New Yukon-Eagle Husky Wood/coal/propane furnace on the way.....

[Motor7]

They should have named it a Warthog...beautiful in a kinda hideous way

 

[brenndatomu]

Any updates on the beast in the basement?

 

[Motor7]

Update...

It's been awhile, but last winter I got all the issues worked out. Reference the gas problem it was the wrong jets. I assumed the when I placed my order for a propane set up it would ship with installed propane jets...nope they were natural gas jets. The heat & air guy also had to bump up the line pressure at the tank regulator, now the gas side works flawlessly.

As for the wood side, I am using somewhere between 30-40% less wood than with my old Hearthstone. I am extremely pleased with the Yukon...worth every penny.

Due to the emerald ash borer, I am over 2 years ahead on wood. This summer I dropped 15 ash trees just along my driveway....many more back in the woods. Sure is nice being ahead.....for a change.

 

[Jags]

What is the efficiency rating while burning propane in that thing?

 

[brenndatomu]

What is the efficiency rating while burning propane in that thing?

They are rated at 80%

 

[Jags]

Thanks for that.

 

[Motor7]

Annual update:

I'm now 3 years ahead on firewood, still cutting and splitting dead Ash. Furnace is working well & I clean the flue/heat exchanger twice a season. Each time I get about a quart of creosote.
Even the dogs are happy

 

[brenndatomu]

Boy, sounds like you have had excellent results with it!

 

[bbauer161]

So this is my first year burning wood to heat the house. I live in MD so don't get super cold winters, but cold enough that I spent around $2k to heat my 3200 sq ft house last year). Over the summer I had a brand new, masonry chimney built where I previously had a prefabricated chimney. It was in rough shape, leaking, and needed some massive overhaul or be rebuilt. Since I wanted to burn wood, I ended up having it rebuilt from the ground up. Ran two flues to my basement. One for the new yukon furnace and one to the oil fired water heater. I've been burning wood on and off for about a month. Sometimes only burning at night since we are still getting into the 50's during the day here and there.

(1) I have not turned on the oil except once which was to test it out. Do you suggest that I hire someone to come in and "tune" the burner? Honestly, I don't plan to use it often at all since I will likely use our pellet stove during the fall/spring. It's what we used in October and parts of November when getting a fire going wasn't necessary. I guess if I go away for a period of time, I would need to run the oil.
(2) Since we have not had significantly cold weather, I have had days where I have let the fire die down, or perhaps I'd only throw 1-2 logs on it every 3-4 hours during the day so the house keeps warm, but doesn't get up to 77-78 degrees (which I have done a few times while still learning the unit). This evening I looked in the damper and noticed what appears to be creosote. Can someone confirm from the picture which is attached? I'm using wood that has been split for 12-18 months. So I know that isn't the issue. Is this amount of build up normal and I have nothing to be concerned about?

Could this be because of the fact that I'm not burning hot fires all of the time? I was hoping to burn all winter and clean everything once when I'm finished burning. However, given what you see in the picture, would you suggest I do a mid season cleaning (chimney sweep & cleaning of internal piping)? I will likely burn into March, but not the entire month.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Bryce

 

[brenndatomu]

I'm using wood that has been split for 12-18 months. So I know that isn't the issue

That is part of the issue for sure...depending on what kind of wood it is that is only half of the time it needs to dry.
And yeah, the Yooks make creosote if you are burning low n slow...you will definitely need a mid season cleaning

 

[bbauer161]

That is part of the issue for sure...depending on what kind of wood it is that is only half of the time it needs to dry.
And yeah, the Yooks make creosote if you are burning low n slow...you will definitely need a mid season cleaning

Really? I split the wood in April/May of 2015. Was thinking that was enough time. I have a moisture tester so I'm going to split a piece this evening and test it. I did cut the pieces smaller in hopes it would season faster (at the time, I was thinking I was going to put in a wood stove and would be burning it last season).

Couple questions:

1) Does the picture of the pipe that I posted concern you as far as safety? Pretty sure there needs to be more creosote build up to run the risk of a chimney fire, correct? Either way, I'll plan to clean everything in early January.
2) What kind of burn times do you get with the Yukon at night? If I pack it good with wood around 10:30, generally if I check it around 7am, it's completely out. Maybe one or two small coals. Once or twice I've gotten up (b/c kids got out of bed) around 3:30 - 4:00 and there were enough coals to throw on 3-4 pieces, close the door and it would get going again. Curious to know your routine before turning off the lights for the night.......how many logs, thicker diameter pieces, do you turn down the secondary burn vent, etc.


Thanks for any help/insight. I burned wood growing up with my dad but never really cared to learn. Now that I'm doing it in my house, trying to learn as much as possible.

 

[brenndatomu]

Does the picture of the pipe that I posted concern you as far as safety?

Not especially...BUT, yes, that is enough creosote to get a fire going if the circumstances were right. You'd have to get the pipe pretty hot though.
That is why they have the clearance codes for everything, its not about "normal operation" its for those "OH CRAP!" moments when maybe there is a problem...gotta prepare for worst case scenario...so everything and everybody comes out unharmed

What kind of burn times do you get with the Yukon at night?

I could go (not using the Yook right now) 12 hours in 30-40* weather and 8 was no problem when it got cold. I usually load a few bigger pieces and a few smaller ones on top...tailor your wood load to your heat demand...if its really cold, load 'er up...if its kinda warm, don't load as much and maybe smaller pieces too. You'll get the hang of it with some experience. Like I said before I load twice a day in warmer weather and 3 times in colder. That's a part of the key too, let the house cool off a bit so that the tstat is calling for heat and the firebox can get fully up to temp and not just sit there and smolder trying to maintain a steady 72* in the house at all times. Don't have the gas/oil tstat set 2* behind the wood tstat, I'd go at least 5* behind.

Oh, and one trick I found was to let the ashes build up on the grates, it will hold coals MUCH better that way. I run at least 2-3 inches, often 4-6" of ashes. I just take a poker and scratch a little hole in the ashes toward the front so the fire can get some air up through the grates, rake hot coals around the hole, load n light (I usually throw a match at the kindlin/splitter trash that I put on the hot coals so it lights immediately instead of smoking until it lights on its own...smoke = creosote) The whole routine takes maybe 4-5 minutes.
Secondary air adjustment doesn't seem to be real touchy...3 turns or so should do it. Keeping ash on the grates makes much more difference in how long the coals last than the secondary air adjustment.
What else ya got?

 

[brenndatomu]

And another thought here, even though that pipe might not need cleaned, check the chimney itself...those baros cool the flue gasses enough to cause nasty creosote in the chimney sometimes...especially near the top. The other thing is to check your heat exchanger tubes...a little soot buildup on those makes a big difference in efficiency (how much heat goes to the house vs up the chimney) Honestly having to clean them every week or two wouldn't surprise me...you can't do it too often. I cheated on mine, I'd pop the end off the tee and just clean the center two tubes regularly and then the outer two when I pulled the pipe apart for cleaning...not optimal but better than nothing...PITA to take my tee off so I can open the cleanout door for a proper cleaning

 

[brenndatomu]

Really? I split the wood in April/May of 2015. Was thinking that was enough time. I have a moisture tester so I'm going to split a piece this evening and test it

Well, it did get two summers on it...so the faster drying stuff (not Oak) may be OK...let us know what your results are.
Going back to leaving the ashes build up...on another furnace I covered 75% of the grate with an old piece of 1/8" sheet metal so to not have to worry about knocking too much ash through the grate where I wanted to keep things covered...I've heard of people using cheap firebrick (like the ones you can buy at TSC, the hardware, etc) to do this too...

 

[bbauer161]

And another thought here, even though that pipe might not need cleaned, check the chimney itself...those baros cool the flue gasses enough to cause nasty creosote in the chimney sometimes...especially near the top. The other thing is to check your heat exchanger tubes...a little soot buildup on those makes a big difference in efficiency (how much heat goes to the house vs up the chimney) Honestly having to clean them every week or two wouldn't surprise me...you can't do it too often. I cheated on mine, I'd pop the end off the tee and just clean the center two tubes regularly and then the outer two when I pulled the pipe apart for cleaning...not optimal but better than nothing...PITA to take my tee off so I can open the cleanout door for a proper cleaning

Yeah - I wish I could but the chimney is about 30 feet tall (another reason to check it, right? Longer chimney means those gasses are a lot colder at 30 ft vs 10 ft) and at the moment, my largest extension ladder is only about 25 ft.

I don't have a T, my baro damper is right before my 90 turn into the chimney. So for me I think it's all or nothing when in want to clean the heat exchanger tubes. Fortunately, I think the unit is plenty for my house and I won't have trouble heating it. we'll see once January and February roll around.

Thanks for the info!

 

[bbauer161]

Not especially...BUT, yes, that is enough creosote to get a fire going if the circumstances were right. You'd have to get the pipe pretty hot though.
That is why they have the clearance codes for everything, its not about "normal operation" its for those "OH CRAP!" moments when maybe there is a problem...gotta prepare for worst case scenario...so everything and everybody comes out unharmed

I could go (not using the Yook right now) 12 hours in 30-40* weather and 8 was no problem when it got cold. I usually load a few bigger pieces and a few smaller ones on top...tailor your wood load to your heat demand...if its really cold, load 'er up...if its kinda warm, don't load as much and maybe smaller pieces too. You'll get the hang of it with some experience. Like I said before I load twice a day in warmer weather and 3 times in colder. That's a part of the key too, let the house cool off a bit so that the tstat is calling for heat and the firebox can get fully up to temp and not just sit there and smolder trying to maintain a steady 72* in the house at all times. Don't have the gas/oil tstat set 2* behind the wood tstat, I'd go at least 5* behind.

Oh, and one trick I found was to let the ashes build up on the grates, it will hold coals MUCH better that way. I run at least 2-3 inches, often 4-6" of ashes. I just take a poker and scratch a little hole in the ashes toward the front so the fire can get some air up through the grates, rake hot coals around the hole, load n light (I usually throw a match at the kindlin/splitter trash that I put on the hot coals so it lights immediately instead of smoking until it lights on its own...smoke = creosote) The whole routine takes maybe 4-5 minutes.
Secondary air adjustment doesn't seem to be real touchy...3 turns or so should do it. Keeping ash on the grates makes much more difference in how long the coals last than the secondary air adjustment.
What else ya got?

Thanks for this. My wife has enjoyed the warmth so she's keeps it around 74. When running, it never gets below that unless we let it die out. I've let the ashes build up as much as I can for the past few days. I purchased the shaker grates in case I ever wanted to burn coal, and I wonder if they don't hold ash as well. It's very hard to keep the ash from falling down into the ash pan. Do you have the shaker grate?

My oil t stat is turned off. Hoping to not turn it on all winter , unless we get some cold nights....even then, I would guess ill be fine getting through the night and re lighting in the AM.

 

[brenndatomu]

Do you have the shaker grate?

Yes. After a few days of not scraping the ash down it will start to build up (especially if the ash pan is full ) and then after some time goes by it will get kinda hard and then it is a lot harder to accidentally knock it through the grate. Like I said you could always lay some cheap 9x4.5x1 firebrick on the grate too...

 

[bbauer161]

Well, it did get two summers on it...so the faster drying stuff (not Oak) may be OK...let us know what your results are.
Going back to leaving the ashes build up...on another furnace I covered 75% of the grate with an old piece of 1/8" sheet metal so to not have to worry about knocking too much ash through the grate where I wanted to keep things covered...I've heard of people using cheap firebrick (like the ones you can buy at TSC, the hardware, etc) to do this too...

I might consider try this to help keep the ash built up.

Tested the moisture. It was all between 10 and 14 percent. I tested some other oak that I have separate from the wood I'm burning (I've burned it a few times at night because it's thicker pieces of wood) and the highest I saw was 16.5%. I'm gonna try and stop burning that at night.....it just lasts longer than the drier wood.

I have 3 large oak trees that fell in my woods in September of 2015. I have not yet cut/split them. Will these need 18-24 months of seasoning once split since they have already been down for 15 months? Was hoping it would be less since they have been down for a while already.

 

[bbauer161]

Yes. After a few days of not scraping the ash down it will start to build up (especially if the ash pan is full ) and then after some time goes by it will get kinda hard and then it is a lot harder to accidentally knock it through the grate. Like I said you could always lay some cheap 9x4.5x1 firebrick on the grate too...

Good to know. Thanks.

 

[brenndatomu]

Tested the moisture. It was all between 10 and 14 percent.

Is that after re-splitting and testing the fresh face of the wood?

have 3 large oak trees that fell in my woods in September of 2015. I have not yet cut/split them. Will these need 18-24 months of seasoning once split since they have already been down for 15 months?

No, I'm afraid it'll need at least 24 months, wood drys VERY little until it is split...especially Oak. My experience has been that 2 year Cut/Split/Stacked (CSS) Oak burns just kinda OK...but 3 year CSS Oak burns nice!

 

[bbauer161]

Is that after re-splitting and testing the fresh face of the wood?

Yes - I split a piece a tested in the middle.

No, I'm afraid it'll need at least 24 months, wood drys VERY little until it is split...especially Oak. My experience has been that 2 year Cut/Split/Stacked (CSS) Oak burns just kinda OK...but 3 year CSS Oak burns nice!

Thanks - I need to get out there soon then.

 

[bbauer161]

Can someone give me a manometer 101? Right now my barometric damper is closed 100 percent of the time. I have not tested the flue draft yet, and wondering if I need to make some adjustments.

Also, I think I'm running into similar issues others had on here where I'll reach the temp set on my thermostat and then it'll close the air intake and the fire will smoulder, causing a lot more smoke which is leading to more and more creosote build up. Do I need to install an outside ait kit? I have a small basement window in the room with the furnace. Wondering if I can utilize this somehow to create a balance of outside air but not freezing my basement.

We had two cold days where high was around 25, night time lows in the teens, and wind chills in the single digits to 0. Furnace did fine and kept us between 66 and 70, but I did notice it took more wood given the fact that the air intake was open the entire time.

Thanks for the help!

 

[brenndatomu]

Can someone give me a manometer 101? Right now my barometric damper is closed 100 percent of the time. I have not tested the flue draft yet, and wondering if I need to make some adjustments.

Also, I think I'm running into similar issues others had on here where I'll reach the temp set on my thermostat and then it'll close the air intake and the fire will smoulder, causing a lot more smoke which is leading to more and more creosote build up. Do I need to install an outside ait kit? I have a small basement window in the room with the furnace. Wondering if I can utilize this somehow to create a balance of outside air but not freezing my basement.

We had two cold days where high was around 25, night time lows in the teens, and wind chills in the single digits to 0. Furnace did fine and kept us between 66 and 70, but I did notice it took more wood given the fact that the air intake was open the entire time.

Thanks for the help!

Do you have a manometer? If so you need to get a reading...draft makes a huge difference in how these things work. If you don't have one, I have some for sale over in the classified forum.
It is possible that you need to install a Outside Air Kit (OAK) crack that window a bit for a day or two and see if it helps.
If your baro is closed all the time you either have really bad draft or the baro is WAY off adjustment (or stuck , which is likely if you have had creosote issues)
I leave my manometer connected all the time so I can see if something goes amiss.

 

[bbauer161]

Do you have a manometer? If so you need to get a reading...draft makes a huge difference in how these things work. If you don't have one, I have some for sale over in the classified forum.
It is possible that you need to install a Outside Air Kit (OAK) crack that window a bit for a day or two and see if it helps.
If your baro is closed all the time you either have really bad draft or the baro is WAY off adjustment (or stuck , which is likely if you have had creosote issues)
I leave my manometer connected all the time so I can see if something goes amiss.

I do not have one. I'll check them out.

The baro was never adjusted to begin with. I was thinking that opening it and introducing cooler air would make the creosote worse.

 

[brenndatomu]

I was thinking that opening it and introducing cooler air would make the creosote worse.

Yeah, its kind of a double edged sword...