He has a neighbor with a smoky OB

I was quite interested with and agree pretty much in total with your article.  I actually sell and install out door furnaces and am appalled at how some of the first units were sold and installed without regard to common sense let alone any science that might be involved.  Our regular Heatmors units have fireboxes that are not surrounded by water;  I'm sure you are aware that a large volume of sand forms the base with firebrick around the combustion box.  It is a fairly simple and effective design and works pretty darn well.  I live next door to what I refer to as a "single seam unit"; one steel tank surrounded by another one. You are totally right about how they burn.  Long extended and smoky load cycle with copious amounts of smoke.  Foul and acrid smell during warmer weather when the fuel sits surrounded by colder water. We can't open our windows, dry clothes outdoors, or sit on the patio. They probably burn 20 cords per year and think they save lots of money!!

Anyway thanks for illuminating this subject. It actually helps us to sell our units and will pave the way for continued development of better products like our new series which exceeds EPA level II requirements. We need to get local government more involved in this process and leave the door open for the develpment of even better and cleaner products.  I don't complain about my neighbors stinky furnace to the township. He probably saves the import of 20 or 30 barrells of oil per year which helps make us less dependent on the oil rich states with his efforts. Fortunatly for him and I these things burn out fairly fast anyway and good chance I'll get the chance to replace it when he finds out his warranty is pretty much limited to the value of the paper it's printed on.

George in Michigan