# Forced air furnace advice



## Matt78 (Jul 23, 2015)

Hi all,
Was needing some advice. Has anyone ever heated their basement with a wood furnace to suplament propane furnace? I have the drolet tundra and was planning on hooking in with propane furnace ducts. But currently the ducts are duct board and flex pipe. It's to expensive right now for us to replace with metal ducting. I've had three diffrent hvac people here and all three said it would be ok to tie into duct board. Drolet says otherwise. So I was thinking could I set furnace up to just blow the hot air into the basement? Not looking to eliminate propane all together as of right now. Then as we save some pennies have the furnace tied into new duct work? Our home is a ranch style home about 1800 sq ft with the basement being same size.would enough hot air come upstairs to help with propane use. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks


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## begreen (Jul 23, 2015)

Welcome! I am not following in the manual where this is prohibited. Where did you get the information that says it can't be used with your ductwork?


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## maple1 (Jul 24, 2015)

Not sure here what ductboard is.

Is it the material of the ducting they don't like, or the configuration of it? (size etc.)

I think there are certain types of ducting material that aren't supposed to be used with a wood furnace. (Plus I don't think flex is really highly recommended period). I have almost no experience with FHA ducting though.


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## Matt78 (Jul 24, 2015)

I contacted SBI. They said it needs to be a minimum 30 gauge ducting. Duct board is ducting made out of insulation wrapped in some kind of metal tape.


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## moey (Jul 24, 2015)

You could add a large return nearby.


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## maple1 (Jul 24, 2015)

I think I would stick with what Drolet said about the duct board, over the HVAC guys. If trouble arises later, it usually comes back to following manufacturers instructions.

You would likely save some just dumping heat to the basement, but how much would depend on the house layout & how much of that heat would make it's way upstairs. Some using stoves in the basment have good results, others don't. Then again if your basement is the same size as the rest of the house, and its not insulated really good, you might save quite a bit. Any way you can run a short trunk of good duct through the floor above? Until you can re-do your ductwork?


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## Matt78 (Jul 24, 2015)

Well, the propane furnaces return will be next to wood furnace. It has a return run to mud room above. I was thinking I could unhook it. Then it could suck warm air from basement room. Would this be legit?


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## DoubleB (Jul 25, 2015)

maple1 said:


> Any way you can run a short trunk of good duct through the floor above?



I'd look into this above.  And if you are particularly fortunate, you might currently have enough first-floor registers such that you could easily disconnect one or two from propane and reconnect them to the Tundra with metal ductwork (which might not be sufficient alone, but a good start).

FWIW, I added a whole new, very simple but large enough duct system just for my Tundra because my existing metal ductwork was too close to combustibles.  I used three 6x12 registers into the floor of my first level, each register supplied by 8" round metal duct.  In hindsight I've measured duct pressure with one of the registers closed, and turns out I could have done just fine with installing only two of the registers.  

The 2nd floor is about 10 deg cooler than the first floor in winter, which is fine with us for sleeping up there.  I've tried running the LP furnace fan to circulate air through the house and even out the temperature, but all that does is make a cool 68 degree breeze coming out of the registers, and the breeze feels cooler than any heat circulation it accomplishes.  Therefore, I don't know if you'll get much mileage out of this:



Matt78 said:


> Then it could suck warm air from basement room. Would this be legit?



I bet you'd have to have the basement unbearably hot before that helps much.  

But that's just based on my house.


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## mustash29 (Jul 25, 2015)

I have the Englander 28-3500 furnace.  For the last 2 winters I have used it with two 4" muffin fans blowing through the air jacket and dumping the heat into my walk out basement / rec room area.  This area averages 80+ but there is a fan that sucks out of the rec room and blows into the master bath through a short 6 foot duct.  The bedroom stays 68-70.  The air leaving the bedroom rolls down the hallway into the open foyer and living room which stays about 75 ish.

If it's below 10 or windy, we keep the oil set for backup, otherwise the Englander cooks us.  We are heating an 1800 sqft split level, built in '96 with r-30 attic & r-19 walls.

Here's my thread with a bunch of pics:

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/englander-28-3500-furnace-install-mods.102100/


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## brenndatomu (Jul 26, 2015)

Matt78 said:


> I've had three diffrent hvac people here and all three said it would be ok to tie into duct board. Drolet says otherwise.


As others have said, if you have a fire, the insurance co will go by the manufacturers recommendations


Matt78 said:


> So I was thinking could I set furnace up to just blow the hot air into the basement?


People are usually disappointed with the results of doing this unless you have an insulated/finished basement...and even then results can be spotty


Matt78 said:


> Any advice would be helpful.


How 'bout some pics and/or drawings of your setup. Maybe we can get you pointed in the right direction to DIY this using premade duct parts from the local hardware or home store, much cheaper that way. Duct work is actually pretty simple once you see hows it's done


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## begreen (Jul 26, 2015)

One option to satisfy Drolet would be do redo the plenum in metal. Transition to the ductboard after the Tundra tie in. You will want to install a backdraft damper anyway so this could kill two birds with one stone.


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## Matt78 (Jul 26, 2015)

Thanks for all the info guys. I'm currently on vacation in North Carolina. When I get back I'll try to post some pictures.

Begreen, the plenum is metal. They say all ducts and connections need to be 30 gauge. I really don't want to do anything to compermise the house. So I'm going to respect drolets advice.


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## begreen (Jul 26, 2015)

That seems to be quite arbitrary and not correct. 30 ga is very light and thin metal. Most plenums are 24 ga with some of the lighter stuff at 26 ga. Cheap round pipe can be 28 or 26ga. 30 ga is tin foil.


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## brenndatomu (Jul 26, 2015)

Matt78 said:


> They say all ducts and connections need to be 30 gauge


I was gonna say, I believe all the manuals I have ever read for any wood furnaces call for all metal ducts at least on the supply side anyways.
Of all the cheap crap you can buy in the big box/home supply stores now, I don't think I have ever seen any duct metal thinner than 28 ga, and I thought that was thin, man, 30 really must be tinfoil!


Matt78 said:


> I'm currently on vacation in North Carolina


Enjoy! Looks like it's gonna be a hot/humid week in Ohio this week...


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## Matt78 (Aug 30, 2015)

Hi all, sorry been a while. Finally getting going on the furnace install. I have a contractor helping me with some of the work. As a side job for him. He suggested running the chimney through the wood wall above concrete foundation but below the upstairs floor. This would require moving some electrical wiring. And I would need 2" to combustibles. Then need to fill that 2" with something that's not combustible. He suggested a fire retardant caulk. Or I could go through the concrete foundation. Where's I wouldn't need to move electrical wires or maintain the 2". But would be harder to do. I could add some pictures if I could figure out how to do it from my I pad. As always any info would be appreciated. Thanks
​


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## begreen (Aug 30, 2015)

If you want to run an exterior class A chimney with 2" clearances you need a wall thimble kit from the pipe mfg. That will include the spacer, flashing and trim. Here's an example for DuraTech:





Will the outside tee that this pipe runs into be high enough off the ground to allow removing the cleanout cap from the base of the tee and a brush to run up the pipe?


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## Matt78 (Aug 30, 2015)




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## Matt78 (Aug 30, 2015)

The wood you see there isn't high enough for thimble. Maybe going through the concrete is the best option. The air return will be moved. Will there be problem with the electric conduit about 12 inches from chimney? There should be enough for a clean out. May have to get it from top. There will be a chase around chimney. Thanks


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## begreen (Aug 30, 2015)

It should be ok with double-wall stove pipe. Single wall connector pipe will need to be 18" from any and all combustibles including the plastic conduit. Double-wall reduces ceiling clearance to 9" and wall clearance to 6".


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## brenndatomu (Aug 30, 2015)

Matt78 said:


> View attachment 161025
> View attachment 161026


You don't wan't to cut the rim joist. Go through the block wall, it's not that hard to do. I've done it with a long 1/4" masonry bit, hammer drill, and a 4" angle grinder with a diamond blade. 
Find center, drill clear through the wall with the drill (gotta be level/straight). Draw a circle inside and out 1" bigger than a clay thimble or heavy steel pipe (well casing) that is big enough to pass the class A pipe through. Drill holes every 1" or so all around the circle inside and out. Carefully use a hammer to break out the pieces. Use the angle grinder to clean it all up. You can mortar the new thimble right into the wall then.
If the cleanout tee is below ground outside, I've seen people dig down enough to get a pan/etc. in under the tee to catch soot, then install a large enough window well to get said pan in n out, clean from the top.


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## STIHLY DAN (Aug 30, 2015)

Or rent a dry core drill.


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## brenndatomu (Aug 30, 2015)

STIHLY DAN said:


> Or rent a dry core drill.


Oh sure, take the easy way out...


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## Matt78 (Aug 30, 2015)

I should be able to get the tools at work and get started on it this week. Should of started last week when it was cooler. Lol. Oh well. I'll work through it. 

Where would I get clay wall thimble? Lowes? You would mortar clay thimble in wall and mortar the class a pipe into thimble? Why not just mortar class a pipe into concrete wall?


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## begreen (Aug 30, 2015)

The class A pipe can pass directly through the cement wall. Then mortar it in place. No need for a clay thimble though you may want to add an outside flashing as a storm collar if that is the weather side of the house.


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## brenndatomu (Aug 30, 2015)

Matt78 said:


> Where would I get clay wall thimble?


Anyplace around you that sells brick/block/concrete


Matt78 said:


> Why not just mortar class a pipe into concrete wall?


You can...a thimble just leaves you options in the future. I like to leave myself options...


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## Matt78 (Sep 2, 2015)

Well I got a hole through the wall. Took about a full day. Wasn't real terrible. Air conditioner went out Sunday. Go figure. Its fixed now, thank the lord. I was planning on cleaning hole up a bit. Then mounting tee to outside the house next. Then my nephew is going to cut out my eve. Then I was going to run the chimney up. Then box the chimney in with a chase. Does this sound like a good order of doing things? Also how far in should I run the class a chimney into the basement? I'll have more questions I'm sure. Thanks


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## brenndatomu (Sep 2, 2015)

Looks good. Git 'er done! Poured walls are a lil more work to make a hole that size through than a block wall.
Are you under a porch outside there?
Once the tee is mounted you'll see how much pipe will stick through the wall. The tee kits usually come with a 1' pipe but you could go longer if you need it for CTCs or whatever works best for your planned setup. Sounds like you have the outside stuff handled, like I said before, just mind your CTCs and overall height rules, oh, and make sure to leave access to the tee cleanout cover.


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## Matt78 (Sep 2, 2015)

Thanks. Always nice to do a little of the work and save a little cash. Yes it has to pass through the deck between two doors. I know it's not ideal but about the only option I had. There is a access door for under the deck.I think I'll run chimney into basment till I get past that electrical conduit. Then down with double walled stove pipe. I figured 15' to of chimney. From tee to the peek of the roof is about 12'. Is that kosher? Should I put a baro damper on the stove pipe? I did buy a mark II manometer. 

Just a stupid question here. If I ever did have a chimney fire with that Chimney. How hot would the outside pipe get?


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## brenndatomu (Sep 2, 2015)

So the chimney is gonna be 3' over the peak of the roof? That should be good as long as there aren't any big trees real close.

Probably won't need a baro on a 15' chimney, especially external chimney.

Well, I had a chimney like yours a few years back, had a chimney fire, pipe was hot but not too hot to touch. Wasn't a real major fire though, so...dunno how it'd be if you really got one rippin. Normally it wasn't warm at all.


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## Matt78 (Sep 9, 2015)




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## Matt78 (Sep 9, 2015)

Starting to come together! Should I elevate the furnace on blocks? Do I want to put a damper in. I noticed the manual says not to. And in the last picture. Is it OK to have gaps between the pipes where they fit together? Thanks again


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## Matt78 (Sep 9, 2015)

I forgot another question. Does the tee just set on the top of the support?


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## brenndatomu (Sep 9, 2015)

Matt78 said:


> Should I elevate the furnace on blocks?


I would, once you start using it you will quickly realize how low that firebox is. Keeps the steel from sitting directly on potentially damp concrete too. Or buys you some time if the basement ever flooded.



Matt78 said:


> Do I want to put a damper in. I noticed the manual says not to


You probably won't need it but I would throw a manual damper in just so that it is there in case of chimney fire with a fresh load of wood in the furnace, at least you can slow things down some. Without it, the firebox just becomes a runaway train.
The only bad part is you have to remove it to clean the pipe...easy enough to do that though



Matt78 said:


> Is it OK to have gaps between the pipes where they fit together?


Looks fine to me.

What's your plan for connecting the furnace to the chimney? Any way you could make use of 45* elbows instead of 90s? It improves draft a lot. They say each 90* turn has the same effect on the chimney as removing 3-4' from it's height...so (3) 90s = 9-12' off your total chimney height...not good


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## brenndatomu (Sep 9, 2015)

Matt78 said:


> I forgot another question. Does the tee just set on the top of the support?


It's been a while but I am thinking mine did kind of attach...can't remember exactly how it was now. What brand do you have there?


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## Matt78 (Sep 9, 2015)

I was thinking about 45 deg. But I think I would be to far out in the middle of the room. The pipe is supervent. Should I run the chimney higher?


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## brenndatomu (Sep 9, 2015)

Supervent was what I had. How tall were you planning on...from the top of the furnace to the top of the chimney?
If you put it up on blocks it will also be that much closer to the wall too, if using 45s. Also, what length pipe is that coming though the wall? 2'? You could maybe gain some room there...
Just a tip, when building your black pipe from the furnace to the chimney connector, keep in mind how you are going to access things for cleaning the pipe and the section of chimney going through the wall, put it together so it is easy as possible to clean


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## velvetfoot (Sep 9, 2015)

I've seen a lot of stuff on termite blocks.


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## Matt78 (Sep 9, 2015)

Its going to be 16' to 17' from the top of the wood furnace to the top of the chimney. I may try to shorten pipe coming into the basement, but I don't know if its possible due to electrical conduit.


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## brenndatomu (Sep 9, 2015)

Matt78 said:


> but I don't know if its possible due to electrical conduit.


Heat shields my friend, heat shields. A layer or two of galvanized duct work type metal between the pipe and the conduit should make things kosher (with at least an inch or two between each)
Worse comes to worse you add height to the chimney if it doesn't draft well...


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## Matt78 (Sep 9, 2015)




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## Matt78 (Sep 9, 2015)

This is the shorter version with 45. I have 7" between pipe and conduit. Should it go that far out before 45. Or I'm I doing some thing wrong. I have a piece of 1/4" aluminum plateiI could use for a heat shield. Pictures go in series how it went together. I'm using double walled black pipe


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## brenndatomu (Sep 9, 2015)

Me personally I'd still be OK with a couple heat shields in between there, especially with using double wall pipe, not sure what the code would be exactly in that situation though.
Looks like that is about as short as you can go using double wall.
Is it possible to turn the furnace sideways so it doesn't stick out so far. In that scenario you'd turn the 45 elbow 45 degrees to the side and then do the same on the elbow on the back of the furnace, just a thought.
Or if going sideways you could use the 45 on the chimney connector and a 90 on the furnace, just turn the 90 elbow 45 degrees to the side


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## DoubleB (Sep 9, 2015)

Matt78 said:


> Should I elevate the furnace on blocks?



I agree that you should, if nothing else to try to minimize moisture and corrosion.  Heck, I even taped thick plastic to the underside of 1/2" cement board and set the blocks and furnace on top of the cement board.  I have an old concrete farmhouse floor that seeps a little visible moisture in the summer.  Moisture still wicks up around the edges of the cement board, and I'm glad to know that isn't happening under the furnace.  

Only downside to the blocks is I have less height difference to help gravity airflow in a power outage, but I can't imagine a few inches is going to make much difference for those rare occasions.


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## Matt78 (Sep 11, 2015)

Well I'm going to be stuck with 90 deg elbows. So would it be better to run the chimney up at least 18'?


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## brenndatomu (Sep 11, 2015)

I would say yes but you could always try it and then add another section on if needed.
Just FYI, my sister has a Tundra running on a 18' Supervent chimney and has 90s on the stove pipe...seems to work fine so far but limited experience due to a late winter install earlier this year
Oh, and I don't know what brand double wall pipe you have but Drolet list the CTC on their Vortex line of pipe at 5-6" depending on the setup. So most likely you are good to go on that conduit


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## Matt78 (Sep 12, 2015)




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## Matt78 (Sep 12, 2015)

Some more progress today. Starting to come together. I'll run the chimney up the rest of the way tomorrow.

 I'm using the Selkirk double walled stove pipe. CTC is 6". So good to go on the conduit. I'll still put a 1/4" pc. Of aluminum between it.


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## brenndatomu (Sep 13, 2015)

Matt78 said:


> Some more progress today. Starting to come together. I'll run the chimney up the rest of the way tomorrow.
> 
> I'm using the Selkirk double walled stove pipe. CTC is 6". So good to go on the conduit. I'll still put a 1/4" pc. Of aluminum between it.


Looks like you are making good progress Matt.
I would assume the duct to the right of the Tundra is the return air duct for your main furnace? Maybe you already planned this, but you could cut a register or two into that to help keep the Tundras blower from pulling a negative pressure on the basement. Just get closable registers or you can buy magnetic sheets that will cover the vents when you are not running the Tundra.
Also, when you install the supply pipes you will want to put a damper in each to help set the blowers static pressure once you get fired up.
Make sure you get good ones that have a pivot on each side otherwise the pressure will just lay a single pivot one over. Like this...http://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=AwrB...02907133/RK=0/RS=F5DW0aSThpV6xyLA2RcF.1z0DJ8-


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## Matt78 (Sep 13, 2015)




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## Matt78 (Sep 13, 2015)

Got the chimney up today. Tried watching browns. That lasted almost three quarters. Decided to get some work done going to be a long year.

 I'm not sure I understand the negative pressure thing. Can you explain it better? Sorry. I am a Newbie


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## maple1 (Sep 13, 2015)

If your return air does not have an unobstructed path back to the furnace, the blower could in effect try to pull air down the chimney. Quick dirty & simple explanation.


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## brenndatomu (Sep 13, 2015)

Matt78 said:


> I'm not sure I understand the negative pressure thing. Can you explain it better?





maple1 said:


> If your return air does not have an unobstructed path back to the furnace, the blower could in effect try to pull air down the chimney. Quick dirty & simple explanation.


Yup, that is the basics of it.
I'll get a little more detailed if ya are into that.
The draft setting that SBI calls for is -.04" Water Column to -.06"WC (-.04"WC to -.06"WC)  What that means is when comparing atmospheric pressure in the basement VS in the chimney, the chimney has a (very) small negative pressure (or vacuum), that is what makes the whole firebox work. The old saying is that the chimney is the engine that drives the stove. Anyways, If you have a situation where the blower does not have unrestricted flow (return air) coming from the heated area, it will pull a small negative pressure on the basement...that competes against the chimney and can cause all kinds of trouble. The least of your troubles would be if the furnace just performed (burned) weak, worst case is smoke in the house.
That brings up another point too, you will need to get a manometer to measure your draft. It can also be used to set the static pressure (supply duct air speed) in the ducts. The one that is most commonly used by us cheap ole wood burners is a Dwyer Mark II model 25. You can find 'em reasonable on fleabay and others...or, I just happen to have some for sale over in the Hearth.com "for sale/wanted" forum right now.

And you thought putting a wood burner was gonna be easy


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## brenndatomu (Sep 13, 2015)

A couple questions. Just curious what your final chimney height ended up being?
Did you just get the Tundra? If so what serial #/build date do you have?


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## Matt78 (Sep 13, 2015)

OK. Makes sense I guess. Does leaving the basement door open help? Your right I didn't think there wasn't going to be all this work. But it should be worth it.

I went 18' from the tee up

I do have a manometer. I'll save the questions about using that for later. Lol

I actually seen a post of yours back in January or February that menards had them on sale. I bought it the same day. My serial number is 1144. Is there anything I should be aware of? I did read of some issues with furnace. Thanks again for all the info


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## Matt78 (Sep 13, 2015)

Build date is 7/8/2014 (#2689955)


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## Matt78 (Sep 16, 2015)

Can you tell me anything about the furnace?


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## brenndatomu (Sep 16, 2015)

Matt78 said:


> Can you tell me anything about the furnace?


Sure, there are a number of Tundra owners here, what do you wanna know?


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## Matt78 (Sep 16, 2015)

Mostly how to operate it. I know it needs dry wood.  Did drolet get all the issues ironed out? I remember reading of some issues. Can't exactly remember what they where. I also read where someone was using a sauna timer and a thermastat. Is this so when you fire a new load. The draft can be open untill everything is up to temp. Then after time runs out on timer it goes back to using the thermastat? When using the manometer. You just drill hole into black stove pipe and check draft. This is done after chimney is up to temp?

Thanks again for taking time to answer my questions. I've never used a furnace. Only wood burners. And none of which were EPA stoves.


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## brenndatomu (Sep 16, 2015)

Matt78 said:


> Did drolet get all the issues ironed out?


They say so...we'll see.


Matt78 said:


> I also read where someone was using a sauna timer and a thermastat. Is this so when you fire a new load. The draft can be open untill everything is up to temp.


Yeah, you have the idea. I used a 15 minute bathroom fan timer. The factory switch works but the timer is just a convenience factor, or idiot proofing in some cases 
On the EPA fireboxes you need to get them up to temp for the secondary burn to work. Then when the damper closes it is off to the races if you are using dry wood. The less the intake damper is open (once up to temp) the longer the wood lasts.
Start with some kindlin when you have a cold firebox. Don't expect much the first couple fires, seems like the firebrick has to dry out. 
You'll have the high temp paint curing smell too, so it's good if you can do the first fire or two on days where it is not too cold and you can open the windows. Thing about warm days is the chimney draft will be low and it won't burn the best...just so you know. Every chimney/house is different but I would guess with your setup anything much over 40* will start causing you low draft issues, just a rough guess.


Matt78 said:


> When using the manometer. You just drill hole into black stove pipe and check draft. This is done after chimney is up to temp?


Yup, pretty much. You need to test before the pipe damper, not after. If you have the Dwyer manometer it will need to be flat and level, and zeroed out before putting the tube in the pipe. Get a short piece of metal tube to attach the meter hose to, then that goes in the pipe, not the hose, seems obvious but people have done it.
Your welcome. You'll love it once you get used to it...oh, more pics please


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## DoubleB (Sep 18, 2015)

Matt78 said:


> My serial number is 1144.



Hi @Matt78 ,
Hate to say it but I'm not optimistic that your furnace with that serial number and build date is solved from cracking (if that's what you were wondering about).

I assume you're watching the bigger Tundra thread over at:
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/everything-drolet-tundra-heatmax.140788/page-15.

If your furnace has the parts 72 and 73 that @brenndatomu shows in post #359, then you have the updated furnace that we hope will avoid the cracking (but time will tell).  Assuming you don't have those parts (firebrick), then it appears that your furnace is at higher risk of cracking.  You can do nothing and hope cracks don't form; do nothing and rely on SBI's warranty if they do; add firebrick yourself; avoid the thermostat and rely on the bathroom timer to minimize the damper open; and/or add some kind of over temp protection to shut the damper.  You can find discussion on all of this over on that other thread, although it will take some time to review it all.


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## Matt78 (Sep 24, 2015)

Well no I didn't read that about the cracking! Yikes! I think I may add some fire brick that I believe doubleb added. There was another fella that had a temp control on the flue stack. I may try that also. I contacted him about his setup.

Wasn't there some other issues with the blower filter box and the ash pan? Should I be worried about that? Starting to think I should of saved up for a better furnace. But I'm in so we'll see I guess. 

We've had a family member come down with stage four cancer. So I haven't messed with furnace to much this week. Maybe get back at it next week.


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## brenndatomu (Sep 24, 2015)

Wow, sorry to hear about your family member!
You need not worry about the ash drawer issue, they took care of that long ago, I don't think too many people use the ash drawer anyways.
If you add the extra firebrick in the front you should be fine, especially if you do the temp control. I have the parts to do that on mine...gotta get it wired up before "fire in the hole" in a month or so...


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## DoubleB (Sep 24, 2015)

Yes, I'm sorry to hear about your family member.  I'm glad you can be there to help.



Matt78 said:


> Starting to think I should of saved up for a better furnace.



Possibly.  But at least if anything does go wrong you might end up with a free furnace assuming they warranty it.  And, with firebrick and/or a temp controller, you ought not have cracking problems.  If I get my act together I'll post on the other thread about the simple temp control that I did last spring--simply replaced the factory 160F high temp snap disk with a ~125F snap disk.  Seemed to work pretty well to prevent the damper from staying open more than a few minutes once the furnace was up to cruising speed.  I haven't tested it long enough yet to fully form an opinion on it though.

Best Regards.


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## Matt78 (Sep 29, 2015)

Hey guys getting ready to plan how I'm going to run ducting. Remember I'm planing on doing a couple of temporary runs till I can have everything tied together. My first Idea is to put two or three runs at one end of the house. The gas furnace thermastat would be towards other end of house. Other idea is to put one run at one end of house and another at the other end. My house Is 1850 sq ft ranch style with a open flor plan. Again any imput would be great.


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## brenndatomu (Sep 29, 2015)

I'd put one run to each end unless you want cooler bedroom area or something. You can always turn the gas furnace tstat down a few degrees to keep it from kicking on. Keep in mind you will want dampers in the duct or adjustable register covers (or both) to set your static pressure and balance the air flow


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## Matt78 (Sep 29, 2015)

I think I'm going to put two at one end and one towards end with bedroom and bathroom. What is standard gauge that menards sells? I would want to get 26 gauge 8" round pipe right? What kind of ctc would I need maintain?


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## brenndatomu (Sep 29, 2015)

Double check the manual but I think it is 6" for the first 6' then 1" after that


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## brenndatomu (Sep 29, 2015)

Matt78 said:


> I think I'm going to put two at one end and one towards end with bedroom and bathroom. What is standard gauge that menards sells? I would want to get 26 gauge 8" round pipe right? What kind of ctc would I need maintain?


Yeah, 26, 28, whatever they stock works fine. You are gonna run (3) 8" runs? Drolet recommends only using 2 of the duct connections, preferably the two on the sides. I'd do two main runs and just come off the 8" with 6" taps for the registers if you need multiples


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## Matt78 (Sep 29, 2015)

I'm using the 2 on sides of furnace. Then split it off to the two registers. I noticed menards sells 26, 28, and standard. Maybe standard is 30? Man this furnace stuff is complicated! Maybe I should of put a insert in the fireplace. I'm sure it will be worth it.


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## Matt78 (Sep 29, 2015)

Can I run the two 8" pipes out of furnace then connect them to each other using 90* tees? Then do 6" pipe off of that? The 8" will run the length of house, but be feed with both pipes coming from furnace.


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## brenndatomu (Sep 29, 2015)

Matt78 said:


> Man this furnace stuff is complicated! Maybe I should of put a insert in the fireplace


Just do both...I did   
I guess I have WHAD (wood heater acquisition disorder) 


Matt78 said:


> Can I run the two 8" pipes out of furnace then connect them to each other using 90* tees? Then do 6" pipe off of that? The 8" will run the length of house, but be feed with both pipes coming from furnace.


Ahh, hmm, I hafta think about that a bit. What would be the advantage?


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## Wisneaky (Sep 29, 2015)

brenndatomu said:


> Just do both...I did
> I guess I have WHAD (wood heater acquisition disorder)
> 
> Ahh, hmm, I hafta think about that a bit. What would be the advantage?


Could do a plenum like I did on the one I had.


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## maple1 (Sep 30, 2015)

Matt78 said:


> Can I run the two 8" pipes out of furnace then connect them to each other using 90* tees? Then do 6" pipe off of that? The 8" will run the length of house, but be feed with both pipes coming from furnace.


 
I don't think I would do that.


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## Matt78 (Sep 30, 2015)

Brenn
Just thinking out of the box I guess. I'll run em separate and run 6" runs off the 8".


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