Anyone have experience w/ Toyostove ?

[scottybk]

I'm really interested in getting one of these for my shop:


https://www.laserheating.com/toyoto...nt-oil-miser-heater-toyostove&channelid=FROOG

The fuel consumption/efficiency is incredible as compared to propane. But the warranty from this company stinks (one year) and I also don't believe there are any dealers or techs in my area that service these somewhat rare/obscure heaters.

I'm torn b/t this and a mini-split but I've heard the mini splits are mostly lousy for heat when it gets below 30 F, which it does here very often in North NJ. I'm also concerned about electric costs for a mini split since we have really high electric rates here in horrible NJ, and I believe that situation will only be getting worse.

I don't have the option of nat gas as I live in the boondocks w/ no street gas. So I'd be stuck with propane which is pretty expensive, if I went w/ say a Hot Dawg etc.

Anyone using a Toyostove I'd love to hear what you have to say, etc.

 

[avern1]

I worked for 3 years in Ketchikan, Alaska. The house was heated with a toyostove. The only fuel supply available to the area my house was located was Diesel and electric. The toyo stove used diesel and was about 8 years old at the time and I never had a problem with it for the 3 years I lived there.

 

[rlitman]

I have a monitor heater in my garage. It's pretty efficient.
Many mini split heat pumps work just fine at 0F and above. If you have any possibility of wanting cooling, a mini split will make far more sense. And even for heating, it is probably more efficient all around.

 

[scottybk]

I have a monitor heater in my garage. It's pretty efficient.
Many mini split heat pumps work just fine at 0F and above. If you have any possibility of wanting cooling, a mini split will make far more sense. And even for heating, it is probably more efficient all around.

I see there's a used Monitor 2200 for sale in the local penny saver for $795, which seems very high for an older unit. Since Monitor is out of business, do you have any issues getting parts etc? Also can you burn low-sulfur diesel in the monitor or does it have to be kero ?

 

[wil]

In NH, I have both a Monitor and Toyo space heaters, powered by K1 Kerosene.
The Toyo replaced a Monitor heater when it cost more for repair parts than replacement.vThat was 4 years ago. No problems yet. They are spec'd at 85% efficiency and run very quietly. Once the burner fires up, the built in fan does a marvelous job heating up a room. These units are popular up in NH and Maine, therefore the many dealers up there.

Monitor was the big market leader, but they got out of the business.; Toyo parts are available online, or if you're lucky, maybe a servicing dealer nearby. Look up
"monitor heater" and "toyotomi laser heater" online. There are several forums that
discuss these space heaters.

Install? you will need a fuel tank and line, maybe a fuel pump if the stove is higher
than the tank. The burner uses outside air thru a coaxial exhaust pipe that goes outside a wall penetration (about 2" diameter). No chimney required. No heat shields or clearance requirements like a wood stove.

If you've used one of those kerosene space heaters with a wick, this type of stove
is an advanced version of that, with all the bells and whistles.

You may want to price out the $$$ per million BTU for the various fuels and see
which one is more cost effective for you. I'm paying almost $3.00 a gallon for
fuel now.

Specific questions? I may be able to answer some more for you

 

[rlitman]

I see there's a used Monitor 2200 for sale in the local penny saver for $795, which seems very high for an older unit. Since Monitor is out of business, do you have any issues getting parts etc? Also can you burn low-sulfur diesel in the monitor or does it have to be kero ?

I haven't needed parts, but at the time I bought mine, I got two for very much less than $795, so I have an entire set of spare parts.

Diesel will absolutely not work in a Monitor 2200.

 

[scottybk]

I haven't needed parts, but at the time I bought mine, I got two for very much less than $795, so I have an entire set of spare parts.

Diesel will absolutely not work in a Monitor 2200.

Thanks all for the advice. I'm now really leaning towards a new Toyostove. My shop is 600 square feet with insulation so I think this model will do it:

https://www.laserheating.com/toyoto...irect-vented-heater-toyostove&channelid=FROOG

I can get ultra low sulfur off road diesel here in NJ for about $2.80 a gallon right now, at 1/10 gallon per hour for 15 K btu this heater seems like a great machine. Seems like they hardly ever pop up used, but here in NJ these heaters are rare. My friend who is a 20 year in the biz HVAC guy never even heard of them.

 

[4cyclic]

I have 5 Toyotomi Laser units heating my house, double garage and basement for last 18 years. Had a Laser 73 serviced last year, apart from that, maintenance cost is really low.
Also have their hot water on-demand heater.
K1 is $3.00 a gallon around here.

 

[scottybk]

I see a Laser 72 available on my local craiglist for 275, claims it worked a few years ago when the owner took it out of his hunting cabin. Been in storage since.

I see some NOS parts are available on ebay for this unit. Kind of tempting....

 

[Jackfre]

Stay away from Monitor. Parts are becoming difficult. Toyo makes a good unit. You are best running Kero in them, especially if you have an outdoor tank. As noted you may need the lift pump if the tank is below the unit. I would be reluctant to buy used. While they are good units service can be an issue. I would suggest that you check with local oil companies to see if they have any trained techs. I'm not saying you can't do it yourself, but they can really make a mess when they aren't burning right. On a btu delivered basis oil is pretty good right now compared to LP, but from a trouble-free heating side I would suggest that you look at a Rinnai EX-22 to heat your space. If you want to oversize it the EX38

 

[Dragfluid]

Those are some pretty impressive specs on that Toyo.

 

[scottybk]

I appreciate everyone's advice. I'm now committed to the Laser 300 toyostove. At less than a twentieth of a gallon an hour for 5000 BTU I can probably keep the shop above freezing all winter 24/7, and even on high at 15,000 btu I;m only a hair over a tenth of a gallon per hour. I might also beef up the insulation and do some sealing of gaps with foam cans/caulk.

Question: Is K1 typically available at a gas station from the kero pump, or do you have to buy those clear jugs of kero (that look like water) at like Lowes etc? I see my local station's kero pump is getting $2.85 per gallon but not sure if it is K1, the pump just says "kerosene" and of course the station attendant knows absolutely nothing.

 

[4cyclic]

K-1 is available around here at local gas station, but I get it delivered. Get a 250-300 gal tank.

 

[Jackfre]

You will go nuts hauling fuel. Do you really want another hobby. It only takes about 1 drop of kero to "sweeten" the air in your shop. I would strongly suggest that you research the local supply with oil companies and get an idea of all options for supply. It is common with the kero equipment to get a 275 tank and put it horizontally up on a rack beside the building. Check with your insurance company on their view on that. That way you don't need the lift pump.

 

[scottybk]

You will go nuts hauling fuel. Do you really want another hobby. It only takes about 1 drop of kero to "sweeten" the air in your shop. I would strongly suggest that you research the local supply with oil companies and get an idea of all options for supply. It is common with the kero equipment to get a 275 tank and put it horizontally up on a rack beside the building. Check with your insurance company on their view on that. That way you don't need the lift pump.

This stove uses so little fuel that a 275 gallon tank seems like overkill. I was thinking of "making" a tank from a 55 gallon drum.

 

[Dragfluid]

This stove uses so little fuel that a 275 gallon tank seems like overkill. I was thinking of "making" a tank from a 55 gallon drum.

My guess is that they wouldn't deliver to a home built tank.

 

[Jackfre]

Granby makes a nice 120 gal. Model 209101. I agree that delivery to your fabricated tank would be a problem. All the fuel company sees is liability.

 

[walrus]

Good luck getting K1 delivered. #1 fuel, commonly known as kerosene and real K1 are not the same. Every kerosene pump around me has #1 fuel in it

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[Jackfre]

Good luck getting K1 delivered. #1 fuel, commonly known as kerosene and real K1 are not the same. Every kerosene pump around me has #1 fuel in it

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

...which is why I suggested understanding the local fuel supply picture before moving ahead with the Toyo unit. I still deal with a lot of people in the oil business and oil quality varies greatly these days. You want to feed these things the best spec oil you can get or your maintenance costs go up. This is one of the main reasons that the Rinnai DV's replaced so many Monitor and Toyo units across N. New England in the past 25 years. Yes, kero has more BTU/gallon, but if I run out of propane on my standard tank on the shop I can grab the 20# off the gas grill and be back in business. The convenience of gas, the reduced maintenance, and durability make up for the btu difference, at least to me

 

[walrus]

...which is why I suggested understanding the local fuel supply picture before moving ahead with the Toyo unit. I still deal with a lot of people in the oil business and oil quality varies greatly these days. You want to feed these things the best spec oil you can get or your maintenance costs go up. This is one of the main reasons that the Rinnai DV's replaced so many Monitor and Toyo units across N. New England in the past 25 years. Yes, kero has more BTU/gallon, but if I run out of propane on my standard tank on the shop I can grab the 20# off the gas grill and be back in business. The convenience of gas, the reduced maintenance, and durability make up for the btu difference, at least to me

I agree, K1 heaters were popular 20 years ago, I haven't seen one in15 years. I wouldn't own one based on fuel supply in Maine, that's for sure

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[BruceMc]

I have 3 buildings I'm heating with two 73s and a 56, with a spare 56 as a backup. Cheap, simple install, reliable, and they run just fine on #1 diesel. I think every other cabin or house in this area has at least one, and we routinely see -20 to -50 for months every winter.

Aside from clean fuel, the most important contributor to longevity is to keep the clock set. They have a built-in cleaning schedule at 2:00 am every night, but only if the clock is set. The biggest mistake people make with these is not resetting the clock after a power outage. It really does make a difference.

If you go with a Toyostove, bookmark this page. Information that is hard to find elsewhere -

http://www.rural-energy.net/support/?brand_ID=29

 

[lowrider2]

I have a 40' x 50' x 16' shop that I put in hydronics but haven't fired it up yet. plan is to use an on demand propane water heater to heat the water. Question is could the Toyo be used to replace or back up the propane heater using a copper coil mounted on the heater. It might be capable of a lot higher temp (maybe 150F) for the water which would reduce the run time keeping the shop temp stable. Haven't thought this out but wondering what other's might think? #1 off road dyed diesel for my tractor was $1.80/gal until prices started going up awhile back. The other thought is the heat used to heat the water in the coil would be released into the shop and help a little bit.

When we lived in Homer, AK we had coal heat but oil back up which I never needed to use...coal was free on the beach after a storm.
Thoughts?

 

[oldbrownhat]

This is a "necro thread revival", but I've recently been thinking of a Toyo diesel stove as a possible backup heat source for a new small house. Since I already have diesel for other equipment it seems a good fit. This is the first place I've found much hands-on experience and feedback on them.

A couple of questions: 1) How noisy is the convection fan? As I'd have a ceiling fan as well, I'd probably be running the convection fan mostly on "low." (Most pellet stove fans tend to be louder than I'd like.) 2) From what I can see, the temperature sensor cable for the thermostat is only 8' long, Has anyone extended theirs, say to mount it on an opposite wall? From the diagram in the manual it looks similar to an outside temperature sensor on a condensing boiler, and on those the sensor itself (thermistor?) is just mounted on a terminal block to which you connect as much wire as needed to get to the boiler or controller.

 

[rlitman]

...A couple of questions: 1) How noisy is the convection fan? As I'd have a ceiling fan as well, I'd probably be running the convection fan mostly on "low." (Most pellet stove fans tend to be louder than I'd like.) 2) From what I can see, the temperature sensor cable for the thermostat is only 8' long, Has anyone extended theirs, say to mount it on an opposite wall? From the diagram in the manual it looks similar to an outside temperature sensor on a condensing boiler, and on those the sensor itself (thermistor?) is just mounted on a terminal block to which you connect as much wire as needed to get to the boiler or controller.

For perspective, the fan on my Monitor is about as loud as a tabletop fan. I'd say it's quieter than most pellet stoves, but way noisier than a central heat forced air system. The Monitor is WAY quieter than my 12V Espar style Chinese diesel heater, which is quieter than my kerosene radiant heater (which I find moderate, at about quiet dishwasher level, but my wife finds annoying, since you raise your voice around it), and that in turn is WAY quieter than my torpedo heater that blots out nearby conversation.

I would not suggest extending a thermistor. Since the resistance can be part of the circuit, extending it, or even adding connections may throw off the calibration.

 

[cuddlebear1808]

Does yours use Diesel ?

 

[ofhs93]

Does yours use Diesel ?

I know this is an old thread…but just came across it and wanted to pitch in some info. I’ve had a Toyo L73 heating my house for the last 20 years….first 15 or so on Kero…last 5 on ULSD heating oil. I’ll be honest…it’s seemingly run cleaner and more efficiently on the diesel than it ever did on the Kero…maybe my kero sources weren’t great…don’t know. But overall it’s been pretty flawless. I live in northeastern PA for reference. I think if you have any level of mechanical ability and a work bench to use you can clean and repair anything you would need to on it. There’s a decent amount of info online and YouTube as well.

 

[ofhs93]

As far as how loud it is….honestly…I think it’s incredibly quiet for the heat it puts out. When it’s running on low is barely audible.

 

[fitter30]

87% efficiency
10' max flex flue pipe, 3 bends max
Listing the btu's but don't if it's input or output. 22k on high = 19140 output?