Installing wood furnace in cargo trailer

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the woodburner is not installed at the property so there are no permits or insurance issues.
The problem with that is that it is installed on the property. When you connect it to the house with those bucts it is installed in the house. What do you think would happen if the trailer did catch fire? Don't you think that the smoke and fumes would get sent into the house through that duct work? You may not burn your house down but you could still be killed by the smoke or fumes.
 
I was just wondering if anyone has tried this before.
I'm sure it has, but in that part of the country I bet they ain't got good internets...;)
 
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The problem with that is that it is installed on the property. When you connect it to the house with those bucts it is installed in the house. What do you think would happen if the trailer did catch fire? Don't you think that the smoke and fumes would get sent into the house through that duct work? You may not burn your house down but you could still be killed by the smoke or fumes.
If the trailer did caught fire i guess can't see how it could because its all metal but if it did I think with our smoke detectors we would be OK.
Now say your furnace or chimney had an issue would you not be in some danger also.
I'm sure it has, but in that part of the country I bet they ain't got good internets...;)
 
f the trailer did caught fire i guess can't see how it could because its all metal
so the insulation you have been talking about is metal also?

Now say your furnace or chimney had an issue would you not be in some danger also.
Yes but in the house it is not installed in a very small space with a short chimney making it prone to overheating. And it can be installed to manufacturers specs which clearly prohibit it from being installed in a trailer. If you decide to do it that is up to you but don't come here looking for our input and then get bothered when we tell you it is not a good idea and is not allowed by the manufacturer.
 
[quoI woulde="DoubleB, post: 1967553, member: 34286"]Yep. Which means it's doing nothing to heat your house and therefore wasted.[/quote]
IMO i would a least I would get 60% of heat to the house. We have a lot of free wood here in Iowa.
 
In your estimation what would the temperature of the air leaving the furnace.

no idea i have never burnt one. But i can tell you that even with a perfect setup you wont get 60% efficiency with that furnace. Yours i would guess at best would run at 25 to 30%
 
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OK uote="bholler, post: 1967567, member: 32126"]no idea i have never burnt one. But i can tell you that even with a perfect setup you wont get 60% efficiency with that furnace. Yours i would guess at best would run at 25 to 30%[/quote]
Ok thanks maybe someone else on this forum more knowledgeable about wood burning furnaces might know. Thanks again for your time.
 
[quoI guesseI missed"brenndatomu, post: 1967544, member: 28195"]I'm sure it has, but in that part of the country I bet they ain't got good internets...;)[/quote]
Wow I guess i missed this post. Did your kid post this for you. LOL
 
How much free wood? Someone will have to help me with the BTU tables but let's have an example: Before I moved to my current house last summer, I was in a 1953 built shotgun house with several additions. I ran a Cozeburn 250 OWB for eight years at that house. The boiler was 97.5 feet from the house and had the heat exchanger in the plenum of the oil furnace in the basement; traditional forced air setup. I used the good underground 1" pex that has the foam insulation in the casing, and I rented a commercial trenching machine to install those lines so that they would be below the frost line; 36" deep. That house was 1600 sq. ft., and had been as heavily insulated as possible during remods done by me and (when I could afford it) contractors, not including the unfinished basement that was used for laundry/storage and only heated by one duct off the plenum. That boiler used 10 to 12 TONS of bituminous coal, AND 4 to 6 cords of wood each and every heating season from the first installed, to the '13 season, which was our last there. Like I said, someone will have to help with the BTU tables, but if that boiler was even 60% efficient, which is what you hope your rig to be, you must be a mountain of a man to process all that in wood alone. Especially if you haven't yet gotten started.
 
Haven'te="jotul?, post: 1967583, member: 35922"]How much free wood? Someone will have to help me with the BTU tables but let's have an example: Before I moved to my current house last summer, I was in a 1953 built shotgun house with several additions. I ran a Cozeburn 250 OWB for eight years at that house. The boiler was 97.5 feet from the house and had the heat exchanger in the plenum of the oil furnace in the basement; traditional forced air setup. I used the good underground 1" pex that has the foam insulation in the casing, and I rented a commercial trenching machine to install those lines so that they would be below the frost line; 36" deep. That house was 1600 sq. ft., and had been as heavily insulated as possible during remods done by me and (when I could afford it) contractors, not including the unfinished basement that was used for laundry/storage and only heated by one duct off the plenum. That boiler used 10 to 12 TONS of bituminous coal, AND 4 to 6 cords of wood each and every heating season from the first installed, to the '13 season, which was our last there. Like I said, someone will have to help with the BTU tables, but if that boiler was even 60% efficient, which is what you hope your rig to be, you must be a mountain of a man to process all that in wood alone. Especially if you haven't yet gotten started.[/quote]
Haven't gotten started I stated in an earlier post I have 8 cords ready to burn ananother 16 to 20 cords cut and ready to split at my farm.
 
Ok thanks maybe someone else on this forum more knowledgeable about wood burning furnaces might know. Thanks again for your time.
the outlet temp on a hot air furnace will vary greatly depending on how it is operated and the install. So no none of us can give you that info. But you are seriously going to question my credentials to advise of safe and efficient wood burner installs? I am licensed and certified to do this work and have been doing it for many years. I have also fixed many bad installs done by guys that have been doing it that way for 30 years.
 
My understanding is a conventional lp fueled furnace puts out around 140 to 160 degrees and can handle a 40' duct without a booster. I didn't mean to ruffly your feathers but I'm sure I can do that with my proposed setup.
 
My understanding is a conventional lp fueled furnace puts out around 140 to 160 degrees and can handle a 40' duct without a booster. I didn't mean to ruffly your feathers but I'm sure I can do that with my proposed setup.
At some points in the burn cycle yes i am sure you can. But what temp will it be by the time it reaches the house? And how much wood will it take to get it there. That is where the efficiency comes in
 
[quoI guesseI missed"brenndatomu, post: 1967544, member: 28195"]I'm sure it has, but in that part of the country I bet they ain't got good internets...;)
Wow I guess i missed this post. Did your kid post this for you. LOL[/quote]
Nah, 'twas I. Obviously, with a "like" to "post" ratio of ~25%, my brand of humor goes unappreciated quite a bit around here ;lol
Just thought this thread needed un-intensified a skosh
I'm sure it has, but in that part of the country I bet they ain't got good internets...;)
Here, I'll decode this for y'all...what I was saying was, yes, this probably has been done...once upon a time...somewhere...back in the hills...but, that person probably isn't postin on Hearth.com
 
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OK uote="bholler, post: 1967567, member: 32126"]no idea i have never burnt one. But i can tell you that even with a perfect setup you wont get 60% efficiency with that furnace. Yours i would guess at best would run at 25 to 30%
Ok thanks maybe someone else on this forum more knowledgeable about wood burning furnaces might know. Thanks again for your time.[/quote]

You are getting sound advice from people who are way more knowledgable than yourself about wood burning furnaces. Isn't that what you came here for? Then you insult them.

I'm out - good luck.
 
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Ok thanks maybe someone else on this forum more knowledgeable about wood burning furnaces might know. Thanks again for your time.

You are getting sound advice from people who are way more knowledgable than yourself about wood burning furnaces. Isn't that what you came here for? Then you insult them.

I'm out - good luck.[/quote]
I don't think I insulted anyone just posted an idea looking for input. As it is it seems that you are the one getting uptight maybe everything in this world is not cut an dried ?
 
Remind me again why you have ruled out a basement install? I think it was your wife said "no"?

I hear ya, I understand how that works. However, I have to ask if you actually explained to her what it will look like to have a rusty trailer permanently parked next to the house with a smokestack belching around your bedroom window and big ducts with colorful insulation extending from said trailer through the kitchen window and blowing out the candles of your evening dinner with lukewarm air?

If you don't think the technical advice people have given applies to you, that's your choice. But most of us here would also have a domestic problem on our hands that would make us remove this "installation" even in the unlikely event that it was functionally acceptable. Perhaps consider what you'll do when your wife says you have to remove it because it looks awful.
 
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Haven't gotten started I stated in an earlier post I have 8 cords ready to burn ananother 16 to 20 cords cut and ready to split at my farm.
Do you have nothing but seasoned Osage Orange for your fuel? Because if you do you will only need 29.04 tons of it to equal the BTU's in 12 tons of coal. Thats 58,080 lbs. of Osage Orange. At 4845 lbs. per cord, you need 11.9 cords. Thats to match the coal tonnage, you need another 6 cords to match the wood tonnage. Thats 17.9 cords. That is if our houses have the same heat load and if our furnaces have the same efficiency. So you should be fine. Wait? It's not seasoned Osage Orange? It's seasoned Red Oak? Well, you only need about 32 tons of Red Oak to meet the BTU requirements of our equal houses. Thats only 18 cords of Red Oak! Oh, forgot the wood BTU's. Now you need 24 cords. Ouch. Hope that 60% efficiency was listed as a minimum by UL labs. Oh… sorry. What do you mean you don't have 2 year seasoned Red Oak? You have no year seasoned, mixed hardwood that is still 25% water by weight? To underline that: THAT'S ONE QUARTER WATER. 28 cords? 30 cords? All that is hoping for 60% efficiency. What about 50%? 35 cords? Stop wasting everyone's time. I'm with Maple1 - out.
 
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You are getting sound advice from people who are way more knowledgable than yourself about wood burning furnaces. Isn't that what you came here for? Then you insult them.

I'm out - good luck.
I don't think I insulted anyone just posted an idea looking for input. As it is it seems that you are the one getting uptight maybe everything in this world is not cut an dried ?[/quote]

No uptite here - that good luck was a sincere one.
 
Obviously, with a "like" to "post" ratio of ~25%, my brand of humor goes unappreciated quite a bit around here

Oh man, not a guilt trip! I gave you a "like" just to bump you up to 25.23%. ;lol We love your humor, you just dilute it too much with technical prowess.
 
Do you have nothing but seasoned Osage Orange for your fuel? Because if you do you will only need 29.04 tons of it to equal the BTU's in 12 tons of coal. Thats 58,080 lbs. of Osa mmseasoned Red Oak? Well, you only need about 32 tons of Red Oak to meet the BTU requirements of our equal houses. Thats only 18 cords of Red Oak! Oh, forgot the wood BTU's. Now you need 24 cords. Ouch. Hope that 60% effic
Oh man, not a guilt trip! I gave you a "like" just to bump you up to 25.23%. ;lol We love your humor, you just dilute it too much with technical prowess.
 
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