Outdoor Wood Burner. Is it WORTH IT? (4 Years later)

We've been using our Outdoor Wood Burner for 4 years now and in today's video we decide if it was worth the investment or not. If you are considering an outdoor woodburner, watch this video! We discuss the pros and cons of our Central Boiler and outdoor wood burners in general.
LIKE US? PLEASE HELP US OUT AND SUBSCRIBE...
/ @homesteadhow
AND LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW!
HomesteadHow is a family of six who left the city to live and grow on 20 acres. We are rookies sharing our journey with you. To all the preppers, homesteaders, or survivalists who wants to live a more simple live, come learn with us!
Videos will include fun projects related to woodworking, logging, gardening, livestock and more...We are not experts but learning hands-on and sharing our experiences with you.
Music by: epidemicsound.com
OUR EQUIPMENT:
Sony A6300 Mirrorless Camera: amzn.to/2hRgjyv
DJI Phantom Drone: amzn.to/2Bm0Te4
Rode Mic with Wind Jammer: amzn.to/2iR4pFH
Handheld Gimbal/Stabilizer Zhiyun Crane-M 3: amzn.to/2hRpMpw
500mm/1000mm f/8.0 Telephoto Lens: amzn.to/2A5GQm8
57” Aluminum Tripod with 360° Panorama Ball head: amzn.to/2znTOII
Electronic Slider & 360° Panoramic Time Lapse System: amzn.to/2zoUcXy
Memory Card: 32 GB High Speed SDHC: amzn.to/2Bnfjuw
ENJOY THIS VIDEO? SUPPORT US WITHOUT PAYING A DIME!
It takes us hours per week to document our journey on both our blog and our KZbin channel. Some videos take hours to produce, edit and publish! If you enjoy watching our videos and want to help us to produce more of them, learn how you can help us without spending a dime!
www.homesteadhow.com/support-o...
GET SOCIAL Follow us as we learn and expand our homestead. We post a lot of stuff to both our blog and our other social media channels that don't make it to KZbin, so be sure to follow us there
Our new website: HomeSteadHow.com
Find us on Facebook: / homesteadhow1
Picture us on Instagram: / homesteadhow
~-~~-~~~-~~-~
Please watch our latest: "Secret Forest WALL TENT (We TRY to build a wall tent platform hide-away in the woods)"
• How to Build an Amazin...
~-~~-~~~-~~-~
We publish new homestead videos every Saturday! Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss more great videos. Subscribe here- / @homesteadhow Want more HomesteadHow Content? We are Amazon Influencers. WATCH all of our Amazon Videos and see the products we use and review here: www.amazon.com/shop/homesteadhow
Disclaimer:
Content here is for educational purposes from my personal journey with the Carnivore Diet. It's not medical advice. I’m not a medical professional. Consult with a healthcare provider for diet or health changes. Information is based on my views and for discussion and learning.

[@Homesteadhow]

FOLLOWUP VIDEO (Why I WONT Replant Trees I Harvest from my Homestead) To this one just went live- kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y3bIdqVuZ9CFiNU

[@glen1arthur]

hi have you ever considered collaring or girdling tree. So it drys standing up without worrying about it rotting. Most people also believe it is faster.

[@ml7049]

HomeSteadHow where are you guys? We live outside of Philadelphia and have definitely considered moving much further out and living life much more simply

[@vasopel]

@@ml7049 "living life much more simply" did you watch the video or not? :-)

[@timbucktoo6633]

Just wondering why your not stoking the heater with 4 foot logs instead of all those small pieces? Most folks in my area use full logs.

[@believeryshua6509]

HomeSteadHow I know people who have the outside wood burner there are ways to get free wood. Go to your municipal for wood Call all farmers Ask landscapers The larger units or more efficient because you can use half the trunk to burn for almost the whole entire day and you don’t have to cut

[@richfarfugnuven6308]

As a kid I split 5-10 cords a year for my parents house, and then would go lift weights after swinging that maul in the afternoon. Best shape I was ever in. As soon as I left at 18, my parents put in a propane furnace. Go figure.

[@CptStankFanger]

Their free labor left home..

[@relentlessmadman]

At least you know they missed you!

[@nickloch7483]

That's it

[@Homesteadhow]

Nice , it's great excercise

[@TonyD-dz8pt]

i use to do that but for the last 25 years i have had a wood splitter, i can go for 8 hours non stop and get all my wood split and the only thing why i would want to stop is i get sick of slitting wood

[@swampcrawlerls1267]

Living with that many women I would probably want to spend large amounts of time cutting and gathering wood too. Just kidding, enjoy your big happy family. Cheers.

[@Homesteadhow]

my favorite comment "this... this is why I drink" :)

[@joeestes8114]

I thought the same thing but iam glad you said it!:)

[@stevem7571]

That is why a lot of men worked a shit load of overtime, one to pay for everything, two don't want to go home

[@jacalli]

I'm a single woman who has an outdoor furnace!

[@darthvader5300]

Are you a Mormon who is allowed to have many wives? If so then you are the KING AND I STAR IN YOUR COUNTY (YUL BRYNNER)! Many cheers and advance Merry Christmanss and a Happy New Year! JUST JOKING! LOL!

[@Up_north_with_Mike]

You got my thumbs up just for the Argo move and the camera grab and go

[@rebeccalynntenbrink6254]

That was my thought. Nice moves!

[@GlassBone710]

I came here to say that too! That was the smoothest shit I've ever seen.

[@organizedchaos2824]

😂😂😂 whipping it in the Argo 🤙😎

[@calrichey9285]

I built my house, 8" thick walls, staggered 2x4 construction, 6" bats of insulation on both sides. All windows on the south side so passive solar. I just burnt wood in northwester Wisconsin. I used only 3 to 3 1/2 cords of wood per winter. Maybe that's your problem, your house is obsolete. Now you can take a 2x4 construction house and add new walls in the inside, adding another 4" of insulation. My brother used to sell Central boilers, he suggested using green wood. I used a 50 gal. water heater core to preheat my water before going into the hot water heater. It sat near my woodstove.

[@scooptractornorthorchard2397]

I agree. I’m on my 13th winter with my Central boiler. And have no regrets. As a firefighter I will add the benefit of keeping the fire out of your house as one more pro. Thanks

[@Homesteadhow]

That is true- no fire in the house PLUS the mess of having a fire is all outside as well.

[@basedbear1605]

@@Homesteadhow People that have never had an indoor wood stove underestimate the disaster that it will make the inside of your house. Burning wood is a filthy mess, best to keep it outside. Great video, thanks!

[@sgtbudz8948]

Based Bear to be fair if your patient and take your time bringing wood inside along with cleaning your stove area after every use you really don’t notice any mess. I don’t use nearly as much wood as you do though, awesome set up and nice vid! Was fun to watch

[@wnburroughs4082]

@Jake Sangria It's not that big of a deal. We did 5 and lived in a little rambler.

[@mikeanderson6042]

@Jake Sangria used to do 16. 4 weekends. Dropping skidding blocking splitting and stacked. Did it all growing up, probably just got used to it. Switched to coal 2 years ago when my mom got diagnosed with cancer.

[@samhigdon2808]

We too have a Central Boiler unit. The 5036. This is it’s 10th year. We have loved the unit. We still tell everyone that it was our “best investment”. Our heating demand is not as diverse as the one in this video so our wood consumption is much less. I’m now 75 and still look forward to my wood gathering and heating season. Bottom line. We love it still.

[@koltonkinlicheene2297]

"You gotta cut the wood, you gotta STACK the wood" This guy: points at unstacked pile of firewood 😂

[@Homesteadhow]

point taken :) Ive been stacking wood lately like a madman though. At one time we had so much wood in the shed there wasn't room for more. I planned to feed the first pile into the wood burner- but it rained, snowed and froze. I procrastinated!

[@davemarr7743]

Firewood heats you twice, once when you cut & split it. Twice when you burn it. Lol

[@ProfMannion]

You got wood gumbo, wood and rice...

[@8.21productions9]

@@Homesteadhow my neighbor stacks his wood. but he stacks it on pallets probably 5-5.5’ high. then just moves them as needed with his tractor.

[@Homesteadhow]

@@8.21productions9 I like this idea!

[@wfemp_4730]

Good information! Having an outdoor burner would be a bit too much for me, but I do love my wood stove in the den. Cutting, splitting and moving/stacking (multiple times before it gets into the stove) is enough for me. It does keep me somewhat active outside during the cold months when I'd otherwise be watching TV or whatever.

[@augiemattheiss]

Fun to see.... I heated with a wood stove years ago when I was young... I still miss it, I remember opening the windows in the bitter cold because it was too hot in the family room! ;-) This was in Maryland where neighbors had heatpumps, we called them cold pumps!... of course, I'd do it on purpose when people were over just to show off.... nothing comes close to the comfort of sitting near a really hot heavy steel black box... if you are slightly tired, you know, from handling all that wood.... you'll be out like a light in a few minutes! ;-) thanks for posting.....

[@TruckTaxiMoveIt]

Here are a few things to onsider: 1) attach to a greenhouse grow fruits and vegetables throughout the year even citrus trees 2) convert 1 wall to function as a oven 3) use the ash as fertilizer 4) create an automated feeder that drops the wood onto a sliding portion of the roof

[@GlorifiedGremlin]

I'm thinking about building a small one to keep a greenhouse warm. I gotta see if digging the greenhouse in the ground is enough on its own first lol

[@formerevolutionist]

I remember having a wood-burning stove growing up. You're right. It is a literal ton of work. We would often spend one or two months gathering firewood, cutting it, carrying it, stacking it, etc. Then, during the winter it was a lot of work to tend to the fire.

[@tb9579]

We bought a place in the NC mountains last summer that has a very unique set up for hot water and heating the house - an indoor water stove. The unit is quite large - about 5’ tall x 7’ long x 4’ deep. Three large solar panels on the roof with a circulating pump serve as the primary source to heat the water. If we have a period of cloudy days where the solar panels can’t keep the water adequately heated, the stove has a built-in home heating oil furnace to heat the water. In the unlikely event both the solar panels and furnace go belly up, no worries - the stove also has a firebox for burning wood. It was made by Blue Ridge Water Stoves and installed when the house was built in 1991. Has kept the house toasty warm throughout the winter with plenty of hot water for showers. Love it!

[@Homesteadhow]

in case anyone wants to see what we thought of our outdoor wood stove after owning it for a few weeks- we did a video for that 4 years ago- kzbin.info/www/bejne/pmLEmJagepuLfrM

[@groundpounder24365]

For me my outdoor boiler has saved me thousands, we got our hot water, and heat 3500 sq ft with it for my family of 7, my 4 sons and my daughter actually enjoy "helping dad". I live in northern Lower peninsula Michigan and do tree removal for a living so win win for me. Boiler is homemade by me with a large propane tank being my firebox and I burn between 8 to 10 cord a season.

[@royreynolds108]

@@groundpounder24365 I lived in Genessee County, Thedford Township, Michigan, address Mt. Morris from May 1979 to Oct 1986. We had a Heatalator type wood stove which helped a lot with the oil savings

[@groundpounder24365]

@@royreynolds108 I know right where mount Morris is. I go mudding at "the mounds" off road park

[@gregwoycik1755]

Great video! I installed a Central Boiler stove 18 years ago when my twin girls were just a tad younger than yours. They are off to college and I handle the all the wood prep myself now. But something for you to look forward to....IF and WHEN you allow your girls to be courted by young gentleman, those guys will haul and stack ALOT of wood to try and impress the girls/or their dad!! The fall wood season is a great test of the young bucks interest/commitment. It always embarrassed my girls, but that was my rule. If you want to date my daughter you had to spend a weekend or three on the wood pile with me! Kinda wish I had more daughters now that they are out of the house..... CHEERS!

[@Homesteadhow]

Hey Greg, I love your way of thinking. I am way behind you, our triplets will be 13 and I am still in denial of them dating lol. Kerry and I met and started dating at 14, almost 26 years ago. I will tell Kerry this awesome idea! Love it

[@jeffallbright4449]

Teaching teenagers to be men. I salute you sir! You have years invested in your daughters, why would you throw that away and allow them to date, potentially marry some worthless schlepp? If these fellas are really interested in your daughters they won’t mind a little labor for the blessing of dating them. Working hand in hand with older men I was able to “catch” a lot of wisdom from them I might not have otherwise obtained.

[@donbush9091]

Hard work Nice job Great family time God bless Us all Thank you for sharing

[@melikesleepy]

I grew up in a house with an outdoor wood furnace. My parents heated with it for 29 years. However, as my parents got older and eventually my father died, it's just too much work the older you get. Not to mention as a kid and all the way up until I moved out of the house I spent every damn weekend/or after school in the fall and winter cutting, splitting with a maul, and transporting wood. It's an amazingly hot heat source but there are several cons. Another con is that if you go away for the holidays or are just out of town for a day or two, you've got to ask a neighbor to fill it for you. So all in all, after 29 years, my mom got propane and kept the wood furnace hooked up as a back up heat source. The best of both worlds I guess.

[@Homesteadhow]

That's understandable and true. We have propane still so we can use either. Weve left for 10 days in winter and we just put the propane on like 50f and kept the house from freezing and the water in the pipes stayed warm

[@lidlnutz]

Most people: What I have is the greatest thing you could have. it's the best by far, and I am the best. This guy: Here is what I have, I like it but here is the list of cons.. In conclusion, I like real dudes, and this is the kind of guy who should be your friend. Thumbs up to the video, and props to his sense of reality! Much respect! The world needs more of these guys!

[@ArthursHD]

Could pick up used Seek Thermal Compact or Flir for your phone to do energy and electrical audit, to make sure you are not loosing that energy, after you are done with it put it back on the market so you don't lose out. Personally I would go for other more automated heating method. Like Solar collectors, heat-pump, wood-chip boiler (By doing so also not wasting quality timber) , bio-gas digestor + generator, distributed data center for heating (just like a Dutch company did), Passive solar, Solar PV. Every property is different, there is no single best option. Outdoor heater effect indoor air quality far less than a stove would, fire hazard is much lower.

[@basedbear1605]

Excellent post among a slew of moronic ones. Well done.

[@basedbear1605]

@@ArthursHD I bet you don't even own a house or have any kids.

[@nathanrobinson7042]

I like this guy. His entire perspective,,,, brilliant. -Nathan

[@Homesteadhow]

Thanks from "this guy" I appreciate your kind comment. Thanks for watching

[@salmonslayer49]

We have been using an OWB for 11 years on our farm and I have to say you really nailed it. We heat a 1600 sq ft old farm house and a green house and only burn about 4 cords in our milder climate but the one year we didnt use it due to medical issues our heating bill was four fold. The only issue for my wife and I is that we are getting older and wonder what will happen when we are more physically unable to feed the wood monster.

[@jackmehoff2363]

I can tell by the way he hooked the Argo up to the trailer, that this guy likes to work but has fun on the job.

[@WagonLoads]

I would love to have a place like this with storybook cottages all around, along with a miniature train to haul the wood

[@bradleymiller6805]

The way he slings those cons I thought the exact opposite.

[@bradleymiller6805]

The way he slings those cons I thought the exact opposite.

[@midamultitool1387]

My parents have one and they love it. They have heated floors, so the stove heats the water and the floors

[@famousseamus3]

Loved the honesty "i'd probably just be watching TV", same here!

[@Homesteadhow]

right- or i'd be watching KZbin! Thanks for watching

[@GabrielSBarbaraS]

Your Argo is my compact tractor with a lift bucket, I found out over the years that anytime you don't have to lift up the wood , much work is saved. Also , we used an indoor wood boiler in the basement and ran hydronic piping in the home to distribute heat. Also heated water with a unit called a super store, ( tank within a tank) . Also had a backup propane boiler for those many days where the outside air temp was above 40 degrees F. spent 20+ years doing this, to us the work equated to health for the mind and body. Thanks for posting HomeSteadHow ....

[@kapperoutdoors]

Good video I've had a wood burner and part of me misses the fun of cutting wood, and the other part of me doesn't miss all of the headaches! Thanks man and good luck

[@gnusndn6089]

Good for you Dad. Your girls are learning a lot of good things about life. It looks like a lot of work but it is worth it as long as you're young and you can do it. God bless you

[@Homesteadhow]

Thank you for that! God Bless You Too.

[@davescott8859]

Great video, I’ve purchased one cord of wood in the last 12 years, there is always free wood for the pick up all year. Then you can have a choice of wood at the local landfill, my landfill has it piled up in an area free for the taking, can’t go wrong with free heat. Plus cutting and splitting wood keeps me built like a lumberjack, which comes in handy when my six dogs want to wrestle for my dinner plate.

[@KevinKimmich44024]

my neighbor heats his home by harvesting wood nobody wants... there is an endless amount of free wood. We live adjacent to a forest, but we heat with natural gas... the combined heat and hot water is making me consider this more seriously now. combine that with heating outbuildings and it starts to make even more sense.

[@ericlovett9870]

I’ve used my outdoor furnace (it’s a shaver) for 13 years heating about 5000 sq ft. Love it! I live in East Tennessee with relatively mild winters and the biggest problem I have is some times it produces too much heat. I only use it when lows are in the 30s or the highs don’t leave the 40s. When it’s warmer then that the heat pump on the house is efficient to keep the house comfortable. I keep my water jacket at 120 degrees F. In your video you said you kept yours at 180. Wow that’s high. Lowering the water jacket temperature reduces (drastically) the amount of wood you have to burn and allows your furnace to work more efficiently. I can’t imagine an environment outside of the arctic circle where a 150 degree temp would work just fine.

[@jakejake7162]

How many chords of wood does it take to heat your house for a year? I know you don’t use it in the summer time but I’m just curious about log consumption

[@TheEwponkala]

Have had mine for almost 20 years now - no regrets. I have cut wood all my life and as for finding the time if it's worth doing you find the time. There is a certain amount of pride I get when I'm done prepping my wood for the year and look over the pile. I only go thru about 6 cords a year but I only burn hardwood so that makes a big difference too.

[@GPOutdoors]

Good morning! Thanks for the overview. My neighbour has almost an identical unit and has used it for many years now. All the best - keep warm!

[@Homesteadhow]

Thanks for watching! We live in a rural area and since we got ours I have seen so many around the area. Its a great unit.

[@magdarivas578]

Your family is blessed to have you. What a great way to grow and love ea other!

[@idontevenknow232]

I'm a remote worker and having something like this would force me to go outside and get away from the screen as therapy. Love this setup!

[@wkw4095]

I have the Vermont Castings Defiant wood stove for 25 years now. It heats the entire 2700 square foot home (raised ranch) to 80+ degrees with 3-6 cords depending on how cold the NY winter is, quality wood and if I'm sure to use the catalytic converter for efficiency. I used to cut, scrounge and horde wood...now I buy it due all the NY storms, wood is cheap ;)

[@rekaloknight6275]

Gave a thumbs up for that drift. Nice one.

[@Homesteadhow]

thanks for that. I sometimes dread winter BUT drifting the argo on the snow/ice like a figure skater never gets old. Im pretty graceful with that thing if I do say so myself :)

[@prestonberg9604]

@@Homesteadhow not that it's any of my business what do those argo rigs start at and about how fast does it go

[@peteharder6325]

@@prestonberg9604 cost I'm not sure. But what you saw speed wise, is what you get.

[@The1mrmiller]

The Self Sufficiency aspect is invaluable. That alone is worth all of the effort. The biggest "con" from my perspective is the additional tools, tool maintenance, and fuel that it would cost to process it all. Good video, it was easy to understand what you were saying and you went over the costs very well. thanks.

[@Homesteadhow]

Agreed- everything we do on our homestead is to become more self sufficient! Thanks

[@johnnyklingborg8960]

The rewarding feeling you speak of i have never felt during the 20years (im 27) i have processed firewood... But now when i got my own place i at least can appreciate the 0$ heating bill every month.

[@Homesteadhow]

The zero heating bill is great- Bonus for us is much lower electric bill (because we also heat our water) and the other big bonus is the warmth-- with wood we keep the heat cranked nice and cozy-- with propane we are usually much more conservative/cheap/cold! thanks for watching!

[@richardbutler5893]

I have a lot of experience heating with wood and I can confidently tell you that you will cut your wood usage by at least 30% if you can properly dry your firewood. Another thing it’s important to know is there is approximately the same amount of available BTUs per pound of dry wood regardless of what the species is. For anyone interested, there is plenty of supporting data available on the internet to confirm this information.

[@BigBirdy100]

Overly seasoned wood burns too fast and too hot. Get more mileage out of it when it doesn't burn up so fast. A slower burn is better.

[@GreatBigBoat]

the same amount of available BTUs per pound of dry wood regardless of what the species is......bull

[@_________________404]

Wood heating is not bad if you have access to cheap wood. In Europe it’s very common to use wood for heating, except it’s almost always an indoor wood burner located in a basement of the building, usually with a place to store your wood too. Only downside is the work associated with it, though still there are things which can help you a bit with it.

[@samuelandmarikaadams9837]

Different woods have different densities. This density is directly proportional to the thermal heat you get out. I live in Finland and the 3 primary burning woods are Birch, Scots Pine and Spruce. It's well documented by University and government tests that the Higher the density of the wood the more heat you get out.

[@samuelandmarikaadams9837]

@@BigBirdy100 depends on the stove. I have a 2000kg soapstone stove. You want to burn hot and fast with that then shut the damper. Heat is then slowly released over 24hrs.

[@calrichey9285]

Having the whole family out there teaches good work ethic.

[@Homesteadhow]

Very true, good quality time in nature too

[@timlehnen3226]

Ya, but when kids grow up and move out, you better. Have. A. Helper, because you know. Most knives - wivesdont help. The. Husband,..facts are real,.

[@LeroyBraun]

Many hands make the work easy. Except, when it's hard.

[@richardthetroll6758]

I can't even get my kid's outside....

[@calrichey9285]

@@richardthetroll6758 That is sad. They must be too old for obedience training. So, try incentive training. Turn off the electronics, too.

[@livewire2474]

Its definitely a great feeling to reap the rewards of you're hard work while relaxing in you're warm home, garage, or whatever you are heating!! God bless.. wood burner myself over 40 yrs

[@Homesteadhow]

Agreed and we keep it much warmer vs using propane!

[@curtdkrueger]

I have a central boiler 5036, 14th year in Southern Minnesota. It is a lot of work! Regarding this video if this helps; Move the wagons/trailers closer to the wood. I have an ATV and I go within 2 or 3 feet of the wood where possible. Saves walking/trips/time (after 10 years, the walking gets old.. lol). Also I let the chain saw do the work of the splitter (I sharpen my own chain every time I do a major cutting, I'm guessing you do too). I cut the pieces smaller with the chain saw instead of splitting (also saves your back if the trunk/branches are larger). In the case of tree trunks of 2.5 feet or larger, I slice them with the chain saw to 6-8 inch and use a maul/axe (one side maul, one side axe) to split them. Usually can split into multiple pieces with one blow. Regarding the sheds, I don't have any. I tarp the wood up (use the wood pieces at key locations to keep them from blowing away) and it works very well keeping it dry and the snow off. I do 50/50 with LP and wood, and the combination is pretty good. I heat the house basically from Oct - March on ~$800 of LP (at ~2.00 a gallon). Thanks for the video.. Lots to learn at the beginning so you don't kill yourself one way or the other (chain saw accident and/or felling trees)!

[@rodneytatman449]

We've had our Central Boiler for over 16 years. We use dry wood, wet wood, split wood, whatever is handy. If it'll fit through the door I'll burn it, 20" around and 4' long it goes in and burns all night. BTW as a tip to make topping off your water tank a bit easier install a hose between the drain on your water heater and a valve on your return line of your heat exchanger. Then all you gotta do is open both valves and time the flow. The side benefit for us is it's soft water. BTW I've never drained my boiler, just test the water and add rust inhibitor as needed. In the off season cover the chimney, clean it out and keep the firebox as dry as possible.

[@Homesteadhow]

Rodney glad to hear another CB user with long term usage! NICE tip on topping it off. That is a great one. The last time I topped it off it was a big chore had I done it your way- I would have saved a bunch of time.

[@24woodchuck]

I top mine off in a similar way. My geothermal dealer that also sells Central Boiler and he said don't fill from the bottom of the hot water tank because your putting sediment into your boiler.

[@rodneytatman449]

24woodchuck I can see that being an issue but my water is filtered coming into the house so I don't have the rust that is present in my outdoor hydrants.

[@DJ-lm3lw]

I've had a 5648 classic for fifteen years and love it. Now that I'm older its a lot harder. I have ran out of wood and just keep the furnace pump going and my propane fired furnace keeps the boiler water from freezing. That's not very efficient but I had some health problems and couldn't cut wood for a time. One hint I found is to split the wood where you cut it, load it on a pallet I have built sides on, and haul it to the furnace and dump it there. Or if you have multiple pallets, leave it on the pallet and fill your spares.This saves from unloading and stacking. But you need a tractor with pallet forks.

[@virginiawright8154]

Kl

[@t3rmj3rzyslime68]

I just got the same setup as you and it’s definitely been worth the work

[@CopperKettleFarms]

Thanks for this. We pondered looking into an exterior unit, but I think after this video we're going to stick to our indoor unit and then figure out how to make it more efficient for our two-story cape cod.

[@chiefcitypropertymaintenan6759]

Nice to see someone addressing the power problem with a outdoor wood boiler! that has always been my worry. In short term grid down no big deal but we lost power 3 years ago for 16 days in early January in central Illinois. Thanks for the awesome videos!

[@Homesteadhow]

And thanks for your nice comment! The solar trailer is doing really well. I worried in winter the sun wouldn't keep up.. but after some heavy use on our dog kennel its still at 13.9 volts this am!

[@chiefcitypropertymaintenan6759]

@@Homesteadhow that's awesome! We are running a blazeking wood stove in our smaller 800 square ft cabin right now. Have thought about a boiler for the house and garages but just still on the fence.

[@dougdodson7498]

I have a Central Boiler also. I have found out over the years that if you put a piece of green wood in for every 3 or 4 seasoned pieces the burn time lasts longer between fill ups

[@Wc4rav]

Green wood for burn slower and depending on the type it could burn hotter once the box is hot

[@jaysmith5105]

the boiler is a hungry beast, fun when Im younger now, wood pellet stove for less messing with eventually. Next up will be spray foam to keep heat in and in floor hydronic heating from the boiler, no more scorched air heat. firewood processing machines are a blessing

[@KevinKimmich44024]

i have a greenhouse I've been heating with propane for two seasons... we live on a similarly sized property that's mostly forest, too. The propane is a constantly nagging concern and a minor chore every now and then. The idea of heating the house the greenhouse and our outbuilding, plus hot water makes it more appealing and potentially more economical. thanks for the video and the insights.

[@stevedawson4781]

If you could make yourself some "cordwood trailers" like a wood rack on wheels, you could haul them out and stack them full then park until wood dries then move next to the furnace

[@rgthomson100]

Hitch up a kiln drier to it, we do this in Scotland and it takes about 5 days to dry about 20 tonne so you would only need 2 times in the kiln and wood comes out at 15% and burns great

[@Homesteadhow]

I've never heard of this- but plan to research more.. thanks for the insightful tip!

[@cccalifornia7206]

Be grateful you are adding years to your life through the exercize!! Hard work cutting wood and free wood heat is a great gift!! 👏👍😃

[@Homesteadhow]

Agreed, plus there is not much to do here in winter, keeps me busy and outdoors!

[@pinemeadowshobbyfarmafruga8319]

I let your adds play through to the end because I know the value of adds to a homsteader on KZbin such as myself. Got some vacation time so I get to check out those channels i have been subbed to for quite some time, yours is one. I love your content and videography. I have been looking into one of these wood burners for my homestead and this info your providing is great. Thank you.

[@Homesteadhow]

I really appreciate that comment! The video and editing work is a hobby for me- I love doing it- but it is a lot of work and it means a lot when someone appreciates it. Not to toot my own horn- but if you haven't seen our Green House Video-- consider checking it out. I think that was our best work /video/editing by far.. We also spent a ton of time on our latest video, A Day in the Life of a Homesteader. Thanks for your kind support!

[@y5mvbc]

To help with heating your long ranch style house, I want to share with you what I did. Above or near the stove, I put 2-- 14"x14" returns.from each independant return, I ran an 8" insulated duct flex pipe to each back bedroom on either end of my house. Anywhere in that 8" insulated duct pipe, I placed 2 separate 600cfm vent fans, not the cheap low cfm duct booster types. But an inline duct exhaust type.. I ran a 14-2 wire from a electric thermostat for each bedroom on either side of the house to the fan and tapped into a 15amp line along the way. I set each one to around 70 degrees and when each bedroom drops below 70 the fan kicks on. They aren't very loud and I kept the fans closer to the stove room anyway. Not even thinking about it but after the fans sucked the hot air over to the other end of the house, the stove room returns ended up pulling the heat down the hallways, through the kitchen and livingroom, dining room back to the stove room where returns were. Voila, my whole house in the 70's and the stove room is no longer in the high 80's. I dont have that much land and live on the north shore of long island on 1.5 acres. I do my own log splitting with a 33 ton and give local tree removal guys a nice big area to drop loads of oak, locust and maple mostly for free. In a 2700 square foot house total, I run about 5 cords a winter. Haven't got the hot water deal going yet but you gave me the inspiration.

[@duncandmcgrath6290]

I’m 3 seasons in on my Portage & Main boiler , I heat 3 buildings + domestic hot water and one hot tub .... I love it . 20 cords a year for sure but, I burn junk hardwood and I dont split anything under 16 inch . I gotta admit the exercise is great for me 👍

[@Homesteadhow]

Good for you. Is the hot tub heat exchanged similar to an indoor water heater, heat exchanger?

[@CelticRootsFarm]

We’ve been thinking about purchasing one of these for our homestead. Good information. Thanks! 👍

[@Homesteadhow]

Thanks for watching!

[@rastapete100]

That was very well explained.I also heat with wood and agree that it is a lot of work but it is a nice heat and you don't have to worry about going to a gym. It makes you strong and you spend a lot of time outside in winter. Sometimes I curse it but mostly I love it for all the reasons you pointed out.

[@ramsaymcewan3916]

Kidding,,, enjoy them while there there.

[@ScottyLo]

I’ve been heating our house with a duel fuel central boiler for at least 10 years now. I used to have 20’ logs delivered and I did all the work. Thanks to my wife suggesting we have it delivered cut and split for a couple more bucks. I now have free time and my back has never felt better and I only burn hardwood and try not to burn black walnut. 🔥

[@v3124]

Why don't you burn black walnut? Honest question, not being a smarty pants.

[@ScottyLo]

v3124 I don’t burn black walnut because of the acid. It’s bad for your firebox even with ashtrol. I also don’t burn pine. It burns too fast and doesn’t leave many embers. It turns to ash so if you don’t add more wood in time you end up having to restart your fire. That’s my experience at least.

[@v3124]

Interesting! I'd never heard that about walnut.

[@johngnipper1454]

That snow covered wood brings back memories

[@lsnyr1]

Great Video ... I have the same unit central boiler CL 6048. I have had mine about 12 years now and have loved it. You were spot on with all your pros and cons.

[@Homesteadhow]

nice! Have you had any problems with your 6048?

[@AmjadKhagga]

There is a useful advice from my side on efficiently burning the wood in boiler is, use of forced air method i.e. narrowing the mouth of your chimney and using a fan or blower to push air into the combustion chamber to increase the pressure of air above the atmospheric pressure, this way you would get more heat by burning less wood and even wet wood will also burn in minutes.

[@grom7826]

My plumber built his home with a pizza oven centrally located in the home, it keeps his home warm, Smith River Northern Calif, a milder climate on the ocean.

[@Homesteadhow]

That sounds wonderful! We love pizza here

[@lizziesangi1602]

My dad loved wood burning stoves. He had a pot belly wood burning stove in our cellar.

[@Homesteadhow]

There is nothing like a great wood stove and cozy fire

[@lizziesangi1602]

@@Homesteadhow Without a doubt.

[@garyreinoehl804]

I am 70 years old and have been burning wood for the last 9 years with my classic boiler, and before that with a wood stove inside my house, and I will never do that again bugs ,dirt ,and chimney fire, I check it twice a day at temperatures below freezing . And my wife and I love it.

[@Homesteadhow]

Good for you Gary! I agree

[@philandhannahslittlefarm1464]

Thanks for the video. We are hoping install one of these in the next couple of years to heat our house and garage/shop as they both have hydronic slabs. Your video really helped answer some questions for us.

[@robertrobinson6785]

Great video. I can see that it will take some time to recover the cost. But I do like the family togetherness and the health. Keep up the good work.

[@Homesteadhow]

Thanks for watching!

[@andymotl]

Some of the hardest cutting trees are the oaks that were standing dead but are now on the ground. Petrified shit throws sparks from the chain.

[@chairintheair4322]

Cutting your oak shouldn’t be a problem .... Use a “Tungsten Carbide” chain !! You’ll find that’s much more suitable that the one you have and there’ll be no sparks. Find out who sells these in your area beforehand, and make sure they have the sharpening equipment for Tungsten Chain Saw blades. Best...

[@SmithsAngusFarm]

We have been heating with an outdoor wood burner since 1992. At our first house we had a Taylor. When we moved we purchased a Central Boiler 6048. In WV, we feed it once a day but I picked up a splitter that will do up to 36" lengths. We cut ours 30". We avoid soft woods such as pine, poplar, aspen, buckeye, etc. I will sometimes use poplar though. Our house is a 2300 sq ft , two story house. After deer season I heat our 36x54 garage that has floor heat. For the first couple of days, you almost can't keep wood in the stove but once the garage gets up to temp, it doesn't take much to keep it up. We burn about 12 cords/year. The first year we lived where we do, we had a fairly cold winter and used over $2500 in propane, so we save that much on the house and heat the garage for free.

[@Homesteadhow]

Nice , so you have the same unit as me! Have you had any issues /problems at all with it? For us, its a great solution and we are really enjoying the super warm heat this thing puts out

[@scooterpie696]

I'm on winter #4 with an Eazyboiler out of Hersey Michigan. I believe most makes are probably pretty good. I'm very pleased with mine. The time in the woods and work involved are a plus in my opinion. I love it. Of course I have a tractor with a grapple. Nice video.

[@legacyfarmsllc8511]

Great video! I've had a Central Boiler classic (5036) since 2006. We burn it year round as it heats our hot water as well. I definitely agree with everything you said. They are definitely not for everyone. I sell about 300 cords of wood a year so for me it was a no brainier. I sell the nice stuff and burn the rest myself. Not having a heating bill is nice if you're willing to put in a little effort. We too burn about 10-11 cords a year heating an old farmhouse keeping the 5 ladies in the house warm and keeping the showers hot! I'd buy another in a heartbeat

[@Canadian_Eh_I]

Is it possible to also get electricity from one if these?

[@xmozzazx]

Nice video man. I am glad to hear your perspective on this. I admit though, 10 cord a year for heat is nothing, especially for the square footage and water your heating. Up here (Northern Ontario) people would use 2-3 times that much, but hardwood is much more available and probably less expensive. I can buy a transport load of hardwood logs for around 2000 dollars and get around 40 cord. Al those other variables are similar, chainsaw, splitter, etc. Having the wood on your own property makes that cost much less, just costs the time! And wood heat is a trade off for time.

[@Homesteadhow]

Interesting, thanks for sharing your perspective.

[@ScottieBMan]

Thanks for sharing this, that set up will keep you in shape and on your feet!

[@dieseltrucksfirewood2540]

Good for you for being self sufficient. We heat with wood too and it is absolutely the best heat.

[@alexmartin1430]

You have a lot of cool toys. I'm jealous man lol. I burned wood for a few years in my last house. You don't realize how much time you waste until you don't have to do it anymore. Wood heat is the best heat but it requires much more work. It's a trade off

[@Homesteadhow]

very true..

[@brianwilson8119]

I have a BlazeKing woodstove inside the house. Its a catalyst stove and is extremely efficient. Yeah I have to bring wood inside the house and it doesn't heat the water or anything like that, but it goes 24/7 from the first of November until about the first two weeks of April and the most I've used was 4 cords in one season. I usually go through about 3 - 3 1/2 cords. It wasn't our intent to make it our primary means of heat, but it does so well heating the house, it actually overrides the gas furnace. In my experience, I think these outdoor burners are more work than they are worth.

[@Homesteadhow]

Nice!

[@kevinrico1194]

Thanks for the video. Very in depth and gives a full picture.

[@damonsisk4270]

After 10 years of burning wood, I am glad I chose a wood gasification boiler. Much more efficient; I only burn about a cord of wood per year (but don't heat my water yet with wood.) It also generates very little ash. I had a wood stove in the house but dragging wood through the house was dirty. Lastly, locust trees make great firewood and regrow from the roots fairly quickly.

[@MrBostreem]

I like You’re concept. I see that u have no insulation on your pipes or if u do now but if u do it will save money/wood I have done it on my pipes and it Really works.

[@Slavicplayer251]

i agree

[@uiscebeatha9476]

Great job! You have also reduced your Fire risk massively!

[@Homesteadhow]

very true -keep the fire out, the fire danger out and the MESS out!

[@raulescobar4699]

Thank you for taking the time to share this useful information!

[@davidoutdoors74]

Nice boiler , I've got the central boiler 5036 love it.

[@canamrider7195]

I have a neighbor who had one installed about 4 years ago also. He has grown to HATE the thing. 10 cords is nothing for him to burn Oct thru April. He has gone thru 20 cords when the winter is especially bad. On the good side, he has become quite the sawyer, winch operator and log splitter. His wife on the other hand gives him constant grief over the possible one accident in cutting wood and it is then Game Over.

[@jray4131]

Sounds like your neighbor needs to remind his wife about the one possible grease fire in the kitchen!

[@oldman6172]

As a teen (50+ years ago) I split wood for a neighbor who heated a 3 story 5 bedroom house from a pot belly stove on bottom floor with less than 1 cord of wood a year.

[@Barfsimpson911]

NOT a hope in hell up here in Canada !

[@chrisbrann7733]

And he was cold all winter

[@nailedit.]

Thank you so very much for the wood burner overview.

[@mikew151Manhattan]

i love hearing stories like this, back to basics living and not relying on the system for essentials of survival. thanks for the vid! take care

[@Homesteadhow]

Thanks!

[@kevinnhelen]

"Chop your own wood and it will warm you twice " said Henry Ford . Quite a few years ago my family owned business was heated by a central boiler . 6000 sq ft for about 7-8 months of the year . Auto repair shop so the large doors were opened and closed a lot. The worst year we had as far as heating goes ( we have cold damp winters on the east coast of Canada) we went through 88 cord of wood and I cut, blocked and stacked every one of those cords. It was a full time job literally for 1 person just to keep the heat on ( I was in the best shape of my life) But an average year would use roughly 40-45 cord.and that trend continues to this day, however I have retired from the business to go on to other ventures . Oddly enough I really do miss the effort put into heating that place.

[@shanechostetler9997]

You sir are an animal th cut all of that! Well done.

[@stanblanton7798]

Good vid man. Used to heat my house with wood burning stove, but it was inside. Been wondering about these Boilers work. Thanks for the vid.

[@Homesteadhow]

Thanks for watching Stan!

[@yevhenrekhtin6591]

@@Homesteadhow @HomeSteadHow Please read carefully and try to work with this one. It's about your plans to buy two more indoor boilers. Do not do the same mistake... According to your first unit you don't clearly understand what you are dealing with. Boilers like you have could burn wood very well. But they have very low level of efficiency. I'm talking as a boilermaker with some experience of production and installation of those. The best idea for you will be use some tank of water to collect more of heat from this ...bad... type of boiler you already have. That helps you stop heating the chimney and start heating your building more efficient 📉 You could save a lot of your money and some of your time believe me. Also you can put this heat accumulator closer to unheated part of your building and it already will start partially heat it. Best regards. IronProjects 😉

[@yevhenrekhtin6591]

@@rondavis2791 I know about that boiler, it doesn't exist))

[@yevhenrekhtin6591]

@@rondavis2791 it's not easy to design... But it's possible if to know how to reach the goal with max efficiency 😉

[@steventurner9744]

I had a Hardy heater for about 23 years before back trouble brought it to an end. Wish I was able to have it today . Our heater heated over 3000 square ft. without aid from any other heater ! It heater our hot water also . The heater will save you money not only in the winter but, also in the summer. Your hot water will never come on and boy that shows up on the electric bill. We loved ours and your not at at anyone’s mercy !

[@cosmicallyderived]

Right on brother, I had to check out this video because I had no idea what that box was on your property and never heard of one before. Cool stuff.

[@RaisedRegenerative]

We just got our Heatmor up and running. We love it so far.

[@Homesteadhow]

Nice- we are late to the game in starting our OWB up. In the video we showed footage from throughout the years. We are firing ours up this weekend.

[@dschephigh1]

We've had our Heatmor 200ss for 15 years, been a super good stove. We love our's too. We have burned 15 cords a year thru this thing. We now have our wood processed and stacked. Still is cheaper to burn wood.

[@efdgoon]

I’ve been using a Heatmore for 20years and would buy another in a heartbeat. It’s working well so I don’t need too. Good luck with yours.

[@tannenbaum3444]

We have a Wilkening whole house wood burning fireplace in a two story house. Wilkening is out of Walker, MN. I agree, you're heating a lot of areas and its worthwile, but where you might improve is having a tractor and grapple to bring the logs close to the stove and cut/split them there and stack. Stacking might be a bummer, but it helps being organized. Only cut them as long as you can fit into the stove. I put Ironwood into the fireplace over night, it burns very slow, and still is full of embers in the morning.

[@Homesteadhow]

Great comment I would love a tractor with a grapple. Plus I imagine it would be nice to grapple a long log- and then easily cut it (off the ground) and feed it into the stove. We haven't been able to process enough wood to have 10 cords drying out while we use this seasons plus we have mostly just pine here. We've considered getting some hardwood full trunks/rounds delivered to help us catchup. If we do that I plan to drop them as close to the stove as possible-- But a grapple would also be great for that purpose. Ill have to keep an eye out at the upcoming farm auctions.

[@tannenbaum3444]

@@HomesteadhowCheckout "Outdoors with the Morgans" vlog....they are really on the game with regards to firewood etc. Good luck.

[@mikefrey6668]

Pine is all i burn in mine that is what works best but you have to have it dry just because you had that tree off the ground they still hold a lot of moisture

[@dustinsmith1076]

We’re building a house this summer and plan to have an outdoor wood furnace installed!

[@matthogue1386]

I'm super excited to have a wood boiler. I have a tree/logging co, AND a sawmill so it's silly to not have one. My electric bill was $400/month with my heat set to 53 here in PA! I have a boiler built and I'd like to have it going year round to heat my wood kiln too. I went fancy and built a little cyclonic separator lined with refractory to try to reburn anything from the exhaust gases and catch any sparks since I have sawdust and wood everywhere.

[@adamUDavies]

Owning one of those is like being a small dairy farmer. You have to tend to it morning and evening 🤷🏻‍♂️ I'm getting to old to be working that hard.

[@SF-ku2hp]

We used to get charged for under usage from our propane supplier because of burning wood lol, hard to beat wood when it’s -20 out and the house is 75

[@Homesteadhow]

Very true=in fact that is my situation now! The heat is cranked-- not quite -20 but getting close

[@yahuahismysalvation144]

I'm seriously addicted to this channel. I've been watching all day and I don't even plan on HOMESTEADING Hahahaha Maybe someday, but seriously brother you are blessed!! Best regards to you and your beautiful family!

[@Homesteadhow]

Awesome, thanks! KZbin is hard work. We've done hundreds of videos. Really apreciate nice comments like this! Please share our videos with your friends! Thx!!!

[@davevann2925]

Like the video! I have a 1976 Fisher Grandpa Bear and use 5 full cord of mixed hardwood a year and usually have 15 full cord stacked before heating season. I found that if I have more than that the 5yr old wood burns hot as hell and goes up like balsa wood and I burn more.

[@Homesteadhow]

Interesting.. I need to catch up No where near 5 Year Old wood saved up here

[@JenkinsB]

Outdoor wood boiler for family of 5 = keeps only dude in house sane by allowing time to decompress!

[@ndn2589]

Lol right

[@SweetHavok]

You might want to place an additional layer of insulation on the outside of your water water. That way you prevent heat loss, water stays hotter longer. I would think it would have an effect on how much wood you burn in the long run.

[@dkoch1271]

the snow does not even melt for days on the stove

[@old-man-winter9549]

My boiler has been running for about 15 years, zero problems. Keep all your wood big as possible to use less. Keep it dry!!! Most I've used per year has been 5 cord. It was a sub 0 year. I start burning by October and stop 1st part of March. I've never regretted the purchase!

[@SeanDoranirishman]

Thank you! We live in a very rural area, much like you, and we've been trying to determine if a outdoor wood boiler makes sense.