This is a sponsored guest post.
Not all love outdoor wood furnaces. They appeal to people who love rural settings. However, that doesn’t mean staying in that bush or middle of a forest to use the outdoor wood boiler furnace. You can still use it in urban settings. The working principle is simple. It starts with having a source of wood and installing it in a viable place. Outdoor wood boiler furnace offers an efficient, reliable, as well as a comprehensive heating source. So, if you are looking to install an outdoor wood boiler finance in your home, here are the key things you should know.
Advantages
The following are the benefits of installing an outdoor wood furnace:
Utility bills—with an outdoor wood furnace, you have a long-term solution that will save you lots of money in terms of utility bills. Plus, the outdoor wood furnace comes with a high level of insulation—helping you save huge amounts of energy. So, if you are looking to save on monthly bills—think outdoor wood furnace.
Safety—Outdoor wood furnaces are usually installed outside your home. This makes them safe. With an outdoor wood furnace, you eliminate fire hazards in your home. However, you should choose the best model for good results. For instance, you can consider a model featuring pressure fail-safes, loss of electricity, as well as flash
Investment
Efficiency is one of the best things about an outdoor wood furnace. However, it’s important to note that efficiency varies from model to model and manufacturer to manufacturer. So, if you want a long-term investment, choose the best model from the most reliable brand. Also, you need a design with good efficiency. A good outdoor wood boiler should have superior insulation capabilities.
Performance
There are different factors that affect the performance of an outdoor wood furnace. However, the most important ones include the furnace door of the exhaust system. That’s why you need an outdoor wood furnace system featuring a superior rating. Also, ensure that the insulation iS good—it will reduce the time spent on using your system. In addition, purchase a system with radiant flooring.
Longevity and Maintenance
The quality of your outdoor wood furnace will determine its longevity. Also, proper maintenance will help your outdoor wood furnace last for long. For instance, if your outdoor wood furnace belongs to the low-end model and is poorly maintained, chances are that it might last for less than 10 years. On the flip side, purchasing a high-end system will guarantee you longevity—provided that it’s properly maintained.
Your outdoor wood furnace needs a periodic inspection. Also, you need to clean it regularly. Keep it from creosote and dust.
Wood Furnaces: The Pros and Cons
The prices of electricity and natural gas are constantly increasing—showing no sign of coming down. Thus, people are turning to wood-burning as a cheaper alternative to these sources of energy. If you are planning to heat your home with a wood furnace, you will need to choose between these two options:
- Indoor wood-burning furnace
- Outdoor wood-burning furnace
Both options come with advantages and disadvantages when it comes to use, efficiency, heat output, as well as durability. You will choose your furnace based on structure, design, as well as home size. It’s important to note that indoor wood furnaces are ideal for a home with an open floor. So, before choosing your furnace, consider the following pros and cons.
Pros of Outdoor Wood Furnace
An outdoor wood furnace comes with a water jacket that surrounds its inner firebox unit. The water is heated by the fire. The heated water is then carried via pipes to the radiators. Alternatively, the heated water can be taken to your home’s forced-air heat-based exchanger. Thus, an outdoor burner tends to distribute heat more evenly than its indoor counterpart. They are also larger than the indoor wood furnaces. Their capacity is also higher. Thus, you don’t need to split your wood into smaller pieces. You can feed them into the furnace—even when in larger sizes. Also, you can burn wet and unseasoned wood. This is because an outdoor furnace produces a higher amount of heat.
The best part, you can heat your garage, outbuildings, as well as domestic water with a single outdoor furnace. Outdoor furnaces are safe—chances of fire spreading to your house are limited. Other benefits of the outdoor furnace include:
- You don’t need to clean those annoying ashes from the surface
- You can leave the debris, dirt, and barks on the surface of the outdoor furnace.
The Cons of Outdoor Wood Furnace
Outdoor wood furnaces produce more smoke than their indoor counterparts. Of course, homeowners tend to install chimneys to drain the smoke away. However, the smoke can still get to the neighborhood and pollute their environment. Another disadvantage of outdoor furnaces is the chores involved. For instance, during winter, you will have to feed wood at least twice a day into the furnace. Plus, you will need extra space to store your wood. Moreover, more ash is produced. So, you will be responsible for cleaning the ashes. Also, if you live in a state that restricts the amount of smoke produced from furnaces, you might get it difficult to use an outdoor wood furnace.
The Pros of Indoor Wood Furnace
The efficiency at which indoor furnaces burn is higher. Specifically, their efficiency is between 70-80 percent. On the other hand, the efficiency of outdoor furnaces is between 50-60 percent. Thus, the higher efficiency in indoor furnaces yields more complete combustion while producing less smoke. Even more, indoor stoves are outfitted with a special glass window. Thus, users have the opportunity to enjoy viewing the fire from this glass window. You don’t need to go outside to have this experience.
The Cons of Indoor Wood Furnace
You will need to split the wood into smaller pieces before feeding them into the furnace. Also, the indoor furnace has a smaller capacity. This means that you will need to frequently add wood into the stove—which can be time-consuming and tiresome. You will need to split the wood on a daily basis. Alternatively, you can do it once—but you must ensure the amount is enough to see you through the whole week or month.
Also, wood requires dry storage. Remember, an indoor furnace cannot produce heat from wet wood. Additionally, these types of stoves tend to produce lots of ashes and debris. So, you will need to clean the chimney area on a regular basis. This is not only time-consuming but also tiresome.
The cost involved during the installation of an indoor furnace can be high. This is because you will need to hire a professional to assemble the parts into one single unit.
How To But Outdoor Stove
Want to buy an outdoor Stove? Well, here are key things to consider:
Wood Supply
Wood furnaces heavily rely on wood to produce energy. Thus, you need to have a constant wood supply. Remember, wood isn’t readily available. You must dig deep into your pocket to purchase the wood. If you can get hardwoods like oak, ash, and hickory, that will be good. Hardwood tends to burn for longer periods of time. Also, you can go for maples—they burn hotter as well as longer. So, if you want to save money, don’t go for softwoods. They produce less heat and burn faster—which will increase the cost of acquiring them.
Storage
You will need space to store your wood. You will need a dry space where you will be storing your wood. Remember, wood has volume. So, it will take space. Thus, before purchasing your outdoor furnace, consider the storage space in your home.
Cost
The cost of acquiring a stove can be high. In fact, it can cost you hundreds of dollars. It’s an investment you are making. So, start saving early. Research and get the best stove from the market. Also, be sure to purchase a stove with lower emission standards. Do your homework well. Don’t rush to purchase your outdoor stove.
Maintenance
Like any machine, a wood furnace requires regular maintenance. Without proper maintenance, your stove will wear and tear in a few years. So, if you want your system to serve you for years to come, consider doing regular maintenance. Liaise with a professional to check your stove from time to time. Schedule regular maintenance. Clean the ashes after use.
Consistent Heat
Maintaining a consistent heat from your wood furnace isn’t that easy. However, with the right strategies, you can still do it. Here is the deal:
- Feed wood into your system on a regular basis
- Use a monitor to keep track of the heat from the stove. Thus, consider purchasing a smart wood furnace. Go for one with Wi-Fi and a digital thermostat.
The Bottom-Line
The market is filled with lots of options. Be sure to purchase your system from a reputable brand. The manufacturer should give you unlimited warranty.
