Wood insert versus wood furnace

[tom reinbolt]

OK, so I have been burning for almost 2 months now--I am still only getting 5 or so hours out of the DS furnace.

Either I have the wood furnace working or the propane--I have to choose with my existing ductwork--the wood setup is ok on the weekends but NOT when I go to work--the house simply is too cold and does not warm up in time for bed on a workday.

My house is a ranch--about 3500 square ft---including a 22x22 the great room with 18 ft ceilings--talk about volume. The kitchen is off the great room as is a back hallway that leads to 3 bedrooms.

The great room has the fireplace--a 45" by 45" opening.

What if I stuck in a big insert? I could run both propane and the wood--the propane would kick in when the wood run out correct?

Would an insert simply be too small for the whole house? (Nice heat in the great room and kitchen but drafty in the bedrooms)

Thanks

 

[flotek]

Well They make large long burning modern inserts that have come along way in last 10 years . ..but for the most part they are still room heaters and the further from the insert the colder it's going to be I don't know of any one insert that would adequately heat such a large area with 18 ft ceilings . A properly sized forced air furnace likely could . Not sure what a DS unit is but if it were me I'd swap it out for a max caddy furnace and set the propane on low thermostat setting for frigid nights . It takes a lot of btus being pushed around to heat that size comfortably

 

[brenndatomu]

A large insert would help the heat bill, likely won't take all your heat load though. A free standing wood stove would come closer, inserts lose a certain amount of heat due to being tucked away in the fireplace.
I second the PSG Max Caddy. Heck, I'm not familiar with the DS either, it's possible that a Drolet Tundra or a PSG Caddy would do better than the DS has for ya
The Max Caddy has a backup fuel option too, wood burns out, the oil, or gas, or electric heat grid kicks on and keeps the house toasty

 

[laynes69]

If it's a true secondary burner, you should be able to see more then 5 hours from your furnace. The way our furnace works is, you load it, open the damper and get it hot, then close it down. The preheated secondary air takes over while the load slowly burns. I'm not familiar with your furnace, but that's something I would try. Of course, it also requires good seasoned wood. With the size of furnace you have, you should easily get more than 5 hours from it. Are you using a barometric damper or manual damper?