary to what has been said burning green wood/pine is not a problem the stove is outside 50' away from the house, has a 6" dia. steel chimney and a flue fire does not create any safety problem. The domestic hot water is heated by both a heat exchanger and a side arm water heater, the stove water and the domestic water never mix. You can stay in the shower as long as you like and never run out of hot water. I would do it again if this stove broke down, which is not likely. The savings in the electric bill is about 45 a month due to not heating the domestic water. I run the stove from Oct. to mid-April. during the summer I heat the water via the power company. Where I live about 20% have an outside boiler. The system uses the blower on the hot air system to turn on and distribute to what ever temp you set the thermostat. Your mileage may vary..