Everything Drolet Tundra - Heatmax...

[Case1030]

Just curious, how did you attach the thermocouple to the stove?

I used two pieces of metal and took a side grinder to cut a slit in the metal deep enough to fit the thermocouple wire between. After that, I welded the two sandwich metal together. I then slid the sensor on top of the stove inside the convection jacket.

Being that I striped the probe off the thermocouple (bare wire) it allowed the tempurature to more accurately follow real time tempurature without lag/delay.

 

[Case1030]

My thinking too...people tend to squawk about stuff that doesn't work...especially $2000 house heaters!

My understanding is that it is the basically same, only with manufacturing changes made in the front to eliminate the cracking issues (the HE cleanout box is allowed to float now instead of welded fast to the front firebox panel, for one) and the blower controls are more sophisticated...variable speed. And then the obvious, the plenum...all steps in the right direction IMO.
I think I remember someone saying the firebox baffle has been upgraded to C-cast too.

Awsome sounds like all I will have to do is add a hot tub timer, and tempurature control for the flue.

The idea is to load and go, along with the capability to burn down coals in cold weather without having to manual switch the damper.

 

[wannabewarm]

Hey all. We are researching fireplaces AGAIN after purchasing a Fire Chief 1000 in 2017 and are now going to tear it out. We liked the Drolet Tundra II but would like to hear from owners of them. We dont want to make a second mistake!! Who has an EPA wood furnace they are very happy with and did not need to modify it? We are over that stress.

 

[Mrpelletburner]

Hey all. We are researching fireplaces AGAIN after purchasing a Fire Chief 1000 in 2017 and are now going to tear it out. We liked the Drolet Tundra II but would like to hear from owners of them. We dont want to make a second mistake!! Who has an EPA wood furnace they are very happy with and did not need to modify it? We are over that stress.

Did HY-C send you the updated draft blower?

I now have the 1500 and while I am still trying to dial it in for max burn times. If I were to do it all over again I would of purchased the Max Caddy.

 

[brenndatomu]

Hey all. We are researching fireplaces AGAIN after purchasing a Fire Chief 1000 in 2017 and are now going to tear it out. We liked the Drolet Tundra II but would like to hear from owners of them. We dont want to make a second mistake!! Who has an EPA wood furnace they are very happy with and did not need to modify it? We are over that stress.

Welcome wannbewarm.
My experience is that people that are unhappy with a product usually squawk about it. And I have not heard of anything negative on the TII...the few people that have given feedback on them, it has been basically positive.
I pretty much guarantee you will like it better than that FC1000 POS.

Did HY-C send you the updated draft blower?

I now have the 1500 and while I am still trying to dial it in for max burn times. If I were to do it all over again I would of purchased the Max Caddy.

Max Caddy would have been overkill in your house IMO...those are good for twice your square footage.

 

[wannabewarm]

We have received the updated blower, and before we installed it my husband made even more improvement to the flue. We are still having the same issues. We have looked at the Kuuma and the Caddys. They are more than we want to spend but would be nice to have a furnace that performs.

 

[brenndatomu]

I'm the last person to go running to a lawyer...but had I had the bad fortune of buying one of those FC1000's, I think I'd go find a good one. And then I'd round up all the other people that I could find that bought one of those steaming piles...they really do need to be recalled before someone gets hurt!

 

[wannabewarm]

We have been told they will take it back. If they wouldn't, I think the EPA is the first ones i would contact so they can see how much smoke it produces between calls for heat or if the fire isn't hot enough when you shut the door. Poor poor design.

 

[JRHAWK9]

have looked at the Kuuma and the Caddys. They are more than we want to spend but would be nice to have a furnace that performs.

Only two I would even consider. What's that saying about only crying once. You get what you pay for. Want cheap, you get cheap.

 

[Mojappa]

Random question here, does plenum height matter? I know there are min/max measurements and CTC measurements but is there a target size as in would you want it to be? ...as big as you could get it, shorter to get more heat to vent, does house size factor into ideal plenum size…? Things like that. I’m asl8mg because I’m about to get some block to raise my Heatpack up a bit, just wondering if there is anything concerning plenum height I should know or if it’s just basically ‘raise it to where you want the firebox to be’. Obviously we’re only talking +/- a few inches here, not building the furnace a stage before my drums get one. Lol

 

[brenndatomu]

I think the taller the better...but with that said, I doubt that a tall one would make a real noticeable difference over a short one...how's that for a non-committal answer?!

 

[TDD11]

Well I installed a 5.5" 26 foot chimney liner Sunday - finished it up tonight when I received the correct cap. So far my manometer reads .05 at 260°F. But if I open my stove door it smokes worse than before the chimney liner. This was not the outcome I had envisioned.

My chimney with 2 offsets was difficult, I actually had to install the vertical tee from the bottom, through the thimble - it would not feed through the chimney with or without the liner attached.

On my second attempt at feeding the liner down the chimney, we very slightly ovalized the bottom 10 feet to help it feed past the 2 bends in the chimney.

Anyways, I only lit 3 small splits and thought the house smelled a bit smokey, and my fiance agreed. The draft drops to .03 if open the door.

 

[Mrpelletburner]

What is the outside temp?

 

[brenndatomu]

Well I installed a 5.5" 26 foot chimney liner Sunday - finished it up tonight when I received the correct cap. So far my manometer reads .05 at 260°F. But if I open my stove door it smokes worse than before the chimney liner. This was not the outcome I had envisioned.

My chimney with 2 offsets was difficult, I actually had to install the vertical tee from the bottom, through the thimble - it would not feed through the chimney with or without the liner attached.

On my second attempt at feeding the liner down the chimney, we very slightly ovalized the bottom 10 feet to help it feed past the 2 bends in the chimney.

Anyways, I only lit 3 small splits and thought the house smelled a bit smokey, and my fiance agreed. The draft drops to .03 if open the door.

That's 260* internal or external?
Honestly that draft doesn't sound too bad if that's 260 internal...especially the "open door #".
Possible you have a cracked weld on the heat exchanger like I did? Or maybe the smoke is being sucked back in through another flue...or some other opening into the house? Not running a bath or kitchen vent fan or anything like that, are you?

 

[TDD11]

What is the outside temp?

27-28°F here in Central Ohio tonight.

That's 260* internal or external?
Honestly that draft doesn't sound too bad if that's 260 internal...especially the "open door #".
Possible you have a cracked weld on the heat exchanger like I did? Or maybe the smoke is being sucked back in through another flue...or some other opening into the house? Not running a bath or kitchen vent fan or anything like that, are you?

260°F is an internal flue temp, on the downhill side of the burn cycle.
I don't see how the smoke would be sucked back in to the house,unless I have a leaky liner, into the masonry chimney..

I was on the roof Sunday when 2 friends attached the tree body to the liner, at the bottom of the chimney. I am following up with them to ensure they are confident that they got a good clamp into the liner. I may pull the clean out cap and get a visual to ensure the liner is inserted far enough into the tee. I'll also double check that the tee about is fully clamped into the tee body.

When I open the door and am standing in front of the stove, you can smell the smoke - maybe even worse than before - so again, I don't think it's a HX weld issue, or being sucked in again from outside. Even with the stove running, door closed, I knew in front of the box and could smell smoke, almost as if the combustion air was backdrafting slightly or something.
More to follow

 

[laynes69]

If I have my blower running on the furnace it will smoke when I open the door. Loading during the coalinga stage and when the distribution blower isn't running will be the best bet. I have a 5.5" liner on a 32' chimney.

 

[brenndatomu]

Good point ^ ^ ^!

Try opening a door or window nearby next time, see if the issue clears up at all...if it does, then you need a source of makeup air for the furnace/chimney.

I don't see how the smoke would be sucked back in to the house,unless I have a leaky liner, into the masonry chimney..

If you have 2 flues side x side, the second flue can actually suck smoke back in from the one being used...that's why they want them at different height when they are side x side.

 

[TDD11]

If I have my blower running on the furnace it will smoke when I open the door. Loading during the coalinga stage and when the distribution blower isn't running will be the best bet. I have a 5.5" liner on a 32' chimney.

That's a bit frustrating isn't it? I guess after some of the hype, I expected to have zero smoke spillage once the liner had a little heat. Is your 5.5" liner insulated? Mine is an interior chimney with a flue cap, and is uninsulated.

Good point ^ ^ ^!

Try opening a door or window nearby next time, see if the issue clears up at all...if it does, then you need a source of makeup air for the furnace/chimney.


If you have 2 flues side x side, the second flue can actually suck smoke back in from the one being used...that's why they want them at different height when they are side x side.

I will try again this evening, I opened a window last night on the east side of the house, but the wind was SSW. I should have tried a west facing basement window - but the purpose of this liner install was to get better draft so that I did not need to crack a window to prevent smoke spillage.

I have a 2nd flue, that goes to my ground floor fireplace. I suppose it is possible but I find it unlikely - I would think that i'd have encountered it before.

I'm going to pull my stove connector pipe back off, and the chimney cleanout cap, and inspect the Tee-to-liner connection and the Tee body- to - tee snout connection.

 

[laynes69]

That's a bit frustrating isn't it? I guess after some of the hype, I expected to have zero smoke spillage once the liner had a little heat. Is your 5.5" liner insulated? Mine is an interior chimney with a flue cap, and is uninsulated.

Not really. Our liner just has poured vermiculite around it for insulation. Because of the size of the door and the size of the flue, it will happen. Not only on a furnace but happens with stoves too. When the distribution blower is running, it changes the pressures in the home. The main benefit of the liner is draft. You still maintain a strong draft when the fire has died down and maintain a strong draft during the burn. EPA units do not put out the flue temps of the older furnaces. Without a liner, its difficult to maintain a steady strong draft, not to mention condensation issues as well. I'll take a little spillage here and there over the old unit.

 

[brenndatomu]

The draft numbers sound good to me

 

[JRHAWK9]

If I have my blower running on the furnace it will smoke when I open the door. Loading during the coalinga stage and when the distribution blower isn't running will be the best bet. I have a 5.5" liner on a 32' chimney.

Just install a manual switch to shut blower circuit off when re-loading. Due to the speed controller and slow blower speed, my blower runs at all times up till there are no coals left in the firebox. I just turn the switch off when I re-load.

 

[laynes69]

Just install a manual switch to shut blower circuit off when re-loading. Due to the speed controller and slow blower speed, my blower runs at all times up till there are no coals left in the firebox. I just turn the switch off when I re-load.

I have a shutoff switch above the furnace I installed. It won't smoke if I work in a timely manner. If I'm messing around and it starts to take off it will smoke.

 

[Case1030]

Hey all. We are researching fireplaces AGAIN after purchasing a Fire Chief 1000 in 2017 and are now going to tear it out. We liked the Drolet Tundra II but would like to hear from owners of them. We dont want to make a second mistake!! Who has an EPA wood furnace they are very happy with and did not need to modify it? We are over that stress.

You won't go wrong with the the Tundra 2 I dont have duct work attached yet and had our coldest night of the winter so far -15f (-26 celcus) kept 1400 squarefoot 1970 build only 4 inch stud house at an easy 75f on 3/4 quarter load of not the best wood. After 8 hour reload house was still 70.

I'm only installing a tempurature controller because I dont want to rely on the room thermostat to operate the furnace. I like a little more control over parameters and limits along with the ability to burn down coal if needed. So far it seems like I won't have coaling issues like most have been fighting with.

With everything said, I am very impressed with the furnace thus far and does not require any modifications. I will post an update in a couple months.

 

[TDD11]

How in the world do you remove the baffle above the secondary tubes? Or the tubes themselves?

Going through the Tundra manual today I see that you're supposed to slide the baffle to the front when cleaning the HX tubes - I didn't know that. I've always just scraped as much towards the front as possible, and then ran my wire brush. I feel at least a half inch of stuff on top of the baffle so I'd like to remove and clean it.

 

[brenndatomu]

Page 63, 64 of manual