Introducing Brand New Wood Furnace to Market - The Drolet Tundra!

[Cloud IT]

Has anyone tried to remove their secondary burn tubes after using the furnace?

 

[djkost]

Cloudit, I ran a test with my dryer manometer before putting on the duct pipes. I had .03. I turned up the motor speed up one. My question is if there is to much air flow how does that affect the furnace? Seem like it is blowing a lot of air. Also the left hole is a lot warmer then the right when to touch them. The reason I turned up the motor wasn't because of any long run in duct pipe but because one duct is blowing into a big room. The furnace aalso sits in this room and draws the return air from it. Any help. Thanks.

 

[Cloud IT]

I have my blower on the highest setting and it works fine. Making the static pressure higher will be harder on the blower and will make it consume more electric. I need the higher speed to compensate for the lack of seal in the back of the furnace. 8" duct is only rated at 400 cfm.

What are you trying to accomplish exactly?

 

[spadjen]

Have a question about duct work. I did like the book said and am using 2 holes one on the left and one on the right. Looking from behind the furnace. The right one is 8 inch for 20 ft then reduced to 6 inch for about 1 foot then into a 6x6 rigister. There are 2 elbows on this run. The next run is short, it is about 6 ft of 8 inch round and into the room. The return is just the air filter kit, it draws from the big room that has the short run going to it. I notice that the left run or short run, the vent pipe is a lot hotter.when the fan kicks in it blows threw both ducts. I did turn the fan speed up one. Will to much fan speed hurt the furnace? I would think if it was to fast it would cool the pot off to quickly. I did a stactic test before and at the furnace it was .03. I turned the fan up

Cloudit, I ran a test with my dryer manometer before putting on the duct pipes. I had .03. I turned up the motor speed up one. My question is if there is to much air flow how does that affect the furnace? Seem like it is blowing a lot of air. Also the left hole is a lot warmer then the right when to touch them. The reason I turned up the motor wasn't because of any long run in duct pipe but because one duct is blowing into a big room. The furnace aalso sits in this room and draws the return air from it. Any help. Thanks.

I get the same temperature difference with my short vs long duct runs. You can put balancing dampers in or close down some of your registers like i did. I used a heat gun to determine the temperature difference and closed down the hotter ones. even before that it was only a 15-20 degree difference but felt like it was more.

As far as your static pressure I am getting almost the same at .02 which is way under what the manual calls for which is at .20 . Your static pressure is too low. If your furnace is like mine you will get almost the same reading from the lowest setting to the highest with only a .01 difference. that tells you that your system is no building static pressure. If you close down almost all or all your registers and put your fan speed on high you more then likely will still be way under what the manual calls for. This is due in part of the ash pan problem as well as the blower gap problem and probably a few others that we cant see. basically the air jacket is poorly sealed everywhere ( like the ash pan...yep had to say it again) . so your question about running it on a higher setting has 2 parts. first you will not do any damage to the blower since you have no static pressure. 2nd you will have more air flow ( which is debatable since there is so many leaks ) which causes more air flow over the fire box. this can cool your fire box down more then on a lower setting leading to a faster cycling of the fan. one way to check the cooling of the fire box would be to check your stack temperature and see how much drop you get on average between your lower setting and higher. if its not too much and your fan is not kicking on and off you should be fine.

 

[spadjen]

I'd say Don't use the ash drawer at all just use the long shovel they give you it works great only takes a minute . I totally agree sbi needs to step up and notify the users of this dilemma or better yet alter the design ! As far as loading all I have that's seasoned good enough is hardwood slabs . no thick splits to work with for me at least not this heat season. . Mine is great on wood use way less than i expected. ..I load at 6 in morning and come home at 4 in evening . I get an honest 10 hours in a load if I just set thermostat to. 72 and pack it with slabs *my house is usually within one degree of that when I come home. And I have a nice deep coal bed from there . I imagine I could regularly see easily 12 hrs once I put actual seasoned oak or maple splits loaded in . Man. You must have high heat loss or maybe some flue issue 5 hrs seems really low in your case but there's a lot variables and heat demand insulation in the house ect to consider too and I'd assume Your probably running their patented "bake the paint off the stove " fan switch too

My figures i gave you was during extream weather like yours. not what i get on average. I was asking how often you filled it during that extreme weather you had. you cant be telling me that you get 10+ hours at -15 with high winds? what did you do....wrap your house in plastic and duct tape?

 

[flotek]

Well of coarse mileage varies on burns for different folks so does what people consider a " burn time" but in my case I have a job So does my wife I leave for 10 hr periods of time no one is here to feed it ..when I come home its within a degree or two of the setting I left it at . House is wrapped in vinyl siding. thanksif I just ran it wide open I suppose it would be half that idk that's not something I would normally do . I have my fan speed on the 2 setting I believe that's the factory setting. .. Its fair to say the longer your flap is up the shorter burns so that extreme weather will certainly play a role.if your thermostat is way up . It never got out of teens the other day I set thermo for 71 or 72 I think it was and when I got home at. 4 it was 68 so that's just my situation on a real cold day for my area .. Granted I don't live in Alaska or heat a un insulated barn and I did blow in r49 27 bags of cellulose insulation up in my attic

 

[flotek]

This is false. It works both ways when properly installed.

News to me that's how mine works
It's wired from the factory you can't turn the manual switch to shut the flap if the flap is already shut

 

[Cloud IT]

The manual switch needs to be in the closed position for the thermostat to work. If it's in the open position then it's not open because of the thermostat, it's open because of that switch.

When my thermostat calls for heat it opens the damper and when it's not calling for heat it closes it.

 

[djkost]

If I'm reading the book right the static pressure should be 0.2 WC. Is there a way to check pressure by jumping the blower motor or does it need to be hot ?

 

[djkost]

Cloudit, I just bought a thermostat that has a off switch, that way on start up I can control the damper with the switch. Once warm I just turn it to heat and it is controlled by the thermostat.

 

[Cloud IT]

Cloudit, I just bought a thermostat that has a off switch, that way on start up I can control the damper with the switch. Once warm I just turn it to heat and it is controlled by the thermostat.

When you turn the thermostat down does the damper flap close?
When you turn the thermostat up does it damper flap open?

If you answered yes to both of these questions then I'm not sure why you need to control it with a switch at all.

If you answered no to either of these questions then your thermostat isn't connected properly. If this is the case let me know and I may be able to help you out.

 

[spadjen]

If I'm reading the book right the static pressure should be 0.2 WC. Is there a way to check pressure by jumping the blower motor or does it need to be hot ?

say what?? yeah jump on the blower and hold a torch to it that should help. lol. I think what your trying to ask is there anyway to turn on the blower manually to so you can check static pressure? the answer is yes but it would be much easier for you to do if you just check it when hot. also if your 2 8" rounds feed a plenum you want to take your reading there and not in the 8" round. but serious, cloudit and myself i think answered your questions on static pressure see post # 548, 547, 544. you will never get what the manual calls for with this current design with out some serious mods. They told cloudit they would have a fix by January and he would have a new furnace when they figured it out. they went back on there word on that which tells you that the engineers said...how the hell we fix this? I would imagine they did come up with something but it was not cost productive. Maybe in the next design they will take care of it.

 

[Cloud IT]

I've noticed that the blower wasn't kicking on with only coals in the firebox and assumed it simply was not getting hot enough. However, last night after I loaded the firebox for the night with a bunch of well cured black locust the fire erupted in a way that can only be described as a chain reaction but the blower didn't kick on to cool the firebox. As the temperature rose so did my concern. My flue temps shot up to 600 deg and it usually stays around 400. The ductwork above the furnace was too hot to touch. I was worried my house was about to catch on fire and was about to rip out my duct work to let the furnace bleed off heat easier. I cycled the power hoping that it would do something and at this point I suspected I had a dead blower. I had already closed the damper and was about to block all the air passages when the blower finally kicked on. It must have cycled ok overnight as the temperature was fine this morning. After I loaded the furnace again this morning I had a repeat of last night only not as bad.

I'm guessing that when they cheapened the design from the caddy that they used the cheapest snap disk that they could find. I'm about to start looking for a replacement and suggest if you have the furnace to do the same if you notice any period where you think the blower should be on and isn't. I should kick on at 120 deg and it simply doesn't do it consistently.

I have multiple videos I can upload to youtube when I get time showing you my experience.

 

[spadjen]

I've noticed that the blower wasn't kicking on with only coals in the firebox and assumed it simply was not getting hot enough. However, last night after I loaded the firebox for the night with a bunch of well cured black locust the fire erupted in a way that can only be described as a chain reaction but the blower didn't kick on to cool the firebox. As the temperature rose so did my concern. My flue temps shot up to 600 deg and it usually stays around 400. The ductwork above the furnace was too hot to touch. I was worried my house was about to catch on fire and was about to rip out my duct work to let the furnace bleed off heat easier. I cycled the power hoping that it would do something and at this point I suspected I had a dead blower. I had already closed the damper and was about to block all the air passages when the blower finally kicked on. It must have cycled ok overnight as the temperature was fine this morning. After I loaded the furnace again this morning I had a repeat of last night only not as bad.

I'm guessing that when they cheapened the design from the caddy that they used the cheapest snap disk that they could find. I'm about to start looking for a replacement and suggest if you have the furnace to do the same if you notice any period where you think the blower should be on and isn't. I should kick on at 120 deg and it simply doesn't do it consistently.

I have multiple videos I can upload to youtube when I get time showing you my experience.

mine does the same thing. almost like there is a delay is the fan kicking in. i just assumed that the snap disk was in an area that takes longer to sense that temperature. it would be interesting to see if you could mount an adjustable one with a high and low setting so you can dial it in to where you want.

 

[Cloud IT]

I have a quality name brand part ordered and it will be here tomorrow. It adjust from 90-130. I plan to try it at 120 to see how it works because I think the one on the furnace is simply crap. I've seen the blower kick on with minimal coals before and not kick on when it was super hot. It is measured in the air jacket and not the exhaust tho so who knows. Maybe the large gaps around the blower keep it from getting hot somehow. I'll let you all know what happens.

 

[spadjen]

SBI just contacted me about the ash pan situation. He did acknowledge the manual was not that clear on if the furnace should be operated with the ash pan full. in this case it should never be run with ashes in the pan.....which we all know now. I did explain that the state fire marshal has condemned the furnace due to the fact that a user could operate the furnace in a way that poses a health hazard. There needs to be safety measures in place that are reasonable so an operator could not operate a unit in an unsafe condition. They are working on some sort of retro fit that should be an easy DIY. They have a few designs and prototype should be done by this Wednesday so they can be fitted and tested. if those test go well they should be ready to be shipped on Friday the 17th.

I also mentioned the static pressure issue. we tossed around a few ideas and concerns about functionality. my concern is not so much when the blower is on but when the blower is not activated. would the low static pressure have a negative effect on the natural convection? He questioned weather the figures are incorrect and based off same testing guidelines of the PSG which uses different duct work. he is going to have the unit retested and see where those figures should be or if there is any other issues that needs to be resolved

so far it looks as though they are taking action to get things corrected and in order. which is what i expected with this company and why i bought a 2nd stove from them. Now i only hope they follow through and stand behind the product. After the conversation i had it looks like that would be the case. Also looks the issues are being taken care of relatively quick. if i hear back i will keep you guys informed.

 

[spadjen]

I have a quality name brand part ordered and it will be here tomorrow. It adjust from 90-130. I plan to try it at 120 to see how it works because I think the one on the furnace is simply crap. I've seen the blower kick on with minimal coals before and not kick on when it was super hot. It is measured in the air jacket and not the exhaust tho so who knows. Maybe the large gaps around the blower keep it from getting hot somehow. I'll let you all know what happens.

yeah you will have to let me know. i thought about doing the same thing. pm me the link to the one you ordered unless you want to post that in the forum. Where is the snap disk located? i have not really looked. guessing it is in the electrical box in the back top of the unit?

 

[flotek]

I've noticed that the blower wasn't kicking on with only coals in the firebox and assumed it simply was not getting hot enough. However, last night after I loaded the firebox for the night with a bunch of well cured black locust the fire erupted in a way that can only be described as a chain reaction but the blower didn't kick on to cool the firebox. As the temperature rose so did my concern. My flue temps shot up to 600 deg and it usually stays around 400. The ductwork above the furnace was too hot to touch. I was worried my house was about to catch on fire and was about to rip out my duct work to let the furnace bleed off heat easier. I cycled the power hoping that it would do something and at this point I suspected I had a dead blower. I had already closed the damper and was about to block all the air passages when the blower finally kicked on. It must have cycled ok overnight as the temperature was fine this morning. After I loaded the furnace again this morning I had a repeat of last night only not as bad.

I'm guessing that when they cheapened the design from the caddy that they used the cheapest snap disk that they could find. I'm about to start looking for a replacement and suggest if you have the furnace to do the same if you notice any period where you think the blower should be on and isn't. I should kick on at 120 deg and it simply doesn't do it consistently.

I have multiple videos I can upload to youtube when I get time showing you my experience.

Funny stuff ..yeah if you remember
I tried to tell you that a dozen pages ago
Guys The factory thermo switch needs replaced the setting isn't right and it could give tons more blower time it should not be kicking off when there's a thick bed of hot coals to heat the air that's like. 2 hours it just sits stagnant and does nothing wasted energy that could heat your home comfortably
A 110 on. 90 off is a wonderful improvement with the number 2 fan speed setting .
It's not rocket science it doesn't require a degree in thermo dynamics the concept is simple :
If the blower ain't blowin
The house ain't gonna be warm !
However ..your mileage may vary

 

[djkost]

Flotek where did you get the switch from if you don't mInd sharing. My motor came from the factory set on 3.

 

[spadjen]

Flotek where did you get the switch from if you don't mInd sharing. My motor came from the factory set on 3.

No one else answer this...just flotek. Lol. You know you can just ask since there is a bunch of us that could help you . Just saying since i noticed it in a few post. . Dont know if u missed it but the post before that cloudit said he had one on order. You should ask him too.