An unfortunate development

[logbutcher]

Some advice from the trenches of wood stove heating for too long.

The Pacific Energy stove you have is one of their medium sized non-cat wood stoves (their specs say "up to 2000 ft² ") ; nothing like the cap. of your now dying beast (burial GTG schedule yet ? :hmm3grin2orange

Stand alone wood stoves are SPACE HEATERS only. If you hack a stove to do what a real wood furnace would do such as making it do the plenum heating, much of that heat will be lost. Install stoves where you live.

Better: investigate up to date technology from gasifier whole house wood furnaces such as the 2 manufacturers here, or Tarm.

Or do what many of us do and place wood stoves where you want the heat, definately NOT in a basement ( heating dirt and foundation ). For the $$$$ with your furnace experience, a new or used furnace seems the best bet. Crappie or Lamp I'm sure will give you a good deal.

JMNSHEO

 

[laynes69]

I'm with logbutcher. It sucks spending the money, but I would buy a woodfurnace before modifying a nice woodstove. Our Caddy furnace does well, and when you think about electronics and such on a new furnace, they're simple. Our furnace has a full secondary system over the firebox. The only electronic components are the blower for the furnace, and the damper motor. Very simple system, but a more advanced combustion system over a standard furnace and a nice heat exchanger. I like the glass door we have and I don't have to touch the furnace to see where the fire is at. I think you will be pleased having something that's more efficient. A load in our new furnace is half the load of the old, the difference is longer burns and more heat due to secondary combustion, also less maintenance on the chimney.

 

[Chris-PA]

A furnace is not my cup of tea, but if your flue is in the basement and it's not an occupied room, and you don't have a flue and room in a occupied space, then it sounds like a furnace makes the most sense. Making something sounds like a fun project if you have the tools, but there is something to be said about having it designed and developed professionally. When I design a product at work we build prototypes and test them, often several rounds with revisions before it goes into production. That's not because we're screw ups, it's just the development phase and it's best process for getting it right. When you make one thing for yourself you don't get the benefit of such a development phase, unless you're going to keep redesigning it.

 

[kyle1!]

Maybe this isn't a good thing or a thing you can't do but what about selling the PE and putting the money towards a new furnace? :msp_thumbup:

BRian

 

[Whitespider]

I appreciate the advice and all... but the only real difference between a stove and a furnace is the plenum. A stove radiates heat into open space, and a furnace radiates heat into a plenum where it can be directed (forced air) to another space.

My existing furnace is nothing more than a rectangle steel firebox (no fire brick), a flue connection on the rear, with a steel plenum surrounding the two sides and top, creating a 4-6 inch gap for the forced air to flow between. The front and rear ends are cast, not surrounded by plenum, and just radiates heat into the basement. Really, that's how simple and basic it is. It started life as a stove, I modified it to furnace configuration... and it heats the entire home.

The Spectrum has about the same size, but different shape firebox (actually a bit larger without the firebrick and a bit smaller with). Much of the firebox on my existing furnace is wasted because it's 24 inches deep and I cut to 16 inches, but the added, unused size increases heat exchanger surface area. If I encase the sides, back and top of the Spectrum I'll have more heat exchanger surface than I do now. I won't have to "modify" the Spectrum... just remove the pretty trim pieces and place a plenum around it. Actually, other than the taller legs on the existing furnace, the Spectrum is a larger appliance. Seriously, I can lift and move the existing furnace by myself.

The biggest issue I see is that ceramic door... it will radiate a ton more heat out the front than cast or steel would. So I can either replace the ceramic with heavy plate steel or build the plenum with a full width door in front... I'm leaning towards the latter because we (more me) do use the basement space at times and the option to radiate heat into it appeals to me.

Anyway, I haven't even gone a hauled it home, yet... pictures when I do.

 

[Whitespider]

That's a good point Del, I don't know how accurate it is... I mean I really don't know, and won't pretend to be an expert either. But it's another reason to build the plenum around the entire stove and put a door on it (somewhat larger than the stove door) rather than replace the ceramic with steel. Hmmmmmm... infrared?

 

[logbutcher]

I appreciate the advice and all... but the only real difference between a stove and a furnace is the plenum. A stove radiates heat into open space, and a furnace radiates heat into a plenum where it can be directed (forced air) to another space.
My existing furnace is nothing more than a rectangle steel firebox (no fire brick), a flue connection on the rear, with a steel plenum surrounding the two sides and top, c.

Not quite the case with the newer wood heaters.

Think out of the box here. Forget the plenum concept: think fluid, gasifier system efficiency run by Pex piping. Heat liquid not air. Recent wood furnaces are not your "mother's heating."
Look over those here and Tarm ( we considered that while designing this place. It needed power, space, and was above our budget. But very efficient in the homes we saw with the Tarm. )

Bill is in the mail.

 

[Whitespider]

OK then...
The only real difference between a stove and a forced air furnace is the plenum.

 

[logbutcher]

OK then...
The only real difference between a stove and a forced air furnace is the plenum.

More needed chop busting:

Furnaces heat whole buildings with an engineered system to pump heat: air (like your plenum), fluid.

Wood stoves are direct space heaters. They stand alone to heat primarily the area where located: mostly radiant, some convection, and little conduction IF you need to sit on it.:hmm3grin2orange:

Two completely different engineered appliances in how used.

 

[laynes69]

Some furnaces are very simple, firebox and blower. I like to think of a stove as a bicycle and a furnace as a motorcycle. Both have a frame (burn wood) and tires. Both could do the job but one will take a bit to get there. A furnace has the bells and whistles, a large blower, air jacket, thermostatically controlled intake air, secondary heat exchanger, etc. Just like advancements in boilers, forced air furnaces are there. As time moves on, performance will only get better.

 

[Whitespider]

LB, you can tell me all you want it won't work... but it will. And you should be happy because furnaces are EPA exempt, and mine will be EPA compliant.... huh?
I picked up the stove today... HOLY COW! Does that thing have a heavy built firebox or what?
It's gonna' be easier to put a plenum around it than I thought.
Link below will take you to the pics..


http://www.arboristsite.com/firewood-heating-wood-burning-equipment/193977.htm

 

[logbutcher]

LB, you can tell me all you want it won't work... but it will. And you should be happy because furnaces are EPA exempt, and mine will be EPA compliant.... huh?
I picked up the stove today... HOLY COW! Does that thing have a heavy built firebox or what?
It's gonna' be easier to put a plenum around it than I thought.
Link below will take you to the pics..
http://www.arboristsite.com/firewood-heating-wood-burning-equipment/193977.htm

.....ole dog new tricks......

Not "happy", not "unhappy". Don't give a %$@*&....EPA or not EPA. Just sharing experience, knowledge, some tech facts. You got some serious experience online and here available. "Plenum" is old, not efficient tech. Your choice, my opinion.

 

[Dale]

I looked at the pics. What's all this talk about that stove being a heat source ? Forget HEAT, that thing lays Budweiser eggs. Don't make it mad. :hmm3grin2orange: