The realistic Shaver Outdoor Furnace FAQ
for Forced-Air Furnaces

What is the Shaver outdoor wood furnace?

What kind of heating systems can the Shaver Furnace interface with?

How can the Shaver heat my home and domestic hot water?

What are the advantages of the Shaver Outdoor Wood Furnace?

Why are your prices so low?

Can the installation be completed by the homeowner or does a professional need to be used?

What do the experts say?

What is the BTU rating of your furnace?

What comes with the furnace?

What else will I need to buy?

Do you sell everything I need and can I get them ahead of time?

Can I install the furnace in the middle of winter,
so I can start saving money right away?

Is burning wood bad for the environment?

How long will the furnace last?

What about Stainless Steel Wood Furnaces?

How long is the warranty?

What can I expect to pay for an outdoor wood furnace?

How much do I need to pay NOW, to start my  custom furnace?

What kind of payments do you accept?

How heavy is your furnace?

Won't the firebox burn out eventually?

Why don't you use boiler plate?

Is there a safety latch or anti-blowback latch?

Is there a lot of heat loss when the unit is outside and it's below 32° F?

Can I connect the Shaver to a forced air heating system?

What would need to be done to interface a Trane I-19 heat pump?

Will my existing furnace take over as a backup?

How do I keep my furnace going in the event of a power failure?

I only have baseboard electric heat, how can I use the Shaver?

I don't have a heating system now. What do I do?

Can I heat my domestic water with the Shaver?

Can I connect the Shaver to a water heating system or boiler?

Can the Shaver heat my pool and/or spa?

Can I heat more than one building?

I have two heat pumps or furnaces. Would I need a wood burning furnace for both?

Can I use an outdoor wood furnace if I live in town?

How often do I have to fill it up?

Does the furnace come fully assembled?

Can I extend the chimney of flue pipe? 

Does your furnace burn continuously or does it shut off and on
according to if the furnace is operating or some other method? 

Do these furnaces need to be near the house? 

How far away can the furnace be from the heated building?

Is there an elevation concern for the placement of the furnace? 

Do you offer financing?

Do I have a choice of colors?

Can I get the furnace without siding for use in an outbuilding?

Could I get a furnace without metal siding. I want
to install brick.

WHY OUR FURNACE IS THE ABSOLUTE BEST!

We are a family run business (privately held - no big corporations), located in North Arkansas (10 miles from MO) and know all about cold temperatures. We sell many furnaces in Canada, Alaska and Europe. 

One of the reasons our prices are so low is because we are filling a need; for everyone to have an outdoor furnace, that wants one. 

 - Our labor rates are low, here in Arkansas and we pass those savings on to you!

 - Our advertising is only $300 a month - unlike others who spend tens of thousands of dollars on one full-page color ad. You pay for that!

 - We use all off-the-shelf part where possible. That means that they cost less money. We don't use expensive circuit boards or computerized parts. That means less expense for you (and simpler too).

 - No one is looking to get rich off of these furnaces. In fact some other manufactures put there furnaces on sale, lowering their prices by MORE than we even make on a furnace!

We have a simpler, nicer looking furnace that's made to stand the test of time. We use our own tried and true SIMPLE 39 year old design and based out forced-air furnace on the same firebox design (3/8" thick), energy saving/wood saving chimney design, grates, ash receptacle, draft fan, front safety door and ash receptacle door designs.  This is the same furnace we were building in 1972 without changing our prices by using cheaper materials or giving sloppy craftsmanship.

We HAVE made improvements to the furnaces over time - and STILL have the lowest prices!

 We believe we have the best outdoor wood furnace - and certainly the best price by far. 

Simply look at the shear weight of out furnaces and you will discover that we use the most metal and have the thickest firebox of all.

We heat our manufacturing facility with a Shaver 340 Water Model. We also heat our own 5,000 sq ft home, hot water and hot tub with a Shaver Outdoor Wood Furnace.
 

Having an outdoor wood fired furnace eliminates smoke, pollution, bugs and wood debris within the house. What used to be a water chamber, is now an air chamber, surrounding the huge furnace firebox and the heat is transferred from the wood fire to the air surrounding the firebox.. Once the air temperature hits 110F, the big furnace fan that comes on the our furnace, turn on and blows hot air into your home, into your existing ductwork. The temperature is controlled by a thermostat in your home. We have seen air temperature coming from our furnace at 170 F, very similar to an oil or gas furnace output. NO NEED for a heat exchanger.

Only a forced air furnace inside your home can be used because ductwork is needed, so an electric, gas, oil. propane furnace, etc, and heat pump or geothermal system can be used.

No boilers or radiant floor heating systems can be hooked up. However, you can add ductwork to any building (or not even use any ductwork) to heat a building.

We can even help you if you don't have any heating system now!

You can simply run a supply and return into any two rooms of your home (one to each). It is better to use rooms at opposite end or corners of the home for better air flow and more even heat.

 

The Shaver furnace removes the fire hazard from your home or building because all of the burning and stoking takes place outside. Insurance companies love these furnaces. Often lower rates or higher coverage can be had by changing from a fireplace or indoor wood stove to an outside wood furnace.

An outdoor wood furnace also helps your indoor air quality and can alleviate respiratory and allergy problems caused by burning wood indoors. No more dark sooty walls and bugs either! Thermostatic control provides your home with even, steady heat.

The house will be less drafty as well, when heating with the outside boiler, because there is no combustion device operating inside drawing in cold outside air to replace that used in combustion.

Current owners of the Shaver Furnace are also using up to 25 to 50 percent less wood compared to other heating alternatives. Since the Shaver can burn larger pieces of wood it will dramatically reduce time spent preparing the wood. Costs for large round timbers are also dramatically less than for smaller split wood. You can get this type of wood for $70-90 a cord compared to $120-140 a cord.

The Shaver Wood Furnace means easy maintenance and few parts requiring service. You don't need costly electrical gadgets and features to cause problems down the road. This is a proven design of over 39 years! 

KEEP IT SIMPLE and efficient, is our motto. 

The electrical hookup is simple 110V wiring. If you can hook up a light switch and a light socket, you can do this install.

You may need an heating and air guy to hook up the duct work, but all you really need is an adapter from a round 12" pipe to your rectangle (usually) pipe..

Everything is very simple and easy to do. There is a comprehensive manual, with lots of pictures and diagrams, that will help you every step of the way. You can also call me or the factory for assistance.

Scott Josiah, state forester with the Nebraska Forest Service at UNL, said "There also are environmental benefits to using wood heat. Wood heat produces little pollution and is environmentally friendly, especially when wood is used in a high-efficiency wood burning stove and where firewood is a readily available resource."

It is usually best to look at the square footage rating. We rate our ThermoWind 1000 at 3500 square feet. This is for average winter conditions, like in PA and Ohio.

Customers in Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota and upstate NY should consider this as a 2500 sq foot model. Folks in TN, NC, Arkansas, etc, can easily heat 4,000 sq. feet.

The ThermoWind 2000 is rated for 5500 sq. ft, as above. 5,000 sq. ft in the colder climates.

BE AWARE that many manufacturers will take a furnace similar in size to our smallest one, will tell you that it will heat 7 or 8 thousand feet. What they DON'T tell you, is that you will have to load it more than twice a day. I've heard from quite a few customers that were sold too small a furnace (just so the company could make a sale) and then they ended up loading it every 6-8 hours. This is not fair to you!

Please keep in mind that this is for a house with average insulation. If you have an older or drafty house, you will have to adjust the size.

Your wood source makes a big difference too. While hedge or orange wood HAS 32 Million BTUs per cord, Hickory has almost 28 Million, Red Oak has 24 Million BTUs while Ash and others are in the high teens - so you can see a big difference in the wood you use and load times! You can almost cut your load times in half using hedge. Most any hardwood has more BTUs than all species of softwoods. See out BTU list for wood 

Find out how many BTUs you need HERE or check the label on your current furnace.

 

There is also a motion-activated light for the front (comes in the firebox so that you can put it where YOU want it.

We're also including the Cold Weather Package NOW at NO CHARGE for furnaces sold in states that border Canada, sold In Canada and Sold in Alaska!

Here is a list of the parts you need:

1. 12 gauge power wire (underground rated)

2. Thermostat in the home and thermostst wire to outdoor furnace.

3. 12" round ductwork for the supply and return. You can use standard galvanized or aluminum ductwork that you snap together and insulate or you can use our insulated UNDERGROUND duct work that can be buried and hidden, just like with a water furnace!

We are the ONLY FORCED-AIR WOOD FURNACE MANUFACTURER that has this!!

- cement for the pad (if you choose to have a pad) or you can use solid concrete pavers.

 

Some of our customers use solid concrete blocks (pavers) and railroad ties. It is recommended that you thick plastic down before using concrete blocks/pavers or railroad ties.

Burning wood gives off no more carbon than a rotting tree, laying on the forest floor!

On the other hand, fossil fuels release carbon dioxide when burned which otherwise would stay trapped in the earth. This causes a net increase in carbon dioxide, which is believed to be responsible for the heat-trapping "greenhouse effect." So when heating with wood versus fossil fuels, you actually achieve a net reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. 

In addition, harvesting firewood has a pruning effect on forests, which allows net growth to flourish. The wood you burn likely comes from your local area -- it's not imported and not subject to price increases due to events outside your control, as is the case with oil.

Many times the owners have land with fallen trees spread throughout abundantly - which means FREE WOOD!

The life of your furnace depends upon proper maintenance. With proper maintenance your outdoor wood-fired furnace will give you many years of dependable service.

We have Shaver Furnaces in service that are over 25 years old+, with wood siding - the way we used to make them!

Stainless is expensive so the fireboxes are made very thin. Stainless gets stress cracks in it which get bigger and bigger until you have a BIG leak (in the case of water furnaces)!

We have replaced leaking stainless steel furnaces only 5 and 6 years old!

Most outdoor furnace manufacturers went to stainless steel to get in on the stainless quality image, but since it’s expensive many of them went to a low-cost, cheap-grade stainless - which is still subject to rust and corrosion! During the manufacturing and welding process for stainless steel, IF the proper quantity and blend of corrosion-resistant and stabilizing elements are used, then it does indeed become a “forever” product. This is not normally done and post-weld annealing is needed to restore ductility, formability, toughness and corrosion resistance.

If you do purchase one of the lower grade stainless steel furnaces, be sure that exact model has a proven track record of corrosion resistance. The furnace design is every bit as important as the material that it’s made from.

Our original 30 year-old water furnaces are still in operation today - thanks in part to a 4/10th (.380) inch firebox.

We don't have you ship the furnace back, like some companies. What good is a warranty if it's going to cost you a thousand dollars for shipping?

We also don't send you a roll of 26 gauge metal, like one owner told me, along with a list of local welders! Can you believe that's how some people (dis)honor their warranty?

We send a man out, to your furnace and it's repaired on the spot should a firebox problem or air chamber problem surface!

We also offer financing/

You can pay with credit card, debit card, cash, check by mail, check by phone and PayPal.

The balance is before it is put on the truck for delivery.

If shipping by freight, the balance must be paid before the furnace is picked up.

See our pictures of our water furnace hanging from the chimney alone.

With our optional Cold Weather Package (free in Canada) you get R22 in the walls and an amazing R50 in the ceiling!

Any system with ductwork and a fan is considered a forced-air system, including heat pumps, geothermal units, water furnaces, electric, oil and gas furnaces.

Our heating system is MUCH hotter than heat pumps and geothermal systems because their output vent temperature is usually no more than a chilly 110F !
 
Many of our customers install the furnace themselves.

The electrical hookup is simple 110V wiring. If you can hook up a light switch and a light socket, you can do this install. You MAY have to use a heating and air guy to help with the ductwork - your call.

You can pour the concrete pad, if you're going to use one. You can also use railroad ties and solid concrete pavers.

Everything is very simple and easy to do. There is a 17 page manual that will help you every step of the way. You can also call me or the factory for assistance
 

The thermostat for your existing furnace would sense the drop in temperature and automatically turn your furnace on (without relays, switches or circuit boards).

Once you feed the outdoor furnace and restore the fire, it would again take over from your existing furnace.

A small generator will do the trick. Use a 2000 watt generator for the ThermoWind 1000 and a 4000 watt generator for the ThermoWind 2000 and you will have plenty of extra juice for lights and small appliances.

Most of the power needed is for starting the furnace fan on our outdoor wood fired furnace.

This is how you become self-sufficient with your outdoor wood burning furnace.
 

 Have heat when no one else does!

 

However, in suburban, small town, and rural areas, wood makes good sense. If you choose to install your Shaver furnace in a densely populated area the stack height should exceed the rooflines of existing homes within 200 feet.

Can I extend the chimney of flue pipe?

The furnace should not be more than 30 feet from where it connects to your ductwork.

You can order the ThermoWind 2000 fan (2000 cfm) in those case where the 1000 model is further away from the house than desired.

 

Is there an elevation concern for the placement of the furnace?  

No concern, with a forced-air furnace.

We can finance outdoor furnaces through an outside company, that we've worked with for years. They can finance a furnace for up to 48 months, with as little as ZERO DOWN. Typically they like to see 2 month's payments (approx $300) for a down payment but in some cases they can ask for $1000 down. It all depends on your credit. They give fast answers and are real good to work with.

Straight Financing!*

Available for New & Used equipment purchases above $1,500.00.

Calculated with monthly payments based on

12, 24, 36, 48 months.

Payments start in 30 days after signing of contract.

Interest rate is fixed for the term of the loan.

Interest starts at the time of the contract.

No pre-payment penalty.

Program available in continental 48 states.

________________________________________

90 DAYS - NO INTEREST & "0" DOWN*

Available for total purchases above $1,500.00.

Monthly payment required. Simply payoff the finance amount

within 90 days and there is NO Interest!

If the principal amount of the contract IS NOT paid within the NO INTEREST period, the finance charge will accrue from the date of signed contract.

No pre-payment penalty.

________________________________________

6 MONTHS - NO INTEREST &  "0" DOWN*

Available only through participating dealers

Contact your dealer before completing the Credit Application.

Available for New & Used equipment purchases above $1,500.00.

Monthly payment is required. Simply payoff the finance amount within 180 days and there is NO INTEREST! If the principal amount of the contract IS NOT paid within the NO INTEREST period, the finance charge will accrue from the date of signed contract.

No pre-payment penalty.

We can get an approval within 24 hours max..

Please see attached app and fax it in or you can call the toll-free number on the app with your info. You can also apply online at

http://www.accessequipmentfinancing.com/consumer.php?referredBy=WeldRite,Inc.

If using the paper app, please put Weld-Rite (the manufacturer) as the dealer and 828-683-0025 for the phone number at the top of the app.

You can also call Access Equipment & Financing LLC, Toll-Free at 1-866-892-0315

Their Fax number is: 937-552-9484

Special programs available for the following states:

AZ, CA, FL, GA, IA, IN, KY, ME, MI, MN, MO,

MS, NC, OH, OR, PA, TN, TX, VA, WA, WI, WV

$150 doc fee on all financing.

First and foremost the forced-air furnace's firebox thickness is the most important factor. We have  3/8" thick firebox (actually over 4/10th - .427) -  compared to 1/4" from our nearest competitor. That's 70% thicker and that's important because the firebox is always the first thing to fail. Most furnaces are only .125 to .1875" thick, with others that are .250" (1/4") thick.

We have a 20 year parts AND labor warranty. Most others just cover parts or their warranty is much shorter - read the fine print!! (Fans and electrical parts have a one-year warranty.

There is a forced-air blower in back that feeds air into the firebox, below the grate, to feed oxygen into the bottom of the fire. Feeding the fire from the bottom (just like a blacksmith would) is the best way to get complete combustion from the wood. This is infinitely better than a fan on the front door blowing air into the side of the fire - or a manual draft. The fan has a solenoid activated damper so that you don't use any extra wood unnecessarily!.

The grate is made out of 3/4 inch bar stock. We have NEVER had one burn through! Most furnaces don't even have grates, forcing you to kill the fire, open the firebox door (letting out all of your precious heat), clean out the ashes and then restart a fire in the dead of winter!

The ash pan is approx. 16" wide x 34" long and is 8" high. Many furnaces don't even have one, requiring you to let the fire die down in order to clean it.

The firebox is round and is 36" wide x 26" high (due to the grate and ash pan in the bottom) x 34" deep. It is made from almost 4/10th of an inch of solid steel. We've never had one rust through! Square fireboxes take 12 or more welds to put it together. Every weld is a potential leak. A round firebox only takes two continuous weld on each end for the end plates! A tube is MUCH stronger than flab slabs of steel that can bend and warp.

It is totally surrounded by the air chamber; top, bottom, front, back and both sides, so that it absorbs the maximum amount of heat possible!

The chimney is made out of 5 inch schedule 40 pipe (1/4" thick) and heats up the air in the chamber as well. It tops out at about 90" above ground. You can EASILY add extensions with standard 6" stovepipe. Smaller flues mean much less heat loss.

The chimney is low in the firebox and exits about 1 foot from the bottom shelf, so that the smoke - or more importantly, the heat - is trapped so that it doesn't quickly escape out the flue. That would be a big loss of efficiency. This is also a better idea since you don't have baffles creating a lot of smoke and getting a creosote buildup on them that's hard to clean.

This also creates a huge secondary burn chamber, to more completely burn the gases and wood! When wood starts to burn it's the escaping gas that burns first, then the wood!

The water surrounds the ash "pan" (receptacle) as well. As anyone with a woodstove or furnace knows, ashes put out a lot of heat!

There is a full-size rear door approx 40 x 48 inches. This makes it VERY easy to make connections and to service it. There is no need to pull the whole shell off as with other furnaces!

We have an extra large, waist-high loading door - 19" x 19" (17" x 17" inside dimensions) suitable for putting BIG pieces of wood in! Thinks it's too small? Remember, a 30" piece 15" in diameter will weigh 115 lb! Also, the door is where most of the heat loss will occur, so smaller is better.

The door material is made with a 1/2 inch frame and a 1/4 inch outside steel plate plus a 1/4 inch thick inside steel plate separated by the air gap between the steel plates. This door will never burn through! The insulating ability is the air gap plus the reflective factor. The inside plate only 4 bolts attach it to the door so there is very little heat transfer. We fill the air gap with easily replaceable Fiberglas insulation.

These furnaces now come with a double flood light on the front for safety and ease of loading the wood. Not only that, it's a MOTION LIGHT! No switches. No forgetting to turn it off. If it's dark outside and you go near the furnace, it turns on!

There are legs on the bottom with a skirt surrounding the bottom to ground level to keep it warm and dry.

The exterior is made of  Heavy Duty Siding - 29 gauge with 10 coatings and it has a Lifetime film integrity warranty and 30 years against fade and chalk

We can build just about anything. Billy did one recently with FIVE outlets!

READ WHY OUR FURNACE IS THE ABSOLUTE BEST!  

 

You can also add other types of siding or concrete board and lathe to the frame in order to add brick, stone, etc. We offer that as an option now.

20 colors for your siding!

A total of over 8000 color combinations - sides, corners and roof

Plus Galvazume which lasts 6 times longer than Galvanized metal!

 

Also introducing RealTree™ Camouflage!