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I have to get all my pictures of my Hardy H2 posted. I installed this guy by myself, with help from Pa, saving $1000. As you can see from my picture, I underestimated the size of my woodshed for how much wood this furnace uses. These are nothing like a fireplace. You need wood, and a LOT of it. OWB's aren't for everyone and every house, but I am really happy with mine, not realizing at the time of purchase, that I was also buying a new hobby and lifestyle. I'm a woodcutter now!
My goal was free heat, which I have achieved, by definition of the word "free." Free to me was not spending money to heat my house. I spent $5000 on my purchase of the Hardy and my calculations show that I will have it payed for this February. That is the pure money side of it...Now, I have purchased three chainsaws, numerous chainsaw accessories, not to mention the time, labor, broken ankle...more on this later...cuts, bruises, sunburns, sore back, and other sprains and strains all for my free heat. Is it worth it? For me it is. What better way to get in shape than going into the woods and bringing home the logs!? It sure beats hanging out in a health center with a bunch of sweaty jerks. Smokin!
The Wood Shed
This is an arial view of my wood shed. My Hardy sits about 50 feet from the house
The Dolmar 7900
As far as I'm concerned this is the baddest saw on the planet.
Husqvarna 346 XP
This is by far the greatest saw ever made. The 16 inch bar could easily be a laser beam the way it slices through wood.
346XP at Rest
Here is a picture of my 346XP. I just cut up these locust rounds before I snapped this picture
Big Orange
Say hello to my little friend! (use your best Al Pacino voice) Big Orange is a Husky 455 Rancher with an 18 inch bar. This thing is bad news. It is such a powerfull saw but I am suprised how smooth it operates and how easy it is on fuel.
14 inch Poulan
I swear by the Poulan's. I know they are described by some as cheap "throw away" saws but I have had great sucess with mine. This one is six years old and still runs strong.
Fiskars Super Splitter
Throw your 6# maul away and get yourself one of these. This may be the greatest invention ever.
My stuff
This is a picture of my Hardy H2, my homemade woodshed and my woodpile for the winter of 08-09. The Hardy is in the middle of the woodpile. I use my woodpile as a windbreak and a snowfence.
Heat Exchanger Installed
This is me installing the heat exchanger. This should give you a good idea its location and approximate size. The tan thing is my forced air furnace in the basement
Heat Exhanger pt.2
This is what the heat exchanger looks like once installed. The orange lines are the 3/4 inch hot water Pex lines that carry the water between my OWB and the heat exchanger. If you lean in and squint you can see the copper tubes in the exchanger. A closeup is provided below.
Close up of the Heat Exchanger
I added this picture to show you a close up of the heat exchanger. It looks just like a radiator from a large truck. I did all this installation myself saving $1000.
Pex lines coming thru basement wall
The two lines going to the left are the feed and return for my hot water tank. The two lines to the right go between the OWB and the heat exchanger.
Tee on hot water tank feed
My Hardy H2 also heats my domestic hot water. The top line goes out to the OWB to pick up heat and the bottom line fills my hot water tank with hot water. You can see the valves I can switch to bypass this when my Hardy is not burning in the summer.
About Me
- Ohio Woodburner
- I am a family man who asked a simple question..."Why do I have to pay money to heat my house?" Well, after some research I found my answer in purchasing an Outdoor Wood Boiler (OWB). Specifically a Hardy H2. While nothing is free...I traded money for my labor...I have been heating my 3000 sq ft. home for the last five years without spending a dime in gas. I hope you find this blog helpful if you are interested in buying one of these smokers or even if you have a OWB and just want to hang out with someone who knows a little bit about your life. I hope you get a chance to stop by as our house is always warm, no matter how cold it is outside.
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