Outdoor Wood Boiler Design
Filed Under Outdoor Wood Boiler Design |
A well designed outdoors wood stove boiler can provide economic heating for your home and/or your hot water supply. It is important to pick an efficient wood boiler to use less wood and get the same amount of heat.
Inefficient firebox designs burn more wood and deliver less heat. Since the heat is not trapped and transferred into the water jacket, it escapes through the chimney and increases emissions into the atmosphere.
Some designs use a baffle plate in the ceiling to trap gases and increase flame efficiency. This is similar to the baffles used in regular wood heaters for indoor use. These plates are prone to warping and eventually burn out.
Other wood boiler designs have a rippled ceiling instead, with this part of the ceiling being the water jacket. The water keeps the plates cooler, and reduces heat corrosion. The corrugated ceiling has a lot of support from certain companies.
Some wood boilers have an ash box or tray underneath, while others need to be shoveled out periodically. While the ash box underneath can be handy for ash removal, the grating has the potential of burning out and needing to be replaced. A few manufacturers prevent warping of the grating by running water through them to dissipate heat.
Most outdoors wood stove boilers are insulated on the outside with fiberglass insulation. A well insulated boiler door is also important. A digital readout of the water levels and temperature are included with some models.
These are some of the common features included in outdoor wood boiler design.
