Drolet Heatpro

[82mkiiltype]

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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[brenndatomu]

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

 

[3fordasho]

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.

 

[flotek]

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

 

[brenndatomu]

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

 

[82mkiiltype]

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.

 

[flotek]

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

 

[flotek]

Another shot

 

[flotek]

Small shoulder season fire , hemlock slabs

 

[djkost]

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.

 

[3fordasho]

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.

 

[djkost]

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.

 

[NSMaple1]

One 8" duct = 50 square inches.

The manual should help some with this?

 

[Highbeam]

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.

 

[Highbeam]

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.

 

[laynes69]

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.

 

[brenndatomu]

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

 

[Highbeam]

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

 

[82mkiiltype]

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 ... F@#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.

 

[djkost]

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.