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

[spadjen]

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

did you already do this mod or something your planning on doing? would like to hear how it is working for those of you that have tried this. I guess i would have 2 concerns about lowing the temperature. Shutting the blower off at lets say 110 would that cause the firebox to cool off to much to retain coals for any length of time which would make reloading harder after being away for a while? the other would be lowing the stack temp to low for too long to cause building up in your stove pipe. But on the other hand shutting off at factory temp may cause a higher temperature that is still low enough to cause creosote over a longer period of time. which way would cause less of an issue? lower temp for shorter time? or higher temp (but still low) over longer period? be interesting to play around with it and see what you guys come up with

 

[trx250r87]

Page 58 of the Tundra manual shows the electrical schematic.

In BOLD is the info right out of the Drolet manual on page 59.

9.3 Fan control

The fan is activated when the air jacket temperature of the furnace reaches 140 °F and stops when it drops below 120 °F. If the air jacket temperature exceeds 160 °F, the air inlet damper closes and the fan will continues to blow until temperature returns below 120 °F at which point the air inlet control will open again.

part# 33 44154 THERMODISC 36T 11L160-40 1 (used to cut power at 160*F)

part# 35 VA1150 THERMODISC F-120-10F (used to turn on fan at 140*F and turn off fan at 120*F)
The factory thermal disc appears to be made by White-Rodgers, but here is some info for Selco thermal snap discs...
http://catalog.selcoproducts.com/vi...4-disc-se-series-airsteam-mount-close-on-rise?

Eric

 

[trx250r87]

http://www.emersonclimate.com/Documents/White-Rodgers/catalog_06_pages/Cat_06_pg0090.pdf

3f05-1 looks interesting, it's adjustable from 90*-130* with 20* differential.

Eric

 

[stihly dan]

That seems high for fan temps. Mine are way lower.

 

[trx250r87]

How are they lower? Factory snap disc is on at 140*f and off at 120*f.


Eric

 

[Steve NW WI]

Flotek wrote this in another thread, I'd like to discuss it here, copy and paste of the quote if it works:

Its just a 17$ thermo switch and don't make a point to leave ashes or coals in the ash drawer unless you plan to empty them out . not a deal breaker for what you get for your money its safe when ran right and sbi is on top of some of these concerns ..I'm sure if you throw enough wood at a Daka a woodblast or other smoke dragon and adjust it accordingly it could heat your house (just like a 82 ford fairmont can get you to work everyday too but not to efficeintly )but by passing on caddy or drolet or kumma you'd be giving up a secondary reburn btu automated air intake via digital hermostat control a safety shutdown clean burning technology nearly double the burn time and save a lot of firewood in a season but its your time and money
You can buy something cheap but you'll go through more wood and in a short time your initial savings will be negated

While techically true that it's safe, as long as it isn't operated with ashes in the pan, you can NOT discount the power of stupid people. This is a design flaw that needs to be corrected. While someone that burns their house down from blowing hot ashes through their ductwork is not operating it correctly (assuming the manual is updated to say in no uncertain terms DO NOT OPERATE THIS FURNACE WITH ASHES IN THE ASH DRAWER OR YOU WILL DIE), some chucklehead will do just that, and their home and hopefully not their family will be gone.

The open to air jacket problem isn't a safety hazard, but it's still a design problem. People don't buy furnaces to heat the furnace area, they want the air moved to the places the ductwork goes to. If there's an opening to vent fan pressure to the furnace room, that air isn't going out the ductwork.

Plain and simple, those are design problems, caused by p-poor engineering. I love my Drolet stove, but I can't believe what they're trying to pass off as "normal" here.

I've never been around a Caddy, but I assume from reading here that they share next to nothing in the design other than the firebox itself. I'd not lump them together.

FWIW - I do agree that a good modern furnace will pay for itself in wood savings. This just ain't it in my book. Cheap is cheap, there's a difference between affordable and cheap.

 

[spadjen]

Did anyone read my post on the end of page 28 about the respince from SBI and the fix for the ash pan ?

 

[Steve NW WI]

Yes, I did. I'd like to see it before I believe it, though. I'd also like to know that ALL owners are being notified about this, not just the handful that are on AS. Remember - there's a lowest common denominator out there, and the guys that take the time to show the shortcomings on here generally are not those people.

Lots of companies these days seem to think that product development should be done by paying customers. That's the lazy way out, and a good way to get a bad name.

I don't have a horse in this race, in fact I love my Drolet stove, but if I'd bought one of these, I'd be a very unhappy camper. I honestly hope these issues are in fact fixed, and if they are, I hope SBI sells a million of em.

FWIW, the Tundra manual on their site is dated 27-06-13 and has not been updated to clarify the problem.

 

[spadjen]

Yes, I did. I'd like to see it before I believe it, though. I'd also like to know that ALL owners are being notified about this, not just the handful that are on AS. Remember - there's a lowest common denominator out there, and the guys that take the time to show the shortcomings on here generally are not those people.

Lots of companies these days seem to think that product development should be done by paying customers. That's the lazy way out, and a good way to get a bad name.

I don't have a horse in this race, in fact I love my Drolet stove, but if I'd bought one of these, I'd be a very unhappy camper. I honestly hope these issues are in fact fixed, and if they are, I hope SBI sells a million of em.

FWIW, the Tundra manual on their site is dated 27-06-13 and has not been updated to clarify the problem.

I agree with.....well all of that. Lol Time will tell. I will ask him about letting owners know when he calls me back. Guess this would be why its important to register your product.

 

[Photog95]

Let me get this straight here. I understand that this is a bad design, and all of that. I will not be buying one until the problem is resolved as well.

Here is how I burn wood and have done so since as far back as I can remember. Every night when I get home from work the first thing I do is go down and clean the ashes out of the wood stove. I scrape them all down through the grates and into the ash pan. I then remove the ash pan and dump it in a 5 gallon bucket. I then will light a fresh fire. I will burn through the night. Before I leave for work in the morning I will fill it up to keep the house warm. By the time I get home the fire has burnt out and everything is cooled down. I then start over my whole process.

Now using my burning methods it seems as though this design flaw would really not affect me, and I would be perfectly safe using this furnace, correct?

 

[flotek]

Spadjen it is just an adjustable snap disc with a little dial arm on the back and marked off for settings you just set the arm where you want the limit they are sold at any hvac shop or you can get one on eBay they are about 20 bucks
I understand your concerns and all that your going to see is a benefit in *my case *I experienced longer blower cycle time and that means more even temperature regulation more heat in general the house and it made use of the coal bed which prior to changing disc out was doing nothing but sitting stagnant .coals last forever and unaffected on mine and that's using dry burning maple slabs .secondary action worked fine and wasn't affected either I use fan speed number 2 . I found its best to seal with high temp around the flue Collar as it blowsaround the jacket directly on the flue pipe further coolingthe stack which is not ideal for draft conditions

 

[flotek]

Steve nw your correct thatisa factory issue defect that's concerning and needs addressed and can be dangerous if handled and ran wrong however sbi has contacted me and several others who have registered under warranty and are sending several emails out and soundserious about correcting the problem and will offers retrofit kit to remedy it they plan to design the drawer differently in the future so I'm thinking this furnace is still a great setup for the money and for people to still** consider it . I'm telling you after a few things here and there I run mine everyday my carbon testers and smoke alarms never go off and I would hate to go back and be loading more wood more frequently like before and all the headache associated with manual units It's worth a look for anybody in the market for a decent modern furnace . If you want a more refined version you can always get the caddy or if you really have some money under your mattress consider a kumma vapor . Dollar for dollar you can't beat a drolet tundra/ heat max in my opinion . For 1800 bucks you'll never find these modern benefits in another furnace period . Yes there's a few things done that are economical and tweaked butif your budget is buying a cavalier gt your not going to get a corvettes power and styling . There is always some trade offs when cost is half

 

[Mlaw22]

I email sbi on Thursday. Asked them about the ash drawer, static pressure and my damper not opening without assist. I recieved and email in an hour. Saying they are working on the ash drawer fix and some more questions about my other problems. I emailed back on Friday. Within one hour I got a phone call from a tech to talk about static pressure. Then this morn I got another call from a differnt tech to see if the stove is heating better after I did some changes they told me to do. And to call with any questions. Their costumer service on my end is A+.

The second tech told me to forget and the .2 wc reading. Said we won't get it because of the 2 eight in ducts. The reason it's in manual is because they pretty much copied it from the caddy. Said I should be more worried about velocity. I think it's mostly my duct work. He said to try closing all my vents just alittle bit throughout the house and get that duct work hotter. In turn it should push hotter air for longer periods of time.

 

[trx250r87]

OK so I finally received a manometer today (Dwyer Mark II). I set it up and checked my draft and just as I expected, it was too strong, .12" CW.
The Tundra manual states .04-.06" WC. My chimney flue is about 27' tall and I have 1 90* elbow right at the back of the furnace other than that, straight up through 1st floor and attic. What are my options for reducing draft. Does anyone make a double wall barometric damper for twin wall 6" black pipe (Supervent from Menards).

Eric

 

[Whitespider]

Wow‼ It's been some time since I checked in on this thread (like, I had to catch up on a dozen pages)... and I gotta' say it again... WOW‼
Not at all tryin' to stir the usual pot... but...
That ash drawer thing is a major, huge F*** UP‼ At no friggin time should there ever even be a chance for ashes (hot or cold) to mix with pressurized circulation air... ever‼ And on the high pressure side no less... upstream from any filter system‼ That ain't a design error... it's a plain and simple F*** UP‼

If I had one, I'd immediately load it up, haul it to wherever is was purchased, and demand every cent of my money back.
There ain't any "fix" that would satisfy or comfort me unless the ash collection area was sealed from pressurized air circulation by welded steel... period‼

They should admit the F*** UP and recall every unit for replacement... at zero expense to the customer.
*

 

[brenndatomu]

OK so I finally received a manometer today (Dwyer Mark II). I set it up and checked my draft and just as I expected, it was too strong, .12" CW.
The Tundra manual states .04-.06" WC. My chimney flue is about 27' tall and I have 1 90* elbow right at the back of the furnace other than that, straight up through 1st floor and attic. What are my options for reducing draft. Does anyone make a double wall barometric damper for twin wall 6" black pipe (Supervent from Menards).

Eric

Just put a double wall tee in the flue pipe, a BD should slide right into it. The pipe ID should be the same as any other...

 

[stihly dan]

How are they lower? Factory snap disc is on at 140*f and off at 120*f.


Eric

I don't have this furnace. Mine comes with adjustable limits. What works best FOR ME is in the cold season 100* on 85 off. On the shoulder season 120* on 105 off. The lower setting gives me more overall heat, and when the fan shuts down the coal bed is used up, still enough to relight, just not a mound sitting there idol. Fan speed or blower temps do not have anything to do with my secondaries or creosote, if the box cools my unit automatically adds more air to keep it at a designed internal temp.

 

[Nick]

Well I'm glad I read through all of this before I bought one. Chalk it up to providence. I'm interested to hear if they come out with a real solution, or just a way to clarify the instructions.

 

[spadjen]

where did everyone go? Man its cold outside.

Update:

The fix for the ash pan draw has been in testing and a few changes have been made. Its now and production and should be ready to ship this Friday. I would suggest that you contact drolet to let them know you are in need of the necessary parts. Especially if you have not registered your product. If you have difficulty contacting someone send me a PM and i may be able to give you the direct contact of the person i have been working with and help you out.

Also...as another member has posted.... forget about the Static pressure of the duct work. the "official" word is that the specifications in the manual is based of the duct work of the caddy. Also new specs really cant be done until the ash pan draw is fixed.

 

[flotek]

They sent me a message and also confirmed the retrofit is about ready . They are on top of it and kept me updated several times in emails and thanked us for bring patient while they sorted out the bugs