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An outdoor furnace is freestanding outside of your home or building complex. It is generally anywhere up to a few hundred feet away and works in conjunction with your indoor heating system. An outdoor furnace may function as a central boiler unit or it may be an outdoor wood burning furnace. A central boiler unit has a surrounding water filled cylinder over the heat exchanger. The heated water is piped to the home or other buildings through insulated pipes located underground. An outdoor wood burning furnace must be fed wood to burn in order to supply the heat for the water. The heated water is then piped to the home in the same manner as with the central unit.

The outdoor furnace will work with any existing heating system in the home. The heated water will transfer heat to the home whether it is heated with a forced-air furnace or has radiant baseboard or radiant floor heating. It can be regulated with a standard thermostat or a programmable thermostat control system.

The major advantage of an outdoor furnace is that it is able to supply heat to multiple buildings while being ecologically safe and energy efficient. If you have a free standing garage, greenhouse, barn or shed, they can all be heated from this one heating source. An outdoor furnace can also be set up to supply hot water to the home or other free standing structures, adding yet another layer of cost savings by allowing you to turn off the hot water heater.

Outdoor furnaces can provide environmentally friendly options to anyone with multiple buildings to heat. Both central boiler units and wood burning units require electricity to operate, so a standby generator is a sensible option for anyone in a remote location or anyone prone to power outages.

The most ecologically responsible type of outdoor furnace is one that burns wood for fuel. Wood is a sustainable, renewable source of energy if managed correctly. Even though there is concern over the smoke exhaust produced by burning wood, it is still less of an environmental pollutant than that which comes from the burning of fossil fuel.

When considering the option of an outdoor furnace, it is best to check with local environmental agencies to find out what regulations may be in effect in your location. They will be able to provide the guidelines you need to install and operate and efficient and environmentally friendly unit.

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