ideally you want a natural draft intake but with a servo by use of a chain that opens and closes it as the need arises ,this is all controled by a thermostat nearby ,having a forced induced draft keeps things hot but ultimately burns through alot more wood .
usstove hotblast furnace
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howellhandmade
Addicted to ArboristSite
I'm getting interested in these setups. I remember a post a while back by somebody who complained of dust/soot all over everything in the house after installing a wood furnace. I couldn't see how that could happen, I'd hope that the heating air is kept separate from the combustion air. Anyone have problems like that with the Hotblast?
Jack
Jack
I dont have a hotblast but another brand of furnace. They do have "furnace filter" like a normal furnace does to control dust from being blown throughout the house. Simply, replace the filter as needed and no troubles.
sbhooper
Addicted to ArboristSite
I don't notice additional dust of any consequence in the living area. Downstairs with the furnace there seems to be a bit more, but so what? Well worth it unless you are allergic to the dust and then you should not have it anyway.
matt701
ArboristSite Lurker
I put a larger furnace filter inline and have changed it 3 times this season. With the old setup, I was constantly having dust getting sucked into the blowers and pushed upstairs, but this year we have yet to have to dust our house.
well, i still havn't bought one yet, TSC has them on sale for $1300, $300 off, for the 1400
Tesen
ArboristSite Operative
Just a note, the 1400 I believe is wood only. So if you intend to ever burn coal, it is not rated for it. May not matter to you, but I like to throw some coal in the deep cold of Jan/Feb.
Tes
Junkfxr
ArboristSite Operative
We've had the Hotblast 1500 in since November 1996. Came from Central Tractor when they were still around. It's plumbed into the main duct header about midways through the house and we very seldom have to use the blowers at all, they usually stay unplugged and the heat just thermosiphons up through the ductwork. It took a year or two to figure out how to burn it and we finally ended up not using the bi-metal thermostat for the door damper and just use the spin damper in the ash door. No problem at all to keep the house at 80 degrees and can get 14 hour burn times easily with hickory, oak and locust. Our hose is 1200 square ft. on two levels (2500 total). I have had to replace the grates one time, they didn't burn out, just warped and sagged so bad that you could't get the ash pan out, and had to replace the rear liner once. I was slamming wood into the back a little too hard and broke it. It's our main source of heat with a heat pump that comes on if we're away for a long time. Been one of the best investments that we've ever made.
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ziggo_2
ArboristSite Operative
Here is a trial run on pics of the furnace using photobucket. It is attached to the main ducts of the house. It does not reach all corners of the house real well, but it warms our living area real well. For quick warm ups we turn on the fan on our furnace which really helps move the air. It will raise the temp by a couple degrees within a few minutes.
Hope this works.
YAY!!!
I thought I was the only one one the site with the norseman.
Yes seperate the ducts, I think two 8in ducts are too restrictive, I couldnt imagine having basically only one.
He's right. You cannot go two into one.
With your heat ducts. Its a common mistake that I almost made back when I started. You always want to keep the airflow opening wider.
The hot blasts are a good unit if you're on the fence and just getting back into it or in it the first time. From my experience I'd like to tell you to spend a little more to get a more efficient and quality unit the first time but I understand if your looking at the budget.
I still burn a Hotblast too but if I knew how much fun it was to cut the wood (with my chainsaw addiction as a bonus), feed a nice warm house roaring fire, and feel good about not paying a heating bill too I'd definately tell you to spend a little more to get either a duel fuel and/or a nice epa tight unit that costs a little more. You'll thank yourself later. Anyone in the market for a 3 year old Hotblast? It does work great if you like the above activities!!
With your heat ducts. Its a common mistake that I almost made back when I started. You always want to keep the airflow opening wider.
The hot blasts are a good unit if you're on the fence and just getting back into it or in it the first time. From my experience I'd like to tell you to spend a little more to get a more efficient and quality unit the first time but I understand if your looking at the budget.
I still burn a Hotblast too but if I knew how much fun it was to cut the wood (with my chainsaw addiction as a bonus), feed a nice warm house roaring fire, and feel good about not paying a heating bill too I'd definately tell you to spend a little more to get either a duel fuel and/or a nice epa tight unit that costs a little more. You'll thank yourself later. Anyone in the market for a 3 year old Hotblast? It does work great if you like the above activities!!
Oh, and plus 100 to Keith's comment about the plywood. NOOOO!
coal
Central fuel in Nwe Philadelphia Ohio, 330-339-5049, got loose stoker size last year at $95 per ton.
No I don't know where to buy coal either. Some block layers at work use it in a metal culvert pipe to heat their sand in the winter time, so I thought I'd ask them for a few lumps to try out and maybe they know where to buy and how much. also i hear you can still find it by the railroad tracks now days. The EPA stove that burns 40% less wood interets me.. do you have any more info on that one? These wood hogs are good heat, but a lot of work. ahhh who am I kidding it IS worth it.
Central fuel in Nwe Philadelphia Ohio, 330-339-5049, got loose stoker size last year at $95 per ton.
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