info on drolet tundra, burn times, ash cleaning, etc

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amh

New Member
Nov 22, 2014
48
pa
I have r21 in walls and r40 in ceiling in my chalet.
27 ft ss chimney
1800 sq ft living space.
1000sq ft in basement, its also my workshop.

I am heating with a 30nc in the basement by itself until low teens then the heat pump will kick on to supplement the rest.
for the price the 30nc is great but im loading 4 times a day, when i load i get some smoke comes out as the wood starts to burn, and the ash removal stinks.

I have ruled out everything else (with the help oc the people on this forum) because the roi is not there.

so, im assuming the tundra will heat my home if the 30nc is close?
how is the ash removal?
what kinds of burn times are these getting?
what maintenance is involved?
your thoughts on upgrading from the 30nc to this one?

I keep reading that there good and they keep getting recommened y alot of people, but not much other info.

Im also in the middle of the as site for the tundra, but So far its mostly about hooking it up your duck.

Any info would be great!
thx in advance
 
amh said:
I have r21 in walls and r40 in ceiling in my chalet.
27 ft ss chimney
1800 sq ft living space.
1000sq ft in basement, its also my workshop.

I am heating with a 30nc in the basement by itself until low teens then the heat pump will kick on to supplement the rest.
for the price the 30nc is great but im loading 4 times a day, when i load i get some smoke comes out as the wood starts to burn, and the ash removal stinks.

I have ruled out everything else (with the help oc the people on this forum) because the roi is not there.

so, im assuming the tundra will heat my home if the 30nc is close?
how is the ash removal?
what kinds of burn times are these getting?
what maintenance is involved?
your thoughts on upgrading from the 30nc to this one?

I keep reading that there good and they keep getting recommened y alot of people, but not much other info.

Im also in the middle of the as site for the tundra, but So far its mostly about hooking it up your duck.

Any info would be great!
thx in advance
Click to expand...
The Tundra would heat your home.
Ash removal I don't like. You have to scrape it out with a ash shovel or scrape it in the ash pan which needs to be dumped right away. I think the caddy is set up better with the fire grate and ash pan. Pretty much the same furnace as the Tundra, more money though.
Burn times are usually about 8 hours. Need really dry wood.
Maintenance is cleaning chimney, cleaning ash out, and cleaning heat exchanger tubes.
There has been some issues with the Tundra cracking lately. Apparently they have the issue fixed. Also people have had issues with excessive coals which is usually contributed to wet wood and draft issues.
 
Thx wisneaky,

Could u take a few pics of how the ash pan works?
how often do u have to remove the ash and clean the tubes?
if u use dry wood, is the ash like powder or is it chunky?
(If its powder, i can probably use my ash vac, chunky it clogs)

Im in eastern pa and the closest dealer is in ohio.
i cant find any pictures or videos of how the tundra looks on the inside or how it operates.
 
Ive been looking at some pics from the manual and the auto damper above the door is where the air Is let in?
so the air is pushed down onto the fire?
it also looks like it exhausts right above the damper on the inside?

It hard to make a decision without seeing it or at least seeing some pics or videos
 
amh said:
i cant find any pictures or videos of how the tundra looks on the inside or how it operates.
Click to expand...
It is basically the same as all the modern "EPA tube burners" inside, very similar to your NC30, only with a power damper and a bigger blower
amh said:
It hard to make a decision without seeing it or at least seeing some pics or videos
Click to expand...
There are a few videos on You-tube of 'em...
 
I'm heating 3400 sq ft and the Tundra does the job down to about 10F outside temps. Below that I fire up my Progress Hybrid and burn that too. I've never used the ash pan, I simply scoop out one small scoop of ash on every or every other re-load. I love the motorized damper as the motor/hardware is there to install more control over the furnace.

I've added a flue temp control that does a couple things - a high flue temp limit that shuts the air damper once flue temps exceed what ever set point I put in - I use this in conjunction with a 0-60 minute timer for cold starts and re-loads - allows me to throw a load in on coals or a firestarter, set the timer to hold the air damper open, and then the temp control makes sure flue temps don't exceed my set point (625F is what I've selected) until the timer runs out and the furnace settles into all secondary burn. No hovering around the furnace like you do with manual controls on wood stove. The flue temp control can also shut things down if the thermostat calls for heat for an extended period and flue temps exceed the upper limit.

I also utilize a "low temp alarm" feature on my control to open the damper if flue temps drop below a programmable set point - say 250F.
This does not allow too cool of burns (potential creosote production) and helps to burn down coals during the last half or third of a burn cycle.

Higher end furnaces incorporate similar or more advanced controls - but they also cost $4-5K. I found the tundra to be an excellent base unit to customize myself a bit. I have less than $150 in the controls I've added. (basically a digital temp control and J-type thermocouple - from there you just tie into the factory thermostat and high limit circuits)
 
3fordasho said:
I'm heating 3400 sq ft and the Tundra does the job down to about 10F outside temps. Below that I fire up my Progress Hybrid and burn that too. I've never used the ash pan, I simply scoop out one small scoop of ash on every or every other re-load. I love the motorized damper as the motor/hardware is there to install more control over the furnace.

I've added a flue temp control that does a couple things - a high flue temp limit that shuts the air damper once flue temps exceed what ever set point I put in - I use this in conjunction with a 0-60 minute timer for cold starts and re-loads - allows me to throw a load in on coals or a firestarter, set the timer to hold the air damper open, and then the temp control makes sure flue temps don't exceed my set point (625F is what I've selected) until the timer runs out and the furnace settles into all secondary burn. No hovering around the furnace like you do with manual controls on wood stove. The flue temp control can also shut things down if the thermostat calls for heat for an extended period and flue temps exceed the upper limit.

I also utilize a "low temp alarm" feature on my control to open the damper if flue temps drop below a programmable set point - say 250F.
This does not allow too cool of burns (potential creosote production) and helps to burn down coals during the last half or third of a burn cycle.

Higher end furnaces incorporate similar or more advanced controls - but they also cost $4-5K. I found the tundra to be an excellent base unit to customize myself a bit. I have less than $150 in the controls I've added. (basically a digital temp control and J-type thermocouple - from there you just tie into the factory thermostat and high limit circuits)
Click to expand...

Wow 3ford,

That sounds like an ideal setup.
anyway u could post some pics or a short video On u tube?
 
Moving this to the boiler room for more exposure to wood burning furnace owners.
 
I watched a YouTube video of the fire burning and it looks like there's air coming from underneath the fire. Is that correct?
 
There is a small opening that is always open and lets a little air in the front center under the loading door, at the bottom of the firebox.

There is another small opening that is always open and lets a little air in the rear center about 6" above the bottom of the firebox.

There are also all the secondary tubes at the top of the firebox that are always open and let a decent amount of preheated air in.

The rest of the air comes in at the top of the loading door. A little comes in when the damper is closed; a lot comes in when the damper is open.
 
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Thx doubleb,

I just spent the last 2 hours reading the thread at arborist site and only got half way through it.
That ash issue, the cheap disc to let the fan on and off, and the cracking (from this site) wondering if its still as good of a deal as i thought?

Anyone have info on the mini caddy? Or caddy?
firebox should be the same or really close.
the caddy has ash grates, does this make it alot easier?
any other differences?

Thx
 
There's a grate on the Caddy, but it's covered with a steel plate that requires removal before removing ash. It's a PITA, but it does work. Overall, just easier to use the scoop that comes with it. We have the Caddy, and love it. It's serves us well, and while contains the same firebox as the Tundra it's a higher quality furnace.
 
I have the caddy and am very satisfied with my purchase
 
Mine was a deal I bought 5 or so years ago. It was a re badged caddy, which after rebates was around the 1200 mark. They are around 3000 I believe now.
 
Not sure where you are in PA, but there is a dealer in Andover Ohio (near the PA line) that sells Caddys, I hear they have excellent pricing
 
amh said:
That ash issue, the cheap disc to let the fan on and off, and the cracking (from this site) wondering if its still as good of a deal as i thought?
Click to expand...

The ash issue doesn't bother me much, since even if there is a significantly better ash method out there that I should be jealous of, I'm not aware of it yet.

The cheap disc doesn't bother me. I'm not aware if it is in fact cheap to begin with, it hasn't failed me all winter, and if it does, it's a simple part that would be fairly easy to replace. If it's a concern, it's in the ballpark of $10-$20 to pre-emptively replace with a higher-quality disc (again I am not familiar with what is/isn't a quality disc) or to pre-emptively put a spare on the shelf. It will take more than a $20 part to dissuade me from saving $2000 compared to the next least expensive alternative (Caddy).

The cracking is definitely a concern, however I am hopeful that it can be avoided. Hopefully SBI understands the cause and has adopted a solution, although I haven't seen any evidence of that yet. Mostly, I think that 3fordasho's control scheme is probably a big reason why he hasn't had cracking, and his write-ups above and in the big Tundra thread on this site have been excellent for anyone to copy if they want. I am working on a different control scheme now that I hope will be another good alternative but I'll post that in a few days once I can test it more. Also, I think it would not be difficult to add some firebrick to the front of the furnace to reduce temperature extremes and hopefully any potential for cracking.

Finally, although it will be a pain in the rear to replace my cracked furnace, I still give SBI credit for doing much more than the average company to make things in the right direction for my inconvenience. So, in the worst case that yours were to crack despite the above ways to avoid it, at least SBI won't completely leave you out to dry.

So, I have to be honest that the current $1250 deal has me thinking about buying another Tundra, but instead for the near term I plan to use my current one with its cracks at least to test out some control and heat-reducing techniques to apply to my next furnace.
 
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DoubleB said:
The ash issue doesn't bother me much, since even if there is a significantly better ash method out there that I should be jealous of, I'm not aware of it yet.

The cheap disc doesn't bother me. I'm not aware if it is in fact cheap to begin with, it hasn't failed me all winter, and if it does, it's a simple part that would be fairly easy to replace. If it's a concern, it's in the ballpark of $10-$20 to pre-emptively replace with a higher-quality disc (again I am not familiar with what is/isn't a quality disc) or to pre-emptively put a spare on the shelf. It will take more than a $20 part to dissuade me from saving $2000 compared to the next least expensive alternative (Caddy).

The cracking is definitely a concern, however I am hopeful that it can be avoided. Hopefully SBI understands the cause and has adopted a solution, although I haven't seen any evidence of that yet. Mostly, I think that 3fordasho's control scheme is probably a big reason why he hasn't had cracking, and his write-ups above and in the big Tundra thread on this site have been excellent for anyone to copy if they want. I am working on a different control scheme now that I hope will be another good alternative but I'll post that in a few days once I can test it more. Also, I think it would not be difficult to add some firebrick to the front of the furnace to reduce temperature extremes and hopefully any potential for cracking.

Finally, although it will be a pain in the rear to replace my cracked furnace, I still give SBI credit for doing much more than the average company to make things in the right direction for my inconvenience. So, in the worst case that yours were to crack despite the above ways to avoid it, at least SBI won't completely leave you out to dry.

So, I have to be honest that the current $1250 deal has me thinking about buying another Tundra, but instead for the near term I plan to use my current one with its cracks at least to test out some control and heat-reducing techniques to apply to my next furnace.
Click to expand...

I guess your right, most of those things are minimal.
yours has cracking?
what did they do for u about your cracking?
i am in eastern pa, so i would have to ship it from merdel (Spelling?) Website and i wouldnt be able to use the rebate (in store only, no stores around here).
it should be around $1650 for me. Which still isnt bad.
ill have to call sbi and see what they say about the cracks
 
So far I believe most of us that have had the cracking issue were either refunded or they replaced the furnace. I bought mine at Menards so they gave me in store credit for my original purchase price. I got to keep the cracked furnace also which I believe can be welded.
 
Wisneaky said:
I bought mine at Menards so they gave me in store credit for my original purchase price. I got to keep the cracked furnace
Click to expand...

Exact same with me. I didn't mind the instore credit, since I'm frequently at Menards anyways. However, if your nearest store is 300 miles away, or if you buy online, the refund policy is something to pause now and think about before the initial purchase. I believe I could have been stubborn and pressed SBI to make Menards refund cash, but that wasn't a battle I needed to fight in my case.

Is the $1650 from merdel before or after shipping? I think Menards will ship too, which might make their $1400 price competitive even without the 11% off.

I'd also check out the Caddy dealer that Brenndatomu mentioned. Depending upon location and price, you never know if you'll get pleasantly surprised.

Good luck! :)
 
laynes69 said:
There's a grate on the Caddy, but it's covered with a steel plate that requires removal before removing ash. It's a PITA, but it does work. Overall, just easier to use the scoop that comes with it. We have the Caddy, and love it. It's serves us well, and while contains the same firebox as the Tundra it's a higher quality furnace.
Click to expand...

I got tired of fighting with that plate so I just leave it off during the burning season. Have some issues with coals going through but it is worth leaving it off IMHO.
 
I'll have to try that, as long as the ash drawer doesn't leak.
 
See my last post in the "everything Tundra" thread.


amh said:
Wow 3ford,

That sounds like an ideal setup.
anyway u could post some pics or a short video On u tube?
Click to expand...
 
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