| Wood boilers take the idea of the traditional | | | | cleanly, with a minimum of creosote build-up, |
| wood stove and improve on it, solving some | | | | a boiler can be loaded with enough wood to |
| problems inherent in wood burning and making | | | | burn for hours without having to replenish |
| wood a clean, safe, and efficient source of | | | | the wood supply. The boiler, which can be |
| heat.Wood stoves have been used for | | | | located inside or outside the home, heats |
| centuries; a very famous American, Benjamin | | | | water which can be used in hot water heating |
| Franklin, invented the Franklin stove in the | | | | systems and, combined with a hot water |
| 1700s as a safe alternative to fireplaces, | | | | storage system, can be stored for long |
| which were dangerous - likely to catch the | | | | periods of time (from seven to ten days) |
| mainly wooden homes standard back then on | | | | between firings.Some boilers are constructed |
| fire - and not particularly efficient. The | | | | to be used with a variety of fuels, including |
| stove provided radiant heat in a relatively | | | | wood, oil, and gas, offering a lot of |
| safe manner compared to the open fires of | | | | flexibility to the homeowner, particularly |
| fireplaces.While wood stoves were supplanted | | | | with the fluctuations in the availability and |
| by central heating decades ago in urban and | | | | pricing of different fuels. Other boilers are |
| suburban environments, in the country many | | | | designed to burn corn or wood pellets, two |
| people continue to heat their homes, as well | | | | more fuels which are increasing in popularity |
| as cook their meals, partly or entirely with | | | | as alternatives to traditional fuel oil or |
| wood. But problems remain in the use of wood | | | | natural gas.With more consumers waking up to |
| as a fuel; while a properly maintained and | | | | the problems inherent in heating with oil and |
| operated wood stove is relatively safe, the | | | | natural gas, people are looking with renewed |
| build-up of creosote in stove pipes and | | | | interest at alternative sources of fuel for |
| chimneys can still result in dangerous | | | | heating their homes; and more and more are |
| fires.Another problem is time. In an era when | | | | choosing wood boilers as a safe, sensible, |
| at least one person in the family spent the | | | | and moneysaving solution.Aldene Fredenburg is |
| majority of the time at home, feeding a | | | | a freelance writer living in southwestern New |
| hungry wood stove was not a big problem; now, | | | | Hampshire and frequently contributes to Tips |
| however, with adults working outside the home | | | | and Topics. She has published numerous |
| at least forty hours a week, if not more, | | | | articles in local and regional publications |
| having a fire go out means coming home to a | | | | on a wide range of topics, including |
| cold house and, in extremely cold weather, | | | | business, education, the arts, and local |
| dealing with the possibility of frozen and | | | | events. Her feature articles include an |
| burst pipes. Also, walking away from a house | | | | interview with independent documentary |
| with an active fire burning in the wood stove | | | | filmmaker Ken Burns and a feature on |
| doesn't necessarily inspire a lot of peace of | | | | prisoners at the New Hampshire State Prison |
| mind.Enter the wood boiler. Designed to burn | | | | in Concord. |