Hey guys I'm thinking about buying a house but the house still has electric heat in ceilings. I had prices central boilers but not sure if I want to drop 10k. Had a buddy tell me about a older woman that had a owb that she wanted to get rid of. I went and looked at it it's a hardy owb h4-1-17. Looks as if it's in good shape. She said the grate had been replaced it's a 2001 model. What would it be worth. Its pretty much a make an offer deal as she has to have it moved and she says we thi,ks it's worth around $1500(which I think it's worth that). And the house I'm planning on buying is $2500 sqft total including basement. Is this stove big enough for this house and are the hardys efficient?
Hardy
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maple1
Minister of Fire
How do you plan on getting the heat from the Hardy into your living spaces?
(I don't think I would touch a 14 year old used OWB even if it was free...)
(I don't think I would touch a 14 year old used OWB even if it was free...)
The house has a air conditioning system and duct. I talked to a heating and air guy and he said we could run the pipes through the basement wall and up to the. Air unit in the ceiling and use a water cool and blower. Idk the 14 yrs scares me to
maple1
Minister of Fire
That could certainly be done but make sure you fully evaluate all your options.
Have you got lots of wood lined up & ready for the winter? Like 10+ cords worth?
How far would it be between the house & boiler? That can be pretty pricey too - you would want to use the right stuff for that piping or a lot of the heat will go into the ground. I haven't had to go buy it, but I think the right stuff (insulated with closed cell foam) is $10+/foot.
Have you got lots of wood lined up & ready for the winter? Like 10+ cords worth?
How far would it be between the house & boiler? That can be pretty pricey too - you would want to use the right stuff for that piping or a lot of the heat will go into the ground. I haven't had to go buy it, but I think the right stuff (insulated with closed cell foam) is $10+/foot.
There are a lot of Hardy's that are older than than and work fine. Biggest issue are leaks. Put water in it and fire it up.
hondaracer2oo4
Feeling the Heat
I have a Hardy H4 built in 1991. It had a leak around one of the ports that I repaired and that is it for repairs. I have a 2800 sqft 220 year old house in New Hampshire. I go through 12-13 cord per season. The unit is certainly big enough for your needs unless you have zero insulation. I had very little insulation the first year I owned the house and burned about 15 cord but still did just fine on one loading in the morning and one at night. Make sure you buy either thermopex or upnor underground lines. You are playing Russian roulette with any of the other products. I got my hardy for $500 with the leak. I would say 1500 with no issues is reasonable and 1000 would be a great deal. I would offer 1000 and go from there.
As OWB's go Hardy is one of the brands that holds up best. Last year we reinstalled one that I sold to the original owner in 1997. This is the 3rd place we installed that particular unit and it is still burning and heating water.
Now that being said..........the fact it's on it's third "home" should tell you 2 main things.
1: They hold up pretty well
2: There's a reason the former owners switched.
Concerning #2, The Hardys like their wood. They (along with nearly all OWB's) eat unfathomable amounts of it. One of my sons used an H4 to heat the house he just sold and it heated fine. But it also devoured about 15-20 FULL cords of fuel every winter depending on how cold it was. Due to the very nature of OWB design they can basically never capture more than 40% of the heat content in the wood. This is basically true of all makes using the normal (non gasification burn) firebox pattern.
The owners basically get tired of feeding the darn things. Doesn't matter what brand.
So for a starter wood boiler it would probably do you OK if you're willing to feed the beast for a few winters until you can afford to get a gasification type boiler.
Now that being said..........the fact it's on it's third "home" should tell you 2 main things.
1: They hold up pretty well
2: There's a reason the former owners switched.
Concerning #2, The Hardys like their wood. They (along with nearly all OWB's) eat unfathomable amounts of it. One of my sons used an H4 to heat the house he just sold and it heated fine. But it also devoured about 15-20 FULL cords of fuel every winter depending on how cold it was. Due to the very nature of OWB design they can basically never capture more than 40% of the heat content in the wood. This is basically true of all makes using the normal (non gasification burn) firebox pattern.
The owners basically get tired of feeding the darn things. Doesn't matter what brand.
So for a starter wood boiler it would probably do you OK if you're willing to feed the beast for a few winters until you can afford to get a gasification type boiler.
hondaracer2oo4
Feeling the Heat
I agree with all of that including getting tired of feeding it. Just bought a heatmaster g 200 gasser.
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