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  1. DeanBrown3D New Member

    joined: Oct 16, 2006
    193 posts
    Princeton, NJ
    Hello all,

    After 1 year, and cutting it up and welding it back together again to fit it in the basement, I finally have installed my Charmaster Wood Controls furnace. I have blanked off my expen$ive electric heat furnace, and its not coming back on again until I run out of wood (hopefully never).

    I've got 20" round duct for the supply, and the return is not finished yet, but its firing away and my house is finally nice and toasty. I'll let you all know how it is when it gets really cold (December 2, according to yahoo weather).

    Here are some pics:

    Attached Files:

    #1

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  2. DeanBrown3D New Member

    joined: Oct 16, 2006
    193 posts
    Princeton, NJ
    pic 2

    Attached Files:

  3. DeanBrown3D New Member

    joined: Oct 16, 2006
    193 posts
    Princeton, NJ
    pic 3

    Attached Files:

  4. DeanBrown3D New Member

    joined: Oct 16, 2006
    193 posts
    Princeton, NJ
    pic 4

    Attached Files:

  5. DeanB, that is one nice looking stove ! Looks to be a great job on installation, though I know nothing about these types, it sure looks good to me.

    Keep us posted on how it works, also, great pics. :)


    Robbie
  6. ourhouse Minister of Fire

    joined: Feb 16, 2006
    720 posts
    Franklin Ma
    Looks good have a nice warm winter.
  7. elkimmeg Banned

    Dean looks great. But I have some recomendations for further energy savings One the sill around your foundation should be sealed, The space between the rim and floor joist above the sill should be insulated. Also noticed in your pictures .,is exposed pipes and duct work also in need of insulation. Doing this will save energy and transmit more heat to the living space plus save you wood. I forgot to include sealing the duct joints with duct mastic.

    Another note concerning your winter warm insert, and you issues with the cat combustor. I think I noticed the air inlet deflector plate missing in front of the cat area.
    this plate is needed to direct thand channell the draft /smoke to properly enter the Cat combustor chamber. It might just be your combustor is ok but without proper drart deflection it overheats and glows red the delfector plate has a lot to do in how secondary exhaust is feed to the cat combustor,

    savinmg heating cost money is a two fold soultion , wood heat and keeping the heat in that is produced


    Keep up the good work
  8. Roospike New Member

    joined: Nov 19, 2005
    2,859 posts
    Eastern Nebraska
    ********************* !WARNING!*********************

    !! Radioactive burning in progress. Please stand back !!

    ************************************************************

    Good looking install , she looks hot and ready for winter. Awesome job DeanB
    :bug: Whats with the radioactive looking coal!?!? :bug:

    Attached Files:

  9. Roospike New Member

    joined: Nov 19, 2005
    2,859 posts
    Eastern Nebraska
    Radioactive burning Avatar ?

    Attached Files:

  10. DeanBrown3D New Member

    joined: Oct 16, 2006
    193 posts
    Princeton, NJ
    Eric - Charmaster does make that furnace in a bolt-together version for tighter spaces (unfortunately they forgot to mention this to me when I ordered it. So you won't have to cut it to pieces like I did. However, having done that, I am now quite well aquainted with the insides of mine!

    Its quite warm these days in NJ, but last night and tonight I threw in a whole firebox full of wood and burned it up with the thermostat set on high (75), and now its keeping the house warm on gravity heat. There is a door on the left side of the furnace that opens when the fan is not running, so that you get a nice amount of gravity (free) heat even when the blower is not running. That kept the house warm last night (33 outside) until this morning.

    Thanks to everyone else here for all their comments.

    DeanB
  11. DeanBrown3D New Member

    joined: Oct 16, 2006
    193 posts
    Princeton, NJ
    Radioactive wood or nice piece of Stihl calendar ass? Let the others vote!

    I think I set the camera set wrong, and the color got a little mangled!
  12. begreen Super Moderator

    joined: Nov 18, 2005
    36,119 posts
    South Puget Sound, WA
    I like em hot 'n glowin.

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  13. DeanBrown3D New Member

    joined: Oct 16, 2006
    193 posts
    Princeton, NJ
    Actually (and I used to work with radioactive materials), the radiation sign has a slightly larger gap between the central circle and the three fan blades. (Not that I'm picky or anything:))
  14. DeanBrown3D New Member

    joined: Oct 16, 2006
    193 posts
    Princeton, NJ
    Eric - Get the delux version for sure. I really like the automatic gravity feed feature - a flap that opens up whenever the fan is not running. I use it now to keep the house hot and toasty all night on just charcoals (I burn a hot fire for a few hours to heat up the house when I come home from work, and after maybe 3 hours I shut the thing off with the thermostat, and the furnace is just hot coals and hot glowing logs (not much smoke), and that lasts all night. If you don't have the gravity feed, the fan would only come on very occasionally and you would waste a load of heat.)

    Dean
  15. msalvatore New Member

    joined: Feb 16, 2009
    2 posts
    nj
    Hi, I am looking into a charmaster furnace myself Wood/gas). but I was concerned on how much wood the unit would consume. I am also in Jersey also. How much wood do you use a month?

    Marc
  16. Todd Minister of Fire

    joined: Nov 19, 2005
    8,804 posts
    Lake Wissota
    You will find more info over in the Boiler room forum. Man, I've missed Dean's avatar. ;-P
  17. begreen Super Moderator

    joined: Nov 18, 2005
    36,119 posts
    South Puget Sound, WA
    I've moved this over to the boiler room. Hopefully there will be some current feedback for you here.
  18. Hogwildz Minister of Fire

    LMFAO I was just thinking the same damn thing when this thread bumped up and I opened it.
  19. Jimbob New Member

    ........Add me to the list of peeps who like Dean's avatar.....;)
  20. begreen Super Moderator

    joined: Nov 18, 2005
    36,119 posts
    South Puget Sound, WA
  21. Jimbob New Member

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