I live in Western NC and have a 1200 square foot, single story home. I currently heat with an oil furnace and have existing ductwork under the house. I have a crawl space, not a basement. I would like to add a hot air furnace to supplement what I have now and reduce my heating costs. I will be using wood heat about half the time with the oil furnace picking up the rest. Is there any way to install a supplemental hot air furnace outside (in an outbuilding of course)? Everyone I talk to says the hot air duct cannot go down, only up. I would have to send the air down a few feet to get it low enough to enter the crawl space and connect to my existing ductwork. Also, what's the maximum distance the furnace should be placed away from the house? Would it be beneficial to bury the duct going to the house? Any comments, opinions, or suggestions are welcome. Thanks.
Question about Installing Hot Air Furnace Outside
- Thread starter ncguy
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Chris Hoskin
TarmSalesGuy
Tarm Sales Guy said:
I have come to the same conclusion, however I would like to keep the mess outside. I do have an existing chimney I could use if the add-on idea doesn't work.
JustWood
Minister of Fire
An addition connected to the house wood work better even if it is accessed from outside.
HA furnaces give off alot of heat. You need to be able to utilize it.
Use insulated duct. Keep it under 25' long or you'll lose to much heat.
Cold air return .
Yes HA can be pushed down. Mine goes down 5' right out of plenum.
HA furnaces give off alot of heat. You need to be able to utilize it.
Use insulated duct. Keep it under 25' long or you'll lose to much heat.
Cold air return .
Yes HA can be pushed down. Mine goes down 5' right out of plenum.
There's always this http://www.usstove.com/proddetail.php?prod=1600EF. Never seen one, no comment on how well they work.
Personally, I would rather have a stove in the living area and find ways too keep the mess at a minimum. Too many unknowns for me to put a furnace outside. Plus, you still have to go outside and feed it. I grumble enough just having to go to my warm basement.
Personally, I would rather have a stove in the living area and find ways too keep the mess at a minimum. Too many unknowns for me to put a furnace outside. Plus, you still have to go outside and feed it. I grumble enough just having to go to my warm basement.
heat loss is your real concern, put lots of RTU's outside on the ground shooting into a crawl space. Pushing air down isn't a big deal, problem is that a lot of wood stoves have cheap fans on then, need one that has a furnace type fan or at least capable of the decent static pressure. FYI that was my first house also, of course I had to dig out my basement [bobcat] - we heated with wood stove too and had oil back up. As I look back, especially in these hard times. That dragon had a lot lot less apatite then the one I am feeding now.
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