looking for high efficiant wood boiler

[Rockcrusher59]

I'm looking at buying a high efficiant wood boiler and have been sent information about Portage & Main stoves and the Ultimizer series. Is there anyone that can give me any advice about this type of stove?

 

[NE WOOD BURNER]

You are in the right place!
Welcome aboard!
Grab a coffee. be prepared to discuss. house set up. square footage/heat loss/ chimney/space for thermal storage etc.
Pictures are a big bonus here too!

 

[Clarkbug]

Hi Rockcrusher.

If you tell us a little more about your situation, what you are trying to heat, if you are looking for indoor or outdoor boilers, etc., everyone here can provide more helpful information.

 

[NE WOOD BURNER]

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/portage-and-main-and-general-questions.122678/#post-1645347

 

[Rockcrusher59]

Hi Rockcrusher.

If you tell us a little more about your situation, what you are trying to heat, if you are looking for indoor or outdoor boilers, etc., everyone here can provide more helpful information.

I would rather have an outdoor boiler. I have a central boiler at the present time and just looking to update it to a higher efficiency boiler. I have some greenhouses I heat in the spring and would like to have a boiler that burns the fuel to ash instead of charcoal.

 

[NE WOOD BURNER]

what model CB are you currently running?
how much wood are you burning for your current setup?

 

[Rockcrusher59]

what model CB are you currently running?
how much wood are you burning for your current setup?

I have a CL17, 170 gallon CB stove. When I start using heat in my greenhouses I burn about 1/2 cord a week. I fill it at 10pm, 2am and then 6am, it just doesn't have time to burn all the wood into ash before I need to put wood in again. So I thought a boiler that was higher effeniency wood burn better, plus I added a 1200 gal storage tank into the system.

 

[NE WOOD BURNER]

this is only used for your green house?

 

[NE WOOD BURNER]

assuming your tank is insulated and in the greenhouse?
and you are using an air handler to push FHA into green house?
and your cordwood is dry?

 

[Rockcrusher59]

assuming your tank is insulated and in the greenhouse?
and you are using an air handler to push FHA into green house?
and your cordwood is dry?

I also heat my shop with it and through the winter I will use 1/2 cord a month heating that. Then when I start the greenhouses it goes up to 1/2 cord a week. My wood isn't all that dry, that is why I haven't thought about using a gasification system. Then I talked to a salesman about the Portage & Main stoves where he said it is just about as good as a gasifier boiler and yes I know I will have to use dryer wood. I more or less would like to know if you have heard anything about these stoves or prefer a different make?

 

[Kemer]

I also heat my shop with it and through the winter I will use 1/2 cord a month heating that. Then when I start the greenhouses it goes up to 1/2 cord a week. My wood isn't all that dry, that is why I haven't thought about using a gasification system. Then I talked to a salesman about the Portage & Main stoves where he said it is just about as good as a gasifier boiler and yes I know I will have to use dryer wood. I more or less would like to know if you have heard anything about these stoves or prefer a different make?

I also heat my shop with it and through the winter I will use 1/2 cord a month heating that. Then when I start the greenhouses it goes up to 1/2 cord a week. My wood isn't all that dry, that is why I haven't thought about using a gasification system. Then I talked to a salesman about the Portage & Main stoves where he said it is just about as good as a gasifier boiler and yes I know I will have to use dryer wood. I more or less would like to know if you have heard anything about these stoves or prefer a different make?

Look up KarlK he is my brother and has one .He likes it a lot

 

[NE WOOD BURNER]

I have looked at the portage and main gassers and the economizers OWB, but I could not justify the purchase at the prices they wanted for them. from what I read on here they are working well. Not knowing your layout, I bet you could get into an indoor unit in a shed/shop cheaper and more efficient.
If you have the room in the shop I would slide a Garn right in IMHO you have the location advantage over me.

 

[henfruit]

A properly sized gasification boiler with the appropriate storage would work fine.

 

[maple1]

I also heat my shop with it and through the winter I will use 1/2 cord a month heating that. Then when I start the greenhouses it goes up to 1/2 cord a week. My wood isn't all that dry, that is why I haven't thought about using a gasification system. Then I talked to a salesman about the Portage & Main stoves where he said it is just about as good as a gasifier boiler and yes I know I will have to use dryer wood. I more or less would like to know if you have heard anything about these stoves or prefer a different make?

If you use dry wood in what you have I suspect most of your issues will go away.

 

[Clarkbug]

I would rather have an outdoor boiler. I have a central boiler at the present time and just looking to update it to a higher efficiency boiler. I have some greenhouses I heat in the spring and would like to have a boiler that burns the fuel to ash instead of charcoal.

I cant help you with first hand knowledge of Portage and Main, but I have heard very good things about them from some other posts here and on other forums.

As maple1 mentioned, I would try to get your wood dry first, since thats the easiest/cheapest place to start. When I burn wood thats too wet in my boiler 1) it doesnt like it 2) I get big coals left, it doesnt burn down well. I would think that if you get some seasoned wood and keep it dry, that may help the coaling problem a lot. Also, you will use less wood, since you arent boiling the moisture out of it. The additional benefit is that if you did want to switch to a gasser, you would have dry wood ready to go!

I would just hate for you to spend the $ on a new boiler that might have the same issues down the road.

 

[flyingcow]

just curious, aprx how many weeks where you burn 1/2 a week?


BTW, on this board i don't think I've heard bad thing about PnM. Looks like a good unit.

 

[Rockcrusher59]

just curious, aprx how many weeks where you burn 1/2 a week?


BTW, on this board i don't think I've heard bad thing about PnM. Looks like a good unit.

thank you for the word on PnM boilers. I burn 1/2 cord a week for anywhere between 8 to 12 weeks depending on the weather.