Outdoor wood furnaces may not be for everyone but they have a niche in the market for central heating systems. Those who have been using them enjoy their efficiency, reliability, and comprehensiveness as a heating source. Their drawbacks are simple enough not to cause any serious concern. You must have a convenient source of wood and a viable place to install the furnace. Keep reading to know more about an outdoor wood furnace and how you can benefit from it:
Benefits of Outdoor Wood Furnaces
With these furnaces, you will enjoy a significant decrease in most of your utility bills for your home. They can heat many buildings at once including a shed, a standalone garage, or multiple homes. This is something some heating systems cannot do. Also, moving your heating source outside eliminates one more fire hazard from your house. For increased safety, ensure you pick a model with fail-safes for pressures, flash burning, and loss of electricity.
Moreover, with an outside wood furnace, your existing thermostat controls continue to control your home’s temperature. The only difference is that you are burning wood, which is an inexpensive alternative fuel.
Factors that Affect Performance
When investing in an outdoor wood boiler, keep in mind that their performance varies between models and manufacturers. While some models are designed for efficiency, others are made to better produce greater amounts of heat. The furnace’s outdoor structure should offer its own insulation and less-efficient features will depict an significant loss of heat because of the exposure of the furnace to the elements. A good exhaust system and the furnace door are important factors that determine the furnace’s overall performance.
It’s important to invest in good overall insulation in your home. While an outdoor wood furnace can efficiently heat your home, good insulation will decrease the time you spend collecting wood and feeding it to the furnace. Invest in a premium heating system and radiant flooring so that your outdoor furnace can go a long way.
Durability and Maintenance
How long your wood furnace will last depends on your chosen model and maintenance practices. A low-quality and poorly-maintained furnace is likely to last less than a decade. Meanwhile, a high-end, properly maintained one can last indefinitely. It is important to get your furnace inspected periodical and cleaned occasionally so it continues to operate as it should. Make sure it is free from rust and creosote, which is a wood-burning by-product.
