New Furnace Day: Drolet Heat Commander

[Rockstar1346]

New to this forum so I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this or not. I'll be happy to repost somewhere else if needed. Copy and paste is easy I'm considering replacing my current wood burner with a heat commander but I'd like to get some feedback from some more knowledgeable people to make sure that it will work for my application before I take the plunge. I read through the first 4 or 5 pages of this thread, as well as the last 5 or 6 pages, and it seems like the Heat Commander is turning out to be a pretty good unit.

I currently have a circa 1980 Energy Mate add-on wood furnace (wood furnace, NOT a wood stove). Its pretty similar to a Clayton in design. It has a forced air draft which has had the motor removed because it died. The draft has an adjustable cover that blocks the opening. Over the years, I've learned to set the draft based on the expected outside temperature and I can normally keep it pretty close to 71 degrees all day long. I'm heating a 2000 sq ft brick ranch with a full basement that was built in 1959. I'm still in the process of replacing windows, so it's pretty drafty. Temps get down around zero (F) in the winter, but they vary quite a bit. On rare occasion, it might get down into the negative teens, or even -twenties, but that's rare. Daytime highs vary a lot also. Anywhere from single digits up into the 40s. Typically, on a sunny day, I let the fire burn out if the temps are going to climb above 35 deg. I might add a couple of small pieces that morning, but my aim is for the fire to go out before noon, or at least down to a small pile of coals.

My current wood burner is in the basement. It has a 10" duct that comes out of the top, turns 90 deg, and then runs about 5' horizontally over to the cold air return on my NG furnace. It feeds in above the air filter. I normally set the house thermostat at 68 deg so that if the wood burner cools off, the NG furnace will kick on and keep it from getting too chilly. I fire it in the morning around 5:30 am, top off if needed around 7, then I don't see it again until 6:30 or 7pm and there's normally a decent bed of coals left to work with. On colder days, I have my son or daughter put 2 or 3 small rounds in around 4 PM. Normally I'll put a medium size fire of smaller splits at 6 to get the house warmed back up quickly, and then add a few medium size splits/rounds in the 6" range a little later before finally topping it off for the night around 11pm. I go through 3 to 4 cords of firewood per season. I burn mostly seasoned hickory, but I also burn some red oak, and a mix of less hard wood like ash and walnut as the opportunities occur.

So now for my questions On a cold day, should I expect to be able to get 9 or 10 hrs of heat out of an HC? From a cold start, how long does the HC normally take to get the heating system up to full temp? How long of a burn will the HC provide on a warmer day? How does the HC do on the warmer start/stop days where I'm only burning of an evening/night?

Last question is how hard is the HC to get down a flight of stairs? My guess is that with the fire brick out, it's still a pretty heavy unit and it may just be too dangerous to take down a flight of stairs. I'm considering digging a pit and adding an external entrance to the basement where I currently bring my wood it, but that adds significantly to the cost of this project

Thanks,
Mark

Welcome! I moved my HC into my basement fully assembled but had it screwed to a sheet of plywood so it would glide over the stairs easy then I had about 3 people at the top of my stairs with straps hooked to it then myself and a good friend at the bottom guiding it and to be honest it was 10x easier than I thought it was going to be because the thing is pushing almost 1000lbs. To answer your other questions though it kinda depends on how warm you like it? The wife and I are warm blooded so we keep the stat set to 68 degrees constantly and easily you’ll get all day burns. You won’t be disappointed with it but like one of the other guys said it’s a very different beast with a learning curve. I’m in northeast coast of Canada so the coldest it got this winter was -43 and it had no problems but at that temp it never kicked off really either was burning through wood a little quicker than normal, but when I’m home it’s just habit I don’t stuff it full I kinda throw a couple sticks in and keep at it.

 

[NSGUY]

Welcome! I moved my HC into my basement fully assembled but had it screwed to a sheet of plywood so it would glide over the stairs easy then I had about 3 people at the top of my stairs with straps hooked to it then myself and a good friend at the bottom guiding it and to be honest it was 10x easier than I thought it was going to be because the thing is pushing almost 1000lbs. To answer your other questions though it kinda depends on how warm you like it? The wife and I are warm blooded so we keep the stat set to 68 degrees constantly and easily you’ll get all day burns. You won’t be disappointed with it but like one of the other guys said it’s a very different beast with a learning curve. I’m in northeast coast of Canada so the coldest it got this winter was -43 and it had no problems but at that temp it never kicked off really either was burning through wood a little quicker than normal, but when I’m home it’s just habit I don’t stuff it full I kinda throw a couple sticks in and keep at it.

Hey Rockstar how you been? yeah we had a lot of cold weather this year, I wish I was able to have got mine hooked up, I wanted to ask you how did do on wood this year with the HC did you burn as much as you did with your old furnace?

 

[fields_mj]

I'm smellin what you steppin in now...and yes, very true...burn time on the HC seems to vary a lot, depending on if the 'stat is satisfied or not.

Gotcha. That's actually good news for me. I was more worried that it would run harder than it needed to just to keep an efficient burn, and therefor consume more firewood on warmer days. Sounds like I could turn my stat down a little and let the house cool off while we're gone, then bump it back up when we get home. Doing that with my EM really isn't possible. If it happens, is by chance because the fire has cooled of and is almost out completely. Right now, if the house gets down to 69 deg, the furnace is down to a small bed of coals and needs tended to right away which is actually convieniant from the perspective of not having to restart it from scratch. .

I fully expect to start all over on my learning curve, but it will be worth if it I'm either going through less wood, not overheating the house (wife HATES it when it's over 73F), or allows me to use the furnace a little earlier/later in the season to further reduce my heating bill. Ironically, if the highs are in the mid 40s, I'm spending a LOT more than if it's below zero all day....

Someone asked how much I currently burn. I go through at least 3 cords of hickory per season. I'd estimate around 15,000 lbs minimum. Several years ago, we had a particularly cold year with lots of days below zero, and very few days above freezing. If memory serves, I went through 6 cords that season which would have been a little over 25,000 lbs. Average year is probably around 18,000 lbs.

Another couple of questions. If I strip it down to remove as much weight as possible (without going nuts with it), about how much weight is left to deal with? I've moved more than 1 fire lined gun safe in my time. If it's anywhere near 1,000 lbs, getting it into the basement is certainly going to involve digging a hole and doing some foundation work. Not the end of the world, but definitely something that I would want to plan for in advance.... WAY in advance.

The other question is: Once you're down to a moderate bed of coals, and the unit starts to cool down, how long does that bed of coals last before the last ember is gone? If I don't disturb mine, and depending on what I'm burning, I can come back after 24 hours and still have a small handful of embers left that can be raked up to get another fire going with some kindling. If I still had the forced draft blower, I don't think that would be even close to possible. Guessing that it's not possible with the HC either, but I'm curious how the unit behaves when the fire box starts to cool down and the house is still calling for heat.

Thanks for all of the great information
Mark

 

[brenndatomu]

Another couple of questions. If I strip it down to remove as much weight as possible (without going nuts with it), about how much weight is left to deal with?

If you strip out the firebricks, blower assembly, ash pan and door, HX cleanout door, and firebox door, I'd say you are sub 400 lbs for sure...its only ~650 ish fully assembled. Its really pretty easy to move around.
You guys haven't seen anything until you move a Yukon multifuel furnace...900 lbs, and physically large too!

Oh, and as was mentioned above, take the reloading botton off the side before you even take it off the pallet. One screw and 3 wires to unplug, easy peasy.

 

[Rockstar1346]

Hey Rockstar how you been? yeah we had a lot of cold weather this year, I wish I was able to have got mine hooked up, I wanted to ask you how did do on wood this year with the HC did you burn as much as you did with your old furnace?

Hey good good busy year, yeah I burnt about 3 1/4 cords almost as much as before with 4-5 cords of my old one but as you know winter here has been lasting forever.. we just got snow Friday actually and it’s almost may, oh well welcome to Canada. Also the wood I used this year was white birch which is hardwood but man it burns up like crazy no real coals mostly ash left. But overall way better experience I had a few weeks of working away from home and the wife loaded the furnace and got it going with 0 issues so that’s really the main thing and our heating bill never went over 150$! That’s 1/4.. so we’re very happy with it.

 

[Rockstar1346]

Gotcha. That's actually good news for me. I was more worried that it would run harder than it needed to just to keep an efficient burn, and therefor consume more firewood on warmer days. Sounds like I could turn my stat down a little and let the house cool off while we're gone, then bump it back up when we get home. Doing that with my EM really isn't possible. If it happens, is by chance because the fire has cooled of and is almost out completely. Right now, if the house gets down to 69 deg, the furnace is down to a small bed of coals and needs tended to right away which is actually convieniant from the perspective of not having to restart it from scratch. .

I fully expect to start all over on my learning curve, but it will be worth if it I'm either going through less wood, not overheating the house (wife HATES it when it's over 73F), or allows me to use the furnace a little earlier/later in the season to further reduce my heating bill. Ironically, if the highs are in the mid 40s, I'm spending a LOT more than if it's below zero all day....

Someone asked how much I currently burn. I go through at least 3 cords of hickory per season. I'd estimate around 15,000 lbs minimum. Several years ago, we had a particularly cold year with lots of days below zero, and very few days above freezing. If memory serves, I went through 6 cords that season which would have been a little over 25,000 lbs. Average year is probably around 18,000 lbs.

Another couple of questions. If I strip it down to remove as much weight as possible (without going nuts with it), about how much weight is left to deal with? I've moved more than 1 fire lined gun safe in my time. If it's anywhere near 1,000 lbs, getting it into the basement is certainly going to involve digging a hole and doing some foundation work. Not the end of the world, but definitely something that I would want to plan for in advance.... WAY in advance.

The other question is: Once you're down to a moderate bed of coals, and the unit starts to cool down, how long does that bed of coals last before the last ember is gone? If I don't disturb mine, and depending on what I'm burning, I can come back after 24 hours and still have a small handful of embers left that can be raked up to get another fire going with some kindling. If I still had the forced draft blower, I don't think that would be even close to possible. Guessing that it's not possible with the HC either, but I'm curious how the unit behaves when the fire box starts to cool down and the house is still calling for heat.

Thanks for all of the great information
Mark

As mentioned if you strip it down you shouldn’t have much effort moving it really. I moved it completely assembled down a flight of stairs with a few people made easy work. Second it will hold embers for a very long time I burnt white birch which isn’t the greatest hardwood ever it burns up pretty quick and when stuffed full it will run all day long easy and have embers well into the night that can be used to start a fire. When it starts too cool off and the house calls for heat it cycles the blower for a bit to get as much heat out as it can then seems to shut the button off and the dampers. Overall though the heat is super even you set the T stat to your desired temp and walk away it does the rest for you. I could never do that before we had bedroom and bathroom about 75 then the rest of the house 68 this fixed it for us. Good luck with your search!

 

[NSGUY]

Hey guys how you all been? So I got my HC last Jan. but I'm just getting around to installing it now Long story lol, I see some of you have the HC set on cement block, I'm going to do the same, Question is did you run the cement block the full length of the furnace including the blow/cold air return which I think should be done or did you just put the blocks under black furnace part. Thanks

 

[brenndatomu]

A block under each corner should be fine...the blower needs no support of its own

 

[NSGUY]

Also wondering did many of you use the Pro 1000 thermostat that came with the HC. Seems basic but should do the job. I Should just be able to replace it with the old one I had for my Newmac. A stupid question though where it will be direct wired to the HC do I still have to use the batteries in it ? I do have electrician coming though to make sure everything is right lol.

 

[trx250r87]

Also wondering did many of you use the Pro 1000 thermostat that came with the HC. Seems basic but should do the job. I Should just be able to replace it with the old one I had for my Newmac. A stupid question though where it will be direct wired to the HC do I still have to use the batteries in it ? I do have electrician coming though to make sure everything is right lol.

Yes I use the thermostat that is included with the HC, it works great for me and batteries last a long time! I do not think you can run it without batteries.

Eric

 

[NSGUY]

Thanks guys, sorry for all the question but one more lol , I was planning on using stainless steel pipe from the furnace to the chimney but i can get any local. thats what was on my last furnace. it got hot but had no issues with it, its 20 years old and still perfect. My local option is just black steel single wall or black steel double wall. Has anyone used the black single wall ? and is that ok to use with these furnaces? Thanks

 

[brenndatomu]

Has anyone used the black single wall ? and is that ok to use with these furnaces?

You can use it, but you will have to replace it every so many years...and doublewall drafts a lil better if you have a marginal chimney.
Black doublewall often has stainless for the inner pipe...this doesn't?
And you can't use the pipe you had before? (I can't remember what model burner you had before)

 

[NSGUY]

You can use it, but you will have to replace it every so many years...and doublewall drafts a lil better if you have a marginal chimney.
Black doublewall often has stainless for the inner pipe...this doesn't?
And you can't use the pipe you had before? (I can't remember what model burner you had before)

Honestly I never checked to see if the doublewall was SS inner pipe, I'll check, thats probably why its so pricey . my selkirk chimney is 7 inch and about 20 feet long up through the house and past the peak, I'm thinking it should draft good.
my old furnace WB100 has an 8 inch pipe coming out of it and as you know the HC has a 6, but my pipe for that was pretty much one piece and tapered from the 8 to 7 inch, plus my HC is just in a little different position so it probably would work anyhow.
plus I want to add a barometric damper

​

 

[sloeffle]

Honestly I never checked to see if the doublewall was SS inner pipe, I'll check, thats probably why its so pricey . my selkirk chimney is 7 inch and about 20 feet long up through the house and past the peak, I'm thinking it should draft good.
my old furnace WB100 has an 8 inch pipe coming out of it and as you know the HC has a 6, but my pipe for that was pretty much one piece and tapered from the 8 to 7 inch, plus my HC is just in a little different position so it probably would work anyhow.
plus I want to add a barometric damper

​

If you have 7" insulated pipe you'll definitely need a baro. You actually might need two if you want to keep the furnace within spec.

 

[NSGUY]

If you have 7" insulated pipe you'll definitely need a baro. You actually might need two if you want to keep the furnace within spec.

I actually talk to Drolet about that, they didn't seem very concerned, thought it would be fine, basically said to put a baro in as a precaution
so yeah I'm not sure, I guess i'll find out

 

[sloeffle]

Since it's not very tall that's probably why they are okay with it. I'd recommend a manometer to keep track of your draft also. I had a manometer and baro on my wood furnace and there would be days that I'd see the baro as far open as it could go and I'd still be over drafted. My chimney is a 6" chimney not much taller than yours.

 

[NSGUY]

Since it's not very tall that's probably why they are okay with it. I'd recommend a manometer to keep track of your draft also. I had a manometer and baro on my wood furnace and there would be days that I'd see the baro as far open as it could go and I'd still be over drafted. My chimney is a 6" chimney not much taller than yours.

Yeah I've started looking into manometer and magnehelic gauges . I understand exactly what they do and stuff but never used or set them up before . The magnehelic gauges look pretty straight forward to install setup but a little pricey at least up here. Not really sure how to use a manometer on a wood furnace how do you have your setup ?

 

[brenndatomu]

Not really sure how to use a manometer

Super simple...and a whole lot cheaper...there are many of the Dwyer manometers in use by members here.

 

[NSGUY]

Super simple...and a whole lot cheaper...there are many of the Dwyer manometers in use by members here.

Would you recommend a Dwyer Mark II Model 25 manometer , I've been looking all day for one in Canada not easy to get, found one for about $90 a Dywer Magnahelic guage is about $120 is one better then the other?

 

[NSGUY]

Dwyer 2000-0 Magnehelic Differential Pressure Gauge, 2000: 0-0.5" WC from Cole-Parmer Canada

Buy Dwyer 2000-0 Magnehelic Differential Pressure Gauge, 2000: 0-0.5" WC and more from our comprehensive selection of Dwyer Magnehelic Differential Pressure Gauges

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Dwyer Inclined Manometer, 3" WC from Cole-Parmer Canada

Buy Dwyer MARK II 25 Inclined Manometer, 3" WC and more from our comprehensive selection of Dwyer Mark II Inclined Liquid Manometer

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Is ether one of those what I'd need. Thanks

 

[brenndatomu]

I'm surprised that the 25 is that much, and the mag is that cheap.
Some claim the mag is "better"...I'm not sure how though...maybe more sensitive, but the model 25 is plenty adequate for chimney draft.

 

[brenndatomu]

Dwyer 2000-0 Magnehelic Differential Pressure Gauge, 2000: 0-0.5" WC from Cole-Parmer Canada

Buy Dwyer 2000-0 Magnehelic Differential Pressure Gauge, 2000: 0-0.5" WC and more from our comprehensive selection of Dwyer Magnehelic Differential Pressure Gauges

www.coleparmer.ca

Dwyer Inclined Manometer, 3" WC from Cole-Parmer Canada

Buy Dwyer MARK II 25 Inclined Manometer, 3" WC and more from our comprehensive selection of Dwyer Mark II Inclined Liquid Manometer

www.coleparmer.ca

Is ether one of those what I'd need. Thanks

That mag is too high of a range IMO...

Can you do ebay, or amazon?

DWYER GLOBAL FINISHING MARK II MANOMETER DRAFT GAUGE TYPE 25 | eBay

COMPLETE WITH ALL COMPONENTS.

www.ebay.com

 

[NSGUY]

I'm surprised that the 25 is that much, and the mag is that cheap.
Some claim the mag is "better"...I'm not sure how though...maybe more sensitive, but the model 25 is plenty adequate for chimney draft.

I pretty sure I'll go with the Mark II 25, If I under stand it right one of the rubber hoses needs to be connected to soft copper tube that will run to the chimney pipe, the other just hangs loose in the rooms atmosphere.

Again thank you all for help

 

[NSGUY]

Dwyer 2001 Magnehelic Differential Pressure Gauge, New | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Dwyer 2001 Magnehelic Differential Pressure Gauge, New at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

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I found this one cheap enough if ti works?

everything else is the same as the higher range one I posted

 

[brenndatomu]

I pretty sure I'll go with the Mark II 25, If I under stand it right one of the rubber hoses needs to be connected to soft copper tube that will run to the chimney pipe, the other just hangs loose in the rooms atmosphere.

Again thank you all for help

That would work...or you could just use 1 hose...just leave the other port open to atmosphere. The 2 hoses will easily peel apart.

Dwyer 2001 Magnehelic Differential Pressure Gauge, New | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Dwyer 2001 Magnehelic Differential Pressure Gauge, New at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.ca

I found this one cheap enough if ti works?

everything else is the same as the higher range one I posted

Yeah, that should do the job too...