Hot water on a Drolet Tundra/Heatmax

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tincherb

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Recently installed a Drolet Tundra in my home. I was curious if anyone had considered installing or actual installed a hot water coil. I have looked at the three pipe arrangement heat exchanger to see if there was enough room to wrap the center pipe but doesn't appear anything larger than 3/8" tube would work. This might be OK if 2 water circuits were ran and tied together in parallel. Also considered tying a loop inside the firebox as another option but i just hate to slice on my new stove (and yes I should have bought a boiler but I didn't consider it when I bought this so that water is over the bridge). Seems like the space above the vermiculite would be a good spot for a coil. Im just exploring some options for consideration. Thanks.
 
I had thought about that when looking for a furnace. In the end what I wanted was more cash than I could spend so I got my heatmax. I am not inclined to slice mine up either.

With that said the door on the front that allows access to clean the heat exchanger might not be too expensive to replace allowing some experiments to commence. That would get the exchanger, whatever that might be into the exhaust.
 
It is too efficient and retains it's heat to the point that I don't see that being very effective . If you do happen to get enough heat up there to warm the water up it will also cool the firebox and also cool the flue causing a poor draft and these furnaces needs a good strong natural draft to operate correctly . I wouldn't waste my time with that if they thought it would work out ,they'd sell a hot water option already from the factory .
 
It is too efficient and retains it's heat to the point that I don't see that being very effective . If you do happen to get enough heat up there to warm the water up it will also cool the firebox and also cool the flue causing a poor draft and these furnaces needs a good strong natural draft to operate correctly . I wouldn't waste my time with that if they thought it would work out ,they'd sell a hot water option already from the factory .
what he said^
 
It is too efficient and retains it's heat to the point that I don't see that being very effective . If you do happen to get enough heat up there to warm the water up it will also cool the firebox and also cool the flue causing a poor draft and these furnaces needs a good strong natural draft to operate correctly . I wouldn't waste my time with that if they thought it would work out ,they'd sell a hot water option already from the factory .

agreed. can't emphasize enough the importance of understanding these stoves and operating properly including the strong drafts required and everything that envolves keeping that strong draft down to controlling it with a baro. I created a strong than needed draft then dial it back with the baro when the stove is firing hot otherwise my draft would be to high. Allows me to have a good strong draft when damper is closed. Lots to understand for max efficiency and any modifications to thermo disc or things that suck heat like fans or coils will def ruin the operation. Dialing it in perfect takes a little practice and understanding of what the goal is.
 
Also Keep in mind any hopes of using the warranty in the future are thrown out the window if you start modifying that unit . My max caddy has a hot water loop but it has a 5 cubic foot firebox and its specificaly designed for it
 
No longer use hot water . Didn't realize how sick it made me until I gave it up
Read AOKPOPS sig line...it will make sense then.

Anyways, back on topic, I have not heard of a DHW coil in a Tundra yet but don't see why it wouldn't work. If the Max Caddy has that option, the Tundra is the same furnace more or less, just smaller. It would be a "non authorized" mod though. Once the "bodywork" is removed from the Tundra, there is plenty of room for plumbing in the back. DSCN1273.JPG
I looked up the Max Caddy water heating coil, it is interesting, they have a solenoid that ties into the control board. It shuts the water circulation off once supply plenum temps drop below 140*.
The coil does appear to install above the baffle, ahead of the HXs. I was initially thinking of the coils that are made for stoves, they just go into the firebox. I was thinking that a coil mounted on the floor would work good what with the way the Tundra holds hot coals. Would sure be a pain to scoop ashes though...
 
You gotta remember though the max has a much bigger firebox and can heat more thermal mass . Water sucks a lot of the heat out of the unit . That's going to hurt burn times overall output and require air flap to open more to compensate . The psg rep says even in the max furnace the domestic water isn't worth the compromise. The heat pro would be a better candidate for domestic hot water . I will say this though at a stove shop near me the Amish piped in a hot water loop on a caddy and said it worked well of coarse this voids any warranty . It was right through the firebox and looked surprisngly sano and clean way of doing it under the baffle
 
Water sucks a lot of the heat out of the unit
True that.
That's going to hurt burn times overall output and require air flap to open more to compensate
If the coil is above the baffle it wouldn't affect the firebox much, if at all, except from reduced heat to the house, which means you may have more frequent damper opening...so that could/would affect burn times
The heat pro would be a better candidate for domestic hot water
I wonder if the Heatpro control board has the "water coil" connection like Max does?
BTW, just seen Menards has the 11% sale going on now...$2313 Heatpro...
 
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