Desperately need help with a indoor wood furnace

[practicaldesign]

If you turn the fan on do you get air out the regesters, is the return sucking? Heat rises, so if the fire box is that hot, where is the heat going? Up the chimney? Is there a heat exchanger bypass?

Yes i get heat if i manually turn on heat exchange blower and it's not all that warm. Air filters are clean and i've run the blower with the door off , therefore no resistance.

The oil furnace works fine and puts out perhaps 3x the heat of the wood furnace via the same intake/output ducts.

What makes no sense to me is that there should be heat coming off the firebox , it's huge and the heat exchanger takes up only a part of the thermal transfer surface.

Time for a new furnace.

 

[stihly dan]

Yes i get heat if i manually turn on heat exchange blower and it's not all that warm. Air filters are clean and i've run the blower with the door off , therefore no resistance.

The oil furnace works fine and puts out perhaps 3x the heat of the wood furnace via the same intake/output ducts.

What makes no sense to me is that there should be heat coming off the firebox , it's huge and the heat exchanger takes up only a part of the thermal transfer surface.

Time for a new furnace.

Could the blower be going backwards?

 

[practicaldesign]

Could the blower be going backwards?

Heh, no the oil furnace wouldn't work if that was so.

 

[practicaldesign]

I'l install my 45 gallon camp furnace in the enterprise's frame work and plenum (no heat exchanger) as i know that it works outside the enterprise furnace using the same pipes and dampeners.

 

[stihly dan]

No, i mean your wood furnace blower. If you are using the blower of the oil, could it be pushing air thru the wood furnace backwards? Some pics of the set up would help a ton.

 

[practicaldesign]

No, i mean your wood furnace blower. If you are using the blower of the oil, could it be pushing air thru the wood furnace backwards? Some pics of the set up would help a ton.

Are you talking about the small blower i use to inject air into the firebox (like a forge)? or the fan blower to circulate the air in the home?

For the forge like blower it's just sitting on a stand in front of the furnace door with the trap full open. Blowing air onto the fire.

 

[dave_dj1]

Why would you have a forced air induction?
Have you tried natural draft?

 

[stihly dan]

THe fan to circulate air into the home.

 

[practicaldesign]

Why would you have a forced air induction?
Have you tried natural draft?

Yes the enterprise furnace was always natural draft and it still is. It fluctuates so much now a days that it could be a raging fire one minute and almost dead the next. Then i would have to force air into it.

 

[practicaldesign]

THe fan to circulate air into the home.

I'l explain.

1: Oil furnace (sears brand) . It sends the heat form its plenum down a large duct to the bottom of the wood furnace.
2: From there the heat from the oil furnace fills up the wood furnace plenum.
3: The air ducts in the house are fed by the wood furnace plenum.
4: It is not possible for a reverse air flow from the wood furnace back into the oil furnace.
5: The oil furnace blower/fan is what blows the warm air from the wood furnace
6: There is a standard humidifier (the one with the rotating foam) that runs from the wood furnace plenum to the cold air intake of the oil furnace so that pre-heats the air for the wood or oil furnace as well.

The setup is very similar to what you see with the Yukon-Eagle super jack add on furnace.

 

[laynes69]

The manual states to have a draft speed of .04-.07", I would test this. It appears from the manual, it's a cast iron heat exchanger? It will take much longer for that heat exchanger to heat up than a thinner steel exchanger. Setting the on temp to 100 degrees won't allow that cast iron to heat up. If it was set at 150 originally, I would put it back. That furnace needs time to heat up before the blower kicks on. With a 150,000 btu rating, even if it's an input rating, that's quite a bit of heat. With the plenum temperature settings, there's a huge difference between 100 and 150 degrees.

 

[practicaldesign]

The manual states to have a draft speed of .04-.07", I would test this. It appears from the manual, it's a cast iron heat exchanger? It will take much longer for that heat exchanger to heat up than a thinner steel exchanger. Setting the on temp to 100 degrees won't allow that cast iron to heat up. If it was set at 150 originally, I would put it back. That furnace needs time to heat up before the blower kicks on. With a 150,000 btu rating, even if it's an input rating, that's quite a bit of heat. With the plenum temperature settings, there's a huge difference between 100 and 150 degrees.

Tried that already. Won't even get to 150f now unless the oil furnace is turned on to assist and warm the wood furnace plenum, and yes it is thick cast iron exchanger.

Thanks.

According to the last repairperson's visit in January 2013 1.75cm draft speed.

Point being that something changed a few years ago that got progressively worse. Back then it didn't take long for the the plenum to heat up to the point that it set off the automatic shut down.

 

[laynes69]

Are you burning green or seasoned wood, you've referenced both in your posts. Considering a fire burns at over 1200 degrees, 150 degrees isn't anything. Possibly a problem with draft, a bad limit/control, wood, etc. There's too many things it could be. Having an oversized flue that's also shared with a oil furnace doesn't help things.

We had a 7x11 flue in a 32' chimney, which for years I thought had too much draft. When we purchased our new furnace, I bought a manometer. In the end, the draft was weak, and heat output suffered. I installed a rigid insulated stainless liner and heat output increased as well as draft.

There's many bends in that heat exchanger, just like our furnace. It will require a strong draft to overcome the design.

 

[practicaldesign]

Are you burning green or seasoned wood, you've referenced both in your posts. Considering a fire burns at over 1200 degrees, 150 degrees isn't anything. Possibly a problem with draft, a bad limit/control, wood, etc. There's too many things it could be. Having an oversized flue that's also shared with a oil furnace doesn't help things.

We had a 7x11 flue in a 32' chimney, which for years I thought had too much draft. When we purchased our new furnace, I bought a manometer. In the end, the draft was weak, and heat output suffered. I installed a rigid insulated stainless liner and heat output increased as well as draft.

There's many bends in that heat exchanger, just like our furnace. It will require a strong draft to overcome the design.

I fear you are correct. I know that they went form 5-8 cords of wood even on a very cold year to 16-18 cords for the same and a much cooler home.

Any suggestions as to a very efficient | INDOOR wood furnace (in Canada) ?

We went and looked at a psg max caddy and it's not very efficient.

 

[laynes69]

I heat with a Caddy, the smaller version of the Max Caddy and it's very efficient. I don't see where you think the Max Caddy isn't efficient. Anyhow going from 5-8 cords to 16-18 cords sounds a bit off.

 

[Dan_IN_MN]

Are you burning green or seasoned wood, you've referenced both in your posts. Considering a fire burns at over 1200 degrees, 150 degrees isn't anything. Possibly a problem with draft, a bad limit/control, wood, etc. There's too many things it could be. Having an oversized flue that's also shared with a oil furnace doesn't help things.

We had a 7x11 flue in a 32' chimney, which for years I thought had too much draft. When we purchased our new furnace, I bought a manometer. In the end, the draft was weak, and heat output suffered. I installed a rigid insulated stainless liner and heat output increased as well as draft.

There's many bends in that heat exchanger, just like our furnace. It will require a strong draft to overcome the design.

I fear you are correct. I know that they went form 5-8 cords of wood even on a very cold year to 16-18 cords for the same and a much cooler home.

Any suggestions as to a very efficient | INDOOR wood furnace (in Canada) ?

We went and looked at a psg max caddy and it's not very efficient.

I wonder if a baffle in the heat exchanger came out of place redirecting the heat flow? I mean, something had to of changed! Being able to put your hand on the heat exhanger is definitely a red flag!

Were you able to check if the smoke pipe gets hot? (sorry if this and other things have already been mentioned)

I would like to see some pictures of this unit.

 

[woodchuck357]

Is it possible work has been done on the house to reduce air infilteration

and to add insulation? Try opening a window in the room where the furnace is located. Sounds to me like the furnace needs some outside air.

Just guessing but the other heater may be burning a yellow flame, and not putting out as much heat as before either. Your smaller stove needs less air to burn well.

 

[dave_dj1]

Maybe you could try another Fawcett? Like the 200 add on.
I have no clue what's available up there for you otherwise.

 

[brenndatomu]

I wonder if a baffle in the heat exchanger came out of place redirecting the heat flow? I mean, something had to of changed! Being able to put your hand on the heat exhanger is definitely a red flag!

Were you able to check if the smoke pipe gets hot? (sorry if this and other things have already been mentioned)

I would like to see some pictures of this unit.

+1, I was just thinking the same thing, baffle left out or even just burnt up.

Get a $10 magnetic flue thermometer, flue temps will tell you a lot. My Yukon doesn't make tons of heat until the flue is over 250* external (4-450* internal) When it is on high fire, the flue pipe at 350* (external) and the blower running, it will hold a steady 150* in the supply plenum until the thermostat is satisfied.

Better make sure this isn't a chimney problem before you buy a new furnace, or you'll have a poorly performing shiny new furnace and a shiny new credit card bill too, if the problem is with the chimney that is. Sounds like a great candidate for a stainless liner to me.

Is this co. even in business anymore? I see they mention a fire on their website.

 

[zogger]

This thing has temp sensors and relays and so on? Are they actually working correctly?

When you say it gets real hot or nothing, that makes me believe it is an adjustment gremlin. Also, any good visual on the chimney? Loose bricks, leaks in the attic, etc?