| Outdoor wood burning stoves are a great way to | | | | water go higher than the boiler to heat, then you |
| heat your home. You start shopping for the right | | | | need to have a closed system boiler. The piping |
| one and find that the options and the menu of | | | | and the pumping fixtures need to be different for |
| outdoor stoves are endless. How can you know | | | | each type of system. You need to know which |
| which stove will serve you the best? Here are a | | | | parts will work best in each type of system to |
| few questions that you will want to ask yourself | | | | prevent premature failure of your equipment. |
| that will help to narrow down the possibilities. | | | | The installation of outdoor heating equipment is a |
| Most of the outdoor stoves will be boilers and | | | | very detailed process if it is to be installed |
| heat hot water to be used in heating your house. | | | | properly. Make sure that you can see other |
| How will the hot water be incorporated into your | | | | installations of the wood burning stove that you |
| heating system? The outdoor boiler must be | | | | intend to have installed. Ask to see other |
| setup to get the water to your existing heating | | | | installations that the installer has done and talk to |
| system efficiently. | | | | the homeowners about how it has worked for |
| How big of pieces of wood do you want to use? | | | | them. |
| Some woodstove require that you cut and split | | | | One thing you need to remember before installing |
| your wood into much smaller pieces than other | | | | any outdoor heating equipment. Plan one spending |
| stoves do. The range can be anything from two | | | | much more time than you think you will, to feed |
| to four feet, and the diameter of the logs can be | | | | the monster. The amount of fuel the many of |
| anything that will fit through the door. Also some | | | | these stoves take is much more than many |
| woodstoves will burn green wood easily and | | | | people plan on. After a few years of using all of |
| others need dry seasoned wood to burn right. | | | | their Saturday's to cut wood or haul coal they |
| Is the unit that you are looking at an open or | | | | give up on the idea of an outdoor appliance. If |
| closed boiler? Open systems are fine for some | | | | you have to pay for the fuel or have a full time |
| applications, but they are not suited well for other | | | | job you may want to reconsider your choice. |
| situations. In places where you need to have the | | | | |