Introducing Brand New Wood Furnace to Market - The Drolet Tundra!

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When you let your tundra shut down do you leave the air intake open or do you close it? I looked in the book but it doesn't say.


In order to " shutdown " the air flap must be down on the tundra there is no other way to regulate air besides the main flap - which works out surprisingly good
 
Flotek, do you know any product that can be used to stop creasote build up. I read about using cans but is there a product I could buy to help slow build up? Also need to make sure it is safe to use in the tundra and super vent pipe. Any one using a product that works please post it. I normally clean my chimney once a month with a poly brush, might be to often but iI feelfeel safer.
 
You shouldn't have that much creasote I clean mine once a month which is over kill but its pretty easy iv never needed anything to help keep chimney clean
 
There is a product to stop creosote and the good news is it's totally free . It's called elbow grease . It's free to be prepared ..Basically you make sure you have cut split and stacked your wood atleast one year in advance and it will then have low moisture which is going to burn clean and prevent creosote
 
Flotek, do you know any product that can be used to stop creasote build up. I read about using cans but is there a product I could buy to help slow build up? Also need to make sure it is safe to use in the tundra and super vent pipe. Any one using a product that works please post it. I normally clean my chimney once a month with a poly brush, might be to often but iI feelfeel safer.

What size of chimney, it's construction, height, and outside wall or in the house??
 
It is 6inch, single wall to supervent. Its about 20 ft tall. All inside except maybe 8 ft. My wood is dry. Oak is 2-3 years old. Test at 12-15 on meter. I cleaned my chimney once a month last year but this year hoping to only do it once every 2 so I was looklooking something for it.
 
Im one step closer to getting mine installed, hopefully will have it in the basement next weekend.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2
 

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My advise is Get a sooteater kit for cleaning your flue . Sometimes called " the chimney whip " it works awesome and only 60$ You can clean from inside out unlike the brush /push rod kits. Fast easy and far less dangerous then going up on the icy roof in the winter
 
I have whip and have cleaned from bottom up. Once a month last year only took out a small amount. I really like the tundra. I don't burn at night cause I work. Just wondering since the internal temp on the pipe gets to around 500 then fan kicks in and lowers it. Once the house warms up and the furnace is on the thermostat the stack runs at 250 or so I was looking for a product tthat could be used.
 
If your burning good dry wood . Cleaning your heat exchanger tubes and chimney whipping the flue out once a month then I just don't see any reason to waste money on additives . You shouldn't require any .yes There are products on the market like a chimney sweep log that help turn creosote hard glaze into the flaky easy to get off stuff but the part a lot of guys don't get is most of these products ---. A - don't replace sweeping or stop creosote they only make sweeping easier. . And --B - they have compounds that ultimately corrode and eat at stainless steel , if your like me with well over 1,000$ in your stainless flue ..then that is the last thing you want to toss into the firebox !
 
Installed my Tundra in the last week and have completed a couple break in burns. I'm trying to evaluate if I need a barometric damper. I understand you want the chimney at normal operating temp when taking manometer readings, but where should the furnace be as far as air inlet damper? open or shut down for cruise mode? Manometer readings were anywhere from .05" to .09" dependant on how hard the furnace was running ( high side with open damper) and on the lower side when the air inlet was closed down.
 
I would think if you see a -.09" WC at any point in the burn cycle then you are gonna want a BD, or at least a key damper...the closer you can keep your draft in that -.05" range the better

Oh, and pics help us help you better...;) ;) ;)
 
I would think if you see a -.09" WC at any point in the burn cycle then you are gonna want a BD, or at least a key damper...the closer you can keep your draft in that -.05" range the better

Oh, and pics help us help you better...;) ;) ;)

Well - I only have a crappy cell phone pic for now....

I've ordered what I need to install a BD - still on the fence if I'll install it or not. Last night I established a good coal bed with smaller splits and then loaded it up with 6 or 7 medium size splits, let em char and then closed it down for cruise mode - first time it sustained secondary burn and maintained flue temps around 300f. (previous burns the secondarys would die after 15-20mns and flue temps would drop low ~200F when shut down) At this point I checked draft and it was right at .055"WC. Leave it be or install the BD?


More info on the install - Furnace installed in lowest level of 3400 sqft split level home. Tundra will share heating duties with a Woodstock progress hybrid installed in front of the masonary fireplace. Chimney for the Tundra is not the ideal interior install - double wall connector pipe up to class A coming through a basement window- 18' of insulated supervent outside. Chimney was reverse drafting on initial start up - has not been a big issue since the original firing. Tundra hot air ducting is as follows- 2-8" ducts 24" straight up - elbows, then 48" of angled run to the propane furnace plenum. No backdraft dampers anywhere yet - seems to work fine but I realize they will be necessary for a/c use in the summer. Filter kit installed on the tundra - no connection to propane furnace return air ducting.
 

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I checked draft and it was right at .055"WC. Leave it be or install the BD?
Hmm, Id be tempted to run it as is to get a better feel for your average draft over time with variations in weather and whatnot. If you average in that -.05" range most of the time, IMO, leave 'er be, you'll have a cleaner chimney without the BD cooling it.
I actually have HD tinfoil over my BD right now, using a key damper to keep things in check instead (the chimney wants to pull -.09" or better without it) I'll use the BD if again I need to use the oil side of my Yukon
 
Personally, I wouldn't install the baro. Those spikes in draft will reduce when the damper closes. I've ran my Caddy in the .1 range with no problems. The flue temps for a draft like that with an open damper sounds just fine.
 
First off Your thermometer readings are meaningless because your using a cheap magnet job those are known to be 100 degrees off . Secondly your flue will not get hot because the furnace draws a great deal of btus off the wood and keeps it in the firebox instead of going up the flue . It will always have a low flue reading number even when burning a raging load of oak. It's part of having a modern wood heating unit
 
I do have a cheap magnetic job on the heat exchanger clean out door. I also have a TelTru probe type thermometer inserted into the connector pipe about 12" above the flue exit. That is where my readings came from, not the cheapy that is visible in the picture.



First off Your thermometer readings are meaningless because your using a cheap magnet job those are known to be 100 degrees off . Secondly your flue will not get hot because the furnace draws a great deal of btus off the wood and keeps it in the firebox instead of going up the flue . It will always have a low flue reading number even when burning a raging load of oak. It's part of having a modern wood heating unit
 
Okay my point is still valid . Your gases won't be as high as a traditional airtight wood burner
 
Ok, not going to install a barometric damper at this point anyway - I am going to permanently install a manometer to keep an eye on the draft.

I've had 2 or 3 instances where my flue temps are dropping too low (~200f or less) and no flame or secondary action in the box and it's not just down to coals.
This will occur if on a cold start or if I don't have a really good coal bed. I am letting the new load get well charred before I shut it down. Is this just the nature of a secondary reburn type firebox? The wood has been stacked and drying for 2-3 years. When this occurs there is a fresh coat of thin glossy creosote on my thermometer probe so I know this is not a good thing...
 

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