# Drolet Heatpro



## 82mkiiltype (Oct 29, 2015)

http://www.drolet.ca/en/products/wood/drolet-heatpro-wood-furnace-df03000

Well after all the problems with the Tundra/ Heatmax ash and cracking issues, I've taken delivery of a replacement Heatpro.

My initial thoughts are:
- It's big, fire box is similar height and depth but 3" wider than the Heatmax,
- I like the custom plenum, but it isn't as easy to adapt to existing duct work as the old 2x8" round ducts. However, it should flow a butt load more air, (1.7x min to 2.5x duct area available) I think doing the extra work up front will be worth it for the airflow in my 2 story house.
- Ash drawer seems very well sealed, not that I ever used mine anyway.
- Will wade in on the controls after I get it Wett Certified and fired up. (mid Nov.)
- Construction of the front firebox where Heatmax and Tundra had cracking issues ... is unfortunately very similar. I have my old unit to compare, and they are both made from 3/16" plate, and are not shielded from the direct firebox heat. The hinged side of the door does have a 1 1/2" square tube for the one of the combustion air supply that will shield that side. The bottom and the latch side have nothing. The plate you see on the inside of the firebox is the same plate as the outside. Perhaps they plan on preventing the cracks with better air flow and temperature control? It's got me nervous... but with the 10 year warranty I guess I'll find out.

I'll try to post some pictures ... let me know if the links don't work.

Oh, the door and ashbox are removed to make it lighter to move around. They are vertually identical to the Heatmax in style and function. I also don't have the upper firebricks installed yet. (ships that way)

https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=981A6419DC90D870!124&authkey=!AKHYuDkJl9woYWM&v=3&ithint=photo,JPG
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https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=981A6419DC90D870!135&authkey=!AFSwBx7LKZB9teU&v=3&ithint=photo,JPG


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## brenndatomu (Oct 29, 2015)

Surprised they didn't follow through with the same heat shielding mods they made to the Tundra. Curious how similar this firebox is to the Max Caddy


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## 3fordasho (Oct 29, 2015)

Thanks for the photos and mini-review. I'll be interested in hearing how it performs for you. I'll get by with my Tundra for another season but it's a little out gunned with 3400 sqft, lots of windows/tile floors and the winds we get here - surprised it does as well as it does. Plus I'd like to heat the attached garage a little.


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## flotek (Oct 29, 2015)

I have a caddy max to compare it ,the heatpro looks promising for the money as long as it doesn't crack


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## brenndatomu (Oct 29, 2015)

flotek said:


> I have a caddy max to compare it ,the heatpro looks promising for the money as long as it doesn't crack


How does the Heatpro firebox look compared to the Max? In the front mainly


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## 82mkiiltype (Oct 29, 2015)

flotek said:


> I have a caddy max to compare it ,the heatpro looks promising for the money as long as it doesn't crack



This is the literal application of "I showed you mine, now show me yours..."

I'm very interested in the front of the Max Caddy fire box.


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## flotek (Oct 29, 2015)

Max caddy inside .. Looks real similar . Forgive the creosote .. I have been burning junk wood this fall . The inner jacket of the max has heat shields and some type of fiberglass insulation throughout


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## flotek (Oct 29, 2015)

Another shot


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## flotek (Oct 29, 2015)

Small shoulder season fire , hemlock slabs


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## djkost (Nov 2, 2015)

I ordered a Heat pro and was wondering, is the duct work 8 inch? I only need 2 ducts coming out. One for my house and one for my garage.


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## 3fordasho (Nov 2, 2015)

djkost said:


> I ordered a Heat pro and was wondering, is the duct work 8 inch? I only need 2 ducts coming out. One for my house and one for my garage.



IIRC from my quick review of the Heatpro manual, you must meet a certain number of total square inches for the outlets. I think that number was 168 square inches. 2- 8" outlets will not be enough.
The manual says to use between 6-10 6" take offs from the plenum, but I wonder if other combinations of duct size/shape can be used as long as you meet that 168 square inch minimum and set static pressure to .2" at the plenum. Can't see why not but I'm not a HVAC guy.


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## djkost (Nov 2, 2015)

So 2x8 equals 16 so I would have to open up an additional 52 square inches? If I opened up the plenum holes and didn't run duct work off them then it work be o.k and if the plenum pressure is .2 static then it would be fine. I'm not a HVAC person.


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## NSMaple1 (Nov 3, 2015)

One 8" duct = 50 square inches.

The manual should help some with this?


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## Highbeam (Nov 3, 2015)

djkost said:


> So 2x8 equals 16 so I would have to open up an additional 52 square inches? If I opened up the plenum holes and didn't run duct work off them then it work be o.k and if the plenum pressure is .2 static then it would be fine. I'm not a HVAC person.



Woops. 2x8=16 but two 8" diameter circles = 50.26 as maple wrote. You need both the specified area and the specified pressure to provide the desired flow rate which is what cools the furnace as designed.


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## Highbeam (Nov 3, 2015)

Oh and I think the 10 6" stubs is retarded. If you are installing this in a basement and want an octopus of flex all over the ceiling then fine but I suspect that is a rare installation. 2 big round ducts or one rectangular top is far more flexible.


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## laynes69 (Nov 3, 2015)

For the average homeowner, they probably see the outlets helpful, but for those who know what's going on, see it as a pain. A simple plenum with a trunk takeoff is all that's needed. Sell a plenum with it, put the minimum required opening and go from there. If I bought one, the first thing would be to ditch the plenum. As far as the garage, I wouldn't place a duct there, but that's me. If a 8" outlet is all that's needed, maybe it's too large. With the firebox size and blower size, I would utilize it's heating capacity.


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## brenndatomu (Nov 3, 2015)

It would make a lot more sense to me if they would offer the Heatpro sans plenum, with "the octopus" plenum, or with a plain square box plenum that can be easily incorporated into your existing plenum or ductwork via the method of your choosing, square/round, whatever. Just hafta meet a minimum square inches and SP as mentioned above


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## Highbeam (Nov 4, 2015)

You can unbolt the stupidpuss plenum and bolt on a regular plenum but that would put you in violation of the warranty terms.


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## 82mkiiltype (Nov 5, 2015)

I agree that the plenum is an odd creature, and kind of a pain in the butt. It should be sold separately as an option. 

It does however meet the definition of "Universal" because it does't work particularly well for all situations, but with a bit of work it can be used as a starting point for any system.
Not all of the outlets are fully cut out. (EDIT :actually 6) and they send cover plates for them. The rest are just cut, but still connected with 3 or 4 points so just foil tap them and leave them alone if you don't want to use them. Guess what, you can cut an 8" round hole around a 6" existing hole. Doesn't work the other way does it? I'm using 8"x20" rectangular ductwork to connect to my existing system and it's not cheap, and any custom pieces mean going to a local fab shop, not Home Depot.
I've had good and very bad experiences as a homeowner, going to heating cooling "Contractor Supply" shops. If you don't have an account and are not a regular contractor in the trade ... [email protected]#k off.
Cut 4 x 8" holes and run your ductwork. Any less area than 170 sq" and you will overheat your furnace.

Anyone who can't cut round and square holes in a universal plenum, should not be attempting to install their own furnace.


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## djkost (Nov 8, 2015)

Well I got my heat pro home today and semi set up. My ceiling in my garage or it more like a hobby room is 10 ft in height. Now I had my tundra in there and replaced it with the heat pro. Mu duct work was 8 inch but now the heat pro has 6 inch. I kinda understand that the when I run the duct work on this one that I have to have at least 168. If I reduce my duct work from 8 to 6 inch at the furnace how many 6 inch duct to I need to get to the 168. My tundra was moved to another building. The heat pro is a little bigger and I hope it isn't to big for my application. Putting it on the basement isn't a option. My garage has been converted to a hobby room and is not used as a garage. If I open all the 6 inch hole that would give me plenty of air movement to keep the furnace fron over heating. Any help with this is welcome. I want to do it right.


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## brenndatomu (Nov 8, 2015)

djkost said:


> If I reduce my duct work from 8 to 6 inch at the furnace how many 6 inch duct to I need to get to the 168.


Six. Or three 8" and one 6" will take you to ~178ish


djkost said:


> f I open all the 6 inch hole that would give me plenty of air movement to keep the furnace fron over heating


If you open all the holes you will likely have to run your blower on high to get .2" static pressure. Then the blower will probably cycle on/off a lot. I'd only use the holes that you have to use to get the job done and still meet all the specs


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## djkost (Nov 8, 2015)

Thanks for the information. I think I will run 3-8s and one 6 inch. I was just wondering if reducing my 8 inch duct to 6inch at the furnace would get me close to 168 sf and keep pressure at .2. Since my ceiling is that high I'm going to run use the full plenum. To test the plenum, do I drill a hole at the very top and use my manometer or just in one of the duct holes?


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## brenndatomu (Nov 8, 2015)

djkost said:


> I was just wondering if reducing my 8 inch duct to 6inch at the furnace would get me close to 168 sf and keep pressure at .2


Hard to say, you will be losing CFM for sure though. I'd just open the holes up to accommodate 8" take-offs. If the factory holes are too close then I'd rivet/screw a piece of sheet metal over the existing holes, then cut 8"ers in.


djkost said:


> To test the plenum, do I drill a hole at the very top and use my manometer


Sounds right to me. Someone jump in if I'm wrong. If you have a Dwyer Mark II model 25 manometer then you will need to move the hose to the other port on the top of the meter. Going from vacuum to pressure...


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## 82mkiiltype (Nov 10, 2015)

I just finished installing my ductwork yesterday. (I'll try to get a picture or two tonight) Wett inspection tomorrow and then I can spark it up.

I went with an 8x20" rectangular duct, (160 sq") and a single 8" round (50 sq") for a total of 201 sq".

Total Airflow is what's important to keep the firebox from melting down. As far as the static pressure anything LESS THAN 0.2 "WC, and any area MORE THAN 170 sq" should be just fine.

The only risk of going too big or two low of a back pressure is the firebox could cool off too much, and the secondary's won't light up. Given the HeatPro has a 4 speed fan and controlled by a thermocouple, and will dial down the blower speed when temps drop, I don't think this is an issue at all. 

The same can NOT be said for the Heatmax/Tunda with it's snap switch. That's why only 2 of the 4 round 8"outlets could be used...


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## djkost (Nov 10, 2015)

Well I look forward to seeing your pictures of the duct work. I plan on using 3- 8 inch vents that will run about 15 feet then 1-6 inch vent. The 8 inch will be adapted from 6 to 8 inch right at the furnace plenum. If each 8 inch is 50 and the 6 inch is 28 then I should have around 178 which is a little above what is needed. I didn't know the fan adjusted it self according to temp. Do you know what temp the probe is set at to turn the fan on and what stack temps will be?


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## flotek (Nov 10, 2015)

Well if it burns anything close to a max caddy then I'd bet your going to love it


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## 82mkiiltype (Nov 10, 2015)

djkost said:


> Well I look forward to seeing your pictures of the duct work. I plan on using 3- 8 inch vents that will run about 15 feet then 1-6 inch vent. The 8 inch will be adapted from 6 to 8 inch right at the furnace plenum. If each 8 inch is 50 and the 6 inch is 28 then I should have around 178 which is a little above what is needed. I didn't know the fan adjusted it self according to temp. Do you know what temp the probe is set at to turn the fan on and what stack temps will be?



Ummm no. That won't do. A 8" run connected to a 6" hole at the plenum ... ya that only counts as a 6". You need to cut your plenum holes out to 8" for that plan to work.


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## brenndatomu (Nov 10, 2015)

djkost said:


> The 8 inch will be adapted from 6 to 8 inch right at the furnace plenum.





82mkiiltype said:


> Ummm no. That won't do. A 8" run connected to a 6" hole at the plenum ... ya that only counts as a 6". You need to cut your plenum holes out to 8" for that plan to work.


Exactly. Think of it this way, if you have a 8" dog and you give him a 6" doggy door...


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## 82mkiiltype (Nov 10, 2015)

Pictures of the ductwork.

8x20 rectangular

https://onedrive.live.com/redir?res...authkey=!AO_xyOK3NnJ7vZY&v=3&ithint=photo,JPG
https://onedrive.live.com/redir?res...authkey=!AD9Bkq1bpUUaooA&v=3&ithint=photo,JPG
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https://onedrive.live.com/redir?res...authkey=!AGo95C3wL6i5tTc&v=3&ithint=photo,JPG

And then the 8" round

https://onedrive.live.com/redir?res...authkey=!ALGbm9lO0rc7pps&v=3&ithint=photo,JPG
https://onedrive.live.com/redir?res...authkey=!AL5i-1F25mr4nko&v=3&ithint=photo,JPG
https://onedrive.live.com/redir?res...authkey=!AC76UzmdustqdAs&v=3&ithint=photo,JPG

Not a single 6" hole was used.


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## djkost (Nov 11, 2015)

Looks good, now that will get you to .2 or less? I plan on using 3 8 inch and 1 6inch pipe. Now a 8 inch pipe is 50. The book doesn't say, it does list a 6 inch at 28. What tool did you use to cut the 8 inch hole?


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## 82mkiiltype (Nov 11, 2015)

Tin snips for the round hole, and an angle grinder with zip cut for the Rectangular hole only because of the overlap of the adjustable plenum meant cutting through twice the thicknesses.
A = Pie x r x r
A= 3.1415 x 4 x 4
A=50.2 sq" for 8' round duct.

Keep in mind, if you are feeding with an 8" duct, you need enough registers to to vent "almost" the same area. (Manual says slightly less, but that can be dealt with register flaps or dampers to balance flows.) 
You will need Two 6" round registers per 8" supply duct.

As far as the 0.2 duct back-pressure, well see after I get the fire going. I have a big system with long runs and lots of outlets so I expect it to be lower. I'll have to play with the dampers on each run to get my flows and static pressure dialed in.

The reason the manual wants your register areas to be "slightly less" than your feeding area is so the entire system pressurizes, and flows evenly out of each register. Too many registers just let the air escape out the closest registers to the furnace, and nothing gets blown out of the end of the runs. Lots of people have cold rooms on the far side of their house for just this reason. I restrict registers close to the furnace because that air is the hottest and lower flows are needed to heat the room.That builds the required back pressure of 0.2"WC to force air (now slightly cooler...) in higher volumes out of the furthest registers. 

If I go too far and over restrict the registers, the static pressure will rise above 0.2' WC, and that will reduce the overall air flow through the furnace and overheat and damage the firebox. THAT's why the 0.2" spec. is in the manual.


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## brenndatomu (Nov 11, 2015)

82mkiiltype said:


> If I go too far and over restrict the registers, the static pressure will rise above 0.2' WC, and that will reduce the overall air flow through the furnace and overheat and damage the firebox. THAT's why the 0.2" spec. is in the manual.


Isn't the static pressure spec also so that you are reducing the airflow past the furnace (heat exchanger) enough for it to raise the air temp a good bit, (and limit blower cycling on _most_ wood furnaces) but not so much as to overheat the furnace as you stated? You want a balance of both, hence the SP spec of .2


82mkiiltype said:


> A = Pie x r x r
> A= 3.1415 x 4 x 4
> A=50.2 sq" for 8' round duct.


Can also use diameter x diameter x .785...easiest for me


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## djkost (Nov 12, 2015)

My ducts will be 8 inch. One is about 24 feet long,], 2 are going to run about 15 feet. 6 inch about 5 feet. They do not reduce in size because my house is very open. One for the main floor, one for the basement, one for the converted garage and the 6 inch for additional heat in the garage, On the shorter runs I will be able to restrict the air flow with a register. I will check the static pressure to make sure it is right. I used this set up on the tundra and never over heated it so I'm hoping it will be the same on the heat pro. Today will be the fist day that I fire it up and burn the new paint off it.


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## djkost (Nov 13, 2015)

Well burnt it off to day. I have a couple of questions that maybe can get answered. What is the small digital meter in the back of the furnace for and is the fan a variable speed fan that adjust by it self according to the heat?


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## 3fordasho (Nov 13, 2015)

djkost said:


> Well burnt it off to day. I have a couple of questions that maybe can get answered. What is the small digital meter in the back of the furnace for and is the fan a variable speed fan that adjust by it self according to the heat?




We were hoping you could tell us that stuff ;-) I think the fan speed adjusts itself depending upon heat level detected by the supplied RTD sensor - but that is just speculation based upon what I saw in the manual. I didn't see any references to a small digital meter in the manual - was it factory supplied or are you talking about something you saw here on the forum that someone added to their furnace?


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## djkost (Nov 13, 2015)

No the digital meter or what ever it is, is on the back of the furnace. It could ne a error reader that displays if you have a problem or maybe to set the probe temp. Not sure but its no in the book that I could see.


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## aokpops (Nov 13, 2015)

Made a pan 

one 12 inch should be two 6 inch. Been working good getting nice secondary burn .


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## brenndatomu (Nov 14, 2015)

aokpops said:


> Made a pan View attachment 461063
> View attachment 461064
> one 12 inch should be two 6 inch. Been working good getting nice secondary burn .


You mean equal to two 8"? It is, actually a hair more 100.5 sq in for two 8" vs 113 sq in for your 12" pipe. 
I did something similar on my sisters Tundra, only it is taller (more like a regular plenum) and has (4) 7" round ducts coming off it. Seems to work fine


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## aokpops (Nov 15, 2015)

Like a 6 / 12 roof is not half of a 12 /12 roof numbers are crazy. If you want a big shot gun the smaller is bigger . If you want to play in the garden you half to know the rules !


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## aokpops (Nov 15, 2015)

Made this stand , No one ask why I painted it green .


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## djkost (Nov 15, 2015)

Hate to ask, but why is it green?


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## brenndatomu (Nov 15, 2015)

djkost said:


> Hate to ask, but why is it green?


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## aokpops (Nov 15, 2015)

Everyone that know me knew why . Was the color I had to cheap to buy another rattle can .


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## 82mkiiltype (Nov 20, 2015)

Been out of commission for a week ... Laser eye surgery. It sucks ... but I can see 20/20 now!

Eyes were super irritated and didn't want to fill the house with "break in" smoke so I haven't fired it yet. Likely this weekend if it cools off.

So, has anyone played with the electrical settings yet? Any experience with what the fan control adjustment actually does with a large or small fire? I'm guessing no, but figured I'd ask and I'll comment on whatever mine does when I spark it up.


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## djkost (Nov 20, 2015)

Had a small fire just to burn off the paint so I don't know. It's all hooked up now. I have to test pressure this week end to get it online so to speak. Cold here in the teens and single digit. I will see if the fan is variable speed.


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## 82mkiiltype (Nov 23, 2015)

Well sparked it up Saturday, filled the house with stinky smoke form the paint curing, and everything looked good. Two pics of draft open, and then draft closed with secondaries going.

https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=981A6419DC90D870!147&authkey=!ADMVghcmDFmAQ6w&v=3&ithint=photo,JPG
https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=981A6419DC90D870!150&authkey=!ADb08eBsFiNHrYY&v=3&ithint=photo,JPG

Stock fan clicked on at about 140 F, and off at 110 F. I only noticed one fan speed, but didn't have a big fire going either.

Then this happened .... Grrrr.

https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=981A6419DC90D870!149&authkey=!AKgmxgPqzK0_lFQ&v=3&ithint=photo,JPG
https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=981A6419DC90D870!152&authkey=!ANf2Gfeq29EtHfA&v=3&ithint=photo,JPG

I'm a patient person but this is getting to the end of my rope.

Gasket on air control door stuck to the front of the furnace and shredded the gasket, and possibly bent the door arm while stuck. Sent pics to SBI ... lets see what they say.

I also requested information on blower controls ...


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## djkost (Nov 23, 2015)

I had mine rolling and didn't have that problem, My door opens part way then awhile later it opens fully. At first I thought it had some kind of magnet on it or it was suppose to be that was. I didn't hear if the fan ran faster on automatically when the furnace got hotter. I don't think it is a variable fan. I haven't spoke to be SBI yet about that and the small digital gauge on the back of the furnace. Did that gasket rip on its own or did you try to open the door manually? So far I like it. The probe in the plenum is the way to go. Another person owns the tundra and was wondering if he could replace the snap switch? I told him I didn't know if he could or not. Post your infor on what SBI tells you.


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## brenndatomu (Nov 23, 2015)

82mkiiltype said:


> Gasket on air control door stuck to the front of the furnace and shredded the gasket, and possibly bent the door arm while stuck.


Got fried onto the curing paint huh?


djkost said:


> The probe in the plenum is the way to go. Another person owns the tundra and was wondering if he could replace the snap switch?


Not without a controller too. The probe just provides a signal to the controller, then it decides what to do and when


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## stihly dan (Nov 23, 2015)

aokpops said:


> Made a pan View attachment 461063
> View attachment 461064
> one 12 inch should be two 6 inch. Been working good getting nice secondary burn .



You may have issues with that, The moving air really needs more transition room.


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## djkost (Nov 23, 2015)

Ya I didn't know but do like the probe instead of snap switch. Now if the fan would follow the heat it would be great. It might i never checked it.


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## flotek (Nov 24, 2015)

Does the heatpro switch through various fan speeds according to plenum temperatures like the max caddy . The max caddy allows user to program the board to kick in at the temperature of your choosing ( 107 is the lowest)and you can adjust fan speeds manually or it can circulate constant if you wish . I'm curious How advanced is the heatpro PC board is there much user control over the unit


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## djkost (Nov 25, 2015)

Yes it is suppose to speed up and slow down.


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## 82mkiiltype (Nov 25, 2015)

SBI is shipping me a new air control door and gasket. They said they have had a few fail this way during the initial paint curing stage. I didn't pry open the door. The Controller /stepper motor pulled it off and slightly bent the control arm of the door in the process.

Just for fun I figured I'd snap a pic or two of the controls that seem to be of interest.

https://onedrive.live.com/redir?res...authkey=!ALZXNsDiRVWZSRM&v=3&ithint=photo,JPG
https://onedrive.live.com/redir?res...authkey=!AEREIG_xHKKWSLg&v=3&ithint=photo,JPG
https://onedrive.live.com/redir?res...authkey=!ANSULrBH9SprIqs&v=3&ithint=photo,JPG

I asked about information on the the fan controls and was given a stern "Don't touch that, you'll melt your furnace." They did confirm after the furnace heats up and fan kicks on the speeds will go up and down to maintain BEP or best efficiency point. (same terminology is used in the Max Caddy Manual... but this is not the same controller. I checked.) Looking at the 4 power relays beside the fan power wires pretty much confirms it.

In the 1 fire I had the fan kicked on at 140 F and off at 110F. Pressing the "-" button once displays the temp of the thermocouple. It's a feature for service guys...
I haven't played with anything else as I don't want to change anything until I get a good baseline after a few fires and some cold nights. Not to mention I don't want to void my warranty and melt my furnace.


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## djkost (Nov 26, 2015)

What's your themo coupler set at? I pushed the digital buttons a couple of times.


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## Highbeam (Nov 26, 2015)

Does the Heatpro have an ash grate or an ash plug to dump ash into the pan. Is the ash pan big enough to hold a full load?


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## 82mkiiltype (Nov 26, 2015)

Ash plug, very few people use it. most just shovel right out of the firebox.


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## djkost (Nov 27, 2015)

Spoke to SBI, they said the switch on the back is just to read, cant change the temp on fan, that is locked on the card. Had mine going and it is nice. Now the probe runs the fan. Fan does adjust, WC is at . 2. My air flap keeps getting stuck closed but hoping to take care of it tm. Must be paint or something. No problem that cant be fixed. I just shovel the ash out, This is a very nice furnace.


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## flotek (Nov 27, 2015)

I ground a radius and polished it with a dremel on the v on my drolet heatmax tundra air flap pull tab so the coat hanger thing doesn't get hung up and stick which by design this happens . It helped to lead that V on the tab and mostly stopped the hang ups .the coat hanger pull design seems like a bad design to me probe to screw up and requires a lot of power/pressure on that little servo motor . This is one of the reasons I much prefer the chain style system on the caddy line ..gravity won't permit it to ever fail.works like a champ every time all the time


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## djkost (Nov 27, 2015)

flotek, mine closes fine it is that it sticks when it is suppose to open. Have to look at it today.


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## aokpops (Nov 27, 2015)

stihly dan said:


> You may have issues with that, The moving air really needs more transition room.


I can see what you mean . So far working good, for the most part the air handler is pulling the air off on the vacuum side .


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## djkost (Nov 28, 2015)

Here is a pic of mine


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## aokpops (Nov 28, 2015)

I got about 1800 sq feet . The weather has been above normal . The tundra has been on idle for a month . Think I would need a much larger house for a heat pro . With the new tundra humidity is up to over 60 seen has high as 68 . I took the water pot off to get the low 60 . Anyone else notice this ?


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## flotek (Nov 29, 2015)

Some may disagree but in my experiences with wood heating units Bigger is better~ if you have the space and can afford it . You can always build smaller hot fires for mild seasons and when it's really windy and frigid out the extra cubic feet of firebox means in the real world you will get more btus and longer burn times it's a matter of physics ...the few hundred saved on smaller units is quickly lost and forgotten if you have to feed it constantly to keep up and or your not getting the house comfortable enough when it's bitter cold out . I have owned a tundra and currently own a max caddy .to me in my climate the tundra is best suited for 1500-1800 ft house .if your on a budget and have around 1800+ sq ft the heat pro would Be the way to go ( or better yet the max caddy !). Sometimes it makes more sense to go big .i believe you'd appreciate the extra firepower in January


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## djkost (Nov 29, 2015)

Well I don't know what your area temps are, you can build a smaller fire in the Tundra and the heat pro. Nice about the heat pro I can build a larger fire cause it will get cold here soon. As far as which to own if you have the space go with the heat pro and adjust your fire to current temps. The temps here are in the teens and little above during the day. I never notice the diff in humidity.


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## brenndatomu (Nov 29, 2015)

I agree that you can build a small fire in a larger firebox...to a point. Having owned wood burners with all different size fireboxes I have noticed that even for a "small" fire it takes more wood to get things up to a proper "operating temp" with the larger units. But like Flotek said, if it takes a larger unit to heat the house in January...


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## flotek (Nov 29, 2015)

brenndatomu said:


> I agree that you can build a small fire in a larger firebox...to a point. Having owned wood burners with all different size fireboxes I have noticed that even for a "small" fire it takes more wood to get things up to a proper "operating temp" with the larger units. But like Flotek said, if it takes a larger unit to heat the house in January...



That's true and something to consider , the bigger the unit the more wood it uses on start up to get that extra mass up to temperature .doesnt matter how expensive fancy or high tech the unit is .. They all have a period of time that uses all the available btus to just warm the firebox up its almost what could be called a waste of wood but in actuality it's not . for 24/7 heating in dead of winter it's not a big deal but stopping starting in fall and spring wastes a lot of wood just getting from stone cold to blowing heat . This is why I like my little defender EPA free standing stove in my fireplace ..takes the chill off and doesn't require much wood to get up to temperature


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## newyorker (Nov 29, 2015)

I heat 2250sqft 2010 build with a caddy and it is ideal it gets to -10 -15 sometimes at night and it's all it wants but does a great job my gas furnace is a 2 stage 60k btu and has only ever ran 40k but just to give you idea of demand almost bought the max caddy sure glad I didnt


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## brenndatomu (Nov 29, 2015)

flotek said:


> This is why I like my little defender EPA free standing stove in my fireplace ..takes the chill off and doesn't require much wood to get up to temperature


X2


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## aokpops (Nov 29, 2015)

Been kepting records of the wood I burned since 09 . So far the drolet is breaking records by a bunch . Will know at the end of the season . Will show the paper work


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## 82mkiiltype (Dec 2, 2015)

djkost said:


> Spoke to SBI, they said the switch on the back is just to read, cant change the temp on fan, that is locked on the card. Had mine going and it is nice. Now the probe runs the fan. Fan does adjust, WC is at . 2. My air flap keeps getting stuck closed but hoping to take care of it tm. Must be paint or something. No problem that cant be fixed. I just shovel the ash out, This is a very nice furnace.



At what fan speed did you balance to 0.2"? I ask because the Max Caddy manual says to do it on speed 4, and it's controller has a CIRC mode to force the fan into the correct speed BEFORE you light a fire. Heat Pro controller does not have CIRC mode, and is locked at the factory. If you're running 0.2" on speed 1, I'd be very careful on your larger fires ... as I'd expect your static pressure to rise at higher fan speeds.


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## djkost (Dec 3, 2015)

I checked it by drilling a hole dead center of the top of the pletium when the furnace was hot. The temp inside the pletium was around 150 degrees. Now the fan will kick on soon at a lower speed so I just waited till I had 150. I had trouble with My draft door opening but spoke to sbi and was told to unhook the door and work the rod back and forth cause it was probably sticky cause it was new. I did that and now the door opens. NevNever had a problem with it closing. Will see if the solution works.


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## flotek (Dec 3, 2015)

Why does Sbi insist on using that stupid sticky rod going through the unit on Their new generation wood furnaces . Makes no sense when they could easily do the chain lift like the caddy line. Having had both I can say the chain is always reliable without hang ups. Seems like a no brainer


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## djkost (Dec 3, 2015)

Not sure why, I'll get it to work, if not I'll call them and get a replacement. Their customer service is good.


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## 82mkiiltype (Jan 12, 2016)

Sorry, been busy over the holidays and hasn't been cold enough here in Ontario to burn much.

After two attempts I got my replacement air door from SBI (no charge) so service was good.

I've been getting to know the "personality" of the Heat pro over the last two weeks and I'm very happy with it. It does behave a bit different than the old Tundra ... but different doesn't mean bad.

The Heatpro throws great heat, more than the Tundra, and flows a TON more air. (Better ducting hookup is key)

For caparison at -10C the old Tundra would heat on it's own for 6-8 hour stretches, without propane assistance, with house temps going from 65 -70 degrees. Anything colder, propane was coming on after 4-5 hours. At -20 C the Tundra struggles to reheat from 65 to 70 and usually the propane was used to speed up the process.

The Heatpro at -10C easily holds an 8+ hour burn with coals, and the house is still at 67 in the morning. Reheat from 67 to 72 ... about an hour. THAT's the best improvement. Only had two nights of -20C, and if the propane came on, it wasn't for long. Also, the re-heat time was still very fast.

The down side ... I'm burning more wood. I think the wood usage in moderately cold temperatures would be very similar but for off season milder temperatures the Heatpro uses much more.

Getting the firebox up to temperature is critical to getting good efficiency out of the Heatpro. Small fires, don't get hot enough for good secondary combustion in the Heatpro, so you send smoke/ heat up the chimney. Alternatively you can have 10 deg. temp swings in the house burning full loads every 12 hours. In milder temps I'm also using up lots of kindling wood starting a new fire as I let it go out completely to let the house cool off a bit.

I was having coaling problems with the Tundra, not with the Heatpro. It burns every coal to dust and I'm removing far less ash from burning more wood. (likely due to my exterior chimney being kept at a high enough temp for good draft by the larger pile of coals.)

I think the best way to handle off season burning of the Heatpro is with full loads of low BTU wood. There is a cedar mill that sells slats and off-cuts in a bundle about an hour from my house. Filling a firebox with nothing but cedar would likely heat my house in milder temps for 6 to 8 hours. That in itself is awesome.

Even with full loads of dry wood the Thermo-couple temp rarely is above 150deg F on the fan control. The blower spends most of the first hour of a big fire on fan speed #2, and the rest of the time just on Speed #1. The last 2-3 hours it cycles on and off. Even on speed #1, LOTS of heat is being pumped into the house.

Overall, I'm very happy. I'm glad I went with the bigger replacement and so far it suits my needs perfectly. Now excuse me while I go cut more wood to feed the beast.


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## brenndatomu (Jan 12, 2016)

82mkiiltype said:


> I'm burning more wood. I think the wood usage in moderately cold temperatures would be very similar but for off season milder temperatures the Heatpro uses much more.


That's when it is nice to have a little wood stove too. Like I mentioned earlier, we have one in the fireplace, it works great for the warmer part of the heating season and saves a ton of wood!


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## JHolman05 (Jan 13, 2016)

82mkiiltype said:


> Sorry, been busy over the holidays and hasn't been cold enough here in Ontario to burn much.
> 
> 
> 
> For caparison at -10C the old Tundra would heat on it's own for 6-8 hour stretches, without propane assistance, with house temps going from 65 -70 degrees. Anything colder, propane was coming on after 4-5 hours. At -20 C the Tundra struggles to reheat from 65 to 70 and usually the propane was used to speed up the process.



Just curious do you have a thermostat hooked up to your wood furnace? 

It seems like you have a large temperature difference, with my tundra on a mild day it will hold it at a constant temp (whatever the thermostat is set to). With it being 3*F here last night the tundra couldn't keep my house warm overnight, and I lost 4*F before my propane heat kicked on.

Or are you going for a more complete burn and just have the furnace do it's own thing?


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## 82mkiiltype (Jan 13, 2016)

I have a thermostat that was wired into my old Tundra, but haven't hooked it up to the Heatpro yet. It didn't work very well with the Tundra because it took too long to raise the house temp in cold weather. It would call for heat for so long it would burn up all the wood in the firebox in 2 hours with lots of heat going up the chimney. It worked much better if I used my timer for 20 min, to get everything up to temp and shut it down for a long, hot coast to coals. I even tried to use the thermostat to help burn off the Tundras coals, but it never really worked any better than just leaving it shut.

I do mostly 8-10 hour burns just because I'm not home during the day, and I sleep all night so no point in trying to keep the house a constant temp if I'm not even in it. I figure a few degree's of temp drop at top efficiency burns the least amount of wood.

However ... I should probably give it a try with the Heatpro.


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## brenndatomu (Jan 13, 2016)

What kind of tstat? One that has tight control (within 1* total swing) works better than the old 1* above/1*below tstats.
I'm using a Honeywell Focus Pro 5000, works pretty well. I have a 6000 (programmable) that I thought about using. You could program it to be "on" around the time that you normally load (like my morning load is usually ~6:15 AM then drop back 15-20 minutes later to let the furnace "cruise". Then it could be set to be "on" again around the time that the coals need to be burnt off (for Tundra owners) Having the tstat call for heat late in the burn seems to work pretty well (for me anyways) to burn down coals and gets the most heat possible from the remainder of that load. I really don't have much of a coaling problem with mine, but, I also don't load more than every 8 hours very often either. I bet part of the reason the Heatpro doesn't have coaling issues is just from the larger (longer) heat output, allowing less frequent loading, so more time to burn down...


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## flotek (Jan 13, 2016)

Interesting you say that because My max caddy doesn't coal up bad like my tundra did in frigid temperatures and the max is probably the easiest wood appliance I've ever had when it comes to starting a fire from a dead cold unit . Having a floor ash grate up front by the loading door and a seperate sealed door for ashes underneath is a great benefit .


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## 82mkiiltype (Jan 14, 2016)

It's just an old digital Honeywell I had lying around, so likely +/- 1 degree style. 
Using a programmable thermostat to burn off coals in the morning is a good idea. If I ever put a large enough chunk of real hard wood to have that many coals in the morning I'll have to give it a try.

I still haven't used the ash drawer. Is it really that handy to find and pull out the ash plug, scrape it down the hole, only to dump the ash pan every weekend? Do you remove and dump the entire pan or shovel the pan into buckets?


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## flotek (Jan 14, 2016)

The heat pro has that plug in the floor like the tundras . The caddy uses a grate up near the front and that leads down to the ash drawer . It's sealed with a gasket surround on the caddys and has a slick levered handle for easy operation instead of the wing nut things the tundra uses . I never liked the plug thing and used the shovel instead on the tundra . On the max caddy I actually find the ash removal setup to work great


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## djkost (Dec 31, 2017)

-29 this morning and got the Heat Pro burning.


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## brenndatomu (Dec 31, 2017)

djkost said:


> View attachment 622174
> -29 this morning and got the Heat Pro burning.


Hows that beast working out for ya?


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## 82mkiiltype (Jan 17, 2018)

Just figured something out with the Heat Pro and I'm wondering if I'm the only person to have it come up. From day 1, the fan motor has worked just fine, but was noisy on the lowest speed. (where it spends 90% of the time...) By noisy, think when an electric motor is just turned on, and in makes kind of a whine until it gets up to speed, and then goes to a quiet hum. In my case, the whine never goes away. Squirrel cage mounts directly to the motor. No belts, extra bearings ect. to cause any issues. Funny thing was, it suddenly started to get better. I noticed the filters were getting dirty, and the second i slid off the dirty filter ... the whine came back! I set my filter box up with 2 filters, 1 on each side for a non-restrictive path, and may have inadvertently cause a higher load on my blower motor, by actually moving more air. I'm going to borrow an amp clamp to see exactly what my loading is ... but just thought I'd ask if anyone else ran into this issue?


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## NSMaple1 (Jan 29, 2019)

Furnace ratings are based on using a certain MC wood. Which it also requires to burn properly. So no point in testing with poorer wood.

Also outdoor temps are irrelevant to BUT output ratings. It will put out the same whether cold or colder out. Your house heat loss would go up, therefore needing more BTUs to stay warm - no way to measure that since every house & climate is different.

If you mean that it is rated to heat so many square feet - those are hokey ratings to start with. Just too many variables.


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