St Croix Revolution newbe

[maacac]

I also had concerns about the amount of air coming out of the vents. It think we have all learned that the air will be less than what we had been used to. But I was still concerned. One thing I had to correct was the warm air coming from the revolution into the duct work was recirculating back through my propane furnace and not all going into the duct work. I ended up making a homemade backdraft preventer that I can slide into the plenem on the ductwork so the revolution heat can only go up and not back thru the propane furnace.

If you haven't already, I would make sure that not too much warm air is going back thru your existing furnace.

 

[maacac]

Revo,

I am near Traverse Ctiy.

 

[gilandjoy]

You get the lake effect also. I have backdraft damper in the duct right above my revolution. Seems to work good. One thing I have noticed is the front panel needs to be put in correctly. At first I noticed a lot of air coming out the bottom seal of the panel then realized it wasn't set quite right. Whooops. live & learn.

 

[maacac]

I had thought the the front panel was not designed very well. I notice air coming out also. Is there a trick to putting the panel on correctly?

I put some thin stove gasket on the panel to reduce this air, but maybe I was just not getting the panel back in right.

 

[gilandjoy]

When you slide the panel up then it sets down pull slightly out when it slides down.( does that make sense?)That did it for me. I caught that when the blower was on, now i just know better.

 

[maacac]

That makes sense.

 

[maacac]

As far as the damper being almost closed, are you burning pellets or corn?

 

[gilandjoy]

Pellets.....

 

[maacac]

Revo,

I took your comment previously regarding the damper and closed it all the way and then opened it about a quarter inch. This is closed more than I had it previously. It seems to have made a big difference in the consistency of the flame. I think I might now know what a balanced burn pot looks like!!

 

[gilandjoy]

Alright !

 

[gilandjoy]

Im also a newbie with the revolution. I just fired her up about a week ago but due to warm weather I havent been able to really put her through the tests. So far it seems to run fine on the factory settings. Im running it off a thermostat. my house is 2500sq ft ranch. I had to locate the furnace about 15 feet away from my existing furnace due to the venting issues. I havent yet installed a outside air kit, but plan on doing so soon. My only problem is that I dont get much air out of the registers. ive closed all the unnecessary ductwork. I may add a booster blower fan to increase air flow if I need. Overall Im very happy with the unit, the programmable thermostat is cool. I just recently talked to a local farmer a few miles away that will sell me corn for 190 a ton, which for me is cheaper than pellets. Pellets seem to be somewhat scarce here around flint michigan.

What is your theory behind installing an outside air kit?

 

[maacac]

I installed the outside air based on various comments I read. It depends on how tight your house is. My exhaust vent faces the North and I was experiencing some vacuum issues. Not sure it made any difference thought. But it can't hurt.

Also, when the furnace is off, the cold air will blow in the exhaust and out the cold air intake, so it just keeps that bit of cold air from entering the house.

 

[gilandjoy]

I installed the outside air based on various comments I read. It depends on how tight your house is. My exhaust vent faces the North and I was experiencing some vacuum issues. Not sure it made any difference thought. But it can't hurt.

Also, when the furnace is off, the cold air will blow in the exhaust and out the cold air intake, so it just keeps that bit of cold air from entering the house.

Ok, thanks for the info. My situation isn't the same so i guess i'm still safe doing it my way. And you're right, it can't hurt !

 

[gilandjoy]

I have it hooked up to my current duct work for both warm air and cold air return. I am getting the cumbustion air from the outside. I originally did not do this and ran into some vacuum issues. I have it hooked up to a programmable thermostat.

.

maacac, do you have pretty good air coming out the vents? I'm considering hooking up to the cold air return so I can get more power. What does your intake look like in the back? Did you have to prefab the cowling over the filter?
Sorry for all the questions but I might do it myself and want to learn as much as possible.......

 

[maacac]

I had a plenum made to go on the back. It has a hole for a 12 inch return air line. The line comes up about 4 feet and then goes over and hooks into the cold air return of my propane furnace. I will see if I can get a picture of it posted on here for you. I was told that the cold air return should be 10% larger than the warm air.

 

[maacac]

Revo,

Have are some pictures of the cold air return. If you need something clearer, just let me know.

The first pic will show you the plenum on the back of the revolution and the second one shows the cold air connecting into the cold air return on propane furnace.

 

[maacac]

I did not respond to the amount of warm air coming out of the vents. It is a lot less than the propane furnace, but heated the house adequately this weekend. It was in the 30's with some wind and a bit of snow.

 

[juandigital]

I have a similar cold air box as maacac. Mine had to enter from the side. You can see from the pic that I have quite a run to get to the existing duct work so I have decided to add a booster fan. Its similar to the drawing but instead of having a smaller fan just for a single room register, mine will be a 12 inch round fan installed right before the existing warm air plenum. Im hoping that this will allow more warm air to be distributed throughout the house. There is enough heat, just not enough push behind it. Total cost for the booster fan set up is about $100. I will let you guys know how it works.

 

[maacac]

I will be curious of what you think of the booster fan once you have it installed.

 

[gilandjoy]

Man, you guys are good ! Pictures and all this really helped my decision process.maacac, your setup looks like mine and the pics look perfect, thank you. Juandigital,that inline fan might be a solution for my 2nd story rooms. I will also be looking forward to see how well this works for you.

 

[gilandjoy]

I did not respond to the amount of warm air coming out of the vents. It is a lot less than the propane furnace, but heated the house adequately this weekend. It was in the 30's with some wind and a bit of snow.

Mine sounds the same,but I have a spoiled wife & kids that were used to 70 first thing in the morning.I'll keep working on it :-/
I think I am trying to push the air upstairs in a very well sealed house with no cold air return and it just can't do it.That's the best solution I can come up with.

 

[hossthehermit]

Juan, looks like a good setup, couple questions. Maybe just the picture angle, but it looks like the supply air duct is running downhill, may be just my eyes, but hot duct does need to run uphill. Also, looks like a long run, I can see where a booster might really help if it is a rising duct. Anybody thought about insulating their duct? I thought about it, but heat loss into my cellar isn't a big concern, be nice to have it a little warmer down there. Still gotta try setting the blower on/off a little higher, probably this weekend.

 

[maacac]

So far, I insulated the duct from the furnace to the plenum. I am not sure how much more I will insulate.

 

[hossthehermit]

So far, I insulated the duct from the furnace to the plenum. I am not sure how much more I will insulate.

Got pics? Is it funny looking?

 

[maacac]

I will post a pic later tonight. We took our time wrapping it, so I think it looks OK.