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NOTICE - As of March 2015 most of our boilers and furnaces have been discontinued by our manufacturing partners. We may be able to help you with a furnace/boiler project in the future but we do not currently have any of these products in our product line up. If you are interested in solid fuel furnaces or boilers please contact Sean Kennedy at our store. If there is enough interest in this product category we may bring in some other manufacturers. For now, we'll leave these pages up for historical purposes.
Solid fuel furnaces and boilers are a popular choice for those interested in getting the most from alternative energy fuels. We feature furnaces and boilers that burn wood, coal, and pellets. We also have some furnaces that burn both solid fuel and oil in one unit or support an optional electric backup element. We recommend that you install your new solid fuel furnace as an "add-on" to your current furnace system.Â
What's the difference between a "furnace" and a "boiler"?
The basic difference is that "furnaces" use hot air to distribute heat and "boilers" use hot water to distribute the heat. Technically, all boilers are furnaces and we are using the term boiler rather loosely. Most boilers today do not actually boil the water to produce steam but instead heat the water to about 170 or 180 degrees before circulation through a series of water pipes. It has become common to use the term "boiler" for residential hot water furnaces to help distinguish them from the common hot air furnaces.
Boilers - use hot water and plumbing pipes to distribute heat. Most "boilers" used for residential heat are not steam boilers. If you already have a hot water "boiler" as your furnace we recommend adding the new solid-fuel boiler as an "add-on" in parallel with your existing plumbing pipe system.
Furnaces - use hot air and ducting to distribute heat. Most hot air duct systems can also be used with a boiler by using a heat exchanger. If you already have a hot air furnace system you have the choice of adding a new solid-fuel furnace into the existing duct system or adding a new solid-fuel boiler and a heat exchanger.
Boilers are more versatile since they can be used with either existing hot water or hot air systems. Boilers can also be installed almost anywhere, whereas hot air furnaces must be installed within proximity to the existing ducts.
Follow these links for more information on our Central Heat Appliances:
Does the Cracker Mill provide installation services for central heat appliances?
Yes. We do provide install services for all boilers and furnaces we sell. However, these services are limited to the burner (appliance) itself and the chimney or venting ("Set & Vent"). You must provide your own plumber or heating contractor to integrate your new burner into your plumbing or duct systems. We can provide consultation on integrating with existing systems but we do not offer plumbing or HVAC services.
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