Another Newbie needs to choose a wood furnace

[Stihl_WoodBandit]

Hi there everyone. As a member, I'm new to this site, but i have been browsing it as a guest for awhile.

I would like to purchase a wood furnace to install in my basement as an add on furnace to my propane powered furnace. I know a few guys at work that have US Stove Co. Hotblast 1557 from Tractor Supply for $1150. I've seen a Vogelzang brand up at Menards for $900. I'd like to have 24" log capacity and two blowers. I want to tie both cold air return and the supply air into my existing ductwork.

My questions are:
On a budget of $1500 what kind of add on wood furnace would you recommend we purchase?

I have a 11"x9" flue liner in a brick chimney in the center of my house (not on the exterior), I've inspected it, and it looks like its in good shape, do i get a chimney sweep to come out and do an inspection? Would it be beneficial to add the flue pipe up the entire chimney?

Any help would be appreciated. Pros and cons and any suggestions are much appreciated also.
-Lance

 

[bigdog]

I got my 1537g at the Rural King in Wooster for 1100. It has twin 550 cfm blowers and you can chunk some awful big logs in it. I had them inspect my interior chimney to see if it was suitable for what I wanted to do. Cost me $45. I felt better putting the ss liner in. That might put you overbudget. The stove works great, burns us out of the house if you let it.

 

[johnsopi]

I have a yukon big jack works great for me.

 

[laynes69]

What ever you are getting, I would go for a wood/coal setup. Now the usstoves won't burn coal well. If you burn coal, dodge those furnaces. The yukons look good and so do the harmans. The Vogelzangs are the exact same as the usstoves 1537. I like the wood/coal furnaces because the shaker grates make ash disposal easy. And alot of times are built a little heavier. 1500 ought to get you a decent furnace. I have a 1500 series Usstove, and It performs well. One question though, whats your square footage, and insulation? This will determine what you will want to buy.

 

[Stihl_WoodBandit]

I have a 1400 sf house, in the open country, lots of butt bitting wind. Its an 1940's farm house, 1-1/2 story, with half good insulation. the first floor is brick, and the second story is vinyl siding.
I went to Menards today and they have the Vogelzang that is damn near identical to the 1537 US Stove for $1100. They equal in almost every aspect.

I have a decent chimney-brick with 13x9 liner, what are your thoughts on stacking (screwed together) several 5' pieces of 8" flue pipes up through the chimney. I figure this would be cheaper than reparing the chimney, but not as expensive as running that Simpson dura-vent triple wall pipe up through the house.

Thanks again for all the input!

 

[Duetech]

I have a 1400 sf house, in the open country, lots of butt bitting wind. Its an 1940's farm house, 1-1/2 story, with half good insulation. the first floor is brick, and the second story is vinyl siding.
I went to Menards today and they have the Vogelzang that is damn near identical to the 1537 US Stove for $1100. They equal in almost every aspect.

I have a decent chimney-brick with 13x9 liner, what are your thoughts on stacking (screwed together) several 5' pieces of 8" flue pipes up through the chimney. I figure this would be cheaper than reparing the chimney, but not as expensive as running that Simpson dura-vent triple wall pipe up through the house.

Thanks again for all the input!

Welcome to the forum Lancelwh,
The chimney sweep is a good idea. Someone who knows code is also a good idea. In my area a wood burning appliance and a forced draft appliance, like a gas or oil furnace, are not permitted to use the same chimney. The reason is wood chimney's can become restricted because of creosote and that partial blockage can cause forced draft appliance exhaust back pressure to escape into a home where carbon monoxide can kill the occupant/s.

It's a hard lump to swallow right now but if you can use the chimney you are speaking of a good stainless steel liner or a Simpson Dura-Vent chimney will do a lot better than several pieces of 8" flue pipes. One of the reasons the Simpson is so expensive is because of the insulative properties that are part of it's design. That insulation will keep your exhaust gasses higher and help restrict (not prevent) creosote deposits. Creosote is what catches fire first in a chimney fire. Dura-Vent is also rated to withstand a short duration chimney fire. It stings but the cost is related to the safety of your home and its occupants.

As a last note be sure to use a chimney cap. Though most people think the caps are just to prevent sparks they also restrict water from getting into the chimney. When water mixes with creosote it creates and acid and that acid will even eat stainless steel (Ilearned the hard way) or can cause damage to ceramic flue liners and that could mean the cost of a new chimney.

 

[Stihl_WoodBandit]

My wood furnace would be the only appliance venting into the interior chimney. My propane powered furnace is a newer high efficency one that has the vent out the side of the house with two 4" pvc lines. I thought the dura-vent, with the triple lining, was for inside finished air space use. What about the (i'm assuming typical) double wall flue pipe?

I saw flexible chimney liners at Menards for sale for $335 (for 25') and $415 (for 35'). This would surley be easier to install, but the ridges (similar to an expensive dryer vent) would make it more difficult to sweep. My other negative thought about this system would be how it makes the 90 degree bend at the bottom of the chimney and whether it could support the 27' of liner above.

If I went the 8" liner stacked flue section route, I would:

put tee at the bottom of the chimney, with the lowest part capped.
lower 5' flue sections down the chimney, screwing them together as i lowered them.

 

[Duetech]

I have never used the flexible liner but I thought that attached to a "T" at the bottom and was suspended from the top by a over-all cap and bracket.

The round chimney brushes will clean the "ribs" in the flex pipe with just about the same effort it takes to clean a square chimney with a square brush. The secret to chimney cleaning is to clean the chimney before it needs it and always after a "hot" fire. Using those creosote remover products helps too as they help to dry out or "crystallize" the creosote so it is more brittle and loosens quickly. Wear a dust mask and safety goggles because you don't want to breath that dust or get it into your eyes.

Inside the flue block double walled pipe would allow you the "piece assembly" concept you are also considering and would allow the T connection and would get added insulation from the ceramic flue. I am not sure if the double wall has the same fire rating as the triple walled but it would seem it should be close and the ratings for both are probably on the package or sticker on the pipe for you to compare.

I have some triple walled pipe I have been using out side for over 17 years and it works great as it was made for that purpose. I have only used triple walled inside in an area where black pipe was a questionable fire risk and it did great there too.

 

[Stihl_WoodBandit]

I'll have to look into the price/rating differences between the flue pipes. Not sure if it matters or not but my chimney is a clay flue liner wrapped with one wythe of brick.

If the Voglezang isn't UL listed or EPA approved, is the US Stove 1500 series? What is the physical and cost differences between the US Stove 1537 and 1557?

Thanks again for all the help and advice.

 

[jdew1920]

They should both be UL listed. I'm sure the 1557 is, the Vogelazang probably is but double check. The only EPA approved furnace I am aware of is the PSG Caddy (Also sold as US Stove 1900 / 1950), and will put you well above your budget.

I just installed a Daka. A basic furnace, but once you start looking you see there is little significant differences in any of these less expensive furnaces, basically comes down to options - type of fan, # fans, manual draft, forced draft, etc. The Daka had no problem keeping my 1800 SF house at 70F when is was 0 last weekend. Is the Vogelzang made in China? For me, that's a negative.

 

[jeff_t]

The manager at my local TSC matched Menards price. He also "found" a 10% off coupon.

 

[Stihl_WoodBandit]

Well, after much more research and phone calls to local stove shops, I've decided on a 1557M US Stove Company from a nearby Tractor Supply Company store.

Its a scratch and dent model that they have marked down 15% from $1150 to $976. There is only a little ding in the sheet metal on the rear of the unit.

Does anyone know any good threads or posts on here that have pictures or sketches of the 'ideal' setup of how to:
* how high to raise up the furnace off the concrete floor in my unfinished [sometimes (like today) leaking] basement?
* do i want to go straight into my chimney (single horizontal flue pipe) or have two 90's ?
* Where in the system i want to put my damper ?
* How i should do my Tee with relation to the cleaning out of the cresote when i sweep?
* any ideas on the fabrication of a cold air return box and how the supply & return ties into the forced air furnace?

Thanks again for all the help!
-Lance

 

[Stihl_WoodBandit]

The manager at my local TSC matched Menards price. He also "found" a 10% off coupon.

How'd the manager do a price match??? My menards doesnt sell US Stove Co's models-just the Daka and Vogelzang. Just curious and maybe i can be jive and save some more money.