return air for englander

[jwfirebird]

bought a englander 28-4000 to replace the old wood add on furnace in the basement, the house is old and has a very short basement, so it would be incredibly easier to just hook it up with the same ducts for heat and return but the return went in the left side not the back. the old one just used the fan from the oil furnace next to it so you would have the filter and dont have to worry about back flow valve. the chimney came out the back so putting 90 degrees wont line up to the chimney and no room to make the chimney work.

anyone see any reason cutting it into the side and sealing the back would be a bad idea?

 

[jwfirebird]

called their tech support, they said "technically its fine he didn't recommend it"
he said all one cavity there so I am probably going to do it that way, air from furnace goes into lower bottom, out the top to house
return goes to oil furnace. use to cook me out more than 30 deg outside so seems like at least it worked before.

 

[lost in the woods]

it says right in the owners manual- DO NOT hook your wood furnace ductwork into the cold air return of the oil burner. my oil burner has a like thermocouple somewhere in the plenum that shuts everything down if it gets too hot.

with all that being said , backflow preventers are available on the internet. that's where I ended up getting mine after calling every HVAC place and tin knocker in a 50 mile radius

 

[jwfirebird]

thats not how it is, house returns go to the oil furnace then after burner and fan goes into bottom of wood one then to plentum up top, that feeds the house. plentum has sensor for fan and ran if it had the oil or wood heat up.
everything all done right before, dont need anything else just has been tough to figure ducts still half way done or so, because old chimney cam out back and was the size of a fridge plentum sat on top and was all open on top, new one has the chimney, and heat duct on top and no room for both.
having to try and scoot the box forward enough to clear the chimney, not going to be fun loading but i cant see any better way. just wish they put the chimney out the back, would make it easier for most i would think