Basement HVAC Wood Burner System

[Benchwrench]

Guys, I am interested in running a second wood burning system. One that would tie into the existing furnace HVAC duct work.
In the basement there is a fireplace and I would like to utilize it to heat our home via the furnace ducts.
I have no clue as to where to start.
Can anyone shed some light on the subject?

 

[KindredSpiritzz]

google wood burning furnace or heat max, max caddy or kuma wood furnaces. Whatever you do stay away from Vogelzang.

 

[jharkin]

Yep, wood furnace. Off hand I can think of both Englander and Blaze King make them, I'm sure a lot of other companies do as well. Probably not cheap........

 

[begreen]

A wood burning furnace is the only way one can legally tie a wood heater into the ducting system that I know of. It is freestanding, usually adjacent to the existing furnace unless it has its own independent ducting system. It does not sit in a fireplace.

 

[Benchwrench]

The basement layout is ideal in respect that the mechanical room is right next to the fireplace only separated by a finished wall.
I am hoping two things:
1) to be able to wall off everything. The mechanical room would now include this wood-be contraption with the fireplace.
2) to have it also tie into and heat the water.
Sounds very doable but as far as walling off the mechanical room I'm just concerned about a wood burning furnace blazing away in a confined space as I have no knowledge regarding them.

 

[begreen]

Download the manual for a Caddy wood furnace. In it you will see the clearances it needs. Plan on connecting an OAK to the furnace.
Hot water is a whole nuther animal and not an option on the wood furnaces I know of. But maybe there is something out there. It definitely brings up safety issues. Steam is potentially very explosive.

 

[bholler]

there are quite a few hot water wood furnaces out there. but most of them I have worked on are real creosote factories the water jacket takes off to much heat and the exhaust temp is way to low. we worked on one last year that was installed by someone else 3 years earlier with a light wall flex liner. he had burnt through the liner and the tee at the bottom. the furnace had auto draft control and a huge fire box so it would just sit there smoldering and making lots of creosote and then the draft would open up and the huge fire box would light up and in turn light off the chimney. we put in a heavy wall liner and told him to use the manual setting on the draft but don't know how it is going hew hasn't had us back to look at it yet. in my experience hot air ones work better we have also seen many regular free standing stoves with a hood over them to collect the heat and direct it into the ducts

 

[mellow]

The Max Caddy has a hot water add on: (broken link removed to http://www.psg-distribution.com/product.aspx?CategoId=16&Id=563&Page=description)

 

[begreen]

Thanks mellow! Didn't know that.