Outdoor Furnace: Protect Your Freedom To Burn Wood – 3 Smart Strategies

We all cherish our rights and our freedoms. But little by little, we feel our rights being taken away from us. Our freedoms to burn wood have been radically changed by the EPA ban on outdoor wood boilers and other wood burning devices. Many state and local governments have passed regulations on wood burning also.

Let’s not risk losing our rights any further! Follow these simple strategies so that we can all continue to enjoy our freedom to burn wood:

1. ONLY BURN WOOD! Burning garbage is a sure way to irritate neighbors and generate complaints to the police and/or local officials. Burning treated wood, or any petroleum products is illegal, and will void your warranty. Manufacturers are not permitted to allow their warranties to cover damage from burning illegal fuels.
2. Proper Maintenance – PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENT! The EPA ban on outdoor wood burning boilers means that once your boiler reaches its end of life, you cannot replace it. Keep your boiler healthy – so you can save money on your heating bills for decades! 
3. Use Liquid Armor Water Treatment
4. Send in a water sample every 12 months to CONFIRM that your boiler water is properly treated.
5. Follow proper ash management
6. Read every newsletter and follow all operating tips (and improve your health by laughing at all the jokes and funny videos in our newsletter!)
7. Don’t allow smoke to bother your neighbors. If there is any chance that smoke from your outdoor wood furnace may bother your neighbors and that they will complain to government officials, simply add chimney extensions so your chimney extends above their roofline. This is a common solution that resolves this problem in almost all cases. We LOVE having at least one 4’ chimney extension on our outdoor wood boilers because it just gets any smoke out of the way. 
8. Remember to NEVER install an uninsulated chimney extension on your boiler! If you have an uninsulated chimney extension on your boiler – REMOVE IT IMMEDIATELY! Wood fuel contains a lot of moisture that will condense on the cool walls of an uninsulated chimney and form caustic acid that will drip back into your boiler and eat through the steel in a very short time.  Insulated chimney extensions are available at our website HERE. Don’t forget that for HE model furnaces, a simple adapter is required also and it is available HERE.
9. If you want to move the location of your boiler, contact us for FREE design services to help you with the process. This is always an option, and we can help. Check out our FREE Design Offer by clicking HERE.

Let’s work together to maintain the rights we still have! Please feel free to send us your comments and feedback to Support@outdoorboiler.com.

Visit our online store OutdoorBoiler.com for more info and support and to browse for more outdoor wood boiler parts!

Operating Furnace FAQs:

• Am I burning too much wood?

You may be. Is the wood properly seasoned? Have you cleared the firebox? High wood consumption can be caused by a number of factors.

• Can I leave my Outdoor Wood Burner over the weekend?

You may have someone "feed" your furnace for you or you may lower the thermostat temperature.

• What are the critical items to operate and maintain my furnace efficiently?

1. Keep water full

2. Manage ash

3. Use water treatment

4. Use seasoned wood

5. Keep fire in the middle of the firebox

6. Clean tubes regularly

Maintenance FAQs

• Why is outdoor boiler water treatment important?

The boiler chemical (corrosion inhibitor) that you would apply to your furnace water coats the inside of the furnace to reduce the effects of corrosion on the metal. 

Click HERE to order our Liquid Armor Water Treatment and other outdoor wood furnace parts. Every gallon of Liquid Armor comes with FREE 2 sample bottles. Then submit your water sample to Outdoor Boiler Lab and get Free Water Test!

• How often do I need to Inspect my Chimney/Flue

Inspect chimney and flue monthly and clean as needed. Clean chimney and flue annually. Perform cleaning and maintenance only when no fire is present in the firebox and ashes are cooled completely.

Troubleshooting

• Why am I not getting hot water?

Check that the hot water system is connected properly. Check if the heat exchanger is partially or totally clogged.

• Why does My Outdoor Wood Stove continue to burn when it is not operating?

Check the door seal, door adjustment, and solenoid.

• I can't find a leak in my furnace. Why am I losing water?

Outdoor Wood Burning Boilers use a non-pressurized system, this means that the existing heating system is exposed to the air. Since the water in the system can and will be warmer than the air, there will be evaporation of the water in the system. The water must be checked and adjusted at least once a month, sometimes more.