Can I Put My Hardy H2 Woodstove in My Basement?

How Outside Heaters Work

• Home heaters such as the Hardy H2 are wood-burning hot water boilers placed outside the home for safety purposes. They heat water that's carried into your home through insulated, underground pipes. The hot water then enters the water coil inside a conventional home heating system, where it is used either to heat air for a forced air heating system or circulated through pipes that run through baseboard heating grates placed throughout the home. The water system is a closed loop, with the water continually returning to the outside boiler to be reheated. Most outside heaters, including the Hardy H2, also provide hot water for the home through a separate water system.

About the Hardy H2 Woodstove

• The Hardy H2 woodstove is the smaller of two models of wood-burning outdoor heaters offered by the Hardy Manufacturing Company of Mississippi. It has 120,000 BTU of heating capacity and holds approximately 100 gallons of water. It's designed to be located outside of the building to be heated and should never be installed inside the home. The H2 has a 12-hour burn time, so fresh wood only needs to be added to the fire twice a day. Depending on the size of your home, your H2 heater can also be used to heat a swimming pool or another structure, such as a garage or workshop.

Safety Precautions

• The Hardy H2 unit must be installed by a qualified electrician and, depending on your state's requirements, possibly a licensed plumber, as well. Burn only wood logs in the firebox, never trash, leaves, cardboard or other debris, and never use any kind of starter or accelerant on the fire.

The Bottom Line: Woodstove Placement

• The Hardy H2 woodstove is for outdoor use only. To protect your house from fire danger, it cannot be placed any closer than 10 feet from your home, but it can be located as much as 100 feet away without loss of heating capacity. If the H2 heater is situated more than 100 feet away, you may experience some cooling of the water headed for the hot water heater.