#1
Customer Recommended Boiler!
The Ultimizer
Outdoor Boiler.
Excellent rating
Based on 60 reviewsTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Had a great buying experience with Heatsmart. Purchased a BL34-44. First year heating with an outdoor boiler. Previously heated with pellet stove in one building, wood furnace and wood insert in another. Built a barn and didn’t want to add yet another indoor burner so decided to move to one fire with the mess and fire hazard outside instead of in. Currently using it to heat a 2500 square ft home plus domestic hot water along with an 1800 square ft barn plus domestic hot water. Will be adding a 1500 square ft garage for next season. Installed everything myself with the help of a few good friends. Only regret is not doing it sooner. Mike SchoenmeyerTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Have had the BL4044 for 7 years now. Great boiler. Great service. Has been a good investment for our home and shop Aaron BeacomTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I got a portage and main bl 28-40 furnace about 10 years ago. It's held up really well. The firebrick and Shaker grate at the bottom work well. It heats my 1900 square foot 1840 farmhouse with no problem. I haven't had any issues so far with the seals, blower, or thermostat. It'll burn pretty much any kind of wood and seems pretty efficient. I maintain it like the instructions say to and haven't noticed any significant corrosion or other wear. I think it's a better stove than a lot of the others out there. I would go with portage and main again if I did another one. The company seems pretty supportive as well. Christopher OrrTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We were heat our house with a wood stove in the basement. It got to the point it was filling the house with smoke and I had to clean the chimney constantly. We decided to make the investment in a outdoor boiler for the health and safety aspect. I came across Portage and Main and loved the simple but efficient design that is made to last. No fancy gadgets or gimmick to break and the ability to replace parts if needed. I requested more information on it over one weekend and was not expecting to hear from anybody till the next business day. Brian got ahold of me in no time and talked to me about their wood boilers and answered any questions I had. I sent him pictures of what I was planing on heating and he gave his recommendations on the size I would need and I settled on the BL3444. Brian worked with us through the whole process and is a real friendly and down to earth guy. We received the BL3444 and got it installed. Took some time for my airhandler to come in but, finally got to try out my new boiler. So far I only been putting small chunck to the top of the bricks once a day and, it probably could go another day before it actually would burn it all up. Currently the outside temperature has been in the 50F°s during the day and 30F°s during the night. I dont expect to have any issues with worrying about the fire going out by morning when it drops to single digits like I did with our old woodstove. I would highly recommend Portage and Main. All in all it was great experience working with Brian and receiving a quality product. Joe AstonTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Great product great customer service. Cecil LefeverTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I bought my wood boiler in February 2025. Chip Tarbox is the dealer in my area. Delivery was only a few days after I decided which stove I wanted. He was very accommodating on delivery and installation! I replaced an e-classic and am extremely happy with this stove, company and dealer!!! I have contacted the parent company 4 times with question and been completely satisfied every time with their knowledge and advice! I am totally happy with this purchase. The stove is a very simple design, efficient and attractive. I would highly recommend this company to anyone interested in heating their home and domestic water with wood or coal. My stove has a grate and will burn either fuel. I have only used wood. Jerry VannoyTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. After months of researching different wood boilers and designs, kept coming back to portage and main boilers. I messaged several people around the country asking how they liked them with all positive feedback. The rebuildable design is a big draw when I personally know many folks who only got 10 years out of other brands boilers. I have a forest products background and the you can't beat the renewable resource of wood heat. Talking with the team and Brian the owner personally on multiple occasions has lead me to purchasing one of these units and I'm sure glad it did! Blake PershaTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Last year we purchased and installed a Portage & Main 34-44 boiler. We are using it to heat our home (4500 sq ft) with a conventional forced air furnace, radiant floor heating in the basement and our hot water. I also installed a separate heat exchanger in a sunroom to provide additional heat to this isolated room. In addition, we are also heating our shop (2500 sq ft) also with a radiant floor heating system. We integrated the hydronic system into the existing propane boiler systems both in the house and shop. We investigated multiple competitive gasification boilers but due to very poor responsiveness, reviewing many YouTube videos, the complexity of the system, concerns with potentially more complicated maintenance and ensuring to have very dry wood, we continued to search for other options and came across the P&M Ultimizer boiler. What caught my attention was the simplicity of the system and efficiency of burning wood. There are many YouTube reviews that made me feel comfortable to investigate further. I reached out to the 2 local dealers (Paris Stove Works and Harkness Equipment) to have a look at the units, discuss the technical and commercial details. Both dealers worked great together to support all my questions and engaged me directly with Brian at Heat Smart Plus. My plan was to install the whole system myself and I received tremendous support from everyone to help in the design and implementation. Brian provided great advice and practical suggestions to help me be very comfortable as I worked through the installation process. We are extremely pleased with the performance of the system. In the house and shop, there was little to no difference running the heating system. One extra thermostat tied into the existing thermostat and the furnace came on and off as normal. There is a learning curve working with the boiler, ie. size and types of wood to burn, loading wood into the boiler, outdoor ambient temperature and heat use, identifying areas to improve building insulation, insulating internal water lines (got too warm in the basement). The overall experience through year 1 has been great. We had fantastic heat in the house and shop, easy to maintain the system during operation, efficient and simple to use as advertised, achieved significant savings in propane costs, and the folks at Paris Stove Works and Heat Smart Plus are always available for support and discuss any questions that come up. John LochnerTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. GREAT customer service, GREAT product. By far the most superior design, function, and efficient wood boiler on the market! Brandon Scott
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heat related.
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Our Scientific Manufacturing Approach
Portage & Main Boilers have been manufactured for over 50 years. We continually strive to be the leading innovators in the outdoor boiler business! Our factory is a state of the art facility that employs the latest manufacturing technology – including computer controlled robotic welders and laser cutting equipment.
The Portage & Main range of products include Ultimizer wood and coal models, auto-feed coal/pellet burners, automated wood chip burning systems and a line of EPA approved gasification boilers.
We lead the way in innovation, quality and efficiency, using time tested and proven designs. We have developed the most efficient heat transfer exchangers available in any outdoor boiler on the market today.
If you would like to speak to one of our existing customers about their Portage & Main experience, connect with us today.
Wood Series
Coal Series
Ultimate Boiler Guide 2025
Want to know everything & anything about outdoor wood boilers ? Learn industry secrets to the B. I . M Framework for Boiler Maintanence
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“Simply the Best”
Our customers are home owners, farmers, commercial , industrial businesses, schools & municipal authorities. We sell boilers from Alaska to Florida and everywhere in between. Our customers do their research and recognize the value of a clean burning, environment friendly boiler that will save them time, fuel & money
John Lochner - BL 3444
Five star review
Last year we purchased and installed a Portage & Main 34-44 boiler. We are using it to heat our home (4500 sq ft) with a conventional forced air furnace, radiant floor heating in the basement and our hot water. I also installed a separate heat exchanger in a sunroom to provide additional heat to this isolated room. In addition, we are also heating our shop (2500 sq ft) also with a radiant floor heating system. We integrated the hydronic system into the existing propane boiler systems both in the house and shop.
We investigated multiple competitive gasification boilers but due to very poor responsiveness, reviewing many YouTube videos, the complexity of the system, concerns with potentially more complicated maintenance and ensuring to have very dry wood, we continued to search for other options and came across the P&M Ultimizer boiler. What caught my attention was the simplicity of the system and efficiency of burning wood. There are many YouTube reviews that made me feel comfortable to investigate further.
I reached out to the 2 local dealers (Paris Stove Works and Harkness Equipment) to have a look at the units, discuss the technical and commercial details. Both dealers worked great together to support all my questions and engaged me directly with Brian at Heat Smart Plus. My plan was to install the whole system myself and I received tremendous support from everyone to help in the design and implementation. Brian provided great advice and practical suggestions to help me be very comfortable as I worked through the installation process.
We are extremely pleased with the performance of the system. In the house and shop, there was little to no difference running the heating system. One extra thermostat tied into the existing thermostat and the furnace came on and off as normal. There is a learning curve working with the boiler, ie. size and types of wood to burn, loading wood into the boiler, outdoor ambient temperature and heat use, identifying areas to improve building insulation, insulating internal water lines (got too warm in the basement).
The overall experience through year 1 has been great. We had fantastic heat in the house and shop, easy to maintain the system during operation, efficient and simple to use as advertised, achieved significant savings in propane costs, and the folks at Paris Stove Works and Heat Smart Plus are always available for support and discuss any questions that come up.
David Fountain - 30 Yr. Boiler
I bought a ml30 outside hot water Portage and Main boiler from Brian in Prince Albert in 1995. This unit has been in continuous use every winter Since and has heated my large house and all of my potable hot water by use of a side arm heat exchanger no need for expensive electric. The unit has functioned flawlessly and very efficiently.
Brian and the staff have always been more than helpful with knowledge, advice and support. I would highly recommend this product to anyone Looking to install these Portage and Main heating systems in home and shops.

Ron Lampreau
I absolutely love my Portage and Main Boiler, can’t say enough good about it. I travel for my work and I know without a doubt that my wife can load the boiler and I do not ever worry about it. Jim (my dealer) has been such a big help, my only regret is that I didn’t buy one sooner.
We saved approxiately $1750.00 on hydro bills this year.
Mark & Andrea
The P&M BL2840 we purchased from Strawbale Farms is a great unit.
This is our third year of running it and the performance has been 100% accurate. We previously owned a Woodmaster 4400 and the P&M is a far better boiler IMO. It burns hotter, cleaner, alot less wood and very easy to maintain. I wish we would have purchased a P&M to start with. It is a very high quality built unit. We are 100% satisfied with our P&M and the great customer service. We would definitely highly recommend a P&M.
Jon Rossman
The P&M BL2840 we purchased from Strawbale Farms is a great unit.
I just wanted to say thanks and give you folks some big props! My new Ultimizer BL28-40 is simply an outstanding unit. We’ve been buring wood in an OWB for 20 years and no other manufacturer comes even close. There’s no comparison…(Portage and Main) really has their act together. Alot of other companies out there are full of cr*p, this machine does exactly what they say it does. We expect to use half the wood we used to which means I can spend more time hunting and fishing with my boy!
Byron Long
This will be our 4th year heating our home and 40×65 shop with our Portage and Main outdoor boiler … I can’t say enough good about it! Already paid for itself, it was easy to set up and use, hands down the only way to go! Great customer service and very personable staff, fast service … and tips over the phone even! Fantastic investment and product. Thanks P&M!
Troy Dahlgren
The BL 3444 we purchased from Dave Jacoby at Strawbale Farms is awesome! Have no trouble keeping the kids warm 72° 5000sqft. The first year I had it running we used 90 gallons of LP for 13 month period. This runs cook top, dryer and on demand water heater. The neighbor used 800 gallons with half the house and 68° on the thermostat.
Carl Jowett
I’ve had a P&M for the last 5 years, I love this furnace. I’m 77 years old and grew up burning wood all my life, my P&M works beautifully. The controls are easy, it’s easy to maintain…had lots of people come look at it and some have said they’re going to buy one too.
Dale Vanderkloet
I believe the stove is 9 1/2 years old and we have two heat exchangers in the house. It’s kind of split into two parts. The house is over 4000 square feet and we also heat a shop which is roughly about 1500 ft.². It is not very insulated the shop so we don’t run it full-time in there just enough to keep it above zero and then we turn it up higher when we’re working out there. Keep the house at about 25° in the back part and my wife likes the front part of the house a little cooler. We keep it around 18 or 19. Very easy to maintain.
We are very happy with our boiler, no complaints.

Dennis Danowski
We purchased our BL 3444 in 2014. We were building a shop and just made it through the 2013 season where propane spiked to $5 a gallon or more. I looked at several boiler options sold locally and after meeting with Dave at Strawbale Farms I made the choice to go with Portage and Main. Dave sized the boiler for our existing 1400 Sq Ft house with a full finished basement with in floor heat and a forced air propane furnace.
Our shop is a 40’x 54′ shop. The shop has 2 zones with in floor heat. Half of the shop is the garage that we use as a car wash in the winter. The setup works great. I turn down the garage zone when I am working on Hides for Taxidermy. After the work on fresh skins is completed (usually a couple of weeks) I turn that zone to match the shop which we keep at around 70-72 degrees all winter. When vehicles get washed the floor is usually dry in a couple hours. The house is way more comfortable than it ever was with forced air. We never used the in floor heat as it was heated with a propane water heater. It is a different kind of heat where there is never a chill, no matter the temperature outside and now we use the in floor heat as well. The unlimited hot water is especially great. I use large amounts in tanning on top of the house usage. It’s always ready when you need hot water. Typically I Burn from Mid-November until sometime in April. We have a split air unit in the Shop to get by the rest of the heating season (along with air conditioning) when we get days into the 60-70 degrees but the nights are cooler. I burn whatever wood I can get. If burning softwood I typically go through 12-14 cords, this year had some colder weeks and I had mainly oak and went through probably 10 cords at most. It is easy to keep clean during the burning season, run a brush down the chimney once a month clean the ash daily (takes a couple minutes) fill with wood a couple times a day. After a while you get an idea what you need for wood to get thru a burn cycle. End of season I do a good clean out, oil the boiler. I take a couple hours to do it but I am sure it’s more than I need to. The boiler still look new when I scrap it down. As far as maintenance, I replaced the fan, a couple hinges on the outside door, added water treatment a couple times when they advise after the water test is completed and that is it so far.
Both Dave at Strawbales and Portage and Main have answer the phone or get back to you quickly when parts are needed or a question is asked. The Portage and Main boiler was a great option for our home heating needs.
Joel Lacasse
I contacted Portage and main for pricing on a 2840 model. I was very impressed with everyone I talked to! They truly made me feel like a valued customer.
I have done my research for months and I have came to the conclusion that there isn’t another stove like this one. Now days everything is made to be thrown out within 5-10 years, but not portage and main, everything is replaceable unlike the competitors stoves. Furthermore, I believe a product should be built or tested in the harshest environments and this is exactly what they’ve done since 1973.
In conclusion, i am looking forward to receiving my stove and I’ll be doing a more detailed up to date review.
Thanks you Brian and Josh,
Joel Lacasse
Jo’s tree service
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About Portage & Main Boilers
Our head office is located in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada. Our dealer network spans North America and we would be glad to put you in touch with one of our knowledgeable agents. Our staff oversees the development of new products, monitors production, designs heating systems, and offers tech support for installers. All our wood furnaces are designed for installation outdoors and deliver wood heat indoors.
info@portageandmainboilers.com
Tollfree
1-800-561-0700
Phone
(306) 922-1722
Hours
Monday-Friday : 8am to 5pm CST



