Workmanship

What's everybody looking for when they're shopping for an Outdoor Wood Furnace? Dependability, longevity, efficiency and affordability. Northland Outdoor Wood Furnaces incorporates all of these advantages and more.

Before any furnace leaves the factory all welds are air tested and all electrical components are thoroughly checked to ensure the highest standard of quality control is maintained. Every Northland Outdoor Wood Furnace comes with a ten year limited warranty.

Northland Outdoor Wood Furnaces fireboxes and water jackets are constructed out of heavy gage A-36 mild steel. This steel is domestically produced and quality controlled. We began manufacturing in 1991. Since that time, these features and our furnace design have been proven to be highly efficient, corrosion resistant and reliable.

Other manufacturers have been using stainless steel in some or all of their models because of an unacceptable amount of failures to their furnaces due to corrosion and other reasons.

Many of these corrosion problems occur because of their furnace design. Furnaces with chimneys exiting out the top allow creosote to run back into the firebox. This, mixed with with ashes, is highly corrosive. Creosote also runs down the side of the chimney and causes damage to the outside of the furnace and sometimes results in damage to the water jacket beneath. Our chimney exits out the back of the furnace eliminating these problems. Also, some of their firebox designs are difficult to clean, leaving unwanted ash buildups which lead to corrosion. Our firebox is round and very easy to remove all ashes.

Stainless steel does have a good reputation for corrosion resistance, especially items made from it used around the home, that we are familiar with. Most people assume because of this, all stainless steels are the same, but they're not. Some manufacturers of stainless steel furnaces claim through their own research, that the type of stainless they use is best suited for this application. Then why are these same manufacturers using several types of stainless among them? Stainless steel types are made for specific applications. You would think there would be one type of stainless steel specifically suited for outdoor wood furnaces. Because of this and with insufficient long term research and testing, stainless steel used in outdoor wood furnaces, in our opinion, remains new and unproven in many aspects.

Here is some more information about stainless steel that you should consider.

1. Stainless is not 100% corrosion proof. Don't be mislead. Some stainless steels offer more corrosion resistance than others.

2. Stainless is a poor heat conductor. It does not transfer heat as well as mild steel.

3. After years of heating and cooling, which causes expansion and contraction, stainless has a tendency, under certain circumstances, to crack or tear. Type of stainless used is a major factor.

4. Most manufacturers have not had a stainless furnace on the market long enough to say it will last longer than a properly maintained, high quality mild steel furnace.

5. The cost? Much higher. For example: The money you would save by purchasing a mild steel furnace would pay for some or all of your installation costs or several years supply of firewood.

6. Warranty coverage - Most stainless steel furnace manufacturers offer a limited warranty, which is pro-rated, and is basically the same warranty as offered on mild steel furnaces. If stainless is so reliable and maintenance free, why don't these same manufacturers offer an unlimited warranty, which would cover 100% of all warranty repairs in this time frame such as corrosion, workmanship, parts, labor, shipping and freight? The customer, in most cases, will pay some or all of these repair costs under this warranty.

7. Repairs needed to firebox and water jacket after warranty coverage expires. This will be expensive. It requires special equipment, materials and expertise in repairing stainless. Not everyone, except the manufacturer or an equivalent in this field, is qualified to do these repairs. Mild steel repair does not present these problems, since it is more widely used and repair service is more readily available and reasonable.

Buying and installing an Outdoor Wood Furnace is an investment. Know what you're buying! We are confident that we have a furnace to suit your needs at Northland Outdoor Wood Furnaces.