# US Stove 1537G Problems



## Snowdooer (Nov 25, 2008)

I have a US Stove 1537G wood furnace (119,000 Btu/hr) that is rated for heating up to 2500 Sq ft.  My home is 1900 sq feet and I can't keep it heated.  Most people I talk to tell me it should be cooking me out of the house.  I've been on the phone with US Stove several times and they are out of suggestions for me.  Here's the quick and dirty on what I have and what I have done:

The wood furnace is a parallel installation with a propane furnace.  It is phyically located about 20 feet from the propane furnace, but has about 30 ft of trunk line between them.  All the main trunk line in the house is 16x8 rectangular.  All the return duct is 20x8 retangular.  I have 60 ft of supply trunk duct running the length of my house with the individual rooms running off of them.  The wood furnace has (2) 550 cfm blowers.  I have attached a picture of the installation.  (I changed the 8" round duct out for 16x8 retangular duct since the picture was taken.)

The furnace itself seem to be operating ok in that I can acheive a good fire with 350-450 chimney temperature and a solid draft.  Although I am getting short burn times, I think that may be a result of my wood being too dry.  Regardless of that, I cannot seem to get a very good plenum temperature.  My limit control is set to start the blowers at 175F and shut them down at 95F.  Once the blowers kick on the plenum temperature almost immediately drops down to 130F and then slowers continues to drop until it settles in around 115F.  It'll stay there until the fire dies down and I need to reload wood.

I have tried adjusting the under fire air and the over fire air in differant combinations, but I can't seem to keep a higher plenum temperature.  If I really let the fire rip I can get about 140F in the plenum, but the wood burns so fast I'd have to relaod the furnace every couple hours to keep it there.  I've installed a chimney damper as well to help keep heat in the furnace longer.  That has helped some, but even with it almost shut I can't seem to get enough heat out of the furnace.

Has anyone else seen this problem?  Any suggestions?  Your help is greatly appreciated.


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## smokinj (Nov 25, 2008)

what kind of wood you burning


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## Snowdooer (Nov 25, 2008)

Cherry and Maple.  Seasoned for about 2 years.


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## smokinj (Nov 25, 2008)

The install looks great i have my shut down temp set at 105 iam heating 2600 sq ft with soft maple. Hows your air flow at the vents?


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## Snowdooer (Nov 25, 2008)

I get decent flow out of the vents close to the furnace and almost no flow out of the runs at the far end of the trunk.


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## smokinj (Nov 25, 2008)

Snowdooer said:
			
		

> I get decent flow out of the vents close to the furnace and almost no flow out of the runs at the far end of the trunk.


Do you have it wire up to kick your other furance fans on at the same time as your wood furance?


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## Snowdooer (Nov 25, 2008)

No I do not.


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## smokinj (Nov 25, 2008)

Snowdooer said:
			
		

> No I do not.


ok there the problem you can do it manually at the theromstat just kick the fans on there and see what you got! then you can go from that point!


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## Snowdooer (Nov 25, 2008)

I can't really do that.  My wood furnace is feeding the supply duct in the opposite direction that the propane furnace is supplying it, so the two blowers will be competing against each other and I think the propane blower will win resulting in almost no flow through the wood furnace.  (or am I missing something)


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## M1sterM (Nov 25, 2008)

smokinj said:
			
		

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x2


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## smokinj (Nov 25, 2008)

Snowdooer said:
			
		

> I can't really do that.  My wood furnace is feeding the supply duct in the opposite direction that the propane furnace is supplying it, so the two blowers will be competing against each other and I think the propane blower will win resulting in almost no flow through the wood furnace.  (or am I missing something)


ok the problem is 1100 cfm is not enogh to move your heat that far so is there any way of getting the two air flow going the same?


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## Snowdooer (Nov 25, 2008)

Not without major duct work changes.  I was debating trying to install duct booster fans in the supply trunk to get the flow up.  But even with boosting the flow I'll still have the problem of only having 115F in the plenum.  I am working on producing a schematic of my installation so you can see how the two furnaces inter-relate.  Hopefully that'll shed some more light on it as well.


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## M1sterM (Nov 25, 2008)

Snowdooer said:
			
		

> I can't really do that.  My wood furnace is feeding the supply duct in the opposite direction that the propane furnace is supplying it, so the two blowers will be competing against each other and I think the propane blower will win resulting in almost no flow through the wood furnace.  (or am I missing something)



hmmm....so you have the wood furnace at the other end of the trunk from your propane furnace?  That's no good.  

They're designed to run the air into the plenum on top of the existing furnace (your propane furnace).  If you're really desperate to improve matters, I'd suggest running insulated ducts from the wood furnace (but not insulated within a few feet of the wood furnace) all the way to the plenum on your propane furnace.  (or move the wood furnace...).


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## smokinj (Nov 25, 2008)

Snowdooer said:
			
		

> Not without major duct work changes.  I was debating trying to install duct booster fans in the supply trunk to get the flow up.  But even with boosting the flow I'll still have the problem of only having 115F in the plenum.  I am working on producing a schematic of my installation so you can see how the two furnaces inter-relate.  Hopefully that'll shed some more light on it as well.


Your running more like a stand a lone furance thats the way i run mine if you go back to the 2 8in ducts here is what i did http://cgi.ebay.com/8-Can-Fan-INLINE-DUCT-EXHAUST-FAN-BLOWER-HYDROPONICS_W0QQitemZ200279844457QQcmdZViewItemQQptZBI_HVAC?hash=item200279844457&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72:1205|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318 they are good up to 170 but will give you the cfm to heat the whole house with no problems!


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## Snowdooer (Nov 25, 2008)

I hear what your saying and thought about running all new duct work, but I've already got $500 invested in this duct work project and I'm running out of cash.  I can't move the wood stove unless I want a chimney running through the middle of my house, so that option is out too.


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## Snowdooer (Nov 25, 2008)

I can't seem to get the schematic to load properly.


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## Snowdooer (Nov 25, 2008)

Let's try this.


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## M1sterM (Nov 25, 2008)

Snowdooer said:
			
		

> Not without major duct work changes.  I was debating trying to install duct booster fans in the supply trunk to get the flow up.  But even with boosting the flow I'll still have the problem of only having 115F in the plenum.  I am working on producing a schematic of my installation so you can see how the two furnaces inter-relate.  Hopefully that'll shed some more light on it as well.



Actually, if you put booster fans in, you'll probably get temps even lower that 115F (by pulling the air faster throught the furnace).  The idea of tying in to the blower on your propane furnace is it uses additional air to move the heat at the desired speed/volume.  Even if the air is onyl 90F at that point (due to mixing with the extra air the propane furnace blows), but it's moving at good speed out all the registers, you will heat the house up.  Think about it...say you're moving 2500 CFM at 85-90F, and figure out how much your house holds (a 2,000 sq ft house may average about 20,000 cubic feet if it has 10 foot ceilings), you're heating all the air up in your house to 85F every ten minutes or so...

I don't think the problem is the 115F degree air, but the inability to move it effectively through your trunk.  You could try closing the registers nearest the wood furnace, and see if the air moves a little further down the trunk.  Also, make absolutley sure there are no leaks...get out the tape and sealant.


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## M1sterM (Nov 25, 2008)

M1sterM said:
			
		

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Have to clarify...I'm not saying the booster fans are necssarily a bad idea, but don't be suprised if it lowers the air temp (not a problem following my discussion of what the propane furnace does).  Some people find them a bit noisy, but may be worth the try (and assuming you find/fix any leaks in the trunks).  

On the flip side, moving more "cold" air around your firebox could make it a bit harder to keep the burn temps up (e.g. it may lower efficiency just a bit).  I think there's been discussion of this effect in some of the threads about upgrading blower motors on add-on furnaces.


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## smokinj (Nov 25, 2008)

no the problems is with the cfms and iam not talking about busters you need super buster back before you hit the main truck ( this buster will do 747 cfms use two and your home free that would be a total of 2594 cfms counting the 1100 on the furance


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## Snowdooer (Nov 25, 2008)

M1sterM said:
			
		

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Hmmmm.  I understand what your saying.  I'm just trying to think of a way I might be able to try it out without spending a few hundred on duct work.


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## Snowdooer (Nov 25, 2008)

smokinj said:
			
		

> no the problems is with the cfms and iam not talking about busters you need super buster back before you hit the main truck ( this buster will do 747 cfms use two and your home free that would be a total of 2594 cfms counting the 1100 on the furance



This would certainly be a quicker and easier experiment to perform.  Where would I get a booster fan of this capacity?  The only ones I've seen so far have been rated at around 500 cfm for an 8" duct.  I was going to buy (2) 8" round boosters and install them side by side in my supply plenum as a test before I started posting here, but thought I'd ask some questions first.


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## smokinj (Nov 25, 2008)

Snowdooer said:
			
		

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I wish i had better news but with 1900 sqft you got to move more air or cut 1/2 the house off!http://cgi.ebay.com/8-Vortex-Centrifugal-Inline-Exhaust-Fan-Duct-Blower_W0QQitemZ150303656877QQcmdZViewItemQQptZHand_Tools_Gear_Equipment?hash=item150303656877&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72:1205|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318 This is the ones iam using gave you the wrong one before


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## TomB (Nov 25, 2008)

A couple of simple suggestions about the ductwork, first, insulate the 8 inch round supplies. 8" round pipe insulation is avaliable at the sheet metal supplier. 8" insulating sleeves that slide over the pipe. You are losing a great deal of your heat in the first 10 feet of your run. Basically, your heating the furnace room. Second, where the 8" round connect to your warm air duct, replace the 8" starting collars with a take off boot that set up for the 8" inlet but give you 9" outlet, take your 90 degree elbow and adjust it so the air moves on about a 30 to 45 degree angle in to the (what we call a "scotty" take off) starting boot. The boot look just like a adjustable 90 but have a large outlet with the folding tabs. Seal the connections.

You need to make the air flow down the ductwork, not collide with inside of the duct. Right now the air flows down the 8" in to the elbows at the trunk line and is hit the top of the duct at a 90 degree angle, make the air flow gradual. The blower with work better. Also check the return air, make sure you are actually getting air returning to the system. 

This a just a suggestion. I hope is may help. Be safe and well

Tom


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## Snowdooer (Nov 25, 2008)

Thanks Tom,

I did verify flow through the return duct.  I have already replaced the 8" round duct in the picture with 16x8 rectangular duct to get better flow.  BUT, it does still enter the main duct at a 90 deg angle.  I can try and build some sort of scoop to get the flow going in the correct direction out of the supply trunk.  Maybe some turning vanes in the final elbow ?


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## smokinj (Nov 25, 2008)

Snowdooer said:
			
		

> Thanks Tom,
> 
> I did verify flow through the return duct. I have already replaced the 8" round duct in the picture with 16x8 rectangular duct to get better flow. BUT, it does still enter the main duct at a 90 deg angle. I can try and build some sort of scoop to get the flow going in the correct direction out of the supply trunk. Maybe some turning vanes in the final elbow ?


I know how you feel I've got 2600 sq ft they don't tell you this stuff in the brochure


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## matt701 (Nov 26, 2008)

When you installed the 16 x 8 duct, did you cut it right into the top of the furnace or put the 2 8's into it?  The guy who helped me with my furnace install also said never to use 90s and that each 90 takes away 2 inches of interior capacity of your 8 inch pipe, so having the 2 90's was really restricting your airflow.  The original blowers that come with that furnace don't do well with any resistance.  175 seems like a high set point to me.


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## Snowdooer (Nov 26, 2008)

I did use the 8" round directly out of the furnace and transitioned into the 16x8.  I've attached an updated picture of my installation that shows the 16x8 duct installed.

Last night I played with an "auxilary blower" from an old oil furnace to increase flow.  Funny thing is, as I raised the speed on that blower my plenum temps came up, but I still didn't get any heat in to the house.  Very strange.

I tried the suggestion of running the propane furnace's blower in conjunction with the wood furnace.  That didn't work.  All I got was a bunch of cold air into most of the house and warm air in the runs closest to the wood furnace.  The blower on the propane furnace is too strong and restricts the flow of the wood furnace blowers.

I also made up some turning vanes and placed them in the last 16x8 elbow before entering the main trunk line.  That didn't help either.

A co-worker of mine gave me a couple in-line duct booster fans to try.  They are basically 2 4" fans mounted side by side on a 4x10 plate that screws to the bottom of the trunk line.  They have a 400 cfm rating.  I'll give them a shot tonight and see what happens.


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## henfruit (Nov 26, 2008)

put 2 90 up and into the main trunk line. this will get the flow down the main line. i did this with my englander and i heated the wholw house 2000 sq ft 2 story in new hampshire, on the side of a mtn. facing north. good luck.


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## Snowdooer (Nov 26, 2008)

I'm not exactly getting what you said.  I'm still on coffee #1, can you explain further.

What 90 deg elbows?  The 8" round"  Get rid of them?


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## matt701 (Nov 26, 2008)

I think the only problem you are having is airflow and those little blowers on the back.  I would bring that square duct all the way over the wood furnace and then cut out the top of the wood furnace and make a plenum that goes up to the square ducting.  I can't see the back of your wood furnace, but will that big blower mount to the back?  If not, I would put it on the side of the wood furnace, you could even turn your stove sideways so you could hook to the return easier.  I would change your setpoints to something like 140-90 so it runs more often and circulates more air.  I have a thread on here about my stove which shows the plenum I cut into my furnace and you can also see where I had the big blower into the side before I changed it to what I have now.  The big blower helped, but I still needed more airflow, so I changed it again.


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## Snowdooer (Nov 26, 2008)

matt701 said:
			
		

> I think the only problem you are having is airflow and those little blowers on the back.  I would bring that square duct all the way over the wood furnace and then cut out the top of the wood furnace and make a plenum that goes up to the square ducting.  I can't see the back of your wood furnace, but will that big blower mount to the back?  If not, I would put it on the side of the wood furnace, you could even turn your stove sideways so you could hook to the return easier.  I would change your setpoints to something like 140-90 so it runs more often and circulates more air.  I have a thread on here about my stove which shows the plenum I cut into my furnace and you can also see where I had the big blower into the side before I changed it to what I have now.  The big blower helped, but I still needed more airflow, so I changed it again.



I was thinking of adapting the big blower to my furnace, but I was afarid of putting too much air flow past the heat sink and losing temperature.  The manufacturer also warned me of this too.  The blower will fit, but I have to cut out the back of the stove, so it's a modification that is hard to reverse.  Same with the top.  Once I cut out the top it would be hard to go back.

My gut tells me I should do it, but my wallet keeps stopping me.....


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## smokinj (Nov 26, 2008)

I think you would be fine with that mod. iam pushing 2500 cfm still very warm at the at each out let


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## matt701 (Nov 26, 2008)

Check out my 1557 build thread on here.  I have a 100K btu propane furnace blower blowing right through mine.  I cut a 13x30 hole in the side and another hole in the top and with a decent fire, my blower runs near constant with a 110-90 thermodisc.  Also, you are going to be heating your return air, so you would only need a 30 degree or so temperature rise out of your furnace.  Your furnace was made with a blower made for I believe 1100 cfms, but with any resistance at all, you aren't pushing anywhere close to that.  The bigger blower would have enough  force to get the air flowing.  You could use a dimmer switch/rheostat to control your fan speeds for more options.  Is that a multi speed fan?  You could wire a hi/low switch if so.


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## Snowdooer (Nov 26, 2008)

Yes, the blowers are rated at 1100 cfm.  I can tell by sticking my hand in the main trunk that I'm losing some of the flow.  Those blowers only have a 1/25 hp motor and can't handle much back pressure.  The other furnace fan I have is a multi-speed fan.  That's a good idea putting a hi/low switch on it.

Maybe I'll start by cutting the return side and getting more flow through the furnace on that end.  It's a pretty quick mod and won't take that much sheet metal.  The top of the plenum is a much larger job.  If I still don't get the flow I'll go that route.

I took a look at your build.  Very nice.  I wish my two furnaces were close enough to do that, but I'm stuck in that regard.  Looks like I found something to keep me occupied this long Thanksgiving weekend!


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## matt701 (Nov 26, 2008)

When you remove the small blowers, take a look inside.  If I remember right, I didn't put the big blower in the back because there's actually an inner metal wall you have to cut through, but only the one on the sides.  When you look inside, I think you'll see what I'm talking about.  Keep us updated with some reading over the long weekend.  Happy Turkey day.


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## Snowdooer (Nov 26, 2008)

I'll take a look, but the last time I had a blower off a vacuumed out the plenum and don't remember the inner wall being there.

BTW, is there a reason why you didn't try and just buy a bigger motor for the stock fans?  I had someone suggest to me that I should just replace the 1/25 hp (1550 rpm) motors with something like a 1/10 hp (3600 rpm) motor and get higher flow that way.  

I'm getting kind of sick of the $$$ of this R&D;project myself and I'm leaning towards following your lead, but though I would ask.


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## smokinj (Nov 26, 2008)

Snowdooer said:
			
		

> I'll take a look, but the last time I had a blower off a vacuumed out the plenum and don't remember the inner wall being there.
> 
> BTW, is there a reason why you didn't try and just buy a bigger motor for the stock fans?  I had someone suggest to me that I should just replace the 1/25 hp (1550 rpm) motors with something like a 1/10 hp (3600 rpm) motor and get higher flow that way.
> 
> I'm getting kind of sick of the $$$ of this R&D;project myself and I'm leaning towards following your lead, but though I would ask.


your duct work in place just modding the blower and your going to love the system just try and work with what you have.(2000-2300 cfms and your there)


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## henfruit (Nov 26, 2008)

the air flow needs to go down the main trunk.if you just have the pipe stuck in the trunk at a 90 you are just spalshing the air in there not in any direction.a 90 set into the main trunk will direct the flow where it needs to go.


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## smokinj (Nov 26, 2008)

henfruit said:
			
		

> the air flow needs to go down the main trunk.if you just have the pipe stuck in the trunk at a 90 you are just spalshing the air in there not in any direction.a 90 set into the main trunk will direct the flow where it needs to go.


Thats a good place to start but those 2 550cfms blowers will still be way under powered


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## Snowdooer (Nov 26, 2008)

I'll do some more playing tonight and Friday and keep you guys posted as to what I find.  Thanks again for all your suggestions and information.


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## smokinj (Nov 26, 2008)

Snowdooer said:
			
		

> I'll do some more playing tonight and Friday and keep you guys posted as to what I find.  Thanks again for all your suggestions and information.


please do and take pic's


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## matt701 (Nov 26, 2008)

I did look around for blowers that would fit in the stock holes.  Like you said, all you'll find is 1/10 HP and I wanted 1/3 or 1/4 HP to get the air moving.  I'd rather go too large and use low speed if I had to than buy another problem.  Plus, the big blower was only around $80 shipped.  Looking forward to seeing the pics also...after 3 years of trial and error with mine, I'm out of mods that I can do to it, so all I can do is read about other people's trials.  You'll see a huge difference once you get the blower in.


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## smokinj (Nov 26, 2008)

matt701 said:
			
		

> I did look around for blowers that would fit in the stock holes.  Like you said, all you'll find is 1/10 HP and I wanted 1/3 or 1/4 HP to get the air moving.  I'd rather go too large and use low speed if I had to than buy another problem.  Plus, the big blower was only around $80 shipped.


matts right easier to throttle down than have no peddle left!!


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## laynes69 (Nov 26, 2008)

I'll chime in here. Just because you are moving more air around the jacket, does not mean the air will cool the firebox, or the heat at the registers. I was one of the few a couple years ago that was fed up with the old install. I can push around 130 degree air from all of our registers in our home, running at a firebox temp of 400-450. If you get a bigger blower, you need to just cut the back, or side out to accompany the blower. Also you should have a honewell limit/control, and not a snapdisc. This allows you to set your temps so the blower runs for a while with heat. With that setup and runs, you need more than 2 8" ducts. Also I would setup a damper above the main furnaces plenum, that way you shut that off to allow for pressure in the system with a bigger blower. Its frustrating having to spend the $$$$$ especially in this economy, but it will pay off if done correctly. I ducted mine in series, that wont work for you, but you can get alot better heat from a few modifications.


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## Duetech (Nov 27, 2008)

A damper plate in the main trunk line to prevent heating your idle furnace is probably the cheapest route to take and will help even with the bigger blower. I did it with the US Stove Hotblast and bigger Englander I had and forced the air throughout the trunk line. Pretty simple to make too! 1'8" steel rod for the axle(I used copper coated acetylene weld rod). Flat sheet metal (flat duct work is good enough) at 1/8-1/4" narrower than the trunk width and about 1-2" taller than the trunk height.  Center and attach the axle to the center of the damper plate width-wise[(flat sheet metal) I used one simple cabinet hinge that I took apart] . Drill 1/8" holes centered and aligned in the trunk line for the axle to fit through. 5-8" fully threaded screw or rod to attach weight to (for counter balance) (at head end which is furthest away from damper plate) and spring (to keep weight in place, use lock nut on one side of damper plate and regular nut with washers to hold counter balance screw to damper plate) about 1/3 down. Put enough weight out to the end of the screw to allow the plate to "gravity" swing shut (block air from wood furnace to gas furnace) but also blow open by the gas furnace blower. I used a long rivet (just before center from the top about an inch in from the farthest reach of the plate as it swings) in the trunk cabinet line to prevent the damper plate from swinging past center and locking the plate closed to the regular furnace. Pin or clamp (slight groove in axle with hair pin cotters and small washers for axle movement) the axle and damper plate so it don't shift from side to side but still move up and down for it's cycle.
Just a project if you choose. I used this set up for about 17 years. Oiled the hinges every couple of years and cleaned the cabinet (once) where the damper plate goes (as close to your gas furnace as you can get). No real problems...Stay warm


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## Snowdooer (Nov 30, 2008)

OK boys....I am sitting here in my 75 deg living room typing this post.  First off; thanks to all of you that helped me out with advice.  I've been beating my head against the wall for weeks trying to get this furnace to heat my house.  Now after following your advice I just need to learn how to control the burn and keep my house under 80F!

I spent yesterday making the mods to my furnace.  I ended up cutting a larger hole in the back of my furnace and installing a single blower with a much larger capacity.  I also modified the return air duct to accept the larger blower.  I was going to open up the top of the furnace (and I still might), but by just adding the larger blower my house is plenty warm.  

The reason I might still open up the top is that I am noticing hot spots on the furnace skin surrounding the air box.  Oddly enough the hottest spot seems to be around the limit control.  I figure by opening up the top it might change the air flow around the firebox enough to get better mixing. 

Here are some pics of my modifications:


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## Snowdooer (Nov 30, 2008)

I read a couple other posts that talk about removing the rear forced draft plug for use as secondary combustion air.  I'm going to experiment with this (once I can get it removed) to see if I can get a cleaner burn.  I have a wood stove in my living room (quadra fire) that has secondary combustion air tubes across the top.  I'm wondering if anyone has made this mod using the forced draft plug as a source of air?  I don't think it would be too hard to fabricate.  

Any comments?


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## laynes69 (Nov 30, 2008)

Someone from arboristsite.com did it with black pipe. Said it makes a difference. Just removing that plug will give close to the same effect. I would for sure open that top up. You will get alot better flow through the furnace. Looks good, and glad you have found what you were looking for. Forgot to add, I would turn down your on to 140. That way you don't have to have a roaring fire to kick in the stove. When it starts to burn the coals down you will get more heat from the unit. I am at 140 on and 85 off. It works the best for me.


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## matt701 (Nov 30, 2008)

Very neat looking install, looks like you are good at fabricating ductwork.  Just keep playing with the dampers until you get it comfortable in the house.  I tried taking that back plug out and it just lets in a lot more air which doesn't work well for me with regulating the temperature in my house, but it may work for you.  Can you dump some of the heat into the basement?  I had to move my limit switch to the right side because just like yours, that left corner was hotter than the rest of the furnace.  Just drill another hole and fill the old one.


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## Snowdooer (Dec 1, 2008)

Thanks Chuck.  I'm by no means a sheet metal guy, but with perseverence....

I do have some more playing to do.  The first day was great.  75F and comfortable.  Since then I've been having trouble balancing length of burn and temps in the house.  I seem to only be able to achieve extremes.  Either too hot in the house and a short burn or too cold with a longer burn.  I think part of my problem is that my wood may be a bit too dry.  

I did get the back plug out today and I agree, it doesn't do anything for me.  I put it back in.  I may experiment with it some more, but right now I have to work on the basics.  I've been running with my under fire air damper 1/2 to 3/4 turns open and my over fire damper shut.  This doesn't seem to give me enough air and I get about 300-350 flue temps max.  I have a magnetic thermometer above the feed door and tends to run in the 425-475 range.

When I open the over fire damper just slightly I get nice secondary burn and my flue temp goes up about 50F.  But then my burn time goes down.  If I load the box heavy I can get 4-5 hrs out of it.  At this rate I'll probably end up using 25 face cord, which is more than I have stacked....


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## Snowdooer (Dec 5, 2008)

I've noticed a lot of you users of Hot Blast furnaces have removed your smoke doors.  Does it make much of a difference in the smoke coming into the room while loading wood?  

I usually open the flue damper and the bottom ash door for a few seconds before opening the front door.  That seems to work well for me.  That smoke curtain is a pain in the behind when loading wood, so I'd love to get rid of it.

What's the consensus?


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## JustWood (Dec 5, 2008)

laynes69 said:
			
		

> Someone from arboristsite.com did it with black pipe. Said it makes a difference. Just removing that plug will give close to the same effect. I would for sure open that top up. You will get alot better flow through the furnace. Looks good, and glad you have found what you were looking for. Forgot to add, I would turn down your on to 140. That way you don't have to have a roaring fire to kick in the stove. When it starts to burn the coals down you will get more heat from the unit. I am at 140 on and 85 off. It works the best for me.




Good advice for setting fan on/off limit switch. I experimented with mine and found  105/155 the best setting. 
I believe every setup requires a different setting. My manual says the low should be set at 90 but at that 
temp. my chimney seems to creosote up  fast. Since I have set it at 105 it is pretty much self cleaning.


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## smokinj (Dec 5, 2008)

LEES WOOD-CO said:
			
		

> laynes69 said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Iam using the same settings,and working good.Using lots of softwood and only sweeping the chimminey once a year and its not bad at all!


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## bigdog (Dec 13, 2008)

Snowdooer said:
			
		

> I can't really do that.  My wood furnace is feeding the supply duct in the opposite direction that the propane furnace is supplying it, so the two blowers will be competing against each other and I think the propane blower will win resulting in almost no flow through the wood furnace.  (or am I missing something)


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               I had a similar problem with the blowers competeing against each other.  My chimney is between the woodburner and furnace and it wasn't practical to pipe the woodburner into the furnace plenum. I piped the 8" round into the the trunk on either side of the plenum and the stove will burn us out of the house (2400 sq ft) if I let it. The only difference between us is my setup is centrally located in the basement.  My runs from the woodburner are 6 and 8 feet long respectively.  The 1537g should give you enough heat.  My house is old and poorly insulated (working on it little bit at a time).  My HVAC friend suggested I could get a bigger blower for the woodstove from an old furnace he tears out but so far it hasn't been needed.


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## bigdog (Dec 13, 2008)

Snowdooer said:
			
		

> OK boys....I am sitting here in my 75 deg living room typing this post.  First off; thanks to all of you that helped me out with advice.  I've been beating my head against the wall for weeks trying to get this furnace to heat my house.  Now after following your advice I just need to learn how to control the burn and keep my house under 80F!
> 
> I spent yesterday making the mods to my furnace.  I ended up cutting a larger hole in the back of my furnace and installing a single blower with a much larger capacity.  I also modified the return air duct to accept the larger blower.  I was going to open up the top of the furnace (and I still might), but by just adding the larger blower my house is plenty warm.
> 
> ...


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               That install looks great.


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