# Kuuma Vapor Fire 100 indoor furnace new install done and "Fired up!" with pics



## glacialhills

Just got my furnace installed and have been burning for a day. My first impressions...I am really impressed! So easy even a caveman can do it. It is totally computer controlled and all you have to do is put in good seasoned wood.It controls the draft completely and burn times have been 8 and 8.5hrs. with cherry.Thermostat set to 70. 1840sf ranch No temp. swings mark on 70 in the living room over entire burn and super even heat.Outdoor temp low 20's. Cant wait to see what a load of hickory or white oak will do. The company answered questions when called right away and talked with me as long as it took they knew the stove, electrical connections, plenum, chimney, everything...like the back of their hand, and even called me back when my cell lost call. They tried 5 times! and ended up calling back to my land line house phone. Now that is customer service. This furnace blows no smoke, has ultra insulation( can touch its outside and is just warm). Two layers of firebrick and under that ceramic liner. also stack temps are super low. can touch class a 3 foot above the stove. but box temps are prolly way over 600. The Kumma company is a small family owned place way up in Tower MN. they build these furnaces like tanks. And they are not inexpensive but in this case you really do get what you pay for +... Extra heavy guage steel, high limit alarms, over abundant insulation and zero creosote with good seasoned wood( he told me he has yet to have to clean his chimney after running it 18 years) all these things made it worth every penny to me in peace of mind factor.


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## Dave T

Sounds good, looks good, nice fire in the box keep us updated on wood consumption have you had wood burning heat in the past how does this stack up to others..Is it a boiler with a built in exchanger??  Dave


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## glacialhills

Had an old Franklin growing up and a Wards furnace for the Basement.Have used a hearth stone and jotul at uncles and parents. This is not even in the same Universe as those. This thing runs like it has cruise control and does everything all by itself. it adjusts up and down with load and output. it is a forced air furnace. No boiler. Biggest thing I have noticed so far is how even it keeps the temp in the house. The old furnace I grew up with would have huge swings and very little way to control output. This Kuuma Vapor fire 100 controls intake air, damper, and heat output precisely down to a couple of degrees. It burns the logs right down to nothing without changing the temp in the house until it is out of fuel. Has led lights on the computer that tells you what is going on at a glance from across the room. Dont see me having to do much tinkering and has almost zero learning curve...unlike a lot of others. Almost disappointed that there is so little to do to get really good burns already....Almost.


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## glacialhills

Anyone else want to comment on my install?


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## daleeper

Photo's too small to see, but looks like every air and vent connection had to be offset a little?  I have thought about a wood furnace rather than a stove, and am wondering if you have central a/c in your house or if this is a stand alone system?  Do you have a backup heating system, if you do, what kind?

I couldn't find anything on the internet about this Kumma furnace, are you aware of a web site for them?

Thanks for sharing the photos.  That furnace should keep you warm this winter.


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## webbie

Looks good to me....main thing is that it obviously works well. Anything that can do the job in your climate - in this weather......is working to beat the band.


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## jebatty

More info:

http://www.lamppakuuma.com/


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## markpee

She sure is purty!


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## brent3556

Any update on how you like it now that we are a fair distance into the heating season? I am really looking at this Kuuma for my shop and or possibly add on in my house.


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## glacialhills

I have absolutely no complaints... And I mean none. I thought I would have some little minor problems or complaints by now seeing it has been going non stop since mid November but nope nothing. fit and finish perfect. running right along with anywhere from 6-15 hour burns depending on outside temps and how warm I keep the thermostat set.(we get an 8 hour burn with 20+ or - degree outside temps,burning cherry/elm and stat set to 72).And we recently went away the whole day,loaded it to the gills and we turned the stat down to 62. we were gone from 11am till after 7am the next morning and still had enough coals to get a fire going and the house was still at 54!   It did run pretty hard when it got to minus 6 and 30-40 mile an hour winds(actual blizzard conditions for 4 hours) could only keep the house temp at 70 running full blast, loading ever 4-6 hours but for heating 1800+ sq ft I think it was great. One thing I really liked about this furnace is the fact that if you lose power as we did last week, it can still be run as gravity feed,not overfire and keeps the house decently warm. I might check into a battery bank of 2 or 3 deep cycles and inverter to run the fan once in a while to circulate the heat a bit more but not a biggie. It has just a small bit of brown film build up inside the class a chimney, nothing that even merits cleaning.Chimney temps are so low I was kinda worried about creosote build up but none so far(class a just gets warm and black pipe right off the back can be touched quickly,under 250 I would guess. I have used about 2-2.5 cords of mostly cherry and elm with a bit of white and red oak and some hornbeam.This furnace really just runs all on its own. you just  open the door...rake coals to the front...load with prolly 5-8 splits and close.Empty the ash pan every 4 or 5 days That's it. This furnace is not inexpensive but it is so easy to run I would never go back to one of the older style furnaces that I had growing up and that are still being sold at many places.Oh and one more thing. Kumma's customer service is the best I have ever dealt with. They answer the phone on the second ring usually, and will talk to you for as long as it takes to answer your questions or problems. Just be ready for that MN accent. If you have any specific questions ask away (can you tell I just love this furnace?).


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## glacialhills

daleeper said:
			
		

> Photo's too small to see, but looks like every air and vent connection had to be offset a little?  I have thought about a wood furnace rather than a stove, and am wondering if you have central a/c in your house or if this is a stand alone system?  Do you have a backup heating system, if you do, what kind?
> 
> I couldn't find anything on the internet about this Kumma furnace, are you aware of a web site for them?
> 
> Thanks for sharing the photos.  That furnace should keep you warm this winter.


 Sorry I didn't reply to your questions...must of missed it. Kumma recommends using 2 45 elbows off the back if possible and not 90's because of the low stack temps. the intake air and plenum were just brought back to fit joists and rafters and existing duct work.(chimney is right behind the jack post in photo) We have a train 93eff. forced air gas furnace that ate us out of house and home last winter($3400 bucks and we froze our butts off).We figure it will pay for itself in two winters and we are nice and toasty warm. This is the stand alone system because we set it at the other side of the basement from the gas furnace...near to walk out for ease of wood getting. They also make an add on model that uses your existing blower But I like the big, nice quiet fan this has.


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## brent3556

Just to nail down what I can expect to consume (based on my house using 800 gallons of fuel oil @ 70% eficiency) can you tell me how many gallons of what ever fossil fuel you were using in a heating season? You had a price but I don't keep up on the prices of anything other than fuel oil and corn. I also am curious what your thoughts are on heating a 30x30x11 insulated shop with a wood unit such as this? I have no duct work in my shop, but it seems like such a sweet unit that I would consider just directing the forced air downward and running a couple of ceiling fans? That is a clean lookin install, makes my sticker peck up a little.


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## glacialhills

Just asked the wife and we think it was about 1300-1400 gallons of propane. And like I said we froze our butts off. If we kept it as warm as we have it now I would think it would be over 1600+. It would heat that size shop great but I would give Lammpa a call at 1-800-358-2049 to make sure. If anything it might be to much furnace for that small of a space.Just the radiant heat off our furnace warms our uninsulated walkout basement that is also 1800+ quite a bit. They will know exactly what you would need.


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## FinnFinder

I'm looking for a High efficiency add-on furnace.  One that qualifies for the Energy Tax Credit would be good.
The Kuuma Vapor Fire Model 100 looks good but I need more feedback from users of that stove.   I've looked
at OWB, but high efficiency models are too expensive, unproven and still use too much wood.  Wood gas 
boilers look efficient but the initial cost, complex installation and hot water storage is prohibitive.   I had a report
that BlazeKing has a new furnace model but there is no information?


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## laynes69

Have you checked on the PSG Caddy also? They do qualify and are EPA Certified. I bought one this year. I have talked with alot of people and they are happy with their wood consumption and clean burning capabilities. Here is a video.

http://www.psg-distribution.com/product.aspx?CategoId=15&Id=325&Page=video


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## laynes69

Have you checked on the PSG Caddy also? They do qualify and are EPA Certified. I bought one this year. I have talked with alot of people and they are happy with their wood consumption and clean burning capabilities. Here is a video. Also some specs.

http://www.psg-distribution.com/product.aspx?CategoId=15&Id=325&Page=video

http://www.psg-distribution.com/product.aspx?CategoId=15&Id=325


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## mike1234

I have a Yukon Super Jack add on wood furnace that I am real happy with. 
Yukon
They have a sales rep that hangs around on here that might answer some questions for you. 



			
				FinnFinder said:
			
		

> I'm looking for a High efficiency add-on furnace.  One that qualifies for the Energy Tax Credit would be good.
> The Kuuma Vapor Fire Model 100 looks good but I need more feedback from users of that stove.   I've looked
> at OWB, but high efficiency models are too expensive, unproven and still use too much wood.  Wood gas
> boilers look efficient but the initial cost, complex installation and hot water storage is prohibitive.   I had a report
> that BlazeKing has a new furnace model but there is no information?


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## smokinj

Glacialhills said:
			
		

> Just got my furnace installed and have been burning for a day. My first impressions...I am really impressed! So easy even a caveman can do it. It is totally computer controlled and all you have to do is put in good seasoned wood.It controls the draft completely and burn times have been 8 and 8.5hrs. with cherry.Thermostat set to 70. 1840sf ranch No temp. swings mark on 70 in the living room over entire burn and super even heat.Outdoor temp low 20's. Cant wait to see what a load of hickory or white oak will do. The company answered questions when called right away and talked with me as long as it took they knew the stove, electrical connections, plenum, chimney, everything...like the back of their hand, and even called me back when my cell lost call. They tried 5 times! and ended up calling back to my land line house phone. Now that is customer service. This furnace blows no smoke, has ultra insulation( can touch its outside and is just warm). Two layers of firebrick and under that ceramic liner. also stack temps are super low. can touch class a 3 foot above the stove. but box temps are prolly way over 600. The Kumma company is a small family owned place way up in Tower MN. they build these furnaces like tanks. And they are not inexpensive but in this case you really do get what you pay for +... Extra heavy guage steel, high limit alarms, over abundant insulation and zero creosote with good seasoned wood( he told me he has yet to have to clean his chimney after running it 18 years) all these things made it worth every penny to me in peace of mind factor.





Looks like a top notch install!


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## glacialhills

We burned 24/7 all last winter...and since being our first full year of burning our last 2 cords of wood were "iffy" in moisture content. but we saved at least $3400.00 in propane  (I say at least because last winter was much harsher than previous years and we kept the house much warmer than with propane) so it payed for itself in one winter. We used right about 6.5 cords total. This winter it will pay for the chimney and install, and after that free heat minus cutting firewood. Just for comparison this stove weighed just over 900 pounds and the psg caddy (which I was also strongly considering) weighs just over half that. also stack temps are much lower with the Kuuma than with any other conventional wood furnace so I concluded it was burning more efficiently with the added insulation and burn chamber. They claim it is a gassification furnace but as others on here have said they dont think it is a true gassifier as they know the term. Either way it seems very efficient and runs like any other appliance in the house...no more baby sitting it like most furnaces or stoves. Just put wood in and set thermostat and it does the rest.


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## laynes69

They are an impressive furnace. Pricey, but sounds like they are worth it. I can't wait to get my furnace fired up this year. Its the same thing, load it and forget it. There is nothing to mess with except the thermostat. I notice that they recommend 45 degree elbows, due to the lower temps of the flue. Are they draft sensative with the lower temps? Sure beats the standard wood furnace.


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## fsumble

Hi Glacialhills,

I just ordered a vapor fire 100 furnace from Lamppa, and I have a question about your install because it will be much like mine.  I will be locating my unit at the opposite end of my basement from my heat pump.  Did you tie your supply plenum in to the supply duct of your furnace, or the return?

Are you using the same thermostat for both systems, or did you add one for the Vapor Fire 100?

Thanks!


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## glacialhills

Hi Fsumble, You are gonna just love it.Best money I have ever spent. I tied it into the return of my gas furnace. So that I can take advantage of the filters in the upstairs returns, so as to double filter the supply air for the wood furnace.(the kumma also has a filter box on the back of the blower housing, since you got the stand alone vaper fire 100 model)I also made a flap that swings and drops across the top of the plenum of the gas furnace, keeping the hot wood furnace from backfeeding in though the top of the gas furnace so I dont blow all my nice heated air back in through the top of the forced air furnace.It opens and closes automatically depending on the which unit( direction the air flow) is blowing.I also made a turn stop at the top of the wood furnace plenum so I dont backfeed hot air to the  fire box of the wood furnace if I want to run the gas furnace. You Just need to remember to turn it to open if you start running the wood furnace again.
    The vapor fire 100 comes with a separate thermostat for the wood furnace. I installed it right next to my thermostat for the gas furnace in the living room.One note, I located the sensor for the thermostat in the top part of the big square part of the plenum off of the top of the wood furnace as it was not heating up and kicking on the blower if connected right on the bottom of the plenum where the instructions tell/show you to place it. If you need any clarifications let me know, but Lamppa is just a phone call away and  they are the most helpful folks I have ever dealt with if you have a question while installing.Good luck. 

    I am just in awe of this furnace and can you believe that in less than two heating seasons My complete stove and install will be payed for, then, except for getting wood, my heat forever more will be nearly free(gotta pay for the lectric for the blower still) heheh.Love giving the propane truck the finger when he blows by my house to go fill my neighbors tanks.


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## fsumble

Thanks for the reply and the info!  I need to make some decisions so I can get ready before the furnace comes.  I have also enjoyed talking with Daryl at the plant.  He really knows the product!  It is too bad that they have not gotten them certified by the EPA, but Daryl says it costs $50,000.00 to do so.  Your installation looks really great,  you did a really nice job!  I'll be sure to post after I'm up and running so there will be another good testimony on the site.


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## glacialhills

FSUMBLE, Have you got the furnace yet? I forgot to tell you this is one heavy mofo. at 900+ lbs. you will need some real help moving it around.  I recruited my next door neighbor farmer, with forks on his tractor, and he picked it from the driveway where the  delivery truck driver set it ,and placed it right inside the walkout basement door for me. then I used a few dowels and we rolled it into place.


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## fsumble

I'm expecting a call from Daryl any day now.  He thought they would build it late this month and ship early Sept.  They got an order of 250 of the smaller add-on furnaces, and they have to complete them by Jan 1st, so they were going to take a break from that order to build ten of the vapor fire 100's.  When I called, he said 7 out of the 10 were spoken for already, so I was glad to have the chance to have one for the fall.  I thought the web-site said 700+ lbs,  I guess that is part of why it costs more than several others I checked out.

I have a garage that is located 5 steps below my basement, so I have to go up to get it in, but I removed a 12' aluminum ramp from a box truck, and I will use a pallet jack to take it up.  I might brace the ramp in the middle to be sure we don't buckle!  I'm really looking forward to trying this thing out, and I have been cutting wood for the winter of 2010-2011 because I will probably burn more wood since it will be so easy compared to the furnace I was using.  I used to burn on weekends and evenings when it gets cold outside, but I rarely tried to hold a fire for more than 4 days.  This thing will be a whole other ball game!

Thanks for the note,  Perhaps I'll bug Daryl today.


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## fsumble

Hi Glacial Hills,

Several nights ago I fired up my vapor fire 100 for the first time.  I had a water tank hooked up to it (I ordered the hot water coil option), but I have not connected it to ductwork yet (I'll get that done this week), so I cheated by connecting a manual switch for the fan instead of the auto switch on the side of the furnace.

I used 3 pieces of junk wood for the first fire, and set the temperature knob all the way to low.  The lights on the computer came on and the air damper opened up all the way.  45 minutes later, the damper was still open all the way.  It seemed like the furnace was not able to come to even it's lowest set temperature, or something was wrong with the computer or sensor.  Then I added a nice dry piece of ash to the fire, and within 15 minutes, one of the lights went out and the damper closed part way, and the smoke disappeared!  I was watching the top of the chimney, and I was looking through the draft damper.  When all four logs had burned up, the insulation around the secondary burn area was still white, and the inside of my stack was absolutely clean.  I'm looking forward to a colder night so I can really fire the thing up.

I am most impressed by how simple this thing is compared to other gasifiers, and how well built it is.  I wish there would be a way for me to watch the secondary burn happen.  I'm sure that opening the door makes it stop completely, so there is no way to get a look up were the sensor is.  I asked Daryl why they couldn't give a sight glass into that area, and he said they tried it, but it gets a white film on it so it became useless anyway.  I was impressed with these down-draft boilers that have a lower door you can open to observe the secondary burn.

I will post again after I have had some real experience with this thing, but so far as you were, I am very impressed!


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## kitch

Hi, 
Just found this website and forum...WOW!  Thanks.  We have an old RITEWAY indoor furnace which over the past couple of days seems to be overheating.  One day it's fine and the next it gets way too hot and the temperature won't come down.  Sounds dangerous to me.  Last night it overheated, this am it's fine.  Go figure.  Anyway, my husband has been looking into wood furnaces and the comments on this Kuuma make it sound like the ideal furnace.  We go through about 12.5 cords a year with the riteway (2100 sq.ft. multi level house, but very open design).  Moved here three years ago, old farmhouse, seems like we could be much more efficient, safe, and use less wood with the Kuuma!


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## fsumble

I am very pleased with the Vapor Fire 100.  This is my first winter with it, so I have not burned enough wood to comment on how much less wood I will burn with it, but the furnace is very well made, and after burning enough wood to fill 2 5-gal buckets with ash, the upper portion of the furnace and the smoke pipe has no soot at all!  At the top of the inside firing chamber there is white ceramic fiber insulation (Yes, on the inside of the chamber!)  It looks like fiberglass insulation, but it is bright white.  On my furnace, that insulation is still white!  That should be proof that we are burning the creosote!

Glacier Hills will have more comments, this is his 2nd winter with his.


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## glacialhills

Hey there, my 2 year old ranch is 1800+ sf with 9' ceilings and the walkout basement is also 1800 with 9 foot also and is bare concrete exposed on two whole walls(need to get that fixed). We burned about 6.5 cords last winter with, as I recall, marginal wood the last 2or3 cord or so. This year we look like we will use far less as our wood is much better seasoned.When I get the basement insulated I expect to save significantly more and dont see us using over 5 a winter, if that. I dont think I can add to what has already been said. Still love it, no Creosote problems(heck no Creosote period) almost too easy.I have ran a brush up the chimney just to check it 2 times and have got maybe 2 or 3 cups of light fluffy ash out of the whole 32 foot run of class a. I dont see how you could even overfire this as the computer handles the draft so well and if the power  ever does goes out the draft shuts down. Then your only worry is that the Registers might get too hot.
( ours went out for quite a few hours last winter as I recall and we didn't have that problem). The vapor fire has a high limit alarm and shutdown safety also though we have never heard or had it activate. An example of how comfortable I am with this furnace as to safety, We went to grandmas over this weekend(got a big doe with my muzzleloader last night) and I had no reservations of loading the furnace to the hilt right before we left. When we got home last night after 33 hours away the house was still above 54 with outside temps never reaching above 42 and lows in the 20's.Smartest thing I have bought...ever. It will pay for itself about the middle of this winter. If you have any specific questions fire away.


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## glacialhills

Oh, and Fsumble, mine is still bright white too. I need to call Darlye at Lammpa and ask if and how that needs to be cleaned as it has that white powder ash on it, I was not clear on how to open up the top part of the furnace to get to it and clean it out. (I am sure just a light shop vac job will do the trick).Do you know?


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## lpp5855

Glacialhills said:
			
		

> Anyone else want to comment on my install?



Glacial, I am worried about you now.  Don't you have many friends?


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## kitch

Thanks for all of the input and comments about the stove it sounds perfect.  Not sure we'll get to it this winter but will definitely think about it for the near future.


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## glacialhills

Cuttin’ Paranoid said:
			
		

> Glacialhills said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Anyone else want to comment on my install?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Glacial, I am worried about you now.  Don't you have many friends?
Click to expand...


Wow I really struck a chord with you huh, have to go search all my old posts from a year ago to try to find something to zing me? 

If only you took as much pride getting wood without stealing it as you did in stacking it you would be a decent guy.


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## fsumble

Hi GlacialHills,

If you get a chance, check out Lamppa Mfg's web-site again.  The smaller vapor fire 200 just earned EPA certification.  They said the burn efficiency is in the 90+ range!  The overall efficiency with duct loss and fan energy came out to 81%, and they only had to make 75% to make the cut.  Daryl said they will test the 100 in March.  I am amazed that the burn efficiency could be so high!  I am very pleased with my Vapor Fire 100.  After burning since November, and the upper firing chamber is still clean!  I have no trouble holding a fire even if I burn hemlock, and it does not take big chunks of wood to hold a long fire.  I have been splitting my wood smaller for next year because I like how the smaller splits burn in this thing.  

How is yours working out for you in all this cold weather this year?

FsUmble


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## laynes69

From the looks of the site they qualify for the tax credit. Nothing about EPA certification yet, unless they are in the process. Its nice to see central furnaces that are improving their combustion efficiencies. If they are achieving those high numbers they need to pay the cost and get the furnaces EPA certified.


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## glacialhills

Wow, I knew it was efficient, but those numbers put it right up there with some of the best gas furnaces. No wonder I kept redoing my numbers when comparing it to the propane consumption I had before I got the vaporfire...I kept thinking I was off somewhere in my math because of the low wood to gas ratio. Now I know why. I also want to tell you about their customer service. Our blower motor (I thought) stopped working and would just hum when the stat kicked it on. It would run if I spun the birdcage but would not start on its own. I called and we discussed the problem and they sent another motor...for free. no shipping, nothing. I put it in and same thing...hum hum hum ...then It hit me...the capacitor was what was humming! I call them back and let them know and a new capacitor is UPSed and I get it the next day. I was told to keep the motor too. Now is that service or what!  This year with my better seasoned wood I am way better with my wood supply and we are keeping the house at 74-76 in the day and 70 at night (I am almost ashamed to be so warm).


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## fsumble

Our house has been very warm also, and my wood supply has lasted very well even though a lot of it was hemlock and poplar.  Next year I will have a bunch of oak.  I have been very impressed with this furnace, and now that we can get the $1500 tax credit (The 100 is going to be certified in March), the deal got a lot sweeter. 

Have you had to adjust your front door yet?  Mine used to have some resistance when I drop the handle into it's cradle, but now it just slips in.  I checked for air leakage with a cigarette lighter around the edges of the door, and it does not seem to be pulling any air in, but I think the instructions talked about re-adjusting the door after a while.  What do you think?


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## Steve Foss

It looks like we're going to replace our very old Kuuma with the Kuuma 100. We really like what we see and hear about them (including comments on this site gathered using the "search" feature), and they looked good when I saw the one operating at the Lamppa Manufacturing shop earlier this week. The $1,500 tax credit, and the fact that my wife and I work from home offices and can write off about 20 percent of the total cost of the furnace, go a long way toward making the price more acceptable. 

We're heating primarily with wood. The old Kuuma has its own thermostat and fan and is routed into the forced air ductwork. We go through about 9 cords per year of maple/birch/ash, but spend a lot of time stoking the furnace and cleaning out ash, and the low-volume fan isn't up to the task of pushing enough heated air through the runs of the 2-story, 1,500-square-foot house, so cold nights and really cold, windy days require a lot of propane use. The Model 100 looks like a great time savings and, down the road, a cost savings. We have a high-efficiency propane furnace that used to be primary but now is backup, and the savings provided by firewood over propane are amazing, even with the old Kuuma.

It'll be nice not to have the clean the stack often (or darn near ever). Actually, as clean burning as they are, we'll likely give it a good cleaning every fall anyway.

Glad I got directed here from ArboristSite. I've been burning wood for 30 years, and it's good to be in the company of like-minded men and women.


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## glacialhills

fsumble said:
			
		

> Our house has been very warm also, and my wood supply has lasted very well even though a lot of it was hemlock and poplar.  Next year I will have a bunch of oak.  I have been very impressed with this furnace, and now that we can get the $1500 tax credit (The 100 is going to be certified in March), the deal got a lot sweeter.
> 
> Have you had to adjust your front door yet?  Mine used to have some resistance when I drop the handle into it's cradle, but now it just slips in.  I checked for air leakage with a cigarette lighter around the edges of the door, and it does not seem to be pulling any air in, but I think the instructions talked about re-adjusting the door after a while.  What do you think?




Hey, I have not been on here in forever, I readjusted my door last winter as it had become loose.Very easy and just need an allen wrench. I am confused about the 1500 tax credit...How do you get it when we bought our vaporfires before the tax credit was enacted. Please let me know how to get it as we could really use some extra this year. Also do you know how to clean out the upper burn chamber? the only thing I see is all those bolts on that cover above the main chamber door and that seems very hard to remove.

 By the way I only used 5.3 cords last winter.


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## stat1dou

Hey folks,just found this site and noticed all this talk about the kumma vapor fire. I was turned on to it buy a friend i worked with back in 1989 and it's still heating his house. Its now 28 years and still going strong. I heated with the 200 model for 18 years and had no problems, not one. Had a 2200 sq foot house and went through 5 cords of wood a year on average and lots of 20 to 30 below weather. Bummer i had to sell the house. Well guess what kind of stove i'm buying. I have a bigger house now and i'm going with the 100 model. I can't wait to pick it up. I would get it today but have to wait for them to get one made up. Every thing i've seen on this site is right on the money when it comes to the kumma vapor fire stoves. I wood sell them if they would let me. I'm now 57 years young and think this next stove will out last me,ha!


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## jdboy9

Am I reading the test results wrong or something?  Why are the Output Btus of either of these units less than 50,000 Btus??


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## stat1dou

Hey jdboy
If you look under the btu rating on the spec sheet it talks about the true btu rating.


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## jdboy9

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction.  I am going to give one of these units a try while I save up for my large boiler system


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## cfarms

Thanks Glacialhills for the info on the Kuuma 100. I feel even better about my purchase of one! It should be built and ready for pickup in a couple of months. It's pretty ill but am kinda looking forward to next heating season already Will keep you posted how I like mine!


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## slamotto

Long-Time Lurker...first-time poster.  I've decided to get a Kuuma, and all that remains is to decide which model to get:  The 200 or the 100.  Seem that most owners who have posted in this thread are running the 100.  Anyone using the 200?


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## Gasifier

Looks like a nice furnace. Nothing like heating with wood. Do you guys have access to your own wood or do you buy it?


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## blurlt2

I've heated my 1000 sf house entirely with wood for the past ten years with an old Kent Sherwood that I got used for $150.  Not bad!  I built a hydronic heat exchanger around the stove that pumps heat into a radiant slab that I poured in the crawl space.  It has worked great but the stove doesn't seem to burn like it used to.  I'm now thinking I'd like to get either a wood fired boiler to heat the slab or a wood fired furnace to hook up to the existing ductwork, and install it in the garage (attached).  The boiler would be easier to install but seem quite a bit more complicated and perhaps require more maintenance.  I really like what I've read about the Kuuma Vaporfire and am strongly considering the 100.  I have spoken with Daryl Lamppa several times and it seems like they take a lot of pride in making a quality product.  I'm confident that the customer service would be excellent.

My question is would the 100 be too much furnace for a 1000 sf house?  

Does anyone make a comparable boiler that burns as clean as the Vaporfire for a similar price?


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## lampmfg

The Vapor Fire 200 would be more than enough to heat a 1000 sq ft. house. Website Link


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## woodsmaster

Does anyone make a comparable boiler that burns as clean as the Vaporfire for a similar price?[/quote]


Gasifacation boilers will be just as or more efficient. I don't know about price. how much does the kuuma vapor fire cost ?


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## cfarms

Am so excited! Lamppa Manufacturing called and my Kuuma Vaporfire 100 is built and ready to be picked up. Going up there on Tuesday to get it. Already looking forward to next heating season


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## btuser

cfarms said:
			
		

> Am so excited! Lamppa Manufacturing called and my Kuuma Vaporfire 100 is built and ready to be picked up. Going up there on Tuesday to get it. Already looking forward to next heating season



sniff, sniff sniff.     Hmmmmmm


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## Snow4days

Hi how are you feeling about your Kuuma vapor now?


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## cfarms

Snow4days...... It has been extremely mild here so haven't fired her up yet It is suppose to be 80 by Saturday! I will let you know when I do though! How are things in Michigan?


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## Snow4days

It is mild here right now.  Probably around 65, feels even warmer.  I am getting some more info sent to me on how to connect to my furnaces from Kuuma.  The ease of using this furnace seems wonderful.  That is what is making us take a closer look, compared to the gasification boilers.  I'll try to let you know what I do.


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## lampmfg

Burning wood doesn't get much easier and safer!!


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## cfarms

Snow4days,  Had the virgin burn in the Kuuma Vaporfire the other day. All I can say is the most impressive wood furnace I have seen After the fire got going, went outside and there was no smoke coming out of the chimney! Very happy with it. Lots of heat out of a small amount of wood!


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## slamotto

I am anxiously awaiting the phone call from Darryl that my VaporFire 100 is ready.  Should be this week.  Very excited for my maiden burn.


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## lampmfg

Your VF 100 is being packaged up tonight and should be shipped out tomorrow sometime.


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## ChrisDIY

Hello All!

I was linked over to this thread from one here on the site. I am trying to decide whether one of these units will work for us. Our home has two separate heat pumps we would like to connect to as an add-on application. What are your experiences with air flow? Is it strong enough to supply forced air to two separate plenums? We are also considering the Charmaster but not able to get any feedback.


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## lampmfg

I think my dad (Daryl Lamppa) read your set-up last night on arboristsite.com and he's not sure if just 1 furnace would work.  I recommend calling him directly at 1-800-358-2049 with the details, because he's not much for computers.

Thanks,

Garrett Lamppa


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## slamotto

My Vaporfire arrived this past Friday morning.  Had quite an adventure getting it into the basement.  Have an old farmhouse, and had to take it in through the cellar door.  I'm very thankful for my brother and his skills with a tractor loader, because I would have never gotten it in without him.  

Now I'm just waiting for my heating guy to come and complete the install...then I'll post some pics.


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## slamotto

I'm at work right now, but the heating guys and my electrician are both at my house right now.  I just might be burning wood this weekend (Fingers crossed).


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## cfarms

Keep us up to date, slamotto! Mine is working great!


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## slamotto

Well, I'm not quite there yet.  My heating guy is having problems with the stop flap that will keep the hot air from my LP furnace from backing into my VaporFire.   Also have to decide exactly how we want to do the cold air on the VaporFire.  We're a bit cramped for space in the basement now with the two units...so it may not work to tie into the cold-air return of the LP unit.  

On the bright side, I split a couple of pieces of wood this weekend, and checked the Moisture Content and we are good to go.  Was getting 14-20 percent readings.


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## cfarms

Do you have a stairwell going to your basement that stays open? I do and am using it for a cold air return instead of hooking to the LP one. Also I did not put a flap to keep the air from going from one to the other. When the LP furnace is running and moving air, just the right amount goes through the Kuuma and out the cold air intake to warm the basement a little. Then when the Kuuma is running and blowing air, a little goes through the LP furnace and finds its way up the cold air return heating the house out of both the warm air ducts and a small amount out of the cold air return! In the summer when I am running the AC I slide a nice piece of cardboard in alongside the Kuuma's filters so that the cold air doesn't go through and dump into the basement! Hope you get it hooked up ok so that you can start using it


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## slamotto

Ended up tying the VaporFire into the LP's cold air return.  I just got the call from my wife that the install is complete, so tonight will be the first burn.  To say I'm excited is a bit of an understatement


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## cfarms

Please let me know how it goes


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## Sorghum

Hey slamotto, is it up and running? Pics?


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## slamotto

Sorry for the delay....here are pics of my VaporFire 100.  

Here is a front view:  






And here is a pic of the Kuuma's red-headed stepchild...the LP furnace:






The top front of the unit:






Side view:






And here is the back of the unit:


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## lampmfg

The set-up looks great!!


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## glacialhills

An Update, it's Christmas  a week before 2013 and we are finally getting some colder weather here in Michigan. We have only had to burned a couple cords so far this winter and again this vapor fire 100 is flawless. My wife and I tried to think of something we could ding this furnace on and we only came up with 2 things, First the instruction manual did not explain how to open and clean the top gassification area of the furnace when yearly cleaning the unit and chimney. and second, once cleaned, we wish we could see the secondary combustion happening. So here is our suggestion to Laampa:
Hey Daryl, if you put a small glass peephole with a sliding cover  in the clean out plate so it was only exposed to the chamber when you looked and was gasketed like the door seal and closed the rest of the time I wouldn't think it would get the white film very often if at all.It would be worth having to clean of the white residue a couple times a season to be able to watch the Vaporfire doing its thing.Just a thought.


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