12/15/2013 Update
Through one of the comments left this past week it seems that Larry Boyd of Fisher Stoves/Biomass Direct has just closed his website down. We can only hope he’s out of business for good but I highly doubt it. If anyone has any first hand knowledge of any new website or business that Mr. Boyd may start anew please let me know so I can update this post. We’ve saved quite a few people from this shyster and I would like to continue to do so.
So why should you BEWARE of Biomass Direct LLC ? Well,….. as they operated Timber Ridge they promised you a 20 year warranty. That’s what attracted me to their company in the first place. What I didn’t know was that they do this on a regular basis. It seems anyone in Tennessee can start a company, promise the world and then declare bankruptcy to avoid any responsibility for the products they sell and then turn right around under a new name and sell the exact same product. I’m out over $10,000.00 on a boiler because they continually produce and sell a substandard product under multiple business names all with the protection of the Tennessee Consumer Affairs Bureau. Why with their protection? Well after alerting them to this issue they said there is nothing they can do. Imagine that, they can’t do anything about a company that scams consumers, declares bankruptcy to void their warranties, starts a new business and sells the same product in a different package. What are they there for? Believe me when the warranty issues start to arise in a few more years with the Biomass Direct or Fisher Stoves outdoor boilers, they will close up shop again and be protected from any responsibility and just start another company. You WILL have issues with any stove they sell you, it’s just a matter of when, not if!
Of course they will dispute this claim, they want your money after all…. this is what they do, they swindle people like you and me. They’ll say I didn’t take care of it properly or burnt things other than wood, they’ll need to discredit this post. Don’t believe them!!
Save yourself a small fortune on a bad investment and look elsewhere. Make sure you check into any company that sells outdoor boilers and see how long they have been in business. If it’s only a few years stay away. If they say they have sold units for years, ask to see a copy of their licence of incorporation or proof of DBA from a government office. Contact that states Consumer Affairs Bureau to see if they have had any complaints.
You can find a lot of interesting reading on the former Timber Ridge now Biomass Direct LLC with a simple Google search. Here are a few links to some.
http://fahrner.us/blog-mind-of-alan/44-alan-reviews/138-free-heat-machine-29-gallons-5-moose scroll down to the complaints
More complaints http://www.topix.com/forum/city/portage-wi/T52H4OD6QJ51B5HBK
Yet another http://outdoorwoodfurnaceinfo.com/forum/index.php?topic=2052.0
There are more site to read and videos on Youtube to watch but I think you get the picture.
Above all else notice the guy in the video…. he is the same one in all the videos of Timber Ridge, Fisher Stoves and Biomass Direct, Larry’s his name. Ask yourself this one question if your still thinking of purchasing one of their boilers. Why would the same guy be in the videos of three different companies and one no longer exists? If I can stop one person from giving Larry another dime on his crooked business practice with Biomass Direct and Fisher Stoves then I have accomplished way more than the Tennessee Consumer Affair Bureau has done or is willing to do.
And Larry if your reading this…… justice will find you one day, bank on it!!
If you were scammed by Larry Boyd dba Timber Ridge please leave a comment we would love to hear from you as I’m sure a possible future customer of Biomass Direct would also.
Post Note: 2/24/2013
I have been getting quite a bit of feedback both here and on other forums on the net about Larry Boyd and his business practices. I would roughly estimate that this post has stopped at least 5 sales of his outdoor boilers. Those 5 are only the ones I know of directly, hopefully we have stopped others as well that did not leave a comment or email me. The fact that he is posting on other forums about what a great product he has means we are making a dent in his business and I couldn’t be happier. It’s to bad Tennessee Consumer Affairs won’t step up to the plate and put him out of business. If your still in doubt of buying one of these units please read the comments section below. If you have any information on another company name change Larry Boyd is operating please let me know so I can adjust the blog and search engine key words. Good luck to all of you and thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment.
I was not a customer of Timber Ridge, Inc. but I was an employee. I worked with this man for over 10 years. When Timber Ridge closed down, I was amazed. Tim Arrowood has been touted as the bad guy. This is not TRUE, Tim lost his home and everything he had because of Larry Boyd. I will try to explain why I was a part of Biomass Direct and did not find out how bad Larry treated Tim, because he did the same to me and my friend. I was the bookkeeper for Timber Ridge (FREE HEAT MACHINE). Not long after Timber Ridge closed, Larry came to me and my friend and said that he wanted to open a new outdoor wood furnace company. He had no money and could not get a loan. My friend and I decided to do this with the verbal agreement that we would be partners and as soon as the new company got on its feet, we would begin to help the people that lost money at Timber Ridge. Larry agreed to this. NEVER DO ANYTHING WITHOUT IT BEING IN WRITING! I know this but I trusted this “Christian” man. We started Biomass Direct, LLC with Larry. My friend and I put over $75,000 into this new company. Everything went fine the first year. We had started making a little money and we were starting to pay ourselves back. We did not take any type of salary or compensation other than the payments on our credit cards and some payments against the cash that we had loaned the company. This is what we lived on. This past May, Larry decided that he owned the company and that we were not partners and had no say in Biomass Direct. He would not pay anything on what we were owed. We were devastated. We could not believe that this man that we prayed with every morning could do this. Now, again, if we had been smart we would have stayed with the company until all of our money had been paid back. On the advice of our attorney (we went to him to find out what we could do to get our money back,) we resigned from the company. We attempted to sue him but our attorney wanted a huge retainer and could not guarantee that we would even get a penny because he could hide any money that he made. We did not have the money (we had put everything in Biomass Direct) so we could not pursue the suit. Larry Boyd has no conscience, he will say anything to get what he wants and once he gets it, will dump you like a hot potato. He still owes us over $35,000. We are dead in the water and will never see it. I know that eventually he will get what he deserves but it is really hard to wait. Better Business Bureau,, Tennessee Consumer Affairs and other TN agencies will not help you. Do your research. There is plenty of information on the web that will tell you what kind of man you are dealing with. When Timber Ridge closed, there was over $55,000 in deposits from people like you that never received their merchandise. That was one of the requirements for us to start the new business, my friend and I wanted to make sure that these people either got a furnace or their deposits returned. Obviously, that did not happen.
Sharon I so appreciate your post on the blog, I’m sure it will help at least one person with their decision not to purchase anything from Larry Boyd of Biomass Direct. I feel for you being out so much cash and knowing the likelyhood of having it returned isn’t looking good. It’s a shame the government agencies in Tennessee as well as other states protect people like him and don’t look out for the consumers and the honest people in this world. Good luck in the future and thank you for stopping by. Jeff
I bet Larry is going to have a response to this soon he is doing it on other sites WORD IS GETTING OUT ON GOOD OLE LARRY BOYD!!!!!!
Ya gotta love it!!
Jeff
Thank you so much for starting this blog. I like you and many had a leaks within the first few years and never got repairs or straight answers from Larry Boyd.
Did you read the Biomass Direct 2012 Official Statement–it states Larry Boyd was only an unknowing employee. NO WAY!!!!
You need to look at the Timber Ridge, Inc.’s Voluntary Petition in the United States Bankruptcy Court Eastern District of Tennessee filed in 2007 under Section 21 “Current Partners, Officers, Directors and Shareholders” Mr. Boyd is listed as Secretary of the Corporation owning 49% of the stock in the corporation. Did Mr. Boyd make false claims on this federal document or false claims in the official statement? The link to view the document and verify this information is:
http://bankrupt.com/misc/tneb07-51472.pdf
Jeff
I also checked with the state of Tennessee and the 2007 bankruptcy for Timber Ridge was Chapter 11 (reorganization for their debt). Larry and Timber Ridge continued to sell to me and you in 2008 and many more until by the end of 2010 the many warranty problems not addressed, they closed for good voiding all warranties and freeing up Larry to start the new companies Biomass Direct/Fisher Stoves.
John did you read the comment on this blog from his former employee. She really fills in the blanks on what kind of person he really is.
Jeff I did read the comments from Sharon Davenport. I had talked with her when she was at Timber Ridge and always she tried to help me. The last years she was at Timber Ridge her husband had cancer was on hospice before he died. I was sorry to learn she was treated so badly by Larry
Jeff,
Here is the latest on Larry Boyd. I just left the Elizabethton Police Department. It seems that Larry Boyd filed a police report on September 26, 2012 saying that I sent an email to a prospective customer with a link to the websites that provide negative information on Timber Ridge and Larry Boyd and am ruining his future business. What more can this man do to me? The email was from J Grant. Mr. Grant, would you please come forward and tell me who you are. The emails were sent by you from my ip address. I don’t know how this is possible but maybe you do. Thank you.
Jeff you are right about one thing. Where are the laws in this country going when someone can steal your money and then file a police report against you?
Sharon, I certainly hope I’m not causing you any grief. I don’t know J. Grant I hope he contacts you on this. As far as Mr. Boyd aka Scumbag it’s certainly nice to know people are finding out what he’s like before they get ripped off. Let me know how things go with you and if you need a statement against Boyd for the police you know where to ask.
Thank you so much. We know that he will get what he rightfully deserves eventually. I appreciate all of your support. I will keep you and your family in my prayers.
I have one of the free heat machine mistakes it is cracked and leaking. I live in indiana and i called the tennessee consumer affairs division this morning. they said they have no complaints for larry,free heat machine,biomass direct or fisher stoves. thank you for coming foward Sharon somebody has to stop this from happening to hard working people like us. Somehow pressure needs to be applied to consumer affairs and other divisions in tennessee to stop him. anybody have any ideas? Thanks
Obviously Tennessee Consumer Affairs isn’t any better at treating people than Larry Boyd is. I know for a fact they have complaints because I was one of them. I would push them harder. Give them my name. If I can find the response they sent me I’ll post it. I don’t believe I saved it since it was a worthless response. Good luck!
Good Lord!! I was looking into maybe buying one of these stoves. After reading about wonderful Mr. Larry I doubt there is a snowballs chance in Hell that I will buy a stove from him. Thankyou everyone for saving me thousands of dollars and extra large headaches. This sounds like fraud to me. If he was in this my state and pulling this crap he would be in jail!! Well you know what they say, what goes around comes around. Hopefully he gets his in the end!
Jeff,
Very glad we could of helped and saved you a bad headache, definitely look elsewhere. Jeff
Thanks for these posts. I was also looking to buy not one but two of these furnace’s. When looking at their web page I thought these look like the greatest wood furnace’s made. It’s a shame. Anyone have advice for a great wood furnace.
John thanks for stopping by. Looks can be deceiving and some salesman can make you believe anything. He’s really a top notch scam artist, I hope you read the other responses on here, especially the one from his book keeper which really paints a picture of who he really is. Bottom line…… I’m glad I saved you a future headache. I don’t know which stoves are good as I haven’t researched any. I would look for a company that has been around for at least 10 years and then thouroughly check them out with the BBB and their local government agencies to see how long they have been registered as a legit business. Good luck!!
Thank you for the info, service and saving some of us problems down the road. I did read what Sharon said about Larry Boyd. I feel for her. Its a shame
Here is Biomass Direct phone # 1-866-375-9535
Man I wish I could have read this before I bought one. O well I am a welder and I could fix a leek If needed to. I been having good luck with mine so far. I just hope it stays like that. But I promise I would not have bought one if I had knew anything about the man.
Lee I wish you had read this first as well, he’s not a man of any of good character. It will probably be year three or four that you start having issues. What I would do is clean it out spotless this summer and weld another skin on the inside over what’s there. I would also cut off those three pipes going across the ceiling and patch over those. You don’t need those for water circulation and that will be the first place a leeak starts. I’ll bet on that. I had them removed in mine (had to as they fell apart) and patched and the unit works fine so far. More than likely I’ll be cleaning mine before next heating season and having the rest of the inside sheeted with 1/4 inch steel. Good luck!!
We also are on our second freeheat machine here in Ohio. The first one had internal leak from the fabricated crossover tubes. Now the second one has external leaks. The thing that find interesting is the material was to be Stainless Steel, but I have encountered RED rust. Stainless steel produces white corrosion, NOT RED RUST.I plan on tearing my free heat machine down this summer and building it the way he should have. No wonder he wouldn’t give us a tour of the plant when we were there to pick up our second stove.
If Biomass/Fisher stove is stating EPA compliance and its not maybe I will call the US EPA
This guy needs to be stopped if not by the state maybe by the federal goverment. I would think that all assets could be divided amoung all of us if we all get together, before he crawls under another rock.
Joe,
From what I’ve learned through this whole ordeal is stainless is even more of a headache than steel. Check into that before you do any replacement. I read quite a bit and if I’m understanding it correctly stainless doesn’t expand and contract as well as steel. The expansion and contraction causes very fine cracks in the material which from what I’ve heard is a total pain to patch. My first leak was at the same crossover tube you mentioned. I eliminated those and patched the spot over I also put a whole new layer of 1/4 inch steel halfway up the sides and back. Knock wood…………. its been working fine since and actually seems more effiecient. I spent quite a bit getting it back in working order and plan to have the guy come back next Fall to weld another skin of 1/4 inch in the top half of the firebox. If you have the time it certainly wouldn’t hurt going to the EPA. I would love to hear how you make out as I’m sure would everyone else who seems to be finding this blog. I would like to think that some agency somewhere will eventually close his business down and press charges for fraud. Good luck and thanks for stopping by.
Thanks for all the posts on Larry, I found this blog the day before my wife and I were going to look at the Biomass outdoor wood boilers. We live only an hour away from their place of business… I had my mind dead set on one of his units as I had spent countless hours of researching the various makes and models.
Do any of you have a good recommendation of an outdoor gasification unit? I live in town so I don’t wish to smoke everyone out of their misery…..lol.
Your blog definitely kept Larry from making this sale…I feel like you have saved me a bundle… God Bless you !
I’m definitely glad I saved you some headaches. I wish I could point you in the right direction of which brand to get but I think it’s wise to just do your research and cross check with any bad or good info posted on blogs like you did in this instance. With my unit here I had to completely reline the inside with 1/4 inch metal, it wasn’t cheap but it’s held out the past winter (knock wood) Good luck and just be diligent with your search, you’ve got a few months of warm weather still left, so far your way ahead in the game.
Larry is selling fisher stoves on Craigslist Tennessee, Tri cities area, and I keep flagging him. Noting from the US EPA Yet.
Hopefully Joe people do a little homework before they buy from him. A quick google search should throw up a red flag immediately.
I did a quick search of Tri City’s and couldn’t find him listed.
I have a Free Heat Machine outdoor wood furnace that I purchased in 2008. In 2011 it developed a slow leak above the top left corner of the door. I had to add water every few days. Upon doing reasearch and checking various blogs I learned such a leak was common with these wood stoves, The leak developed in January and it was too cold to shut the furnace down to have anything welded. After giving this situation some serious thougth, I purchased some boiler stop leak and dumped it in the tank (from the top vent). A day later …… the leak stopped. This worked for the remainder of 2011 and all of 2012. Now in August 2013 I just noticed it is starting to leak again. I’m going to start the furnace up early this year and try some more boiler stop leak …… and hope it works. If not …. then maybe try the welding route. I’m surprised nobody else has tried the boiler stop leak.
Glenn
Worton, Md.
Glenn my leaks were way to big for Boiler Stop Leak. The cross circulation tubes at the top of the firebox were completely corroded. I had those removed and welded over, so far so good. Good for you that you were able to take care of your issues for just a few bucks. Bottom line though is that no one should have any leaks with the price of these units and the 20 year warranty that both you and I have is absolutely worthless. While we spend our own money and time correcting issues that were supposed to be covered under a now defunct warranty the same guy that sold us that worthless paper is now defrauding others with the same scheme.
Where did you find this boiler stop leak? I bought a unit in 2008 and it also started leaking in the top left corner of the door. Other than that the stove has been a good stove.
Glenn you should be able to find that at any hardware store. I know they also have it at Home Depot.
I would like to thank everyone who posted on this site. My husband and I have watched numerous YouTube videos, visited the Biomass Direct website, and had made plans to visit the company (as we live approx. 1.5 hours away). We were very excited to see a TN based company had the outdoor heaters! I will not be giving Larry Boyd my business after reading the remarks and stories. I honor an honest company, and would pay extra for an American made,(especially Tennessee made product) IF the reputation of the man and company was as solid as the product. What a shame…shame on Larry Boyd for taking advantage of a widow, fellow coworker, and friend. I will not reward a greedy, heartless thief. Thank you again for the site, I will continue to research!
Good luck Lori with your search.
We bought a fisher On 11-02-13 from that S>O>B and didnt get all of the parts from him and now we have to spend more money to get what he didn’t send us. My husband is so mad just left Larry a not so nice voicemail. Now he took his website down…. SO MAD…
Carol, I’m very sorry you ran into trouble but I do hope you get it straightened out and get to enjoy the holidays.
Purchases boiler from Larry in 2012 took 2 months of constant calling him before I finally got it The door seal leaked as soon as I used it. Larry promised to send me sealer I am from pa. Never got sealer I replaced the seal myself in summer of 2013 that winter it developed an external leak. I contacted Larry he made all kinds of promises but never followed up on them then he started to avoid my phone calls tried calling his personal phone # & business when I did get an answer his receptionist must be in on the scam also. She would just feed me a line of B S I contacted tennese bbb but they were no help stay away from this company or any that Larry Boyd is involved in he is a scam artist
Bill,
Sorry for your issues. I’ll never understand why Tennessee Consumer Affairs hasn’t stopped him from operating a business yet.
I also worked for Larry and Tim, I have a very long background in the wood heat business, I left a good job to go to work for Timber Ridge. I was told they were the manufacturer of the Free Heat Machine, It took me almost a week before I found out the furnaces were made by a Canadian company called Global. I was hired under false pretenses, It was too late to do anything about it, I was making very good money and could not afford to leave. At first I noticed a few furnaces were failing and I was told they were a bad batch and the furnaces were replaced and all was good. I kept selling lots of furnaces, after awhile they could not begin to keep up with the claims, and I had to leave knowing that they were selling junk. I had lots of sleepless nights over selling these furnaces to people I became friends with. I am so sorry that I ever got involved with these people, apologize to any customers who got bad furnaces and regret any and all dealings with Larry and Tim. I remember them praying daily and think what hypocrites they are. .Sharon I am so sorry you stayed with Larry,,
Thanks for writing in, I hope things are going better for you now. I know you probably helped at least a few people just by commenting here.
who manufactured this units was it American or overseas
To my knowledge they were assembled in the states. I’m sure the components were a mix of American made and imports.
I need a copy of the free heat machine user manual … I bought a system for the 200 model for 500 bucks in hope grind and re weld all the leaks call me or text me 606-424-5088
Good luck with your search on that, I never received a manual at all when I purchased mine.
What happened to his website at biomass-direct.com is there any way of telling? I know for a fact hes still in business so wheres his site?
I don’t know as it’s been awhile since I have checked on him. Was actually hoping he was in prison for fraud by now but I guess that’s just wishful thinking. If you ever find out any info please feel free to post it here and I will add it to the blog.
Here is the Letter that I am sending him today – we are embarrassed that we could have fallen prey to such a JUDAS.
May 10, 2015
Larry:
This is a letter I had hoped never to write. You have done just what I once challenged you not to do – and that is to fail living up to your commitment that you made to Susan and Me. $27,000 pre-paid and all I have is an unfinished system done at a below par level (being cleaned up now by real professionals) and multiple items promised by your Spiritual jargon that has no substance.
To have prayed with you, fed you in our home and talked openly about the Lord who I know and that you falsely claim as your God, is the worst of travesties. Your lack of integrity and honesty is “an abomination of the Lord” (look it up if you can) and your behavior is the exact kind of example that is ruining this country that you also profess to love. You are the new Judas: Using the name of the Lord for accumulating your 30 pieces of silver UPFRONT in order to promote the scam that is now so widely circulated on the internet. You have also reached “the end of your rope” as your deceit is what has hung you forever.
I told you when we talked last October that if you ever did not follow through with your commitment that you would break our hearts. That is not true. We are more resolved than ever to be good people of God representing the Lord in ways of truth and integrity. I doubt if you will ever find peace – that is a gift reserved only for those who have no shame or guilt.
So sorry for your loss I didn’t even think he was still in business. Is he actually still operating under the name Biomass Direct? I do hope you can get some justice and I would think you should contact the TN Attorney General since the TN Consumer Affairs Dept doesn’t seem interested in shutting him down. Please keep us posted on what transpires and good luck. It’s sad to read these testimonials but believe it or not they do help other people now and then from becoming his next victim.
Wow! I am so surprised to see everything that has been written about Larry. I bought a Biomass wood boiler from him in 2011 and have not had any problems with it. The only thing that I could complain about would be that I should have put the pipes deeper in the ground. I have had good conversations with him, and he even pushed my kids on our tree swing. I haven’t been able to get in touch with him, so I thought I would google him to see if I could find anything, and I was so surprised to find this blog.
Well when his own secretary says he was ripping people off it’s hard to argue what a great guy he is. It seems you got lucky this time around, count your blessings. Not to jinx you and I certainly hope you don’t have issues but problems started around the fifth year.
Thank you! Thank you! I have been looking at wood stoves and just found the Biomass Direct video made by Larry Boyd on Youtube. I also live in TN very close to his place and thought it would be great to buy direct from a local “manufacturer”. I tried to go to his web site but there seemed to be a problem with it. I went to his Facebook page. Then I saw your “BUYER BEWARE”. Thank you so much! Because of you, all I wasted was a little time on the computer!
I purchased my first free heat machine in December 2002, all went great until December 2003 when I noticed a leak above the first water transfer tube, I contacted Larry and he sent a replacement boiler to me in January 2004. Ive worked with Sharon a few times in the past with much success. The replacement Larry sent me was a Global Hydronics boiler with the “Free Heat Machine” stickers placed over the top of the others.
I hadn’t learned of the company’s closing until a few years later when I tried to buy water treatment from them. That’s when I found that the new company, “biomass direct” was selling out of the same area and when I ordered product I also found that Larry and several of the staff was working for this company, when I asked questions I received the response that the other company had to close due to EPA refs and some other issues.
I realized that my unit no longer had a warranty, kinda sickening to think I spent the 6500 and some change on a unit that was no longer had a warranty. I asked if I could speak with Larry on a few occasions when I called back but got an excuse that he was out of the office or with another customer.
I’ve been fortunate that we still have a working unit 12 years later.
We’ve had to replace a taco pump last year and the blower assembly this fall as well as changing out the manual reset snap disc thermostat this fall to a adjustable temperature auto resting snap disc thermostat.
This solves the problem of no heat at 3am when the overload blows down. You can change yours out by purchasing a “open on rise” auto resetting snap disc thermostat. Mine is set to open at 195 and it automatically resets “closes” at 150 and supplying voltage back to the fan and switch.
I would advise anyone that has purchased a unit from any of Larry’s companies to adjust the auqastat setting down to a temp of either 160-170 so that the stove doesn’t risc overheating and blowing down at 200ish degrees.
I adjusted ours about four years ago to 165 and we do not have any issues heating our 3,000 sf home. Ebay has some good oxygen scavengers available at better prices that Larry charged, I would suggest that you flush your system out and refill with new water before adding a different companies product. Nitrite test just are also available on eBay for less than 40.00.
The taco water pumps and fan blower assemblies are available on eBay as well as with United Refrigeration, Johnstone Supply as well as other HVAC stores, however most will not sell to the end consumer.
Sharon, if you read this I’m so sorry to have heard about your husband, you were always pleasant to speak with!
Mark Eldridge
Terre Haute, Indiana
You had some good luck with yours. Unfortunately for me mine died for the final time last Fall. I had plates welded inside the year before which was the second or third time for fixing leaks and when I started it up last Fall the were several more leaks. Enough was enough with throwing good money at a piece of junk. I still haven’t got around to replacing it and heated with the oil furnace instead. Next season I plan on buying one from another company but I’ll be doing a ton of research on whoever it is before I spend one penny.
I have a free heat machine the largest one, maybe 10 years old and the inside of the door cracked wide open last year. It has overheated a couple times and will not reset anymore.I have change both cerculators twice, no customer service and no warranty.
Add me to the list of disappointed customers.
David