Any of you build your own wood furnace

[Fuel]

I really like to look at all of the different options before I spend any money and you guys seem to know about everything on the topic of burning wood so. . . .

Has any of you thought about or did build your own wood furnace. I live in a very small town and know people that have all of the tools that I don't that I would need, so do u think that it could be done?

 

[ikessky]

My father-in-law burned for 20+ in a homemade wood furnace that his FIL built for him. He only switched because he wanted an OWB. I took a good look at it when we moved it from his house and that thing was built like a tank. Very heavy gauge material was used. I would have taken it, but I needed something that was UL approved.

 

[Fuel]

y did u need UL aproved

 

[Fuel]

Also one thing that i don't really know much about is the fan limit switch. What does the fan high limit stop do(usually set at 200)

 

[ikessky]

I needed a furnace or stove that was UL approved so that my insurance would still cover me. I suggest talking to your agent before getting too involved in anything.

The high limit switch I believe you are talking about would be for a forced draft fan set up. For the blower that distributes heat to your home, it would typically turn the fan on at "temp a" (I want to say mine is like 110 degrees) and turns it off at "temp b" (mine is off at 90 degrees).

A forced draft would come on at a lower temp to stoke up the fire and shut off once the remote mounted thermostat hit your desired temp. Most of these systems have a high limit shut off so that they don't over fire the stove.

 

[daleeper]

I really like to look at all of the different options before I spend any money and you guys seem to know about everything on the topic of burning wood so. . . .

Has any of you thought about or did build your own wood furnace. I live in a very small town and know people that have all of the tools that I don't that I would need, so do u think that it could be done?

It can be done, as there are several listed on craigslist and the bay for sale. The question is why do you want to. Do you have some new ideas that you want to try out, are you trying to save money, do you have most of the materials already laying around to build with, and the skills to do so?

You did not specify whether this is for indoors or outdoors. My insurance company is more particular about a firebox that sits inside the house than one outside, or in an outbuilding, there are some that will not cover a furnace or stove inside your home that is not ul listed.

Because you said furnace, I am going to assume an indoor hot air furnace. In that case, unless you have all the materials setting there at little to no cost to you, and are well skilled in both metal construction, and control of the fire/air, buying a wood furnace is going to be less expensive/more efficient than a home built one. One setting outside or in an outbuilding with water heat exchange and storage gives you more opportunity to save some money and be able to experiment with fire/air without jeopardizing your home and family in the process.

 

[sweetheat]

I've heard storys about my great-grand-father. He was an Irish emmigrant employed as a boilermaker for the Maine Central Railroad in Rumford, Me. He lived close to the paper mill and could get free sawdust and waste wood. He built his own boiler and heated the house he lived in for free. You can do it! sweetheat

 

[hdivr]

I'm also considering building one.... My parents have a Hardy Outdoor boiler and seem pretty happy with it. I was going to copy the design and then replicate it or find a used OWB for sale. But then..... I found this site and started researching the Seton design. Massive refractory w/ tubes rather than water jacket.

mmhh decisions...decisions. The only hesitation is wondering how the seton would run w/o water storage. Don't really have the inside space for a large tank - especially 1000 gallons.