Looking for HUD approved furnaces

[Lcback]

Talked to the insurance man today. He said my house in considered a home, plain and simple. Get what furnace I want and follow the clearance to combustible. when its all done, he will come out and take pictures.
which leaves me with the final, what furnace to get. The consensus here seems to be the Drolet Tundra, and look for wood, wood, wood.

 

[TheBigIron]

the drolet, say's no mobile's The Shelter actually has a "mobile home kit" accessory. I could call Drolet and ask about a modular.
as for how can you tell? there is actually a data plate on my house under the sink, that clarify's where it was manufactured, its model etc. You can also tell by the general build dimensions, and structure of the roof. Im sure someone could build one the same, but its definitely not easy to lie and call it stick built.

It is stick built.. Just not stick built on your site. They delivered it. Someone had to stick build it somewhere???

 

[Lcback]

It is stick built.. Just not stick built on your site. They delivered it. Someone had to stick build it somewhere???

I like your reasoning. To bad the mortgage company didn't agree. I had to get a more expensive mortgage because the original bank told us they wouldn't do a modular. Knowing what I do now, is ha be fought that.

 

[STIHLY DAN]

If your budget is around 2 grand try to find a good deal on a caddy. Basically the same unit from the same company but built Much better. There is about 10,000 pages of tundra issues over the last few years.

 

[Lcback]

Talked to the insurance man today. He said my house in considered a home, plain and simple. Get what furnace I want and follow the clearance to combustible. when its all done, he will come out and take pictures.
which leaves me with the final, what furnace to get. The consensus here seems to be the Drolet Tundra, and look for wood, wood, wood.

If your budget is around 2 grand try to find a good deal on a caddy. Basically the same unit from the same company but built Much better. There is about 10,000 pages of tundra issues over the last few years.

I have been reading that tundra thread. 10 pages into 58.
hoping the problems get resolved by then. Talk about a suspenseful story. I do like the the looks of the lifetime warranty though.

 

[Lcback]

can anyone here tell me the difference between the tundra and the heatmax?
I my house is 2,200sqft one story and an unfinished basement. The basement is insulated, and i was planning on it getting heat just from the furnace sitting in there. Thats how it worked this year and worked well.
But is 2,200 to much for the tundra? it is spec at 2500 but the general concensus is that is only a raging fire all the time. the Heat max is spec'd at 3,000. So whats the difference? Bigger box? bigger blower?

 

[sloeffle]

can anyone here tell me the difference between the tundra and the heatmax?
I my house is 2,200sqft one story and an unfinished basement. The basement is insulated, and i was planning on it getting heat just from the furnace sitting in there. Thats how it worked this year and worked well.
But is 2,200 to much for the tundra? it is spec at 2500 but the general concensus is that is only a raging fire all the time. the Heat max is spec'd at 3,000. So whats the difference? Bigger box? bigger blower?

I believe the Heatmax and Tundra are the same furnace from what I can tell.

I heat the same sq footage ( 2,200 ) with a Caddy ( Tundra ) and it has a hard time keeping up when temps get below 10F. I consider keeping the house at 65 - 70, having a hard time keeping up. Some people might be fine with that temperature range. My house is insulated pretty well. I would get the Heatpro ( Max Caddy ). One of the members on here knows a place where you can get a pretty good deal on a Max Caddy in Ohio. I believe that Menards and some other big box stores sell the Heatpro.

 

[Lcback]

I have the same sq footage ( 2,200 ) with a Caddy ( Tundra ) and it has a hard time keeping up when temps get below 10F. I consider keeping the house at 65 - 70, having a hard time keeping up. Some people might be fine with that temperature range. My house is insulated pretty well. I would get the Heatmax ( Max Caddy ). One of the members on here knows a place where you can get a pretty good deal on a Max Caddy in Ohio. I believe that Menards and some other big box stores sell the Heatmax.

thanks, Wierd thing is when i compare them on drolet website. They list the same sq ft. from the heat max and the tundra. Menards no longer carries the heat max. rural king has it. but lists it as the same 2500 sq ft. and $300 more than the tundra. I consider that money well spent if it can indeed keep up better. But I cant find the difference listed anywhere. Online the tundra and Heat max look like the exact same furnace just one is $300 more. Im a little confused right now. I tried finding drolet phone number to just call and ask, but its not listed anywhere on there website.

 

[sloeffle]

I made a late edit to my last post. I also believe the Heatmax and Tundra are the same furnace. @brenndatomu can probably tell you the little nuances between the two.

If the Heatpro is your price range, I would get the Heatpro. I think you will be a lot happier with it on colder days.

(broken link removed to http://www.drolet.ca/en/products/wood/drolet-heatpro-wood-furnace-df03000)

 

[Lcback]

I made a late edit to my last post. I also believe the Heatmax and Tundra are the same furnace. @brenndatomu can probably tell you the little nuances between the two.

If you can afford it, I would get the Heatpro. I think you will be a lot happier with it on colder days.

(broken link removed to http://www.drolet.ca/en/products/wood/drolet-heatpro-wood-furnace-df03000)

wow, that baby is huge. I haven't seen it for sale anywhere, but I imagine its up there in costs. Drolet, doesn't show any dealers with in 200 miles of me. So if Rural king or Menards doesn't sell it I probably wont be getting one. Only other option is if someone suggests somewhere with in 3 hours of pittsburgh to pick one up.

 

[brenndatomu]

Tundra and Heatmax are the same furnace, cosmetic difference only. That way they can have two different SKUs so that competitors won't have to "price match" same SKUs.
Tundra might do 2200 ft OK depending on your heat load and how hot you want the house...or you could go Heatpro and know that it will do the job. Menards sells the Heatpro, they just had 'em on sale here about 2 weeks ago...about ~$2k as I recall (normally ~$2500)

 

[brenndatomu]

As stihly said, you could also look for a good deal on a Caddy...basically the same as Tundra but built a bit better and seems it may have slightly higher heat output based on what people say they can do with theirs. A good deal on a new Caddy will probably still be more $ than a Heatpro on sale, unless you find a nice used one...they pop up once in a while...I have seen some great deals on 'em in the past.

 

[brenndatomu]

@lexybird had a Tundra and then switched to the Max Caddy (Heatpro) after SBI warrantied his first gen Tundra...I know he has been pretty happy with it

 

[sloeffle]

wow, that baby is huge. I haven't seen it for sale anywhere, but I imagine its up there in costs. Drolet, doesn't show any dealers with in 200 miles of me. So if Rural king or Menards doesn't sell it I probably wont be getting one. Only other option is if someone suggests somewhere with in 3 hours of pittsburgh to pick one up.

Over the years PSG has changed the sq footage ratings on their furnaces. I realize that some houses heat a lot easier than others do so you would need to take that into consideration. Where you live at also matters. The Caddy was rated for 2,500 sq ft when I bought mine. Now, I think it is only rated for 1,500 sq ft.

To quote one of my own posts:

I got the Caddy because I always heard it was better to run the dog snot out of a smaller stove or furnace vs letting it idle. That is great until you have a cold snap and can't get any more snot out of the dog.

Again, I would opt for the Heatpro or Max Caddy. If you are wanting to burn coal you might want to look into one of the Energy King furnaces. I looked at one and they seemed pretty stout. Believe they are in the 3k range if I remember correctly.

 

[Lcback]

I see menards has the heat pro for $2,600 online.

 

[Lcback]

Over the years PSG has changed the sq footage ratings on their furnaces. I realize that some houses heat a lot easier than others do so you would need to take that into consideration. Where you live at also matters. The Caddy was rated for 2,500 sq ft when I bought mine. Now, I think it is only rated for 1,500 sq ft.

To quote one of my own posts:

I got the Caddy because I always heard it was better to run the dog snot out of a smaller stove or furnace vs letting it idle. That is great until you have a cold snap and can't get any more snot out of the dog.

all good things for me to take into consideration. Drolet still lists the tundra and heat max as 2,500. I would sure love to hear from drolet as to what justify the $300 price difference. I hate to say it. But i think the heat pro is just out of my price range all things considered. I got into this mess about to buy a tractor supply special. Then upped my price to $2,00 if it would be better. 2,600 is just to high for me.
Now i shouldn't have to worry to much about the dog running out of snot. I have an existing LP furnace that I make sure to have a full tank running into the winter. for those two weeks of the year that it gets to 0 here in PA.

 

[JRHAWK9]

I also live on an acre, I have scrounged enough for 10 years ahead. Not 1 split has come from my yard. Just got to put the work in finding wood, and getting it immediately when it comes.

Where the heck do you put all that wood on an acre?!? LOL You and I probably have close to the same amount of wood, so I know how much room it takes. Do you own a lawn mower?

 

[Lcback]

Where the heck do you put all that wood on an acre?!? LOL You and I probably have close to the same amount of wood, so I know how much room it takes. Do you own a lawn mower?

I was wondering the same thing. probably just a weed wacker around the wood pile and then the house.

 

[STIHLY DAN]

Where the heck do you put all that wood on an acre?!? LOL You and I probably have close to the same amount of wood, so I know how much room it takes. Do you own a lawn mower?

Picket fence, Not! 6.5 ft hi wood stacks 3 rows deep as a fence.

 

[JRHAWK9]

Picket fence, Not! 6.5 ft hi wood stacks 3 rows deep as a fence.

damn that's some tall stacks! Mine are 5.5' and I thought mine were tall. I'm 6'5" tall too.

 

[Lcback]

Now that's what I call a privacy fence

 

[brenndatomu]

I would sure love to hear from drolet as to what justify the $300 price difference

There is none. Just different prices from different vendors. You will never see one vendor carry both the Heatmax and the Tundra.

heat pro is just out of my price range all things considered.

I wouldn't be too surprised to see the Heatpro on sale in the ~$2k range again before summer...maybe not, who knows...but they (Menards) have had some killer wood heater sales in the spring years past...two years ago it was the $1250 Tundra (and that went on for a while!)

Now i shouldn't have to worry to much about the dog running out of snot. I have an existing LP furnace that I make sure to have a full tank running into the winter. for those two weeks of the year that it gets to 0 here in PA.

There ya go, Tundra would likely take 95% (or better) of your annual heat load, sometimes we (me included) get too wound up in making sure that the wood furnace can handle 100%

I'm 6'5" tall too

I continue to be amazed at how many big dudes there seems to be on these wood burner forums (I hear height mentioned a lot when discussing the best ax) at 6'4" I am usually the tallest dude in the room, but it seems that I am not as much the minority around these parts!

 

[Lcback]

Hmmm 5 foot 6 here. I use a step ladder to stack 6 ft high.
I'm gonna give it a month and see if any good deals pop up. If not tundra it is.
In the mean time im looking for wood. I see there is a permit for removing dead wood from the PA state forest. Only 2 cords a year. But that's a good start

 

[JRHAWK9]

I continue to be amazed at how many big dudes there seems to be on these wood burner forums (I hear height mentioned a lot when discussing the best ax) at 6'4" I am usually the tallest dude in the room, but it seems that I am not as much the minority around these parts!

I know what you mean about the tallest in the room. I'm not used to having to look up to people and it's almost a bit uncomfortable to do so like if I'm sitting and others around me are standing around talking I almost always stand up....lol A car club I was in awhile ago had -JIM MCILVAINE- as a member and I was around him a few times. At 7'1", he was one intimidating dude to stand next to!! LOL Made me feel like a runt.

 

[STIHLY DAN]

damn that's some tall stacks! Mine are 5.5' and I thought mine were tall. I'm 6'5" tall too.

Some stacks are 7 ft.