indoor vs. outdoor wood boiler

[bigbird]

I have the room for either. I have a detached 4 car garage with a chimmey i was planning on putting an inddor boiler, so i can heat a 2500sq ft house and the garage. But i also have pleanty of room outside the house for a outdoor unit.

Is one better than the other ? More efficent ? Burn longer ?

 

[Nofossil]

There are three basic categories of wood boiler. There are some grey areas, but here's a rough summary:

1) Traditional Outdoor Wood Boilers. Tend to be (much) less efficient than other categories. Typically high output and physically large. Very large firebox allows long interval between loadings. Can emit large amounts of noxious fumes if improperly operated. In the process of being banned in some areas. Manufacturers are coming out with cleaner models.

2) Conventional (non-gasification) indoor boilers. Can be installed in an outbuilding. More efficient than OWBs, but much less efficient than gasifiers.

3) Gasifiers. Almost all are designed for indoor installation, but they can be installed in an outbuilding. Typically 40% less wood consumption than a traditional boiler, and virtually no smoke or odor.