Everything Drolet Tundra - Heatmax...

[Gearhead660]

Got the temp controller installed and operational. Thanks to everyone for their knowledge helping me get it going. Now to fine tune the settings.

 

[Socratic Monologue]

I start with 4-5 small 2-3” splits with kindling leaving the damper open for probably 30-40 min or until these splits have almost turned to coals but are still burning quick yellow flames. My problem might be I’m not packing the firebox full enough. I’ve been a little apprehensive about over firing. I’ve only been tossing in 4-5 larger 5-6” splits.

It sounds here like you're talking about how you do things when you start from a cold firebox. The furnace needs to be hot -- so, after your starter fire, and then maybe one more good but quick load -- before it is going to behave normally.

So, once you've got the furnace running for the day, rake most of the coals to the front, and then load it full each time you load. If that makes too much heat for your house, simply load less frequently (let the temp in the house drop before reloading). You'll have to experiment to figure out how long to leave the damper open before shutting it; I suspect birch will only need a few minutes to get charred.

If you get sick of futzing with the damper, and are comfortable doing this, read in this thread about the damper controller thermostat mod. It is easy to do, and works great. And you'll know your flue temp all the time, so you won't worry so much about overfiring. (Oh, I just noticed Gearhead660 posted a pic of his )

Oh, and you can (and should, I think) hook up a manometer to double wall pipe -- just drill a hole through both layers of the pipe, insert a section of brake line or other metal tube, hook it to the hose on the manometer, and you'll know what your draft is doing all the time. The Dwyer mark ii model 25 is inexpensive and works well for this.

 

[Getwidit]

Still dialing in this heatmax. I am miles from where I started and a thank you to all you guys on this forum for that.

Biggest upgrade and difference maker was getting the return off the basement floor and to the ceiling. I used two 12" flex duct connected to two 12x20" return air boxes, setup near the front of the heatmax to catch that heat coming up from the door and rising to the ceiling. This also was nice because it also lets me use air filters now. Return air went from a pretty steady 65f to around 75-85f from the ceiling. No more blower on and off the whole burn cycle, it now stays on for the majority of the burn cycle. Basement temp has dropped dramatically, which makes me believe that the heat is now upstairs. Picture will explain this setup better.

I now am able to heat and maintain house temp down to 25-30f. Colder than that it just won't keep up. Register temps are around 95-100f during the hot parts of the burn cycle. Just wondering what you think should be my next thing to tackle?

I am using my basement door, that I cut the top off of, as my return to the basement. Do you think this could be an issue? I have thought maybe put the top of the door back on and cut a vent into the bottom of the door instead. Maybe pull colder air off the floor was my thought.

I haven't really checked static pressure of the ducts, but I can feel the air coming out pretty good.

I am thinking some options are:

1. Mess with the return part of the system, either the basement door or the piping itself.
2. Maybe insulate my ducts and heatmax plenum downstairs?
3. Look into insulating basement with some foam board?

Or maybe I am at the max for this furnace? Are my register temps similar to you guys?

I am getting around 10 hours of burn time on a full load, setting my temp controller to open at 275f and close at 350f.

I dont think u need to insulate the whole basement but I dont see any insulation on ur ceil box. That's were u lose the most heat. The block walls and insulated by the earth. Just get some fiberglass insulation and hit all ur boxceils.

 

[nellraq]

If you are looking for a long burn, pack it full. How long are you leaving the damper open? There is no way to adjust the blower setpoints. others have installed resistors on the temp probe to essentially lower the temp when the blower turns on/off.

I have installed a resistor on my heatmax II.....which is the same as the T2. I have virtually no coals now. The fan turns on at a lower temp, which allows the coals to release their heat to the air. This reduces the on/off cycling of the fan too.
Thanks to "Case" for this easy, cheap mod!!

 

[maple1]

I dont think u need to insulate the whole basement but I dont see any insulation on ur ceil box. That's were u lose the most heat. The block walls and insulated by the earth. Just get some fiberglass insulation and hit all ur boxceils.

Not sure exactly what you're saying here, but insulating a basement definitely pays off, and the earth is a very poor insulator.

 

[Gbawol42]

I have installed a resistor on my heatmax II.....which is the same as the T2. I have virtually no coals now. The fan turns on at a lower temp, which allows the coals to release their heat to the air. This reduces the on/off cycling of the fan too.
Thanks to "Case" for this easy, cheap mod!!

Help me out, what page is his mod talked about so I can check it out

 

[Gearhead660]

Tundra 2 / Heatmax plenum temps

Hi Case, I would like to change the on off settings forthe fan on my T2 as well. Could you please provide the specs for the ohm resistor you are using. A pic of the set up and the resistor would be very helpful too. Thanks Sounds good. I can help you out. What temperature are you trying to...

www.hearth.com

This is where I recall it. Different thread.

 

[Jpops]

I have installed a resistor on my heatmax II.....which is the same as the T2. I have virtually no coals now. The fan turns on at a lower temp, which allows the coals to release their heat to the air. This reduces the on/off cycling of the fan too.
Thanks to "Case" for this easy, cheap mod!!

Am I correct in assuming a higher OHM resistor lowers the on and off temp of the blower?

 

[nellraq]

Am I correct in assuming a higher OHM resistor lowers the on and off temp of the blower?

I am not very mechanical I just did an exact copy of what case did...it works, and I am pleased! Sorry I can't help you.

 

[Gearhead660]

Am I correct in assuming a higher OHM resistor lowers the on and off temp of the blower?

Correct. The resistor changes what the computer reads as the resistance coming from the temp probe. The temp you see on the LCD will not be the actual temp in the plenum.

 

[Getwidit]

This little return duct has made a ridiculous different in heat getting to the next two stories of the house. Temp is 64 on the floor and 92 off the ceiling.

 

[Getwidit]

Not sure exactly what you're saying here, but insulating a basement definitely pays off, and the earth is a very poor insulator.

You're right the earth isn't going to be as good as insulating the walls how ever he could make a huge difference in heat loss by atleast putting some fiberglass in his box ciel. That's where you'll lose the most and is the cheapest to fix. Will be what 50 bucks todo a small room. Or 500 on 2 inch foam for the walls at that point. Throw another log on the fire imo.

 

[Gbawol42]

Has anyone ever tried to somehow measure firebox temp instead of flue temp (for the temp controller)? Kinda like the kuuma does. Just curious if it has been tried, or if it's even possible.

 

[brenndatomu]

Just curious if it has been tried, or if it's even possible.

Haven't heard of anyone doing this.
Anything is possible...its just about how much you are willing to drill/cut/weld on your furnace...and then assume the risk if something happens and the insurance company tells you to pound sand on your claim.

 

[Highbeam]

Haven't heard of anyone doing this.
Anything is possible...its just about how much you are willing to drill/cut/weld on your furnace...and then assume the risk if something happens and the insurance company tells you to pound sand on your claim.

This thread is full of things that could cause your insurance to be void. Any modification to the appliance puts you at risk even if it seems totally safe to you.

 

[brenndatomu]

This thread is full of things that could cause your insurance to be void. Any modification to the appliance puts you at risk even if it seems totally safe to you.

Yeah, good point...which BTW, that has been noted along the way in various places too...

 

[Gbawol42]

Thread has been pretty quiet, everyone must be burning good. Has been a pretty warm winter though.

 

[brenndatomu]

Yeah with weather like this the biggest problem is having to light a new fire everyday, and/or keeping the chimney clean from all the extra "cold starts"...

 

[Mrpelletburner]

Days have been in the mid 40’s and nights ~30f. Zero complaints

 

[Mojappa]

Yeah with weather like this the biggest problem is having to light a new fire everyday, and/or keeping the chimney clean from all the extra "cold starts"...

I’ve learned a neat trick thanks to the weird Februly weather. If I have a night fire but don’t need one for the day I’ll take the coals left in the morning and shovel them into the back of the stove, then I bury them with ashes that I have in a bucket near the stove (from shoveling them out obviously). I’ve banked coals for 12hrs doing this.Still have a cold start but it’s usually enough coals that I only need some small 1” splits or so to get things up and running again. Not sure if this is common knowledge among more seasoned wood burners tho..?

 

[brenndatomu]

I’ve learned a neat trick thanks to the weird Februly weather. If I have a night fire but don’t need one for the day I’ll take the coals left in the morning and shovel them into the back of the stove, then I bury them with ashes that I have in a bucket near the stove (from shoveling them out obviously). I’ve banked coals for 12hrs doing this.Still have a cold start but it’s usually enough coals that I only need some small 1” splits or so to get things up and running again. Not sure if this is common knowledge among more seasoned wood burners tho..?

That used to be a really common trick amongst the old timers...not sure how many newbs know about it? Good idea bringing that up...the thing about the old steel bodied stoves is that since most them were "uninsulated" (no firebrick on the walls...or no more than half way up if they did) they would actually still provide a little heat while banked...modern stoves, not so much...especially ones configured as a furnace...in the basement...

 

[Highbeam]

Any rumors about the 2020 Drolet furnaces? Lambda? Variable intake? Hoping for a cheap Kuuma with a window!! Lol.

 

[Mojappa]

That used to be a really common trick amongst the old timers...not sure how many newbs know about it? Good idea bringing that up...the thing about the old steel bodied stoves is that since most them were "uninsulated" (no firebrick on the walls...or no more than half way up if they did) they would actually still provide a little heat while banked...modern stoves, not so much...especially ones configured as a furnace...in the basement...

Yeah, it definitely helps that I only do it when the electric heat can easily maintain daytime temps. Relying on it to bank coals and also put out any substantial warmth is asking a lot. Lol

 

[Case1030]

Any rumors about the 2020 Drolet furnaces? Lambda? Variable intake? Hoping for a cheap Kuuma with a window!! Lol.

No rumors so far. All I could get out of Drolet is that they have a new sku number for the 2020 epa furnaces.

I'm thinking they will probably discontinue the picture window and add a stepper motor to control air based off firebox temp, maybe small changes to the firebox. That would make sense but only speculation on my part.

 

[Highbeam]

No rumors so far. All I could get out of Drolet is that they have a new sku number for the 2020 epa furnaces.

I'm thinking they will probably discontinue the picture window and add a stepper motor to control air based off firebox temp, maybe small changes to the firebox. That would make sense but only speculation on my part.

Reverse engineer the Kuuma! I just can’t imagine the glass going away. I know it causes an efficiency/emissions hit by cooling the firebox but as with wood stoves the fire view is very important to most.

I’m getting a little tired of just 3.5 cubic feet of stove in a high heat demand shop. Want more power from a larger firebox and the higher efficiency of a giant heat exchanger to keep me from blowing all of my heat up the stack.

I can travel out of state to buy the current model soon but I think the controls and stepper intake control are actually a big improvement. The danger is that Drolet will jack up their prices.