wilkes

Jack Barr built my 2nd one since 1987 about 3 years ago. located in my basement and works great. I light one fire at about 8 pm and use about one wheel barrow load of wood per night, I get the temperature between 160 to 180 degrees. The closer you put the stove to your blower the more efficient it will be. If it gets in the teens i usually light one in the morning just to make it more efficient. He lives on the road next to crossfire church om hwy 115.

A lady in my church uses this kind of heat and loves it. Hers is in a small building just outside her back door. She said she would not use anything else.

We have used a water stove system with solar panels for over 20 years and love it. The stove we have now came from Hicks. Years ago we had a Carolina Water stove and it sprang a leak. Carolina went out of business so we replaced it with a Hicks waterstove. They are very nice people.
In the summer, the panels are usually enough to supply hot water for everything, but on cloudy days and in the winter we build a fire. The panels don't heat enough for the house heat and the water heater both even on sunny days. Days like today, I built a fire in the morning and bank the logs letting the temp. get up, and then rekindled it before night.
There are tax credits you can take on the panels now.

I have one from HIcks Water Stoves in Mt Airy and wouldnt take anything for it if I couldnt get another one. Mine is 750 gal. and provides plenty of heat and hot water. Mine is outside but you can put it anywhere you have a flue.pipe. They are kinda pricey right now but in a few years of use it will certainly pay for itself. The Hicks folks are very good people to do business with also. This is my second one in 30 years and its great.

Be great if it was a miniature power cell that did not require loading but once every few months with new hydrogen or uranium.

I figure if the thing will sit outside, it will sit inside.

I have a Carolina waterstove in the basement. Old, old model (20-25 years old) and it works fine. The firebox heats the water that surrounds it, 500 gallons. A thermostat turns on the fan in the heat pump and the pump on the side of the stove to circulate the water through the heat exchanger. I keep the water temperature between 120 and 160 F.

A side benefit is the 100 ft coil of copper tubing that preheats the water going to my hot water heater.

If you have a ready supply of wood and the time to fire the thing it is well worth the effort.

I don't know the answers to your questions but my husbands brother has this system in his home in Boone and his family loves it. We are usually about 20 degrees warmer here in Wilkes than Boone is. Works well for them. I would love a system like that myself.

Thanks for the site, but I was hoping to find someone local. Also, I cannot use an outdoor waterstove. I want to replace my old woodstove in the basement with a waterstove. Thanks, anyway.

http://www.waterstovedirectory.com/

I have heated with firewood in my wood stove in our basement for many years. Several of my friends tell me it would be a good idea to get a hot water stove. How efficient are these type of stoves? Do you have to keep it fired up all day long? How expensive are they? Where can you get one? Thanks!