Installing an outdoor wood boiler can be a great way to save money on your heating bill, but before buying wood boiler consider the bottom line.  In exchange for wood heating, you will be giving more of your time in labor and maintenance.

This is not necessarily a bad thing.  It just depends on your circumstances, and heating needs. My home is very large and old. The cost of heating it with my old oil boiler system was astronomical.  Just three years ago I was paying $500 per month.  Today I would be paying close to triple that, and most likely couldn’t afford to live here.  Huge, huge savings!

I think my case might be a little extreme, but I spend about twenty hours per month hauling wood and feeding the outdoor boiler during the peak cold season. This is what I mean by the labor tradeoff. If you have the time, it’s great.

I get most of my firewood for free from a nearby saw mill. If I had to buy wood, I could expect to pay around $400 per month. I burn close to a cord of wood per week during the subzero temps.  Again, my case is extreme. My outdoor boiler heats a 5,000 square foot area and has a capacity for heating up to 10,000 sq. feet.  I heat my garage and feed heating coils for my driveway, therefore the additional boiler capacity.

Most folks with busy schedules buy their wood by the semi load. I’m sure there are wood suppliers around you. This is very convenient, but to get a good deal it’s best to buy uncut logs which will have to be chainsawed, and then split. You will pay a premium for wood that’s ready to feed directly into the boiler.

The harder the wood, the more heat delivery you get. The wood won’t necessarily burn hotter, it will just last longer. I like a combination of hard and soft wood. An outdoor wood boiler will burn some pretty green stuff that you wouldn’t even dream of putting in an indoor wood boiler. Even though the boiler can handle it, I advise against it.  Expect lots of smoke and creosote buildup in the stack. It’s also a huge waste because energy is expended into driving moisture out of the wood.

Installing the outdoor boiler yourself is not really as intimidating as you would think. You may benefit from my experience. If you are interested in installing your own wood boiler, be sure to read my next page. Chances are you will save money.

It doesn’t take a whole lot of expertise to install your own wood burning outdoor boiler.  You can save a great deal of money if you are willing to do a little extra work and research. The type of installation I’m referring to is a wood boiler unit installed the minimum safe distance from your home and in full compliance with your local codes. Some areas have banned the use of outdoor wood burning boilers so be sure to find out if you are able to do this in the first place.

"Wood boiler" is somewhat of a misnomer for this application because in actuality the water in the furnace is usually not heated to over 185 degrees Fahrenheit. The wood boiler is actually an outdoor water heater.  Water is pumped to and from a heat exchanger with a pair of 1” lines. The heated water never comes in direct contact with the circulating water from the home itself.  Instead the water is pumped through either a plate heat exchanger if your home is heated with hot water, or a radiant heat exchanger if your home is equipped with forced air. The installation instructions are fairly detailed on most models and if you have questions concerning your particular application the best time to ask is before you by the unit. The outdoor wood boiler dealer will be more forthcoming with information at this point then at any other time. You will get a good idea about their customer support system. Just remember that there are a plenty of brands and dealers to choose from. If you don’t like what you hear, move on.

Having said that, the following areas are places to look at to save a little more money installing your boiler:

·         Heat exchanger. This is a high dollar item, however, I’ve found several on Ebay that would have worked for my application, even if I had to use smaller exchangers in series. Of course I discovered this after I had bought mine. There are also places on the web where you can learn how to size your exchanger for your application.

·         Return and input lines. Another high dollar item. This is the pair of 1 inch water lines that run from the outside wood boiler to the heat exchanger. These can be very costly if purchased through the dealer. Besides that, these clever folks will leach more money out of you by forcing you to rent specialty tools and use specialty fittings, only available from—guess where? Comparable water lines can be purchased at a Menards or a Home depot, better yet through a plumbing supply house. Insulate the lines and stuff them in corrugated plastic drain tile. Save big bucks in exchange for a little sweat.

·         Burying the lines. Call 800 Dig. It’s a simple call that could really save you a bundle if you mistakenly hit a phone, power or gas line. Having said that, you don’t have to bury the water lines very deep. Two to three feet is adequate.

·         The wiring isn’t very complex. Dedicate a circuit just for this. Underground burial cable 12-2 or 12-3. Check your codes; make sure you don’t have to run it in conduit.  If you are unsure about the wiring portion, you can at least run the cable and let an electrician do the final hookup. If you want to run any remote sensing device, run the wire for this at the same time.

·         Do the concrete work yourself.  Because it’s a small pad, it’s best to have another pad from a larger project nearby, maybe a neighbor or perhaps that patio momma has been bugging you about. The simplest way is to purchase a base. Not necessarily the most cost effective, but very easy.

·         The wood boiler you decide to purchase will most likely have an optional heat exchanger to be used specifically for heating your potable hot water. This is a great little bonus, however after you spend 200 bucks or more buying the kit from the company you will be surprised to discover what a simple device it really is.  If you can work copper pipe and fittings, have at it. You can get ideas on how to make your own online. Again, you can get everything you need at a supplier such as Menards or Home Depot.

·         Pump. The hot water pump used in your application is going to be sold to you at a premium. Don’t buy the pump. You can do much better by finding a hot water pump dealer online. Tell them your application, and they will size it accordingly.

·         Distance from home. There are building codes for maintaining minimum distances from your home and neighbors for your particular area. Although this last little piece of advice won’t save you any money during the installation, it may save you the expense and grief of having to move and reinstall your unit because you didn’t comply with your local codes.  A key thing to consider is where the prevailing wind comes from during the colder months. You don’t want the smoke to be blowing right at your house, or your neighbors. My furnace is about 100 feet from the house.Your boiler instructions will include a chart to use to size your stack in relation to distance from your home. Chances are you will not have enough stack, so keep that in mind.

Consider purchasing a stainless steel model! You will be glad you did, because the firebox will last longer. Also pay close attention to the baffling design inside the chamber itself, thourough burning of flue gases greatly increase the efficiency of the furnace.