That must be a Yankee thing. Is it still legal to use a fireplace in your home?
These are not the traditional wood burning stoves that are inside houses. They are specially designed outdoor located boilers that make hot water which is piped through the house in order to heat the house.
They are appealing because the wood fuel has a very low monetary cost in many rural areas. Unfortunately, they produce huge amounts of smoke because the combustion is at low temperatures. The owner locates the burner/boiler away from his house, near the property line. He gets the hot water, the neighbors get the smoke.
Thanks for that info. Being a southern boy, I knew only electric and natural gas for heating water.
We did, of course have fireplaces and wood burning stoves
in the house or shop buildings.