Superjack does not have secondary burn (well part of the time) - help me fix it

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It's 19 or so outside, wind blowing, 72 inside and I've put wood on the fire 3 times today, 6 am, 2 pm, and 6:30 pm. In this weather the superjack is awesome - and it's heating over 4000 sq ft from an uninsulated garage.

I am almost convinced that my idea for increased secondary burning might not work, not unless I am willing to cut a whole in the furnace and put a new combustion fan in it., (no chance in **** that I am cutting a hole in my furnace!). So many of you think too much air is needed, and I'll stubbornly admit you might be right. :-/ Although I think if it was run just under the firebox, up the back, across the top and then a U and back across the top ....

I also agree with Keith, I'd like more consistency than wood heat is capable of, and I burn too much wood trying to achieve that. I'll have to work on that.

I guess there is no such thing as the perfect solution - if my furnace had a smaller firebox so it could have a more efficient secondary burn system, there is a good chance it would not keep up with the amount of heat I need to heat this house, or I would have to load it constantly. I could by a caddy to put next to the superjack, burn the caddy when it would be more efficient and the superjack when it gets cold.... not really - how much money can you really spend to save money on heating?

I have learned a lot from this thread.
 
You did mention earlier that you are burning or when you are burning wetter would that you have increased the draft speeds to .04-.06" ....this a killer on efficiency. You'd be better off burning well seasoned wood and slowing the draft to the reccomended .03" of W.C.

You also have an uninsulated garge that is taking heats, plus your heating 4000 s/f....I really do not think you have any issues to worry about here Mike.
Your heating a ton of space on what a couple of armloads a day. Your doing just fine....burn dry wood!
The furnace is only rated at 125,000 btus.....not to be a dink and I know you said you've learned a lot but OMG...what else could a guy expect....if it were me I'd be tickled!
 
It's be nice if all my wood was under 20%, but 1 year in the rain did not get it all there, so I burn what I have. In an imperfect world, we make some sacrifices, and increasing the draft speed helps the thing not to smoke when the wood is above 20%. I only run over .03 during the shoulder season, it runs hot enough to burn the water out pretty quickly now that it's cold.

I'm going to burn about 8 cords this year, based on what I had and what I have left. That is a lot of wood and a lot of work. I only have 4 cut for next year so far, it's hard to get 2 years ahead when I need 16 cords to get there. So you can see, any added efficiency would be nice, less wood, less work, that is what I was looking for.

Yes, drywalling and insulating the garage would of been nice, now it's a spring project - hopefully.

CrappieKeith said:
You did mention earlier that you are burning or when you are burning wetter would that you have increased the draft speeds to .04-.06" ....this a killer on efficiency. You'd be better off burning well seasoned wood and slowing the draft to the reccomended .03" of W.C.

You also have an uninsulated garge that is taking heats, plus your heating 4000 s/f....I really do not think you have any issues to worry about here Mike.
Your heating a ton of space on what a couple of armloads a day. Your doing just fine....burn dry wood!
The furnace is only rated at 125,000 btus.....not to be a dink and I know you said you've learned a lot but OMG...what else could a guy expect....if it were me I'd be tickled!
Click to expand...
 
I totally understand Mike...the point I'm trying to make is that if you want to make it more efficient like this thread started out then you have to do your part and feed it dry wood to start with.
You can not toss in wet wood and think that you can cut corners to make more heat...Physics will stand in your way everytime. Sure you burn may be a bit cleaner by adding more O2 to the fire ,but you are not making more btus out of the same lb. of wood.
Be patient....work on getting your advance wood supply up.Heck ...buy some wood if you have too so that what you have can properly dry.

Ya know Mike your not the only guy that is trying to do something that's impossible to achieve. No matter the cause...ie....to small of a stove trying to heat the whole home without ducting and trying to get all night burn times .....whatever it is....I've seen the postings. These corners are not meant to be cut.
You buy a product that is made to do the job you need to have done ,which in your case Mike you did.
Then you install it the way it is supposed to be installed which you sorta did(draft speeds) then you operate it the way it was built to operate with the reccomendations of the manufacture.
Your new to this furnace. There is a learning curve that you are graduating from by the end of this heating season.


My best advice is to burn dry wood,set that draft to .03" and insulate that garage.
I'd bet your wood consumption drops way down and you'll be tickled with 10-12 hour burn times!
 
It's my 2nd year, we've talked 20 or so times thanks for remembering.
I have some dry wood, it's hedge, it's 3 years old, mc is 10 or 12, if you can get a reading cause it is so hard - on COLD nights I get 7 hours burns from it, no such thing as a 10 or 12 hour burns on cold nights, on 40degree nights, 12 hours is easy, but hardly needed.
I don't need a lecture, none of this was ever the point of the thread. If I wanted to have someone tell me to burn dry wood and set the baro right I could of read the other 50 threads about the superjack.

Getting back to the original idea, if I ever buy a new furnace (lets say in 28 years), I am going to cut this one up and test my theories - that will show you all, you just wait and see, in 28 years. (how come there is no smiley with the tongue sticking out saying nana nana nana?)

CrappieKeith said:
I totally understand Mike...the point I'm trying to make is that if you want to make it more efficient like this thread started out then you have to do your part and feed it dry wood to start with.
You can not toss in wet wood and think that you can cut corners to make more heat...Physics will stand in your way everytime. Sure you burn may be a bit cleaner by adding more O2 to the fire ,but you are not making more btus out of the same lb. of wood.
Be patient....work on getting your advance wood supply up.Heck ...buy some wood if you have too so that what you have can properly dry.

Ya know Mike your not the only guy that is trying to do something that's impossible to achieve. No matter the cause...ie....to small of a stove trying to heat the whole home without ducting and trying to get all night burn times .....whatever it is....I've seen the postings. These corners are not meant to be cut.
You buy a product that is made to do the job you need to have done ,which in your case Mike you did.
Then you install it the way it is supposed to be installed which you sorta did(draft speeds) then you operate it the way it was built to operate with the reccomendations of the manufacture.
Your new to this furnace. There is a learning curve that you are graduating from by the end of this heating season.


My best advice is to burn dry wood,set that draft to .03" and insulate that garage.
I'd bet your wood consumption drops way down and you'll be tickled with 10-12 hour burn times!
Click to expand...
 
Now it looks like I've done pissed you off.That was not my intention.
I talk to thousands of people,I do apologize for not exactly remebering who you are Mike 1234.
I guess this thread has run it's due coarse....have a Merry Christmas.
 
mike1234 said:
It's my 2nd year, we've talked 20 or so times thanks for remembering.
I have some dry wood, it's hedge, it's 3 years old, mc is 10 or 12, if you can get a reading cause it is so hard - on COLD nights I get 7 hours burns from it, no such thing as a 10 or 12 hour burns on cold nights, on 40degree nights, 12 hours is easy, but hardly needed.
I don't need a lecture, none of this was ever the point of the thread. If I wanted to have someone tell me to burn dry wood and set the baro right I could of read the other 50 threads about the superjack.

Getting back to the original idea, if I ever buy a new furnace (lets say in 28 years), I am going to cut this one up and test my theories - that will show you all, you just wait and see, in 28 years. (how come there is no smiley with the tongue sticking out saying nana nana nana?)

CrappieKeith said:
I totally understand Mike...the point I'm trying to make is that if you want to make it more efficient like this thread started out then you have to do your part and feed it dry wood to start with.
You can not toss in wet wood and think that you can cut corners to make more heat...Physics will stand in your way everytime. Sure you burn may be a bit cleaner by adding more O2 to the fire ,but you are not making more btus out of the same lb. of wood.
Be patient....work on getting your advance wood supply up.Heck ...buy some wood if you have too so that what you have can properly dry.

Ya know Mike your not the only guy that is trying to do something that's impossible to achieve. No matter the cause...ie....to small of a stove trying to heat the whole home without ducting and trying to get all night burn times .....whatever it is....I've seen the postings. These corners are not meant to be cut.
You buy a product that is made to do the job you need to have done ,which in your case Mike you did.
Then you install it the way it is supposed to be installed which you sorta did(draft speeds) then you operate it the way it was built to operate with the reccomendations of the manufacture.
Your new to this furnace. There is a learning curve that you are graduating from by the end of this heating season.


My best advice is to burn dry wood,set that draft to .03" and insulate that garage.
I'd bet your wood consumption drops way down and you'll be tickled with 10-12 hour burn times!
Click to expand...
Click to expand...


I just put that date on my calender...... :p
 
28 years be a long time. Y not find a cheap Jack on Craigslist and mod NOW. Then U can patent and reap the reward of PHAT $$$$$ COIN and retire early! MAY B!
Make sure you cut me in on profits for this sound business Ad vise!

mike1234 said:
It's my 2nd year, we've talked 20 or so times thanks for remembering.
I have some dry wood, it's hedge, it's 3 years old, mc is 10 or 12, if you can get a reading cause it is so hard - on COLD nights I get 7 hours burns from it, no such thing as a 10 or 12 hour burns on cold nights, on 40degree nights, 12 hours is easy, but hardly needed.
I don't need a lecture, none of this was ever the point of the thread. If I wanted to have someone tell me to burn dry wood and set the baro right I could of read the other 50 threads about the superjack.

Getting back to the original idea, if I ever buy a new furnace (lets say in 28 years), I am going to cut this one up and test my theories - that will show you all, you just wait and see, in 28 years. (how come there is no smiley with the tongue sticking out saying nana nana nana?)

CrappieKeith said:
I totally understand Mike...the point I'm trying to make is that if you want to make it more efficient like this thread started out then you have to do your part and feed it dry wood to start with.
You can not toss in wet wood and think that you can cut corners to make more heat...Physics will stand in your way everytime. Sure you burn may be a bit cleaner by adding more O2 to the fire ,but you are not making more btus out of the same lb. of wood.
Be patient....work on getting your advance wood supply up.Heck ...buy some wood if you have too so that what you have can properly dry.

Ya know Mike your not the only guy that is trying to do something that's impossible to achieve. No matter the cause...ie....to small of a stove trying to heat the whole home without ducting and trying to get all night burn times .....whatever it is....I've seen the postings. These corners are not meant to be cut.
You buy a product that is made to do the job you need to have done ,which in your case Mike you did.
Then you install it the way it is supposed to be installed which you sorta did(draft speeds) then you operate it the way it was built to operate with the reccomendations of the manufacture.
Your new to this furnace. There is a learning curve that you are graduating from by the end of this heating season.


My best advice is to burn dry wood,set that draft to .03" and insulate that garage.
I'd bet your wood consumption drops way down and you'll be tickled with 10-12 hour burn times!
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
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