Enviro Omega Upgrade. Convection blower to start with! More additions to come!

[SmokeyTheBear]

Bear the area is just under 48 inches.

And are there 11 air outlets on that stove and what are their sizes?

The 8" has a 50.27 square inch cross sectional area.

Each outlet is 1 1/2 x 2 1/2 ID. There is also a 1 inch slot that is 18 inches long behind the air tubes. I got 59.25 but Enviro lists the heat exchanger at

• Large (1320 sq. in.) heavy-duty heat exchanger

I am thinnking the 8 inch might be a wee bit large, But The 6 is definetly too small. I wanted to go 7 inches. But the register boot is not available in 6x14x7 at the supply house. So I went with what I can get at 6x14x8 for the boot. Ordered and should be in next week. I got the 8 inch pipe, 8 to 6 reducers and tee at Lowes while picking up some pellets tonight(Nations Pride to try). I can always go back to the 6 inch if things do go as planned. Or I can always go back(NOT) to the duct hood and fans if need be. Just trying to get all I can from it.

Looks like the 8" is just about right at least whatever you can get through the blower can make it through the stove and out of the duct work. You might want to do a bit of duct insulation as that larger stuff might leave more of the heat in the basement. But you'll find that out if it does, always a trade off.

I was thinking about the duct lose. But finding insulation rated at what the stove can produce maxed out is tough. But I am searching for some. Any pointers?

Fiberglass duct insulation.

 

[marine5068]

I'm thinking of upgrading the blower on my Enviro Evolution if possible.
It's ok, but doesn't blow much air out really unless it's on one of the higher settings.
I need more air flow.
Wonder if anyone has tinkered with one of my models?
Hmmm.

 

[jtakeman]

I'm thinking of upgrading the blower on my Enviro Evolution if possible.
It's ok, but doesn't blow much air out really unless it's on one of the higher settings.
I need more air flow.
Wonder if anyone has tinkered with one of my models?
Hmmm.

I couldn't find the CFM for the evo's blower. They also don't show much in the manual on how its mounted and available room. But I am thinking the Omega blower may fit and should boost the cfm's some.

Snap some pictures and measure the clearance around the blower. I see if i can assist. Are you good with tin? you will probably need to modify the inner sheet metal where the blowers outlet connect's. Buy lots of band-aids too!

 

[jtakeman]

So far so good! Second morning in a row the stove had brought the house temp up to the stat setting and was idling on low by the time I got my lazy butt out of bed. It seems to be working better than planned. Getting more airflow should only help some more. Off to see what I can find for duct insulation. Woohoo just glad all the work actually helped transfer more heat to the area we live in.

I shut the stove off and put to autostart when the stat calls for heat. I wanna see how it recovers. Hopefully the house is warm when I get home from work. Will update this evening on how it recovered.

 

[ChandlerR]

Jay, very nice job! I have done some sheet metal work myself over the years and, boy, talk about having to think three or four steps ahead! It's harder than it looks.

I would think that with the increase in airflow from the bigger blower, you should be able to remove enough heat to prevent any kind of overheating. Obviously, the proof is in the pudding. I'm looking forward to the final version of your project.


Chan

 

[jtakeman]

for your 550 cfm blower you should go to at least 8 inch 8 inch at .1 static is rated at 200 cfm 6 inch 100 cfm to try to push that much air tho the 6 inch probily raises the static to well over .2 i do bet it blows hard tho. 10 inch round at .5 is rated at 400 cfm I can not seem to find my ductlator right now. I could give you much better numbers. for 550 cfm I would have started with 10 inch to your first tee it would raise the static a bit the pipe would take it you could go with 2 8 inch branches and 2 6 inch branches off each 8 if you wanted to

I never got to much in to the duct calculations. So any insite is greatful. The new blower is actually 455 CFMs on high. But I haven't run the stove up past medium. The stove control varies the blower voltage. AT medium speed the voltage is 103 volts. So the blower is more like 390 CFM. The register boot is what is limiting my selection on pipe size. They don't make one for 10 inch pipe. I would have to fab one myself. I have all the 8 inch duct on hand, Just waiting on the register boot. But if you do happen to find the ductlator, Please share what you can. TIA!

Jay, very nice job! I have done some sheet metal work myself over the years and, boy, talk about having to think three or four steps ahead! It's harder than it looks.

I would think that with the increase in airflow from the bigger blower, you should be able to remove enough heat to prevent any kind of overheating. Obviously, the proof is in the pudding. I'm looking forward to the final version of your project.


Chan

Thanks Chan, Its definetly been keeping the mind active. Lots of band aids too!

The one thing I didn't want to do was cause a retriction and over work the new blower. I put the duct on and listened to the blower, The 6 inch duct did make it sound like it was struggling. I have to put an amp meter to see if it is. I'll take some readings with no duct and then the 6 inch duct. If the amps are increasing. That would be bad, Over working the motor???

 

[jtakeman]

House temp had just turned to 74ºF at 4:15 PM. I had the programmable stat set at 67ºF and set to raise it to 74ºF at 1:30. The house temp was raised 7ºf in 2.45 hrs. Not to shabby.

On the blower amp draw, I get 1.56 amps with duct connected. I get 1.60 amps with duct diconnected. ??? I don't get that. I would have expected the apposite. But it does look like I have some restriction with the 6 inch duct. So hopefully when I connect the 8 inch duct. I don't see any difference in the amp draw with or without duct attached.

 

[ChandlerR]

Jay, I was just going to write. A fans under the most stress when it is in free air. Close the discharge or intake, and the load goes down. Thats why a vacuum motor speeds up when you put your hand over the hose.

Chan

 

[UncleAnthony]

J,
I have a question please. You put in the same convection blower as the maxx.
The manual states it is a no-lube blower.
Would you pull it out for cleaning or vacuum in place ?
Would you lube it (with what), and have you looked to find lube ports (I could not find any).
Thanks alot !

 

[jtakeman]

Jay, I was just going to write. A fans under the most stress when it is in free air. Close the discharge or intake, and the load goes down. Thats why a vacuum motor speeds up when you put your hand over the hose.

Chan

That explains it nicely. Thanks Chan!

J,
I have a question please. You put in the same convection blower as the maxx.
The manual states it is a no-lube blower.
Would you pull it out for cleaning or vacuum in place ?
Would you lube it (with what), and have you looked to find lube ports (I could not find any).
Thanks alot !

Unfortunately, I feel(some may disagree) the best way is to remove the blower to clean it better(its only 6 screws and 2 wires to disconnect). I had to remove the air/vacuum switch too! I cleaned the old blower thru the outlet ports with a brush and compressed air(being careful not to over spin/over rev the blower). I use a 1" paint brush and tried to get as much dust off the blower wheel as possible. I also blow out the motor itself to get the dust out of it. I still dropped some oil on the motor shaft, But seeing the bearings are sealed probably not much made it into the bearings. You could skip the lube. The bearings are cheap and not hard to replace when they get noisey.

 

[UncleAnthony]

Jay, I was just going to write. A fans under the most stress when it is in free air. Close the discharge or intake, and the load goes down. Thats why a vacuum motor speeds up when you put your hand over the hose.

Chan

That explains it nicely. Thanks Chan!

J,
I have a question please. You put in the same convection blower as the maxx.
The manual states it is a no-lube blower.
Would you pull it out for cleaning or vacuum in place ?
Would you lube it (with what), and have you looked to find lube ports (I could not find any).
Thanks alot !

Unfortunately, I feel(some may disagree) the best way is to remove the blower to clean it better(its only 6 screws and 2 wires to disconnect). I had to remove the air/vacuum switch too! I cleaned the old blower thru the outlet ports with a brush and compressed air(being careful not to over spin/over rev the blower). I use a 1" paint brush and tried to get as much dust off the blower wheel as possible. I also blow out the motor itself to get the dust out of it. I still dropped some oil on the motor shaft, But seeing the bearings are sealed probably not much made it into the bearings. You could skip the lube. The bearings are cheap and not hard to replace when they get noisey.

I will do the cleaning per your detailed information. Thanks alot!

 

[pelletdude]

Jay,

That looks great ! Same as inside of my maxx .
Mmm... an Omega with a maxx blower , sure like that !
Yes, the stove does sound like a jet engine, but
the blower sures moves air !
Where did you buy blower & cost ?

The new MAXX M - is just like the omega with a MAXX Blower. I installed one in a basement for a guy two weeks ago. Very nice - I am used to the M55 and the inside off the MAXX M is identical. the customer is very happy. His upstairs is now in the low 70's.

 

[jtakeman]

I think I am finished finally, I installed the 8 inch duct last night. Purposely didn't have the stove to turn on. I turned the stove on at 4:42 PM and the temp was 66ºF upstairs. By 5:42 PM it was already up to 69ºF. Definitely improved the reaction time a bit. Air velocity out of the duct seems stronger. Just need to work on the balance for each room that has a duct installed.

Amp draw on medium is now 1.59 amps(so close) with duct installed and 1.60 amps with no duct attached. I probably could use the 10 inch duct for the main truck. But again, I cannot find a register boot(or box) that fits the snorkel. I might save up to convert to rectangular ducting in the future. But I never really run the stove higher than medium so I may not bother. But will check the amp draw on the highest setting just in case. A large difference will decide if I invest in rectangular ducting.

Lastly I will start checking duct temps to figure out what heat range for the duct insulation. I will run the stove on max temp to see how hot it can actually get and then look for something rated just above that. But first I need to seal the duct to eliminate any leaks. I'll check into the brush on mask stuff as I hate messing with the aluminum tape.

Maybe a 2 speed motor for the convection blower, So I can still pellet test? Why is it your never ever really finished?????

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

It could be worse in the never finished department.

You could be building a model railroad, it gets a might pricey and can take years and never be finished.

 

[jtakeman]

It could be worse in the never finished department.

You could be building a model railroad, it gets a might pricey and can take years and never be finished.

Just right of the stove is a HO scale layout my son and I have started. I just can't get going with that. All we have down is track, And I think this is revision 6 or 7? :smirk:

 

[Don2222]

Hello Jay

Wow, Super Job well done!

Just curious:

How many registers do you have upstairs attached to the ductwork and what is the air temp out of one of the registers?

Also what is your return air? (Ex. Stairwell... etc)

 

[jtakeman]

Hello Jay

Wow, Super Job well done!

Just curious:

How many registers do you have upstairs attached to the ductwork and what is the air temp out of one of the registers?

Also what is your return air? (Ex. Stairwell... etc)

Hi Don,

I have 5 registers total. Heat out of the vents ranges from 100º to 135º depending on what pellet brand I have in. I can get more if I crank up the stove, But medium setting is working just dandy. Closest thing we have had yet to a furnace in this shack! Yes the return is the basement stairway W/louvered door installed.

Temps start warmer at the closet vents to the stove but equal out once its run a bit. I have the closest vents throttled down to allow more air current to travel to the furthest vent. Not perfect but its working and keeping the house warmer. No more booster fans to assist the stove either. I only warm the basement now. And its only from the return air. If I could only close the loop.

 

[Don2222]

Hello Jay

Wow, Super Job well done!

Just curious:

How many registers do you have upstairs attached to the ductwork and what is the air temp out of one of the registers?

Also what is your return air? (Ex. Stairwell... etc)

Hi Don,

I have 5 registers total. Heat out of the vents ranges from 100º to 135º depending on what pellet brand I have in. I can get more if I crank up the stove, But medium setting is working just dandy. Closest thing we have had yet to a furnace in this shack! Yes the return is the basement stairway W/louvered door installed.

Temps start warmer at the closet vents to the stove but equal out once its run a bit. I have the closest vents throttled down to allow more air current to travel to the furthest vent. Not perfect but its working and keeping the house warmer. No more booster fans to assist the stove either. I only warm the basement now. And its only from the return air. If I could only close the loop.

Wow Jay, that is a real thorough job.
I have 2 registers in the Kitchen and Living room and they put out 110 to 150 degrees on medium! So I could probably put in two more but we like the bedrooms a little cooler. I leave the door open to the basement for my return also. It works!!
The 90 degree 6" duct above the stove swings so I can open the 3 sided glass door!! I tie the duct to that yellow lally column while cleaning LOL

I really need to just replace the old windows in the bedroom with new double pane windows like I did for the Kitchen and Living room and I should be all set. Those window panes read 60 degrees with the heat thermometer while the new double panes read 66 degrees so that is probably where any more money should go right??

New Duct in pic below makes the stove look like R2D2 LOL

 

[CJ-SR4ever]

Wow looks great. Glad it worked out for you. Just be careful not to bump your head when you are cleaning out the front.

 

[begreen]

Encouraging others to violate code and their warranty is not a good idea.

 

[geek]

Regardless of code issues.....Good job.

 

[jtakeman]

I actually talked to my local fire marshall before I even started this. I showed him liturature from a bixby UBB and my old manual from the bigE. Both of those stoves had listed an option for connecting duct work. But they later removed it from the manuals. Due to hot vent issues. Floor vents got to hot and peeps burned there toes on them. Thats what I was told by Bixby anyway. This was addressed with more air flow to cool the heated air. Exactly the same as the pellet furnaces do, High CFM blowers with cooler convection air.

He saw one issue an I addressed it with the snorkle. Sealing the connection between the stove so smoke would not enter the convection path.

He agreed and ok'd my mod. We also researched several of the pellet furnaces and the only thing this lacks is an air return system.

These mods to my stove are not recommended by the stove gods! So don't do as I do.

A mod can remove this post/thread or me even if you see fit.

 

[Don2222]

Wow looks great. Glad it worked out for you. Just be careful not to bump your head when you are cleaning out the front.

Hello CJ-SR4ever

No worries on bumping my head. I just swing the ductwork over because it moves at the 90 degree joint. Then I tie it to the yellow lally column with a nice square knot while cleaning!

See pic below:

 

[WoodPorn]

Encouraging others to violate code and their warranty is not a good idea.

Read the very 1st sentence - "These mods to my stove are not recommended by the stove gods! So don’t do as I do."

I don't find this to be encouraging, I find it insightful and wreaking of ingenuity.
Step away from moderator status and be an average pellet burner..then comment.

 

[jtakeman]

Encouraging others to violate code and their warranty is not a good idea.

Read the very 1st sentence - "These mods to my stove are not recommended by the stove gods! So don’t do as I do."

I don't find this to be encouraging, I find it insightful and wreaking of ingenuity.
Step away from moderator status and be an average pellet burner..then comment.

I added that after he made his comment. He's a mod so he is right(and I will always be wrong). But if he read the whole thread he would see I just didn't connect duct to my stove. Which many people do. I actually put some though to cooler duct temps and may actually do more.

Plain and simple. If you want a stove in your basement and must duct the heat up stairs? Buy a pellet furnace. Which I intend to do once I can afford it.