Best Buy Wood Burner
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Tom Hohl, Duluth, Minn.: “The HeatMaster G4000 EPA-certified gasifier outdoor wood boiler I installed 2 years ago is more efficient and better at heating my home than the conventional outdoor wood boiler I had before. That unit produced smoke and large amounts of ash and burned a lot of wood.
“With the G4000, I burn about 40 percent less wood for the same amount of heat for my two-story house, which is about 3,200 sq. ft. I can burn low Btu aspen but need to mix in hardwoods like ash, maple or birch to maintain a coal bed, which is necessary to reignite the fire when there’s demand for heat in the house.
“The G4000 produces little to no smoke, just steam, because of the almost complete combustion of the firewood. It has a large firebox with a nozzle in the bottom where smoke and unburned gasses are drawn down and into the combustion chamber. Most of the gasses and unburned material are incinerated at about 2000 degrees.
“An internal circulating pump mixes the boiler fluid to help maintain a uniform temperature. I installed a Bell and Gossett pump to move fluid into the house, where a heat exchanger transfers the heat to my baseboard heating system.
“The G4000 is computerized, so I can adjust the control dampers to deliver the right amount of air to the firebox and combustion chamber for peak efficiency. It also has an oxygen sensor that measures oxygen in the exhaust. Mine is set at 4 percent, which gives me a very efficient burn.
“HeatMaster has three suggested settings for the control dampers and oxygen. Because of the wood I’m burning, my settings are different. I determined what worked best with the help of a HeatMaster Facebook group, which has excellent moderators. I also got help from the HeatMaster territory manager for the Midwest U.S. and Northwest Ontario. A knowledgeable HeatMaster dealer can also help with settings.
“Maintenance for this boiler isn’t difficult. The fan is easy to take out and clean. I do that monthly. There should only be ash on the blades, not creosote. If you have creosote, your settings may be wrong. I clean ashes from the combustion chamber every 7 to 10 days. After the heating season, I clean the entire unit inside and out. Cleaning the two control dampers and lubricating them with automatic transmission fluid is easy with directions from a YouTube video by Marty Lappin. Two side panels where the fan blows air to fuel the fire must be removed and cleaned. This is best done when the boiler is still warm.
“The boiler is well built and made out of titanium-enhanced stainless steel that resists corrosion, transfers heat better, and withstands high temperatures in the firebox. I like that the boiler has sprayed on insulation, which is much better than fiberglass at retaining heat.
“I had electric power and excellent underground piping to my house, so I didn’t have to install that. There’s a significant tax credit for EPA-certified boilers, which includes labor. My unit will pay for itself in 3 years.
“My unit sits on a concrete pad with foam insulation under it and on the sides to prevent the pad or boiler from moving. The boiler provides excellent heat even when temperatures are well below zero.
“To anyone interested in a gasifier boiler like this, I recommend always using dry wood and pieces split 4 to no more than 6 in. in diameter. Don’t overfill the firebox because that creates more ash and doesn’t burn as efficiently. I usually fill the chamber just a few inches above the door sill with about 3 in. of coals and ash in the bottom of the firebox. On nights colder than -10 F, I’ll add more wood, primarily hardwood.”
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Best Buy Wood Burner ENERGY Wood Burners 65 Tom Hohl Duluth Minn : “The HeatMaster G4000 EPA-certified gasifier outdoor wood boiler I installed 2 years ago is more efficient and better at heating my home than the conventional outdoor wood boiler I had before That unit produced smoke and large amounts of ash and burned a lot of wood “With the G4000 I burn about 40 percent less wood for the same amount of heat for my two-story house which is about 3 200 sq ft I can burn low Btu aspen but need to mix in hardwoods like ash maple or birch to maintain a coal bed which is necessary to reignite the fire when there’s demand for heat in the house “The G4000 produces little to no smoke just steam because of the almost complete combustion of the firewood It has a large firebox with a nozzle in the bottom where smoke and unburned gasses are drawn down and into the combustion chamber Most of the gasses and unburned material are incinerated at about 2000 degrees “An internal circulating pump mixes the boiler fluid to help maintain a uniform temperature I installed a Bell and Gossett pump to move fluid into the house where a heat exchanger transfers the heat to my baseboard heating system “The G4000 is computerized so I can adjust the control dampers to deliver the right amount of air to the firebox and combustion chamber for peak efficiency It also has an oxygen sensor that measures oxygen in the exhaust Mine is set at 4 percent which gives me a very efficient burn “HeatMaster has three suggested settings for the control dampers and oxygen Because of the wood I’m burning my settings are different I determined what worked best with the help of a HeatMaster Facebook group which has excellent moderators I also got help from the HeatMaster territory manager for the Midwest U S and Northwest Ontario A knowledgeable HeatMaster dealer can also help with settings “Maintenance for this boiler isn’t difficult The fan is easy to take out and clean I do that monthly There should only be ash on the blades not creosote If you have creosote your settings may be wrong I clean ashes from the combustion chamber every 7 to 10 days After the heating season I clean the entire unit inside and out Cleaning the two control dampers and lubricating them with automatic transmission fluid is easy with directions from a YouTube video by Marty Lappin Two side panels where the fan blows air to fuel the fire must be removed and cleaned This is best done when the boiler is still warm “The boiler is well built and made out of titanium-enhanced stainless steel that resists corrosion transfers heat better and withstands high temperatures in the firebox I like that the boiler has sprayed on insulation which is much better than fiberglass at retaining heat “I had electric power and excellent underground piping to my house so I didn’t have to install that There’s a significant tax credit for EPA-certified boilers which includes labor My unit will pay for itself in 3 years “My unit sits on a concrete pad with foam insulation under it and on the sides to prevent the pad or boiler from moving The boiler provides excellent heat even when temperatures are well below zero “To anyone interested in a gasifier boiler like this I recommend always using dry wood and pieces split 4 to no more than 6 in in diameter Don’t overfill the firebox because that creates more ash and doesn’t burn as efficiently I usually fill the chamber just a few inches above the door sill with about 3 in of coals and ash in the bottom of the firebox On nights colder than -10 F I’ll add more wood primarily hardwood ”
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