Mojappa's Drolet Heatpack Adventure

[JRHAWK9]

Definitely not gonna win any style awards with my setup but it functions

<-------

This makes two of us!

 

[Mrpelletburner]

This thread reminds me that I really need to get on the ball setting up my Heatpack which is currently sitting in the basement.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[brenndatomu]

This thread reminds me that I really need to get on the ball setting up my Heatpack which is currently sitting in the basement.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Yup, better get on it...snowing here now...and I'm sending it your way!

 

[Mrpelletburner]

I have my skis ready and the mountain is now all lit up!




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Mojappa]

If you are ok with blocking the light entering the window, you could wedge 1” hard rigid foam insulation board on the inside of the window frame.

I may do something to that effect, especially since there’s 3 of em down there. And the area around the basement door needs some insulation TLC as well. Right now I think it’s just one layer of wood between the inside and the outside.

 

[Mojappa]

And you could have an artist paint a nice mountain view on it then too!

Would only be ironic cause that window kinda already has a mountain view, since I live on a mountain. Lol

 

[brenndatomu]

I may do something to that effect, especially since there’s 3 of em down there. And the area around the basement door needs some insulation TLC as well. Right now I think it’s just one layer of wood between the inside and the outside.

If we are talking basement windows here...I cut plexiglass about 3/8" smaller than my windows and then wrapped the edges of the plexiglass with pipe insulation (mitered at the corners) and that made it fit snug enough in the window well that it stays put all on its own...sure cut down on the drafts!

 

[Mrpelletburner]

Tried that and failed. The 1” foam worked perfect and really helped keep the heat in.

 

[JRHAWK9]

Yup, better get on it...snowing here now...and I'm sending it your way!

Yeah, no kidding!

You must be getting the stuff which was here by us yesterday. The cold may soon follow, was 10° last night and a high of 23° today. Supposed to get down to 5° tonight.

 

[Getwidit]

This is like 5 pieces of 20 plus year old red oak that all the pulpy stuff rotted off nothing is left but kind of petrified core. Bone dry. Alittle on the large size maybe 4x4. Put it in there about 3 hrs ago. I shut the stove down at 350. It went up in temp to 400 over the 3 hrs. Throwing a ton of heat still. I'm hot. Its 35 degrees outside and raining. Was 62 degrees in the house when I started my fire at 3pm and it was 44 degrees out and raining. Its 70 in the living room 74 in the basement with the stove. 1500 soft.

 

[Getwidit]

My air ducts are ghetto I know.. I used 6 inch dryer vent. It was quick and time is money for me right now.. when I have more time I'm going to clean it up with real duct..

 

[Mojappa]

I know you posted this last year... but when you are back in the swing of things, can you snap a photo of the firebox at the 8hr marker?

will take another when I wake up for work tomorrow

 

[brenndatomu]

My air ducts are ghetto I know.. I used 6 inch dryer vent. It was quick and time is money for me right now.. when I have more time I'm going to clean it up with real duct..

Better than using furnace flex duct!
Its not rated for high enough temps for a wood furnace!

 

[Mojappa]

8hrs between pics. Unfortunately I have to clean some of them out so I can reload before I go to work. Glad I got up early. The pile is probably 4-4.5” tall and probably about as long as it was (from the rear wall of the firebox). Fan was still cycling so I’m trying to let it cool off a bit more before the reload.

 

[Getwidit]

This is over 12 hrs.

 

[Getwidit]

Here my load this morning. Stove was down to 150. Still had coals. Loaded wood at 550. Shut stove down at 610 when it was at 350 degrees.

 

[brenndatomu]

8hrs between pics. Unfortunately I have to clean some of them out so I can reload before I go to work. Glad I got up early. The pile is probably 4-4.5” tall and probably about as long as it was (from the rear wall of the firebox). Fan was still cycling so I’m trying to let it cool off a bit more before the reload. View attachment 250849

Do you pull the coals forward to burn them down...and then eventually load on? If not that works the best...

 

[Getwidit]

8 hrs after pic. Stove is still around 300. House was 64 this am. Its 69 now. I raked the coals forward and gonna let them burn down a bit.

 

[Mojappa]

Do you pull the coals forward to burn them down...and then eventually load on? If not that works the best...

Yeah, generally I do that but before work I don’t have much time to wait for coals to burn down. Much faster to just shovel out a good chunk of em then pull the rest to the front so I can get it loaded and get out of the house on time.

 

[Getwidit]

Why do u pull the coals out? I dont really understand.

 

[Case1030]

Yeah, generally I do that but before work I don’t have much time to wait for coals to burn down. Much faster to just shovel out a good chunk of em then pull the rest to the front so I can get it loaded and get out of the house on time.

Do you have a thermostat or temp controller running your air damper?

Only time I have any issue with excess coals is during the coldest days winter has to offer.

I have my temp controller set to open the damper when the flue temp dips below 220f. It will burn the coals down very nice so no removal of coals is necessary. I only use that method for about a month and a half then disable it.

 

[brenndatomu]

Why do u pull the coals out? I dont really understand.

Make room to stack the next load in...unfortunately it is a waste of perfectly good charcoal (and BTU's)
Usually you don't run into the coaling issue until real cold weather when you are really pushing for max BTU's
It generally takes X hrs to burn down X lbs of wood...less time than that and you have coals.
Can you load a bit lighter for this weather @Mojappa ?

 

[Getwidit]

Yea I mean if u have that much coal load 3 less pieces of wood in a 8 hr time u should have compensated for the burn down of the coals.

 

[Mojappa]

Make room to stack the next load in...unfortunately it is a waste of perfectly good charcoal (and BTU's)
Usually you don't run into the coaling issue until real cold weather when you are really pushing for max BTU's
It generally takes X hrs to burn down X lbs of wood...less time than that and you have coals.
Can you load a bit lighter for this weather @Mojappa ?

Correct, I try to only have about a 6” long bed of coals in the front, maybe an inch or so deep. I’m sure I can load less but I still only have a few weeks worth of use on this thing so far between last year and this year, most of it being last year, so I still have to learn how this thing burns and how to control it in my favor. Only screwed me up this morning because I had to leave early for work and was a little late when I decided to fire it up last night. Typically there’s enough coals that I just have to pull em to the front, maybe smash em up a bit and let them burn down with the door cracked to speed it up.

 

[Mojappa]

Do you have a thermostat or temp controller running your air damper?

Only time I have any issue with excess coals is during the coldest days winter has to offer.

I have my temp controller set to open the damper when the flue temp dips below 220f. It will burn the coals down very nice so no removal of coals is necessary. I only use that method for about a month and a half then disable it.

Neither, it’s 100% stock right now. Still need to get the manometer installed so I can watch the draft, pretty sure it’s weak as it is now but wanna verify then correct it. Excess coals is only an issue when I have to leave for work and loaded too much, or too late. Still have a lot to learn about this thing, my only other burning experience was two winters ago with the Fisher that came with the house and that was not a very pleasant experience, hence the furnace. Lol