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Lil' House outdoor wood burning heater. ??

Started by Bibbyman, October 16, 2006, 09:13:32 AM

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Bibbyman

Anyone out there got a Lil' House outdoor wood burning heater?  We're looking at one.  They're pretty low tech but the price is attractive. ;)


Lil' House web site.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDE25 Super 25hp 3ph with Command Control and Accuset.
Sawing since '94

Daren

I don't have one, but have had that guys site bookmarked for 3-4 years. Every year about this time I go back and think about it, never bought one. I like the fact it sets outside, no dragging wood in. But like you said it is low tech, you have to manually adjust the damper to control the fire (I can see the windows in the house open if he leaves it wide open or if he doesn't have it open enough it will be too cool and all that jazz until a guy gets the hang of it). And there is no ash drawer, you have to scoop the ashes out of the firebox. It is around $1000 cheaper than most outside warm air units.

If a guy has room beside his existing furnace (or at least access to the ductwork) and wants to burn wood I think these are the way to go http://www.vogelzang.com/NorsemanFurnaces.htm . There about $1000 to start for the smaller one (for 1500 ft2) and just tie into your houses ductwork. Or they can be used as the primary single furnace. They do have temp control setting for the damper and give more btu. But it is inside, for me with the basement dragging wood downstairs is no good. We are looking at other houses, I am keeping this furnace in mind while we look. If I can find a ranch with the furnace in the garage I will have one for sure.
Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

Kevin_H.

the video was interesting to watch.
and I gotta say I like the price.

sounds like a real good low tec solution to heating your house.
Got my WM lt40g24, Setworks and debarker in oct. '97, been sawing part time ever since, Moving logs with a bobcat.

ronwood

I thing it would be better to run the heat into your main furnance if you have one. Seems to me that the room were the heat comes in would be pretty warm compare to the rest of the house. I also wonder how  well it works with the chimney so close to the structure if you don't bring it up above the roof line.

Ron
Sawing part time mostly urban logs -St. Louis/Warrenton, Mo.
LT40HG25 Woodmizer Sawmill
LX885 New Holland Skidsteer

beenthere

Bibby
How would you plan to run it into your house?
Or do you have other plans for it, like around the mill?

I just bought a Sun-Twin infrared heater for our great room, and initial tests using it are pretty impressive. I may lose my skepticism about it, if this keeps up.  :)  If it doesn't work out, I have 60 day to send it back.  Dear wife heard about it from Paul Harvey - the rest of the story.

Sun-Twin infrared

Very even heat, but time will tell if the quilting machine area stays comfortable. It's to fill in when the wood stove isn't runnning (ie. I am not home  :) ).
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Bibbyman

We don't have a forced air heating/cooling system in our house.  i.e. no ductwork to plumb into.

Our main heat is electric baseboard but we don't use it very much.  We have a free-standing, air tight wood stove in our "great room".  It heats the house real well in all but the coldest nights.  We keep the baseboard heaters set at something like 65 and they'll rarely kick on.

What we want to get away from is bringing all that firewood in the house and all that mess, smoke, etc.  Plus, it'd be nice to use longer sticks of wood.  Like maybe bring a bundle of slabs near the stove and whack them a couple of times with the chain saw.  Mary'd only have to fire it twice a day.  ;D

We're also looking at a Bryan stove.  It has a lot more features like ash cleanout, firebrick liner, cast iron grate and cast iron door.  They're build a lot heavier too.  But it's 3x the cost of the Lil' House.

Bryan web site

Both have about the same size firebox and BTU output.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDE25 Super 25hp 3ph with Command Control and Accuset.
Sawing since '94

farmerdoug

Bibby,

I have a central boiler furnance.  I was corcerned at first about the lack of grating and open pan cleanout but I found that it is not a problem to clean.  Plus you do not have to replace the grates and firebricks also.  So I would not look down the the ash pan.  Also since you do not have duct work you might just look into a boiler also.

Doug
Doug
Truck Farmer/Greenhouse grower
2001 LT40HDD42 Super with Command Control and AccuSet, 42 hp Kubota diesel
Fargo, MI

Stump Jumper

Around here the insurance man doesn't want anything closer then 100' to the house or else the premiums sky rocket or they won't insure but since you already have a wood stove you maybe already aware of this.
Jeff
May God Bless.
WM LT 40 SuperHDD42 HP Kubota walk & ride, WM Edger, JD Skidsteer 250, Farmi winch, Bri-Mar Dump Box Trailer, Black Powder

dave7191

Bibby I've looked at that furance several times and intend to get one as soon as i get this danG trailer moved  I've been looking for several years at wood furances that are forced air and i thing it is the best for the money besides I'm not to happy with to many bells and whistles  ;D

moosehunter

I have been looking for something like this for a while. I looked at the Bryan. The Mrs helped me decide the Bryan was too much $$ for the two or three years we have left in our mobile home ( hopefully the house will be done by then).
This Lil' house may be a great alternative.
I may have one by the end of next week.
I'll keep you posted.

smiley_idea Maybe it could be used to heat a kiln when we move out of the mobile home ??? ???
mh
"And the days that I keep my gratitude
Higher than my expectations
Well, I have really good days".    Ray Wylie Hubbard

Bibbyman

Well,  maybe I should become a dealer in them.  Looks like I got my first sale.   :D
Wood-Mizer LT40HDE25 Super 25hp 3ph with Command Control and Accuset.
Sawing since '94

beenthere

Good for the forum coffers too, as the forum was used...... :)
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

moosehunter

I'll be sure to tell the dealer where I found out about it! Maybe another FF sponcer??
mh
"And the days that I keep my gratitude
Higher than my expectations
Well, I have really good days".    Ray Wylie Hubbard

Mooseherder

Anybody got sawdust laying around?
http://www.hernironworks.com/conifer.html
There was an article in the St. John Valley Times (Maine) about this local retired couple who use this type of system. They said they heat for 250 dollars a year.  We know it gets cold up there. ;) The system is around  1500. ???

moosehunter

I am ordering mine now.
I invited Scott ( from the Lil' House web site) to stop in to the FF to say Hi and answer any of your questions. Hopefully he has time to do so.
I'll keep you posted on the install and workings of it.
mh
"And the days that I keep my gratitude
Higher than my expectations
Well, I have really good days".    Ray Wylie Hubbard

farmerscotty

Howdy all, I am Scott Bradley the Lil'House distributor.  I would be glad to answer any of your questions to do with the heater.  It is simple, cheap and it works well.  Been selling them for over 18 years.  I welcome any questions you have about the heater operation. 

Wishing you a warm winter!
Farmerscotty in Missouri 8)
"A fool lives tomorrow reaching back for yesterday!"

moosehunter

Welcome farmerscotty!
Looks like you found other topics of interest to help out with in other parts of the forum.
-pull up a stump and sit a spell- :)

mh
"And the days that I keep my gratitude
Higher than my expectations
Well, I have really good days".    Ray Wylie Hubbard

moosehunter

It's here already! Hope to start installing this weekend. I also have to put the roof on my garage.
Look for pics of both projects next week!
mh
"And the days that I keep my gratitude
Higher than my expectations
Well, I have really good days".    Ray Wylie Hubbard

Bibbyman

Well, allrighty then...   smiley_bounce

I'z just wonderin' if you'd goten it yet.   smiley_headscratch
Wood-Mizer LT40HDE25 Super 25hp 3ph with Command Control and Accuset.
Sawing since '94

moosehunter

Sorry, no pics yet. They are in the camera though!
I did get it together and fire friday night. Put the last piece on about 9:30 pm. I have been trying to get a roof on the garage and hook up this stove between rain,snow and a major wind storm that blu through last weekend!

Happily, both are done (the roof isn't completly done, but it is dry inside the garage) and so far the stove is keeping us VERY toasty. Open some windows kinda toasty ;D.
It does indeed burn all night. Scott say's it takes some time to learn the proper settings ( how much draft, how much wood) so maybe in a coupla days I will be able to shut some windows :D

It is just what they say it is. It seems to work well. The install instructions could be better, but in all fairness Scott says to call him if you have any questions. I had lots of questions, but I won't stop at a gas station and ask directions when driving! I wasn't about to ask someone how to install this simple piece of equipment!

I think compared to the $$ of all the others, this is a good unit.
Pics of garage and stove soon, I promise!
mh
"And the days that I keep my gratitude
Higher than my expectations
Well, I have really good days".    Ray Wylie Hubbard

farmerscotty

Hey don't forget you get a "tips installation" CD too!  I have on it what I show everyone that picks one up at the farm.  I agree that the installation instructions the factory have could be better, that is why made the tips cd!

Glad you got it together............You should have called me if you had questions.........that is why my cell phone number is on the website.......LOL

Glad you got it going!

Scott
"A fool lives tomorrow reaching back for yesterday!"

moosehunter

I finally got the pics out of Kodak not-so-easy-share

This is the back side. it is also just before I fired it. I put the rest of the pipe on before  lighting a fire.
Every fall we plastic the porch to fill with wood to keep it close and dry.

This is the front view.
We are very happy with this stove. I am hoping for some cold soon so we can shut the windows!
The coldest nights we have had so far ( about 20 degs) I filled the fire box three quarters full and still had wood in it in the morning 8)
I'll start another thread about my new garage in the background.
mh
"And the days that I keep my gratitude
Higher than my expectations
Well, I have really good days".    Ray Wylie Hubbard

farmerscotty

Photo's look good, glad your happy with it!  I think I sold around 200 units last year, amazing.   All nice people too!  Now to go ask some questions about cutting logs to sell.

Scott 8)
"A fool lives tomorrow reaching back for yesterday!"

moosehunter

 It's time I filled you all in on this unit. I have waited so long because I have had trouble with it and did not want to say things about the stove or company untill all was straightened out ( or not).

The stove will have us with open windows all winter if we keep enough wood in it! Our mobile home is 900 sq ft. It would easily heat twice our house.
The pros;
It is quiet. The fire is out side. The mess is outside. It was inexpensive. We are NOT using fuel oil.
The cons;
It likes wood. It is hard to regulate. We had problems with it. It was an ugly problem. They wouldn't tell me how often they have this problem with it, but I gotta believe it happens once in a while.
The problem was that the stove, every once in a while would leak creosote out of the gasket down the side of the barrel. Anyone that burns wood knows what creosote smells  like. When it is forced into your house at 2am by the stove it is not pretty. I spoke with Scotty about it and took the end of the stove off and tried to seal the chimney flange connection. My repair did not work. The Lil house people sent me a new gasket. I installed that. Same problem. It did not happen often, only once every two weeks or so, but it was a very memorable event whenever it happened.
The last gasket I put in was before this heating season. It seemed ok for a few weeks then happened again.
Another call to the manufacturer.
They sent me a new barrel with a new flange (and collar). I had to rebuild the stove. It worked good for a few weeks and I thought the problem was fixed. Then one night we came home to find the house filled with creosote stink again. I was not happy. In the light of the next day I could see what had happened, the new chimmny flange adapter (collar) that they had sent had a hole in the weld letting creosote run down the barrel again. I put the old collar on (it did not have any holes in it) and have not had any problem in over four weeks.
So I'm hoping it is fixed now. It has been an ordeal. Lil house and Scotty have always been helpfull and concerned, sent me parts at no charge, but I would have been a much happier customer if they had sent me a new stove last year when I first started having trouble. As I told Scotty in an e-mail " I didn't buy a project, I bought a stove I should be able to use"
To be fair thier policy is that they will fix it if it is sent back to the factory. The cost was prohibitive to send it back so I took on the repairs myself.
I hope this did not come off as a rant, I don't mean it that way, just wanted you all to know.
mh
"And the days that I keep my gratitude
Higher than my expectations
Well, I have really good days".    Ray Wylie Hubbard

beenthere

Hope you have it fixed.
I don't follow you when you talk of a seal and creosote running down the barrel.

Is there a site that shows the cross-section of this stove, and how it operates? I'm curious.

I looked at the Lil House site, and they talk like there is a round drum for a combustion chamber. Apparently the gasket is around the door going to the chamber..??   Close, or no cigar?

south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

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