Kuuma VF100 arrived

[Monaco]

It's big. It's gonna have to sit there until Sunday when I can get a few helping muscular hands.

Been looking at my space as I prep for installation. It's going to be a little tight in this old house and will requite a custom plenum for sure.

 

[STIHLY DAN]

You buy the Cadillac of wood furnaces and the 1st thing you do is leave it outside for 4 days under a pine tree? I may have to come and replace it with a hot blast! That's just wrong. Would you buy a new computer and leave it outside? NO KUMMA FOR YOU 1 YEAR! Great purchase. Poor handling.

 

[Monaco]

Haha. I have no choice. So far no rain
It is wrapped up very tightly.

oh, and that Oak is protecting it from the pine

 

[cityboy172]

That's nice. Looking forward to seeing the progress. What area of the state are you in? I'm kicking around the idea of putting one in and ditching my boiler for one.

 

[jebatty]

I had the privilege of visiting the Kuuma factory in Tower, MN, a couple of years ago and got a tour by the owner. This factory is all business. While I never have had personal experience operating and using a Kuuma, all reports I have seen are very positive. I will await with anticipation your report.

 

[Monaco]

That's nice. Looking forward to seeing the progress. What area of the state are you in? I'm kicking around the idea of putting one in and ditching my boiler for one.

Indiana. basically single-digit winter temps. I'll be thrilled if I burn a rick/week... but we'll see.

Right now my tricky part is getting a big custom plenum made, I speak to a metalworker on Monday. This old house doesn't have a lot of room in the basement, so I can't position the furnace directly under the duct.

 

[cityboy172]

Indiana. basically single-digit winter temps. I'll be thrilled if I burn a rick/week... but we'll see.

Right now my tricky part is getting a big custom plenum made, I speak to a metalworker on Monday. This old house doesn't have a lot of room in the basement, so I can't position the furnace directly under the duct.

Sounds like we're almost neighbors. I'm Laporte county. At least it looks like you have some good wind shelter.

 

[Monaco]

Sounds like we're almost neighbors. I'm Laporte county. At least it looks like you have some good wind shelter.

You're way up there! I'm down south-central. I bet you get some serious weather up there?

 

[cityboy172]

You're way up there! I'm down south-central. I bet you get some serious weather up there?

It keeps life interesting some days.

 

[Monaco]

Got the furnace indoors. Been looking over the parts and instructions, seems fairly well-organized, but would benefit from more of a step-by-step approach with more and better illustrations.

I'm tight on space and the house ductwork is nowhere as large as the output on the furnace. So I'm going to need a custom plenum that reduces the 24x24" square down to something more like 16x16". Hoping to keep the most cubic inches in there as possible.

 

[STIHLY DAN]

Loading like that may be a head bumper. What about putting the furnace 90* Flue going strait to chimney with only 2 45'S and the ductwork coming off the unit going to the left? This will make it easier for the return as well.

 

[Monaco]

Loading like that may be a head bumper. What about putting the furnace 90* Flue going strait to chimney with only 2 45'S and the ductwork coming off the unit going to the left? This will make it easier for the return as well.

Yeah - after getting the furnace into place, wWe decided to slide it closer to the doorway like you suggest, allowing us a simple trapeziodal plenum like this:

 

[Monaco]

I think I'm also going to put in a 3" pipe for fresh airflow. I'll run it thru the upper wall and down to exit near the furnace intake.

 

[DaveH]

I think I'm also going to put in a 3" pipe for fresh airflow. I'll run it thru the upper wall and down to exit near the furnace intake.

Let me know how the fresh air turns out. I had a HVAC guy think I was crazy for wanting to bring in outside air, even though a furnace is pulling cold air in from anywhere it can already. He was concerned with bringing cold air in but after running the Kuuma the last couple weeks I realize it would have no problem quickly heating that cold air up.

You've probably read a ton on here and the owner's manual is pretty specific but follow the advice as much as possible. I just switched out a 90 degree elbow coming off the stove to a 45. This will create a strong pull and eliminate smoke exiting the door when you fill up. Its not a problem if the stove is hot or full of coals, but if you are just starting a fire with some kindling and are going to throw in some logs it should help.

Do you have an open floor plan? That would be ideal for this furnace I believe. I wish I had one, instead of my colonial, but the Kuuma cranks plenty of heat, big ducts are important to spread it around. Thats my next essential upgrade. I've kept my house at 72 with outside low temps around 25 last weekend burning ash, maple and pine.

 

[Monaco]

Let me know how the fresh air turns out. I had a HVAC guy think I was crazy for wanting to bring in outside air, even though a furnace is pulling cold air in from anywhere it can already. He was concerned with bringing cold air in but after running the Kuuma the last couple weeks I realize it would have no problem quickly heating that cold air up.

You've probably read a ton on here and the owner's manual is pretty specific but follow the advice as much as possible. I just switched out a 90 degree elbow coming off the stove to a 45. This will create a strong pull and eliminate smoke exiting the door when you fill up. Its not a problem if the stove is hot or full of coals, but if you are just starting a fire with some kindling and are going to throw in some logs it should help.

Do you have an open floor plan? That would be ideal for this furnace I believe. I wish I had one, instead of my colonial, but the Kuuma cranks plenty of heat, big ducts are important to spread it around. Thats my next essential upgrade. I've kept my house at 72 with outside low temps around 25 last weekend burning ash, maple and pine.

My floor plan is fairly open, but that's a great idea. Our future plans with this old place is to open it a little more and I feel better about that.

I'm not sure exactly if I can do 45 degree joints on the flue. It will be close. If I have to have a little bit of straight horizontal or vertical run, would it be better at the top near the exit or at the bottom near the furnace?

Mind posting pictures of your setup?

I just learned from Lamppa that I cannot extend the thermocouple wires going into the computer. This means I can't mount the computer onto a nearby wall instead of the side of the furnace (which will be 6" from a wall), and as a result I'll never be able to see the controls; except maybe with a small pocket mirror.

 

[jebatty]

Ask why the wires cannot be extended. I have successfully, and without any issue, extended wires for K-type thermocouples and for DS18b20 digital sensors. What type thermocouple is involved?

 

[Monaco]

Ask why the wires cannot be extended. I have successfully, and without any issue, extended wires for K-type thermocouples and for DS18b20 digital sensors. What type thermocouple is involved?

They're high-temp wires...

 

[brenndatomu]

Ask why the wires cannot be extended. I have successfully, and without any issue, extended wires for K-type thermocouples and for DS18b20 digital sensors. What type thermocouple is involved?

They're high-temp wires...

You can buy that wire on fleabay and others pretty cheap...high temp is no hurdle

 

[Monaco]

I'm thinking now that I can just run the wires out the other side, I could drill a tiny new exit hole. The power wire can be easily extended.

We'll see once I get it together, but right now it doesn't look like there's quite enough slack to get the control panel off the furnace and onto the wall.

 

[STIHLY DAN]

I think I'm also going to put in a 3" pipe for fresh airflow. I'll run it thru the upper wall and down to exit near the furnace intake.

You do not want it to exit near the intake. You want to do a 180* turn at the floor then come up the wall and 90 just below the entrance to the outside. That way you only pull air in that's needed and not pour cold air in all the time.

 

[Highbeam]

You do not want it to exit near the intake. You want to do a 180* turn at the floor then come up the wall and 90 just below the entrance to the outside. That way you only pull air in that's needed and not pour cold air in all the time.

I never understood that. If there is enough vacuum in the building to suck air through that tube then it will suck it regardless of the little 180* turn at the floor. Not unlike a curly Q straw, the bend doesn't stop flow.

 

[maple1]

I think it acts like a cold trap. The chimney draft will overcome it but if the fire dies & kills draft then the cold trap will prevent the outside cold from dropping in.

Kinda a reverse heat trap. Those stop ghost flows with bends.

 

[STIHLY DAN]

What he said ^^^^ plus they run better burning warmer air.

 

[Monaco]

What he said ^^^^

Been doing some research and I see some with a "U" that turns and goes back up a foot, but none so far that go back up to the inlet level... I'll keep looking

 

[Monaco]

This page has three diagrams:
http://www.yukon-eagle.com/FURNACEACCESSORIES/FRESHAIRINTAKE/tabid/204/Default.aspx