1.Does Stainless Steel make a better wood furnace?

We offer both options <a href="http://www.ctwoodfurnace.com/Product.htm" target="_blank">Stainless or Mild Steel</a> Wood Furnace Units. Well you hear a lot of good points from both sides. I personally purchased the mild steel wood furnace unit. The warranties are usually about the same and I simply look at it this way. If my mild steel unit lasts 20  to 25 years the unit paid for it self over 10 times. Stainless Steel is also made from different metals which shrink and expand differently causing hairline fractures. For the additional cost of about $1400 I personally don't see the value. Also ask a welder "what welds Better mild steel or stainless steel?" Mild steel welds better!

Is Dual Fuel Important?

Your outdoor wood furnace is designed to be incorporated with an existing indoor heating system such as a hot water boiler, radiant heat, domestic hot water and forced air furnace. If your wood furnace is hooked up correctly, your existing indoor furnace will act as your back up to your wood furnace. Don't worry, your indoor furnace will also prevent the wood furnace from freezing while you are on vacation. We recommend a indoor furnace for a couple simple reasons  1. for resell reasons and most home owners insurances require it. 2. wood furnaces are designed to burn a solid (Wood) fuel they are very very inefficient burning a liquid (Oil) fuel.

Need More Info: Now with that in mind read the next paragraph.

The Cost of purchasing an outdoor wood furnace with the option of dual fuel hook-up is an additional cost. Keep in mind, your wood furnace is a permanent structure which is now taxable and needs permits. I thought the purpose of a wood furnace was not having to pay bills.

Finally to conclude this topic, it simply doesn't make any sense.

How far away can my outside furnace be?

The Outdoor wood furnace has the ability of being 3 to 300 feet away from your home. Couple things to keep in mind. You will need to visit your wood furnace once a day. You will need to have easy access to this location truck or tractor to replenish the wood when needed.

How much wood will I use?

Well that depends on your home, insulation and the quality of wood you're burning. This might help! 2,500 sq home well insulated with good wood will go through 5 to 7 cords a cold session (6 months) That is heating the home and a domestic hot water 60 gallon tank.

The cost of a cord these days is $120. You can see the savings if you buy. That is $600 to $840 a year to heat your home naturally. What did you spend last year? Imagine if you get your own!!

What happens when I go away for a couple days?

This is one of the most common questions that I get. You have several options depending on your situations.

If your wood furnace is hooked up correctly your existing indoor furnace will back heat the wood furnace preventing it from freezing! The cost of your indoor furnace back heating your outdoor furnace is very small cost - everything is very well insulated.

Couple more options for you!

 First you can let the fire die down and drain the wood furnace. This is what I do and it only takes about 10 minutes to drain the wood furnace unit. When I return I refill the unit and relight the fire.

 Second you can set up your wood furnace unit with a bypass to not heat the home and circulate within itself the burn time will be much much longer -  4 to 5 days.

Third  if the weather isn't <span style="text-decoration: underline;">really cold </span>the circulation pump is moving the water quite quickly. Moving water is hard to freeze.

 Fourth Maybe a friend or family member could help and feed the wood furnace unit while you're away.

 Fifth You could look into anti freeze. Keep in mind most anti freeze is terrible to our environment. Please dispose of it properly!

 Sixth "If there is a will there is away!"

What if the electricity goes out?

This is another commonly asked question. The outdoor wood furnace uses very little electricity which can be supported by a small generator. What I actually did is I ran a regular inexpensive extension cord to my unit and that is how my wood furnace unit is wired. So all I need to do is unplug from the wall and plug into a small generator. Problem solved. Some people ask, well if you don't have a generator then you have no heat. That is correct! Most homes that loose electricity have no heat either. Either way you will need something to back up your existing home as well as the wood furnace. I know several people including myself are looking into solar and wind options. These wood furnaces use very little electricity. As soon as I get off the grid I will let you know.

How long will a wood furnace last?

Well this is like asking how long will my car  last. The simple truth is that we have a 10 year warranty. which has excellent coverage. These units should last 20 to 25 years or more if they are used and maintained properly. The oldest outdoor wood furnace I have seen is 14 years old with no visual wear on it and running strong. Wood Master wood furnaces should last longer than most units simple because they have superior construction and more importantly a superior design. Design is the most important issue here. If you ask a plumber they will tell you that what kills boilers (Outdoor wood furnace is basically a boiler) is sediment build-up which rots the boiler inside out. With our design we use a round drum where sediment can not build up and we have a drain at the bottom to flush the unit out yearly. Some units have a square water chamber, "water baffels", zig zag tops to help heat tranfer which will catch all the sediment. These units have no way to flush the system as well. They try to solve the problem with chemicals and in line filters which you can add to your bill. I know this because I have owned  one since 2002. I still own it and I had to move it over to the warehouse in which I store my wood master parts and supplies. I can no longer run it in my home because of a neighbor who lives 700 feet away complaining about the smoke.

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As per the request of the competition, I can't show any pictures of the competition. They asked me to remove my pictures or they would take legal action! Truth hurts!