new Vapor Fire 100 with very poor heat

[gary38532]

I just made a new fire in the vf100 and waited for the computer to get to c. I checked the temp of the plenum in the highest left front corner it was 105. The blower is back on high... I figured its going to be warmer this week I might as well get my living back into the 60s... @JRHAWK9 @brenndatomu Should I take more temp readings as the fire burns down?

 

[brenndatomu]

Max plenum temps for me usually occurs about 2 hours or so into the burn...

 

[gary38532]

Max plenum temps for me usually occurs about 2 hours or so into the burn...

It's been almost 3 hours after I loaded it now 113

 

[Woodman1]

Take a reading at some of your registers throughout the house please

 

[maple1]

It's been almost 3 hours after I loaded it now 113

With blower on high all the time?

 

[gary38532]

With blower on high all the time?

Yes

 

[gary38532]

Take a reading at some of your registers throughout the house please

Will do

 

[JRHAWK9]

It's been almost 3 hours after I loaded it now 113

Blower on high with that temp is very good. More than I remember seeing back when I was running the stock blower setup.

 

[brenndatomu]

Heck, I'm running at 108* right now, with the blower on low...but it was also a small load of wood too...

 

[gary38532]

Heck, I'm running at 108* right now, with the blower on low...but it was also a small load of wood too...

I wish I could do that... I always do a full
load I'm going to look into air sealing the crawl space and the basement walls... And go from there

 

[gary38532]

Blower on high with that temp is very good. More than I remember seeing back when I was running the stock blower setup.

So if I fix the leaks I should be warm then

 

[JRHAWK9]

I wish I could do that... I always do a full
load I'm going to look into air sealing the crawl space and the basement walls... And go from there

Could try doing smaller loads more often. Mary help with the coaling issue at the end of the burn and allow you to burn wood a bit faster.

 

[Highbeam]

@Case1030 the VF is a low emissions furnace and pretty efficient but it is absolutely not 86% efficient. Even the best wood stoves are only 82% and they are catalytic don’t suffer from duct losses. A noncat furnace is going to be in the 70s if you ignore duct losses. About like an nc30 wood stove. Way better than the old Clayton!

 

[woodey]

Could try doing smaller loads more often. Mary help with the coaling issue at the end of the burn and allow you to burn wood a bit faster.

Works great for me.

 

[gary38532]

Could try doing smaller loads more often. Mary help with the coaling issue at the end of the burn and allow you to burn wood a bit faster.

I can't really do that during the week with work but I'll try it out on the weekend.

 

[brenndatomu]

load I'm going to look into air sealing the crawl space and the basement walls... And go from there

Better call Dr, Energy Saver! This is actually a decent video...

 

[brenndatomu]

This one is not bad either...some good info in there

 

[gary38532]

@Case1030 the VF is a low emissions furnace and pretty efficient but it is absolutely not 86% efficient. Even the best wood stoves are only 82% and they are catalytic don’t suffer from duct losses. A noncat furnace is going to be in the 70s if you ignore duct losses. About like an nc30 wood stove. Way better than the old Clayton!

Thats

Better call Dr, Energy Saver! This is actually a decent video...

Thats my house!

 

[brenndatomu]

Thats

Thats my house!

You mean that's the same issues you are having, or literally "your house"?

 

[gary38532]

You mean that's the same issues you are having, or literally "your house"?

same issues

 

[Case1030]

Can someone describe "Over All Efficiency"? (Is stack loss calculated)

For example when a manufacturer states 85% overall efficiency, does that mean btu per pound of wood that turns to heat emitted from stove/furnace? Or does stack loss also need to be factored into this equation?

 

[TCaldwell]

Stack loss is a method of calculation for combustion efficiency ,
K*[tg-ta]/co2=QS
K= fuel factor for wood .765 (doesnt change)
Tg = fluegas temp
Ta = combustion air temp
Co2= usually calculated from residual o2 in the fluestream or co2 sensor

Efficiency = 100-QS
This QS needs to now be adjusted to a lower heating value for wood,
QS* .935= real world combustion Efficiency for a wood burning appliance.
So as a example if the flue temp is 300degf, the combustion air temp is 65degf, calculated co2 is 15.43, qs=88.34%,
The adjusted qs=82.6%

The calculated qs or hhv assumes your able to recoup heat trapped in flue moisture, Or steam you see from the stack,
The adjusted qs is the best we can get sitting inside watching the steam leave the flue!
I have this calculation programmed into the controller I use on my o2 controlled garn, I’m able to watch real time through a burn. The numbers are very consistent, for about 3/4 of the burn it ranges from 83- 85% efficiency.
Originally I was going to comment on insulation, I bought a 600 board ft closed cell diy spray foam kit, took about a hr to spray the rim joists, also insulated concrete basement walls with 2 inch foam board and taped seams. These improvements were relatively easy to do and made a huge difference.

 

[brenndatomu]

I bought a 600 board ft closed cell diy spray foam kit, took about a hr to spray the rim joists

I just seen Menards (for those that have them nearby) has a 200 sq ft froth pak on sale for $299 right now

 

[sloeffle]

When I was looking at doing some foaming at one point in time you could buy the cheapest kits on eBay. I am not sure if that is still true but it might be worth shopping around. The contractor salesman from Menards who we worked with for our house addition said those kits have a pretty healthy mark up on them.

 

[SpaceBus]

When I was looking at doing some foaming at one point in time you could buy the cheapest kits on eBay. I am not sure if that is still true but it might be worth shopping around. The contractor salesman from Menards who we worked with for our house addition said those kits have a pretty healthy mark up on them.

The markup/profit margins on the closed cell foam kits are criminal.