Thoughts on the Aqua Therm OWB"s?

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2theHunt

Member
Hearth Supporter
Jun 9, 2008
4
central NH
Anyone have an experience or heard info on the Aqua therms? I am finally ready to buy an OWB and there seems to be a lot of Aqua therms in my area. Live in Central NH. Have a standard forced hot water (oil) furnace in basement so the closed loop, pressurized Aqua therms seems to make sense. They do have the new Eco-one units that are supposed to have the secondary burn chamber. Any idea if it really works & will cut the wood demand down (possibly in half?) like many of the threads I have read here. The Eco-One is listed at $9K vs. the standard model at $8K for the mid sized units. Thanks.
 
Our neighbor said he used to have an Aqua-Therm years ago... He liked it till he rusted the water jacket out.. Now he has a Heatmor.........
 
In terms of the Eco unit, see if it has the EPA test label on it. Also see if it has a regular lab testing.

A problem with OWB in general is that there have been no standards as to longevity, etc. - Back when these first got popular (Taylor), one dealer told me that virtually ALL of the units he sold developed leaks within 5 years. That's a big nut to replace 5-10 years into the future!

If I was putting that kind of money or more into a piece of equipment, I would want to know of people who had them for over a decade and were happy - so far we have one post where it leaked prematurely!

I wish we could help you more.....but if they are made nearby, maybe you can contact other owners - check with the county or local BBB, etc.
 
i've been happy with mine. have used a couple seasons now. my neighbor has had one for nearly 15 years with no problems. don't think they are as bad as some owb i've seen. i do like the fan induction. it is either running full out or idling, which seems to help with the smoke factor. i think mine was about $3700 a few years ago. that shows what steel pricing and shipping costs have done. we know all to well about shipping costs up here.
 
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