About Econo Outdoor Wood Furnaces™

     The Econo Outdoor Wood Furnace™ consists of a durable wood burning firebox surrounded by a round water tank.  The heat transfer to water is maximized through the Dual Chamber system as it makes a second pass through the water reservoir.  The Dual  Chamber flue system consists of five to twenty, 4 inch pipes, which run horizontally through the round water tank to a clean out box in the back.  It then makes a second pass through the water reservoir above the fire box to a stack in front, where it exhausts out to the atmosphere.  The fire is automatically draft controlled from a draft fan on front of the firebox door.  The door is made of fire proof refractory cement.  This draft fan is controlled by an aquastat which keeps the water a constant 180°F for heat on demand.  The Econo has a much larger water reservoir than most outdoor hydronic wood furnaces and so utilizes the Dual Chamber flue system by giving you more heat transfer surface area for heating the water, in turn giving you a much larger heat reserve.  Most fire places, wood stoves, & wood furnaces loose most of their heat through the flue; this Dual Chamber flue utilizes the heat.

     There are 6 sizes of Econo Outdoor Wood Furnace™, the E200, E300, E500, E800, E1000, and the E2000.  All units have Dual Chamber flue system except the E200 and the E300.  The E300 has a 4 X 12 square flue and vents out back with a 6 inch pipe.  All units come in either standard mild steel or 304 stainless steel. The firebox and flue are made of ¼ inch steel while the tanks are 12 gauge whether standard or stainless. You can get any Econo Unit with grates, but it is not necessary.  Call for prices on grates.

    All stoves are guaranteed against rust outs and burn outs if stove is properly maintained.  All parts that are not manufactured by Econo Outdoor Wood Furnace™ Manufacturing, LLC, have their own manufacturers warrantee.  A water softener should be installed for use of domestic hot water, if your water is hard.  I recommend Morton Water Softeners™; we can sell you one along with your stove.  The Econo water treatment must be kept in the unit as well an anode rod; so your unit is properly maintained.   Stoves must be annually drained and flushed out so all sediments and build up are removed.

    The Econo Outdoor Wood Furnace™ is made in the USA, Missouri.  The water tank is made by Montgomery Metal Craft, in Springfield Missouri and they have been building quality storm shelters, fuel, water, and septic tanks since the 1940’s.  The rest of the Econo Outdoor Wood Furnace™ is built in Falcon, Missouri by, ECONO Outdoor Wood Furnace™ Manufacturing, LLC. 

    The firebox is surrounded by water, being surrounded by water prevents burnouts.  Try an experiment; hold a candle under a paper cup filled with water, the water boils but the cup won’t burn.  The water protects it.  The Dual Chamber flue runs horizontally through the water tank.  Any wood stove or fireplace looses most of its heat through the flue; but with the Dual Chamber flue system the heat of the flue actually helps heat the water.

     The units are insulated like a thermos with a polyurethane insulation that an R-14 value.  There is a Quonset hut style cover covering the unit.  This covering goes good with farm buildings and silos, and much around the farm.

    The circulator pump (which comes with the install kits) circulates water through any hydronic heating system or can be adapted to your forced air furnace duct work using a heat exchange coil.  The units also have a manual fill up and a sight tube located in plain view near the front door, to determine when your unit needs water.  Also located in front is a thermometer to determine the temperature of the water in your unit.  These outdoor wood furnaces are non-pressurized and are vented to the atmosphere on the top of the unit.  This prevents the furnace from ever building pressure and exploding or causing other problems.  There is a condensator tank on the vent pipe to reclaim steam that would other wise be lost, making your unit even more efficient.

     The domestic hot water coil (which comes with the install kits) sits submerged in the water tank.  Cold water comes in and hot water goes out.  This gives you inexpensive continuous hot water.    Your traditional water heater can either be by passed or you can run hot water in from the stove to the cold side of your water heater so that ideally your water heater never kicks on, except to maintain the temperature while not in use.    Either way you will enjoy endless hot water and be able to take a 4 hour shower and still wash 20 loads of laundry with hot water to spare.   In most of the country you will need a water softener, as I mentioned earlier.  You can hook it up to just to your hot side.  This way it only softens the water going into the coil.  Lime and other minerals build up in the coil reducing the water pressure.  If this happens you can clean your coil with Rydelyme® either manually or with a pump.

     The Econo Outdoor Wood Furnace™ can heat your swimming pool or hot tub, too.  The swimming pool or hot tub water is circulated through a coil, plate heat exchanger, or an E-ZEE Flow Swimming pool heat exchanger and it brings it back nice and warm.  It can also be hooked to a clothes dryer.  We carry clothes dryers that run exclusively off hot water systems.  These units can be connected to grain dryers.   The units are also equipped with additional heating zones to heat another dwelling or building.  The units work well in heating houses as well as dairies, stables, dog kennels, poultry houses, greenhouses, barns, warehouses, cattery, churches, shops, garages, driveways and sidewalks snow melt, (so you don’t have to shovel snow or worry about ice,) dry kiln, stores, schools, orphanages, taverns, restaurants, etc.  Anything that needs to be heated can be heated.

     The water in the outdoor wood furnace circulates through your heating system and is separate from the water in your potable system.  This water is constantly reclaimed and used over and over again.  It is chemically treated with The Econo Outdoor Wood Furnace™ Water Treatment, an anti rust agent, to prevent rust or corrosion in your unit and entire system; to provide years of enjoyment and use.   The Econo Outdoor Wood Furnace™ can easily be adapted to almost any existing heating system, whether you have a boiler or not.  A simple heat exchange coil can be placed in any forced air system with little or no change to your existing system.  This process works the same as the heater in your automobile.  Hot water is circulated through the heat exchange coil; air is blown through the coil, then through your duct work to provide heat for your home.  This can be wired to your existing blower in your furnace and your traditional furnace can be used as a backup. 

     These units need to sit on a foundation, we recommend a cement pad.  There is a set of water lines and electrical wires, that are pre-made, they are buried in the ground from your Econo Outdoor Wood Furnace™ to the inside furnace and to the water heater.  Thus heat is provided to the building; and electricity and fresh water is provided to the unit as well as hot water to the water heater.  All this is provided in your installation kit:  thermostats, heat exchange coils, etc  to make installation of your Econo Outdoor Wood Furnace™ very easy for the do-it-yourselfer.  These units can also be run off small generators for those power outages in winter or for people not hooked to the main electrical grids.

     Boiler antifreeze can be used in your Econo Outdoor Wood Furnace™ with the proper mixture, but it is very expensive.  If you plan to leave in cold weather or an emergency arises, the stove can either be drained and water pumped out of the lines, or the stove dampened down and the circulator pump left to circulate.  An electrical heat tape should be placed on cold water lines, this way the stove would not freeze for quite a while, it would take several days to freeze in normal winter conditions.   But it is best to get a friend or family member to just put wood in once a day.

     These units are built to burn wood or coal only.  You can however, use a very small amount of charcoal lighter fluid to help ignite your fire.  Domestic household trash and yard waste can be burnt in these units, but only in areas that it is legal to do so and with discretion.  In many municipalities burning waste is against the law.  This practice also creates a lot of smoke and can send sparks of fire out of the flue.  To avoid fires and conflicts with neighbors, common since must apply.   The burning of petroleum based products, tires, roofing materials, paints, solvents, naphtha, and other fuels is dangerous and in most instances illegal and could damage your unit and your property, not to mention cause serious injury or death to yourself or others.   Do not burn aerosol cans, old cigarettes lighters, propane or map gas bottles, gun powder, black powder,   ammunition, fireworks, light bulbs, batteries, or anything that can be explosive.  The Econo Outdoor Wood Furnace Manufacturing LLC is not labial for property damage, personal injury or death, fires, explosions, civil suits, domestic disputes, back or head injuries from fueling stoves or for any fines for illegal burning of domestic waste or other.

    The unit’s door could get hot enough to burn and should be approached with caution, but normally does not.  The handle should be safe to touch, gloves are recommended when fueling.  There is a shut off switch located on the draft fan on the door which should be shut off during fueling and be sure to turn it back on after the door is shut.  Children should never fire this unit.  The flue on the back of the stove also gets very hot when fired and will burn if touched and should be approached with caution.  The Econo Outdoor Wood Furnace Manufacturing LLC is not labial for any person or persons getting burned while touching the flues or hot doors, or the fire box, or the fire in the fire box, or falling into the fire box.

    Your WaterStove should be set at least 25 feet from any structure.  It can also be as far as 400 feet.  But up to 100 feet you will experience the least amount of heat loss.  It should be placed in your yard where it is convenient for you and for fueling; in an area where wind is less likely to blow into your house or neighbors homes.  The flue can be extended above the roof lines and a cap can also be used to prevent sparks in cases where dry wood and trash is frequently burned or in areas where a lot of dry grass and leaves exist.  These areas should be cleaned to prevent brush fires.