Firechief 1700

[maple1]

First a disclaimer, I am by no means a trained hvac tech so maybe a more knowledgeable blogger can chime in here and correct me here. I've been planning my install for quite some time but in the end I paid a contractor to do it right. This is what I gathered from asking questions.
Sometimes when the conditions are right with a chimney depending on factors such as height, location inside or outside of house, surrounding topography, slope of roof and probably several more factors, the flow of exhaust up the chimney can actually create a vacuum within the firebox causing the same effect as the induction blower always being on. A barometric damper is an adjustable weighted damper installed in a tee in the chimney just outside of the furnace. When the exhaust starts to pull more than is necessary then this flapper opens up and mixes basement air with the hot exhaust to cool down the overheated fumes and slow down the loss of heat though the chimney.
Again this is a layman's perspective so keep that in mind before you cut into your metal chimney.

Sounds about right. The barometric damper just provides an easier path for the chimney to pull air through/from, so it won't pull too much from the fire box. Some 'vacuum' on the firebox is always wanted, but too much and a lot of your wood will end up going up & out the chimney instead of into your house as heat.

 

[brenndatomu]

A baro is just a self regulated air leak more or less...they work great, even if somewhat controversial...many manufacturers require them. I've heard tale of chimneys that had such strong draw they needed 2 baros...my chimney is close to that sometimes.

The chimney pulls a negative pressure on the firebox, that's what makes the whole thing work...some people think the chimney is just a place to dump the smoke out, but no, it is the engine driving the firebox...without it, nothing works, at all...try it sometime, load a stove full of wood out in the driveway without a chimney hooked up and then light it...see what happens (clue: nothing!)

 

[ccjumper]

Hey NSExpress I am thinking about buying this stove because of the long burn times, its listed at up to 15 hours.....Any update on the issues you were having now that you had some time to mess with it? I would be happy if i could get 12 hour burn times, just wondering if that is possible. Id really like a Kuuma vaporfire 100 but just dont want to spend $5400 before install costs.

 

[NSExpress]

ok so I like the furnace and produced great heat. Once I dialed it in alittle bit was getting 12h burn time. Maybe longer but then your really just talking about afew hot coals but usually was enough to start a fire using the draft blower fan. In mid January I actually cracked the front on the furnace. Firechief says there standing by there product and is going to replace my furnace but first wanted to make some changes. They think that it actually cracks during the cool down vs when it’s heating up. They were going to give me one right away but I was worried the same thing would happen again. Overfireing actully voids the warranty but from what I gathered from them they had afew in the field that crack.

 

[ccjumper]

Thanks for the reply! I know the fc1700 is a newer furnace for them so hopefully they can work the kinks out. I'm stuck between buying a wood furnace, more than likely the fc1700 or a pellet furnace. I like the idea of not having to carry wood to the basement and the long burn times, but I have 165 acres to cut on and kind of enjoy it...maybe I'll just sell the wood I cut to pay for pellets if I go that route...anyways thanks again

 

[Mrpelletburner]

Firechief says there standing by there product and is going to replace my furnace but first wanted to make some changes.

Did you get the replacement furnace installed?

 

[NSExpress]

i have been in touch with fire chief all summer and the replacement is ready. They told me they wouldn’t send me a new one unless I replaced the flex duct work come from the furnace into my exsisting duct work with 8” round smooth duct work. So I have done it bc it’s too hot in the summer in attic. In the process of doing it now. Once it’s done they want pics and will send me the new 1

 

[Mrpelletburner]

ok so I like the furnace and produced great heat. Once I dialed it in alittle bit was getting 12h burn time

What did you do to “dial in” the furnace?

Just switched from the FC1000 to the FC1500 and the FC1700 is very similar to the 1500. Trying to get a jump on the learning curve.

 

[NSExpress]

well every application is different,but basically turned the thermostat off. I was able to get enough heat just off the furnace blowing the excess off into my house. Didn’t always load it up to the max. When I did load it up depending what was left before I loaded it it would catch and really burn through the wood faster then I liked. I would shake the grate and close the door let is settle down then alittle later load it up. I never used the draft blower unless I was trying to restart or catch a existing fire. I just changed all the duct work to 8” round and the. Insulated it. Should improve the flow. It was a trail and error. Good wood makes a big difference but never really saw the max burn times the describe but could get 10-12hrs with afew coals left.

 

[Mrpelletburner]

well every application is different,but basically turned the thermostat off. I was able to get enough heat just off the furnace blowing the excess off into my house. Didn’t always load it up to the max. When I did load it up depending what was left before I loaded it it would catch and really burn through the wood faster then I liked. I would shake the grate and close the door let is settle down then alittle later load it up. I never used the draft blower unless I was trying to restart or catch a existing fire. I just changed all the duct work to 8” round and the. Insulated it. Should improve the flow. It was a trail and error. Good wood makes a big difference but never really saw the max burn times the describe but could get 10-12hrs with afew coals left.

So far the max time I have been able to get load till a couple hot ambers is 8hrs. Would like to be able to squeeze another 2.5hrs.

 

[NSExpress]

When they say 12-15 and say there are coals they might mean even 1. You won’t have a full bed of coals at 12-15h. They just gave me a new 1700 due to the other one cracking and the newer model in my opinion performs better. Wood plays a big part. If you want to call I can explain maybe better in detail. I hate type. Pm and I’ll give ya my number

 

[Hounds]

When they say 12-15 and say there are coals they might mean even 1. You won’t have a full bed of coals at 12-15h. They just gave me a new 1700 due to the other one cracking and the newer model in my opinion performs better. Wood plays a big part. If you want to call I can explain maybe better in detail. I hate type. Pm and I’ll give ya my number

I’m not getting good burn times on my firechief 1700 new wood burner either. Similar issues to what you guys are talking about. The unit isn’t even calling for heat and it burns through wood in two to three hours and I’m left with no burning logs just hot coals. Load it at 10pm wake up at 1 you can tell the house dropping temp. Go Down add wood wake up at 6 for work nothing but a few hot coals and a cold home. It’s sucking aid from somewhere. This is a real pain and disappointing.

 

[Mrpelletburner]

If you have a pull of more than .08 water column than you really need a barometric damper on your chimney. Fire Chief says they're trying to design new furnaces not to require them but they admit that in some installations they are still needed.
Hope that helps

I have been working with HY-C (Fire Chief) for a couple months now. Once the secondary burn kicks in, my flue pulls 0.2” WC and 1,000 flue inner temps. They have continued to stress a barometer damper is not required. Getting a max of 3-4 hours before I have to reload.

 

[Mrpelletburner]

I’m not getting good burn times on my firechief 1700 new wood burner either. Similar issues to what you guys are talking about. The unit isn’t even calling for heat and it burns through wood in two to three hours and I’m left with no burning logs just hot coals. Load it at 10pm wake up at 1 you can tell the house dropping temp. Go Down add wood wake up at 6 for work nothing but a few hot coals and a cold home. It’s sucking aid from somewhere. This is a real pain and disappointing.

I am feeling your pain with the 1500! Loaded as much as I could fit in at 11pm (15 degrees outside), distribution blower set to low and at 6am the house is at 68 degrees. When I went to bed at 1am the first floor was a nice 73 and the upstairs at 67 (2,200 sf). My old Huntsman (single door) lasted longer!

 

[Hounds]

I am feeling your pain with the 1500! Loaded as much as I could fit in at 11pm (15 degrees outside), distribution blower set to low and at 6am the house is at 68 degrees. When I went to bed at 1am the first floor was a nice 73 and the upstairs at 67 (2,200 sf). My old Huntsman (single door) lasted longer!

Just got off the phone with Fire Chief. They want me to take the 8 screws off the draft blower box find the round hole that the draft blower sucks air from and put tape on it. He said this will tell us if this is the area where air is getting in. I'm sensing that I'm getting the run around already about burn times. He said I may have the 1 out of 1,000 over active flue and it may need dampened. I asked him if others are having the same difficulty. He said, "Oh No, usually if theres problems its an installation issue." Yeah here it comes, but I'll follow protocol for now. I asked if they had techs local to me trained by Hy-C. I explained that I would be willing to pay their guy to come on top of what I had already paid my installer. Bottom line they have issues.

 

[brenndatomu]

He said I may have the 1 out of 1,000 over active flue and it may need dampened

I'd put it at more like 1 out of 3 need to be damped...for a furnace...since they are usually in the basement...which usually means a tall chimney...these guys at FC sure are entertaining!

 

[Mrpelletburner]

Just got off the phone with Fire Chief. They want me to take the 8 screws off the draft blower box find the round hole that the draft blower sucks air from and put tape on it. He said this will tell us if this is the area where air is getting in.

Yes, I just reported this to them. Didn’t use tape as that area gets hot. Ended up using high temp silicone.

 

[brenndatomu]

Yes, I just reported this to them. Didn’t use tape as that area gets hot. Ended up using high temp silicone.

View attachment 238221

View attachment 238222

What are we looking at there? Is that a crack or something?

 

[Mrpelletburner]

I'm sensing that I'm getting the run around already about burn times.

I get it and also feel the same. However, I also understand it is a tough job trying to capture the exact setup, therefore they have to run through the same questions. I deal with this every day with clients, they stress they "didn't touch anything" and the "website is just not loading" only to discover someone touched something. So I get it, it is frustrating and feels like a canned response.

He said, "Oh No, usually if theres problems its an installation issue."

You know across the board, prob 90% of the reported issues for all stoves are related to the install or fuel. Last year, HY-C came out to review my install and the fuel I was using. So while I am in the same boat, I am also not in the same boat.

Anyways, I will continue to play ball.

 

[Mrpelletburner]

What are we looking at there? Is that a crack or something?

No, the flange for the draft blower does not have a gasket installed and lets a ton of air in around the rounded mating surface.

 

[sloeffle]

Sorry, but I just can't resist.

 

[brenndatomu]

Sorry, but I just can't resist.

View attachment 238238

Fire...fire fire!

 

[brenndatomu]

I am feeling your pain with the 1500! Loaded as much as I could fit in at 11pm (15 degrees outside), distribution blower set to low and at 6am the house is at 68 degrees. When I went to bed at 1am the first floor was a nice 73 and the upstairs at 67 (2,200 sf). My old Huntsman (single door) lasted longer!

Just as an example of what's possible with a very efficient furnace design...here is a pic of my temp monitor from 10 minutes ago...I loaded 51# of wood in 'er (2/3 to 3/4 full) almost 3 hours ago...its 71* in here right now, going down to 15* outside tonight, it will still be 71-72* in here tomorrow morning when I next reload at 6:20 or so...and the duct blower running the whole time. This is keeping the 1200 sq ft partially finished basement at 70* or so, the 1200 sq ft main floor at 71-73*, and the 650 sq ft upstairs at 70*. 1940 brick cape cod with just average insulation. So that's (2) 50# loads per day...
The top number on the monitor is my internal flue temps about 18" away from the VF100. The bottom is my plenum temp (it will get higher as the night goes on...usually peaks at 117* for a few hours)
The 2cnd pic is showing the internal firebox temp...it has been on "pilot" for a couple hours already, and will probably remain so for a couple more, with maybe a couple quick "blips" of air to keep the firebox temp up. When on pilot the primary air comes through (2) .5" holes, the secondary air through (2) 1.5" holes.

Just found out today that Lamppa Mfg. has a very lightly used "demo" VF100 for sale...talk to Dale.

 

[Mrpelletburner]

So there is no wall thermostat? How does it know when to kick the heat on or is the heat always delivered.

Setup reminds me of the “Smart Stove” controller system. Wonder what ever happened to that guy... I remember designing the logo when he first started.

 

[laynes69]

I loaded our furnace at 4:30 this morning when it was in the low teens out. I set the thermostat for 72 degrees when I left for work. At 3:00 PM I got home and our home was 71 degrees with the blower still running and at least a few inches of coals in the firebox, the temps were in the 20's. I cannot complain, and we have 2500 sq ft and a 1200 sqft basement. While we are home we dont do full loads, but I know we will always have a fire overnight and during the day.