I check it with a good burning fire and with the front damper closed. About 20 minutes after fire has been started. Do you have a baro installed? I tried one of those cheaper ones with no luck, but this field controls one actually works. Yes opening the front damper will let more air in, but I'm not going to hold it open all the time. If you can get the draft right you can get a good burning fire with no coaling. I know without a baro my chimney drafts at -.12 so I need a baro to slow mine down or all my wood would burn up fast and the heat would go up the flue. If yours doesn't have enough draft than you'd need to extend you flue to increase draft.
Introducing Brand New Wood Furnace to Market - The Drolet Tundra!
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byron2
ArboristSite Member
Well I'll get a meter coming in the next day or two....I'm plugged into a masonry 8x8 from where it plugs in to the top is 25 ft.. It goes up through the house 9 ft in the attic 3 ft above the roof ... My glass stays clean and all... I do keep the damper tweaked open just a touch with a paper clip..... There is a number of things I can improve on next year one being having some soft wood around.... thanks for all your help
your welcome.
stihly dan
Addicted to ArboristSite
You probably are NOT getting enough draft do to a chimney to large. Also you need to check draft with damper fully open and with it closed, then set at an average. If you have back draft damper then the flue draft would be the next thing.
brenndatomu
Hey you woodchucks, quit chucking my wood!
Very likely low draft. Your 8" x 8" chimney has a 64 sq in cross section, the recommended round 6" flue would be ~27 sq in, less than half, big difference...
And connecting the cold air return will help too
byron2
ArboristSite Member
No baro and no back draft damper.... its stand alone not tied into my oil hot air.....I agree I'm probably not getting enough draft I'll update as soon as I get a meter and check it .....thankyou
byron2
ArboristSite Member
I don't doubt what you are saying.... What gets me here is why would they design something that won't work in an 8x8 masonry flue ... I built houses for 30 years and never have seen a masonry chimney and or clay liner smaller than 8x8 ... Almost every house I had the mason put in 8x8 double flue.... put the oil in one side wood in the other ..... Again its my bad for not reading up on this stove but the company and or retailer could have done a far better job of disclosing the chimney specs.... I'm just venting ...lol... just seems backwoods to me..... My concern is that I put in a steel liner and still have the coaling problem ....My thinking is to burn coals you need to get air under them..... I'm just trying to get my head rapped around this thing .....I'll know more when I get the draft reading thanks for all your help B
These efficient designed furnaces run much cooler that is why they require smaller flues to maintain draft. SBI told me normal internal flue temps should run 250-500 degrees. Those temperatures would be hard to maintain with a 8" flue using this furnace.
brenndatomu
Hey you woodchucks, quit chucking my wood!
90% or more of the wood burners made today call for a 6" chimney...
laynes69
Addicted to ArboristSite
For years, stove's and furnace's put a great deal of heat up the chimney. A 8x8, 8x12, etc. would stay plenty hot enough to maintain draft and help keep things functioning properly. As efficiency improved, stack loss decreased, therefore making it difficult for drafting and creating problems like condensation. Just about every unit whether a stove or furnace now specifies recommended flue sizes now in their manuals. That doesn't mean you have to, but if one chooses to burn in an oversized flue, performance will suffer.
byron2
ArboristSite Member
Once again guys thanks for your help and wisdom ....I'm learning.. 25+ years using the old furnace the new stuff got way out in front of me .....I just ordered a draft meter and moisture meter which will give me a better idea where things stand .....But there is no doubt that when I get down to a big bed coals my stack temp is going way down ......So I have to mess with getting them burned down before my over night loading....I pull them forward open the damper and crack the door takes a bit but gets it done ...Once I know where the draft stands that may help me decide whether I line it or not ....The other thing about lining it is I'm not sure I can get a 6" with insulation down the flue ...Breaking out the clay liner would be a deal breaker for me... Thanks again guys much appreciated...
brenndatomu
Hey you woodchucks, quit chucking my wood!
Might as well start liner shoppin now...
6" liner should fit...with 1/4" insulation if not with 1/2". Could always go with a 5.5" liner too, that'd be fine.
Just throwing this out there. Just this year my brother and a close friend had there old chimneys lined. Had it done for free. Their insurance companies paid for it because they had a chimney guy come out and inspect it to find that some of the clay was cracked. Both insurance companies paid to have it lined no questions asked.
Do you know what insurance company they had?
byron2
ArboristSite Member
Ha ! ....I know ... if I remember right the inside dimension is like 7x7... one stove shop told me I didn't need insulation if the clay liner is intact ...Given what I know now no way I don't insulateMight as well start liner shoppin now...
6" liner should fit...with 1/4" insulation if not with 1/2". Could always go with a 5.5" liner too, that'd be fine.
My brother went through a local company that used allied. He called the the insurance company with concerns about his chimney. "Possible chimney fire". They gave him the number of the adjuster. Then called a chimney guy. Looked it over found cracks made the assessment that it was unsafe and or had a chimney fire at one time. Company wrote the check to line it. Same for my friend. Guess it's cheaper than having to build them a new house.
Aaron Frasher
ArboristSite Lurker
Ok I have been reading the post on the Tundra and I am going to buy one this summer. I have been running a hotblast 1537g for about the last 8 years. ( for sale summer of 15). After reading the tundra thread I have figured out I might have to much draft. Ok this is how my hotblast is hooked up.6' inch pipe A 90 straight out of the back single wall black pipe up 3 ' with a manual damper half way into a double wall T out another 3' to another DW T then up 25'. About 4-5 feet out of the roof. Ok here are some temps as of right now it's 22 out side with a slight breeze.
Firebox front 410. 280 below the manual damper witch is open all the way. 255 2' above the MD in the attic last 6' of the stack it's hot. I can lay my hand on it but can't keep it on there. So what kinda of manometer do I need (cheap) and a barometric damper. Thanks for all the help. Can't belive it's taken my this long to figure this out.
Firebox front 410. 280 below the manual damper witch is open all the way. 255 2' above the MD in the attic last 6' of the stack it's hot. I can lay my hand on it but can't keep it on there. So what kinda of manometer do I need (cheap) and a barometric damper. Thanks for all the help. Can't belive it's taken my this long to figure this out.
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NSMaple1
Addicted to ArboristSite
Manometer: Dwyer Mark II Model 25.
IMO anyone trying to get a furnace burning right without one is just grasping at straws &/or chasing their tail.
IMO anyone trying to get a furnace burning right without one is just grasping at straws &/or chasing their tail.
I wanted to share something. I have one of the first couple hundred Tundra's made. A couple weeks back I was at Menards and noticed on the new Tundra's the damper door was redesigned. I emailed SBI and they sent me the new door. It comes with some sort of shiny metal insert and the new door. The new door is redesigned in a fashion that when it closes it stays open partially thus always letting in some air. Here are some pictures of the old and new.
