new Vapor Fire 100 with very poor heat

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
  • Super Cedar firestarters 30% discount Use code Hearth2024 Click here
Status
Not open for further replies.
Curious, what would be a better solution... Full liner down the chimney or a separate new run of Class A next to it? In my house I have my insert on my main flue with a SS liner with Vermiculite... If I ever was going to add a VaporFire, I have the original Boiler chimney flu that runs paralell to the fireplace flu... But I suspect that is smaller in diameter.

Not saying I'll ever be able to do this, but its always good to know. Maybe in the next house I will do this :)
 
Curious, what would be a better solution... Full liner down the chimney or a separate new run of Class A next to it? In my house I have my insert on my main flue with a SS liner with Vermiculite... If I ever was going to add a VaporFire, I have the original Boiler chimney flu that runs paralell to the fireplace flu... But I suspect that is smaller in diameter.

Not saying I'll ever be able to do this, but its always good to know. Maybe in the next house I will do this :)

An independent Class A pipe is always the better performer but some people like the looks of bricks. To those people, I suggest building a chase around the pipe and applying a brick veneer. Pipe is smooth walled, straight, easy to replace, easy to install, easy to clean.

I happily demolished a masonry chimney system to replace with pipe.
 
  • Like
Reactions: brenndatomu
An independent Class A pipe is always the better performer but some people like the looks of bricks. To those people, I suggest building a chase around the pipe and applying a brick veneer. Pipe is smooth walled, straight, easy to replace, easy to install, easy to clean.

I happily demolished a masonry chimney system to replace with pipe.
Thanks. Plus with the exterior class A, you could run an exterior clean out right? That would be awesome as you wouldnt have to do it indoors. Keep the missus happy.
 
Thanks. Plus with the exterior class A, you could run an exterior clean out right? That would be awesome as you wouldnt have to do it indoors. Keep the missus happy.

Ideally, the pipe is inside the house where it's warm and as much vertical as possible. If you would like to run the pipe mostly outside then yes, almost always it will have a tee located outside the home where one side goes up to the cap, one horizontal throught the wall to the stove, and the last one capped off for you to access outside with a cleaning tool. You would still need to clean the horizontal piece to the appliance.
 
I just got off the phone with Rockford Chimney and he said everyone he knows has problems getting the vapor fires to draft. He said you have to pretty much have a strait shot up with a class A pipe to make it work. He said if it doesn't work with just a plain liner the insulation is not going fix it. After hearing what he had to say about It I don't high hopes. If I knew all this in the summer it would have been a class A pipe. Lammpa should be more upfront when it comes to this imo. It would have saved me so much trouble but if they told everyone their chimneys aren't going to work I bet their sales would go down so that prob why they don't say.
 
An independent Class A pipe is always the better performer but some people like the looks of bricks. To those people, I suggest building a chase around the pipe and applying a brick veneer. Pipe is smooth walled, straight, easy to replace, easy to install, easy to clean.

I happily demolished a masonry chimney system to replace with pipe.
I did demolish the masonry chimney in the summer. I didnt know it would matter. If i did I would have put a class A pipe up.
 
I did demolish the masonry chimney in the summer. I didnt know it would matter. If i did I would have put a class A pipe up.
Now that you have a nice new masonry stack, let's see if you can make it work! Sealing up the cleanout door and metal pipe connection in the basement should have helped more. 0.02 is low.

23- 8" blocks plus 1/2" of mud between each for another 12 inches should get you a 16 foot tall chimney plus another 2-3 feet of vertical rise in the basement. So 19' of chimney and this masonry chimney is pretty "right" sized compared to most.

Something is still wrong. I believe that you should be having stronger draft from this chimney.
 
Now that you have a nice new masonry stack, let's see if you can make it work! Sealing up the cleanout door and metal pipe connection in the basement should have helped more. 0.02 is low.

23- 8" blocks plus 1/2" of mud between each for another 12 inches should get you a 16 foot tall chimney plus another 2-3 feet of vertical rise in the basement. So 19' of chimney and this masonry chimney is pretty "right" sized compared to most.

Something is still wrong. I believe that you should be having stronger draft from this chimney.
The chimney is 16 feet in its current state and its not perfectly vertical in the basement but it is at a 45. I just bought the liner for it. 20 ft one so I can add 3 ft more to the chimney. Is it going to work? idk its a 600 dollar gamble
 
  • Like
Reactions: Highbeam
I just bought the liner for it. 20 ft one so I can add 3 ft more to the chimney. Is it going to work? idk its a 600 dollar gamble
I'm betting yes...it will work.
 
  • Like
Reactions: woodey
How are you adding 3' on? Having the block laid up higher, or class A conversion plate/pipe on top of existing?
 
You will also be able to eliminate the cleanout door and crock connection as potential draft leaks. Plus eliminate the possibility that the crock is pushed in way too far. The masonry structure will just be a convenient structural support for the liner.
 
Hopefully (along with some sound advice from this forum) you get your draft issues solved as you will love this furnace once properly installed. Maybe one of the good things to come out of this thread is for people to know how important a role the chimney plays when it comes to burning solid fuels in any stove. (Lamppa does state on their website the required draft is .03- .06" WC).
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: brenndatomu
I happily demolished a masonry chimney system to replace with pipe.
I have 2 masonry flues in my house currently, in addition to the Class A that the Kuuma is on. I would have happily demolished them long ago, were not the structure holding up part of the house and the roof. But I do have plans... Flues made of stone and earth are a stone age solution that should have been abandoned long ago.
 
  • Like
Reactions: brenndatomu
Hopefully (along with some sound advice from this forum) you get your draft issues solved as you will love this furnace once properly installed. Maybe one of the good things to come out of this thread is for people to know how important a role the chimney plays when it comes to burning solid fuels in any stove. (Lamppa does state on their website the required draft is .03- .06" WC).
Yes but what they don't state is that its hard to get that with a masonry outdoor chimney. For people like myself that never had a epa furance that may come as a shock. I'm not here for that anyway. I just want to get it working.
 
Last edited:
I have 2 masonry flues in my house currently, in addition to the Class A that the Kuuma is on. I would have happily demolished them long ago, were not the structure holding up part of the house and the roof. But I do have plans... Flues made of stone and earth are a stone age solution that should have been abandoned long ago.
Did you try to run the kumma on the stone ones? Was the class a put up special for the kumma?
 
If I knew all this in the summer it would have been a class A pipe. Lammpa should be more upfront when it comes to this imo. It would have saved me so much trouble but if they told everyone their chimneys aren't going to work I bet their sales would go down so that prob why they don't say.

Page 4 of the owners manual, item number 5 under installation instructions has it spelled out in bold. The manual is available for download by anybody at any time on their website. One of the first things I did when looking for furnaces was download the manual and read through it. It may have saved you some time and $$ by reading this before having it installed.

[Hearth.com] new Vapor Fire 100 with very poor heat
 
Flues made of stone and earth are a stone age solution that should have been abandoned long ago.
No doubt there are much better options out there but it should be noted that if you do have an established masonry chimney (as I do)that meets the required draft the Kuuma can be vented to it and operate flawlessly . Mine vents to an inside masonry with a 7x11 tile liner.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: brenndatomu
Page 4 of the owners manual, item number 5 under installation instructions has it spelled out in bold. The manual is available for download by anybody at any time on their website. One of the first things I did when looking for furnaces was download the manual and read through it. It may have saved you some time and $$ by reading this before having it installed.

View attachment 251911
I did read it before I bought the furnace go to page 7 and you will see it does say you can use a masonry with tile liner
 
  • Like
Reactions: JRHAWK9
No doubt there are much better options out there but it should be noted that if you do have an established masonry chimney (as I do)that meets the required draft the Kuuma can be vented to it and operate flawlessly . Mine vents to an inside masonry with a 7x11 tile liner.
hopefully mine will be good too once it has the liner
 
  • Like
Reactions: JRHAWK9 and woodey
Hard to tell from your pics, is your current chimney higher than your roof ridge and if not will your modifications put you above it?
 
Hard to tell from your pics, is your current chimney higher than your roof ridge and if not will your modifications put you above it?
It should be much taller with the 3 more feet yes. The peak you see in the picture is a lot more then 10 feet from the chimney. The one I'm worried about is not in the picture and is much closer
 
Status
Not open for further replies.