Wood Boiler FAQ, the Best Outdoor Wood Burning Furnace

We won't tell you that your wood will burn for 96 hours! or the kind of wood doesn't matter.

All about Outdoor Forced Air, Wood Burning Boilers - Furnaces - Stoves

The realistic Outdoor Furnace FAQ
for
Furnaces and Boilers

FAQ for Forced-Air (Water-less Furnace); 
GO HERE

 Hyprotherm Furnace Reviews and Testimonials about Customer Satisfaction

Featured in Holmes magazine! (Holmes on Homes)

Send me YOUR question, to be included here!

 

We are a family run business (privately held - no big corporations), located in North Arkansas (10 miles from MO) and know all about cold temperatures. We sell many furnaces in Canada, Alaska and Europe in dreadfully cold places like Romania! 

One of the reasons our prices are so low is because we are filling a need; for everyone to have an outdoor furnace, that wants one. 

ALSO:

 - Our labor rates are low, here in Arkansas and we pass those savings on to you!

 - Our advertising is only $300 a month - unlike others who spend tens of thousands of dollars on one full-page color ad. You pay for all that extra expense!

 - We use all off-the-shelf parts where possible. That means that they cost less money. We don't use expensive circuit boards or computerized parts. That means less expense for you (and simpler too).

 - No one at Hyprotherm is looking to get rich off of these furnaces. In fact some other manufactures put there furnaces on sale, lowering their prices by MORE than we even make on a furnace!

We have a simpler, nicer looking furnace that's made to stand the test of time. We use our own tried and true SIMPLE 47 year-old design and based out forced-air furnace on the same firebox design (3/8" thick), energy saving/wood saving chimney design, grates, ash receptacle, forced-air induction draft fan, front safety door and ash receptacle door designs.  

This is the same furnace we were building in 1972 without changing our prices by using cheaper materials such as Chinese steel or giving sloppy craftsmanship.

We HAVE made many improvements to the furnaces over time - and we STILL have the lowest prices!

 We believe we have the best outdoor wood furnace - and certainly the best price by far. 

Simply look at the shear weight of out furnaces and you will discover that we use the most metal and have the thickest firebox of all.

We heat our manufacturing facility with an older Pro Series  340 Water Model. The owner, also heats his own 5,000 sq ft home, hot water and hot tub with the Hyprotherm Outdoor Wood Furnace.
 

Having an outdoor wood fired furnace eliminates the risk of a devastating chimney fire, smoke, pollution, bugs and wood debris within the house. 

The most common is a furnace (or heat pump) with ductwork and in that case you simply install a water to air heat exchanger; much like a heater core in a car.  The air blows over it and extracts the heat which runs to all of your existing floor outlets as before.  The temperature is normally the same as an oil or gas furnace and up to 70F hotter than a heat pump.

The other popular heating system in a home is radiant heat.  That can be in-floor heat or baseboard or even the old style radiators.  All of these systems can use the hot water from our outdoor boiler to heat your home.

In a building such as a garage or shop, many people use a hanging heat exchanger with a fan on it to heat their building or if they have a regular furnace with ductwork, they can use a heat exchanger as above.

If the home or shop does not have existing duct work or a furnace, it is quite often simpler and less expensive to use one of our waterless furnaces which is also less expensive and simpler to install.


 

The Hyprotherm furnace removes the fire hazard from your home or building because all of the burning and stoking takes place outside. Insurance companies love these furnaces. Often lower rates or higher coverage can be had by changing from a fireplace or indoor wood stove to an outside wood furnace.

An outdoor wood furnace also helps your indoor air quality and can alleviate respiratory and allergy problems caused by burning wood indoors. No more dark sooty walls and bugs either! Thermostatic control provides your home with even, steady heat.

The house will be less drafty when heating with the outside boiler, because there is no combustion device operating inside drawing in cold outside air to replace that used in combustion.

Current owners of the Hyprotherm Furnace are also using up to 25 to 50 percent less wood compared to other heating alternatives. Since the Hyprotherm can burn larger and longer pieces of wood (up to 5 1/2 feet on many models!) it will dramatically reduce time spent preparing the wood. NO SPLITTING is needed!

Costs for large round timbers are also dramatically less than for smaller split wood. You can get this type of wood for $70-90 a cord compared to $120-140 a cord.

The Hyprotherm Wood Furnace means easy maintenance and few parts requiring service. You don't need costly electrical gadgets, like Smart Phone hook-up and other complications to cause problems down the road. This is a proven design of over 47 years! 

"KEEP IT SIMPLE and efficient", is our 4+ decades  motto. 

The electrical hookup is simple 110V wiring. All of our furnaces and boilers, from the smallest and least expensive to the biggest and most expensive are PRE-WIRED!

You MAY want - but don't need - a heating and air guy to  install a heat exchanger, but it is very simple and fully explained with a diagram and photos in our manual.

Our manual has complete and simple instructions for installing a heat exchanger - with photos and diagrams.

Everything is very simple and easy to do. There is a comprehensive manual, with lots of pictures and diagrams, that will help you every step of the way. You can also call me or the factory for assistance.

870-895-2688 (Ray at factory) or Ben at 828-683-8055

Scott Josiah, state forester with the Nebraska Forest Service at UNL, said "There also are environmental benefits to using wood heat. Wood heat produces little pollution and is environmentally friendly, especially when wood is used in a high-efficiency wood burning stove and where firewood is a readily available resource."

It is usually best to look at the square footage rating. For example, we rate our ThermoWind 1000 at 4400 square feet. We rate our 185 model at 5,182 sq. ft. This is for average winter conditions, like in PA and Ohio, heating a well-insulated home, burning a good hardwood like Oak.

Customers in Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota and upstate NY should consider this as heating 1000 less square feet. 

Folks in TN, NC, Arkansas, etc, can easily heat 1,0000 more sq. feet.

The BTU ratings and square footages for the ThermoWind water-less furnaces can be found HERE

BE AWARE that many manufacturers will take a furnace similar in size to our smallest one, will tell you that it will heat 7 or 8 thousand feet. What they DON'T tell you, is that you will have to load it more than twice a day. I've heard from quite a few customers that were sold too small a furnace (just so the company could make a sale) and then they ended up loading it every 4 or 6 or 8 hours. This is not fair to you!

Please keep in mind that this is for a house is well-insulated, according to today's standards. If you have an older or drafty house, you will have to adjust the size needed.

There is no negative to getting a bigger furnace because it is not like purchasing an air conditioner where if you get one too big, it becomes inefficient. It is simply like getting a bigger fuel tank so that it will hold more fuel and you will need to fill it less often.

Your wood source makes a big difference too. While hedge or orange wood HAS 32 Million BTUs per cord, Hickory has almost 28 Million, Red Oak has 24 Million BTUs while Ash and others are in the high teens and PIOne can be just14M - so you can see a big difference in the wood you use and load times! You can almost cut your load times in half using hedge. Most any hardwood has more BTUs than all species of softwoods. See our BTU list for wood 

Find out how many BTUs you need HERE or by checking the label on your current furnace.
BTU LOAD Calculator for Wood Burning Furnace
 

All boilers have a PUMP installed and a forced-air draft fan that is solenoid activated. 

They also have a digital thermometer, with a visual readout, an analog thermometer, a water level gauge, a second set of ports (to heat another building, walkway, driveway, shop, garage, etc) a built-in heat exchanger to heat your domestic hot water - saving you $30 - 65 a month! Last but not least; a pull-out ash tray is standard on all but our smallest economy model, the Hyprotherm 85!

Here is a list of the parts you need for your water-less furnace:

1. 12 gauge power wire (usually underground rated)/

2. Thermostat and wire to outdoor furnace.

Cement for the pad (if you choose to have a pad) or you can use solid concrete pavers.

Here is a list of the parts you need for your Hyprotherm 

BOILER

Here is a list of parts that you will need:

Here is a list of parts that you will need:

1. Installation kit (includes 2 shut-off valves, a drain and 2 Shark-Bite style fittings) @  71.47.

2. Hot water kit (includes a thermostat, pump flange and fittings to attach everything; top and bottom IF you have a free-standing hot water heater) @ $73.37

    No heat exchanger is needed - just a pump to circulate the water from the outdoor furnace to your hot water heater.

3. Heat exchanger : Water to air to put in your ductwork: Averages $136-200 most applications

                                 Plate type (only for a boiler) $140 - $399 (30 plate - 100 plate)

4. HE install kit (Shark-Bite style fittings for the heat exchanger) @ $12.99 - $29.49

5. Pump for the H/W heater (if used) @ $89 and up.

6. Pre-made insulated Pex pipe for $6.05/ft.  for a 4" drain tile with (2) 1" Pex pipes and (2) 3/4" Pex pipes.

7. Pre-made insulated Pex pipe for $4.55/ft. for a 4" drain tile with (2) 1" Pex pipes.

    This is used for any additional buildings that you may want to heat or for pools

    or if you do not want to use the built-in heat exchanger to heat your domestic hot water.

8. Rust protection is a MUST!

You can talk to the parts supplier because he has several approved products or you can get the 5-year Rust Blocker, which is a one-time treatment good for 5 years! - with NO WATER TESTS NEEDED! It is $325 plus shipping,

These prices are plus shipping and are approximate.

Please call TED at Abbott Boiler Parts at 828-687-4074 and he has the BEST PRICES in the country and NO SALES TAX and quite often SHIPPING AT NO CHARGE on most or all of your order!

Note: Shark-Bite style fittings are simple, push-on-by-hand Pex fittings.

In addition to these parts, you will need to buy these parts locally:

An inexpensive 2-wire, heat only thermostat ($15-25)

12/3 wire

cement for the pad or solid concrete pavers (4 in.) or even railroad ties will suffice.

Most people will spend an average of only $435 for all of their installation parts including the heat exchanger to heat their home (plus their Pex pipe)

These prices are plus shipping and are approximate.

Please call TED at Abbott Boiler Parts at 828-687-4074 and he has the BEST PRICES in the country and NO SALES TAX and quite often SHIPPING AT NO CHARGE on most or all of your order!

Note: Shark-Bite style fittings are simple, push-on-by-hand Pex fittings.

In addition to these parts, you will need to buy these parts locally:

An inexpensive 2-wire, heat only thermostat ($15-25)

12/3 wire

Cement for the pad (approx 1.3 yard) or solid concrete pavers (4 in.) or even railroad ties will suffice.

Most people will spend an average of only $415 for all of their installation parts including the heat exchanger to heat their home (plus their Pex pipe)

Some of our customers use solid concrete blocks (or pavers) and even railroad ties. It is recommended that you thick plastic down before using concrete blocks/pavers or railroad ties.

Burning wood gives off no more carbon than a rotting tree!

On the other hand, fossil fuels release carbon dioxide when burned which otherwise would stay trapped in the earth. This causes a net increase in carbon dioxide, which is believed to be responsible for the heat-trapping "greenhouse effect." So when heating with wood versus fossil fuels, you actually achieve a net reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. 

In addition, harvesting firewood has a pruning effect on forests, which allows net growth to flourish. The wood you burn likely comes from your local area -- it's not imported and not subject to price increases due to events outside your control, as is the case with oil.

Many times the owners have land with fallen trees spread throughout abundantly - which means FREE WOOD!

The life of your furnace depends upon proper maintenance. With proper maintenance your outdoor wood-fired furnace will give you many years of dependable service.

We have Hyprotherm Furnaces in service that are over 30 years old+, without siding - the way we used to make them!

Stainless is expensive so the fireboxes are made very thin. Stainless gets stress cracks in it which get bigger and bigger until you have a BIG leak (in the case of water furnaces)!

We have replaced leaking stainless steel furnaces only 5 and 6 years old!

Most outdoor furnace manufacturers went to stainless steel to get in on the stainless quality train, but since it’s expensive many of them went to a low-cost, cheap-grade stainless - which is still subject to corrosion! During the manufacturing and welding process for stainless steel, IF the proper quantity and blend of corrosion-resistant and stabilizing elements are used, then it does indeed become a “forever” product. This is not normally done and post-weld annealing is needed to restore ductility, formability, toughness and corrosion resistance.

If you do purchase one of the lower grade stainless steel furnaces, be sure that exact model has a proven track record of corrosion resistance. The furnace design is every bit as important as the material that it’s made from.

WE have original 30 year-old water furnaces are still in operation today - thanks in part to the original super thick 4/10th (.380) inch firebox.

We don't have you ship the furnace back, like some companies, for any major repair. What good is a warranty if it's going to cost you a thousand dollars for shipping?

We also don't send you a roll of 26 gauge metal, like one owner told me, along with a list of local welders! Can you believe that's how some people (dis)honor their warranty?

We send a man out, to your furnace and it's repaired on the spot should a firebox or water jacket problem!

We also offer financing

You can pay with credit card, debit card, cash, check by mail and PayPal.

The balance is before it is put on the truck for delivery.

If shipping by freight, the balance must be paid before the furnace is picked up by the shipping company

(You can LOCK-IN Current AND SALE prices with a deposit of just $1000).

The Hyprotherm FLRH-185 Boiler is 2175 lb and the mid size top-loader is over 3 tons and the Stump Burner which is 6x6x6 is 6 TONS!

By contrast, the Hardy H2 furnace only weighs 650 lb. The Hardy H4 is only 850. Hmmm...

See a picture of our water furnace hanging from the chimney alone, about halfway down the page or at http://outdoorwoodfurnaceboiler.com/images/red-furnace-hanging-with-man.JPG

We have replaced many Hardy boilers that had water gushing into the firebox, for that reason.

There are many Hyprotherm Furnaces and Boilers over 30+ years old in service, still going strong.

 

With our optional Cold Weather Package (free in Canada and all states bordering Canada) you get R22 in the walls and an amazing R50 in the ceiling!

Any system with ductwork and a fan is considered a forced-air system, including heat pumps, geothermal units, water furnaces,

Our heating system is MUCH hotter than heat pumps and
geothermal systems which are often only 11oF at the ducts, whereas ours are as hot as 170-180 (homeowner adjustable)!
 
Most all of our customers install the furnace themselves (95%).

The electrical hookup is simple 110V wiring. Just run a power wire to our junction box and make the simple connection with a screwdriver! 

You MAY want to use a heating and air guy to help with the ductwork or heat exchanger installation - your call.

You can pour the concrete pad, if you're going to use one. It only takes about 1/3 yard of concrete.

You can also use railroad ties and solid concrete 4" thick blocks pavers.

Everything is very simple and easy to do. There is a 70 page manual that will help you every step of the way. 

You can also call me or the factory for assistance at 879-895-2688 or Ben at 828-683-8055.

Can I put the forced air WATERLESS furnace in my basement?

The thermostat for your existing furnace would sense the drop in temperature and automatically turn your furnace on (without any relays, switches or circuit boards).

Once you feed the outdoor furnace and restore the fire, it would again take over from your existing furnace.

Use a smaller 700 Watt generator for a boiler model..

This is how you become self-sufficient with your outdoor wood burning furnace.
 

 Have heat when no one else does!

 

Without a furnace or ductwork, you can use a Thermowind (water-less) furnace and run two ducts (a supply and return to two rooms in your home (one to each), preferably at opposite ends of the house for better air circulation and more even heating) or you can install ductwork in your basement or crawlspace to better distribute the heat.
 

However, in suburban, small town, and rural areas, wood makes good sense. If you choose to install your Hyprotherm furnace in a densely populated area the stack height should exceed the rooflines of existing homes within 200 feet. Most every state/county/town has their own laws and ordinances.

So 2 times a day max normally, using a good dry hardwood like oak. Some people do it just once a day, depending on the size of home, how cold it is outside and the type of wood they are burning. 

Our FHRH-185 will heat 2590 sq. ft, well-insulated, loading if just ONCE a day with a good firewood like oak!

i.e Oak had 24,000,000 BTU per full cord, while Pine only has 14,000,000 BTU per cord and Hickory, Locust or Hedge has over 30,000,000 BTU per cord!

Or you can do as I did and buy a bigger furnace, so I only file mine ONCE a day, which is real nice is the freezing cold, freezing rain or even the blistering COLD!

There is no negative to getting a bigger furnace because it is not like purchasing an air conditioner where if you get one too big, it becomes inefficient. It is simply like getting a bigger propane or oil tank so that it will hold more fuel and you will need to fill it less often.

Can I extend the chimney of flue pipe?

Some people have their funace right outside the door, so they can run out and throw some wood in fast.

I have my boiler 60 feet away, which is nice.

Normally a boiler is no more than 250-275 feet away because that is the longest piece of un-spliced Pex pipe that you can buy and most people don't want to walk that far in the snow!

Is there an elevation concern for the placement of the furnace?  

Water furnaces (boilers) may need a bigger pump for elevation changes between the boiler and the building being heated., but otherwise there is no concern,

Our parts supplier has Pex Pipe 250-275 feet long which is the longest piece of un-spliced Pex pipe that you can buy and most people don't want to walk that far in the snow!

Our simplest option is an in-house layaway program and there is no interest!

However, it must be totally paid for before it is shipped.

More information is at: http://www.outdoorwoodfurnaceboiler.com/Financing-outdoor-wood-furnace.htm

For easy financing, you can use ACCESS Equipment and Leasing, in Ohio: www.AEFinance.us is the website address.

Click on Personal Loans.

Please put the dealership name (WNC Stoves) under Dealer.

Under "Down Payment Amount", I would put YOUR actual down payment PLUS what we may offering as a discount/rebate. Be sure to put the regular retail price as the "Total cost" PLUS the shipping cost!

Contact:

Magan Grice

AE Finance, LLC

www.AEFinance.us

More information is at: http://www.outdoorwoodfurnaceboiler.com/Financing-outdoor-wood-furnace.htm

Generally speaking you can finance the furnace and shipping.

Straight Financing!* Available for New & Used equipment purchases above $1,500.00.

Calculated with monthly payments based on 12, 24, 36, 48 months. Payments start in 30 days after signing of contract. Interest rate is fixed for the term of the loan. Interest starts at the time of the contract. No pre-payment penalty.

We can get an approval within 24 hours max (usually under 2 hours).

______________________

or you can use Time Payment Corp (BUT THEY CHARGE TAX because it is a lease)

Time Payment Corp

We also do financing through an outside company called TimePayment Corporation in Boston. However. because it is set up as a lease, there IS sales tax.

For SAME AS CASH or standard 6 month, 2, 3 or 4 year financing, you can finance furnaces through an outside company, that we've worked with for years. They can finance a furnace for up to 48 months, with as little as ZERO DOWN.

Typically, either company likes to see 1-2 month's payments (approx $150-300) for a down payment but in some cases they can ask for $1000 down. It all depends on your credit because some folks get ZERO down!

They give fast answers and are real good to work with.

You need to put in an official application.

They can be reached toll free at 866-994-7154. Be sure to give them my vendor ID number which is 06CBJ

They will be more than happy to help you and unlike our other finance company, they will finance the furnace and shipping as well as the parts needed for installation.

You can do that by fax, by phone or online on their website at https://timepaymentcorp.biz/LDAWeb/Default.aspx?dealercode=06CBJ&apptype=C&program=LNT7T

You can also e-mail Access Equipment & Financing LLC at info@aefinance.us

Their Fax number is: 937-552-9484

Special programs available for the following states:

AZ, CA, FL, GA, IA, IN, KY, ME, MI, MN, MO,

MS, NC, OH, OR, PA, TN, TX, VA, WA, WI, WV

$150 doc fee on all financing.

First and foremost the firebox thickness is the most important factor. We have  3/8" thick firebox -  compared to 1/4" from our nearest competitor. That's 50% thicker and that's important because the firebox is often the first thing to fail. Most furnaces' fireboxes are only .125 to .1875" thick, with others that are .250" (1/4") thick.

WE have an optional 1/2 Thick firebox; FOUR TIMES thicker than most!

We have a 20 year parts AND labor warranty. Most others just cover parts or their warranty is much shorter - read the fine print!! (Fans and electrical parts have a 1, 2 or 3-year warranty.

There is a 75 CFM forced-air induction blower in back that feeds air into the firebox, below the grate, to feed oxygen into the bottom of the fire. Feeding the fire from the bottom (just like a blacksmith would) is the best way to get complete combustion from the wood. This is infinitely better than a fan on the front door blowing air into the side of the fire - or a manual draft. The fan has a solenoid activated damper so that you don't use any extra wood unnecessarily!.

The boiler grate is made out of Cast Iron. Most furnaces don't even have grates; forcing you to kill the fire, open the firebox door (letting out all of your precious heat), clean out the ashes and then restart a fire in the dead of winter!

The Legacy (original) firebox is round and is 36" wide x 26" high (due to the grate and ash pan in the bottom) x 34" deep. It is made from almost 4/10th of an inch of solid steel. We've never had one rust through! Square fireboxes take 12 or more welds to put it together. Every weld is a potential leak. A round firebox only takes two continuous weld on each end for the end plates! A tube is MUCH stronger than flab slabs of steel that can bend and warp.

It is totally surrounded by the water jacket or air chamber; top, bottom, front, back and both sides, so that it absorbs the maximum amount of heat possible!

Our new model (Fall 2017) has a firebox that is formed with a 430-ton press brake, instead of welding flat slabs of steel together, with so many welds and their inherent leaks.

It is surrounded by the water jacket or air chamber; top, front, back and both sides, so that it absorbs the maximum amount of heat possible!

Almost as few welds as on a cylinder; Only 4 welds vs. 12 welds on a typical firebox. Three times less!

Not only is the firebox thicker; the water jacket bottom is THE SAME THICKNESS as the firebox because it is the most vulnerable part); 3/8" standard and the 1/2" THICK firebox option gives you a HALF INCH THICK water jacket bottom as well! 

NO ONE ELSE DOES THAT!! 

The chimney is made out of 5 inch schedule 40 pipe (1/4" thick) and heats up the water as well, as it passes through. It tops out at about 90" above ground. You can EASILY add extensions with standard 6" stovepipe. Smaller flues mean much less heat loss.

The chimney is low in the firebox and exits about 1 foot from the bottom shelf, so that the smoke - or more importantly, the heat - is trapped so that it doesn't quickly escape out the flue. That would be a big loss of efficiency. This is also a better idea since you don't have baffles creating a lot of smoke and getting a creosote buildup on them that's hard to clean.

This also creates a huge secondary burn chamber, to more completely burn the gases and wood! When wood starts to burn it's the escaping gas that burns first, then the wood!

The water surrounds the ash pan as well. As anyone with a woodstove or furnace knows, ashes put out a lot of heat!

There is a full-size rear door approx 40 x 48 inches. This makes it VERY easy to make connections and to service it. There is no need to pull the whole shell off as with other furnaces!

We have an extra large, waist-high loading door - 24" x 24" inside (loading) dimensions, suitable for putting really BIG pieces of wood in! 

Remember, a 30" piece 15" in diameter will weigh 115 lb! 

The door material is made with a 1/2 inch frame and a 1/4 inch outside steel plate plus a 1/4 inch thick inside steel plate separated by the air gap between the steel plates. This door will never burn through! The insulating ability is the air gap plus the reflective factor. The inside plate only 4 bolts attach it to the door so there is very little heat transfer. We fill the air gap with easily replaceable Fiberglas insulation.

These furnaces now come with a double flood light on the front for safety and ease of loading the wood. Not only that, it's a MOTION LIGHT! No switches. No forgetting to turn it off. If it's dark outside and you go near the furnace, it turns on!

There are legs on the bottom with a skirt surrounding the bottom to ground level to keep it warm and dry.

The exterior is made of Heavy Duty Siding - 29 gauge with 10 coatings and it has a Lifetime film integrity warranty and 30 years against fade and chalk

We can build just about anything. Billy did one recently that was 9 feet long and another that was 12 feet long!!

READ WHY OUR FURNACE IS THE ABSOLUTE BEST!  

You can also add other types of siding or concrete board and lathe to the frame in order to add brick, stone, etc.

Click on image for a LARGER PICTURE

You can have the side, corners and roof
in any color or combination you want!

Even the front can be a different color!

Hyprotherm Furnace Reviews and Testimonials

AND Customer Satisfaction