Finding an installer for an add-on wood furnace

[heatseeker]

I would appreciate advice about how to find a qualified installer for a wood burning add-on furnace. My house is near Des Moines, Iowa.

I've been able to find companies here that install wood stoves and fireplaces, but they don't seem interested in installing an add-on wood furnace. This was true both for fireplace stores and chimney sweeps I contacted. I've also looked through CSIA and NCSG. I know that some people install them by themselves, but I want a professional to do the job in a way that meets code and will satisfy my insurance company.

Currently, I have an air source heat pump and an electric furnace. It is difficult and expensive to heat our home with electric forced air heating, so I started to look at other options, such as wood. Our home is 2300 square feet and the layout is such that one wood stove would not, I think, provide as much heat as I would like to both ends of the house. The idea of putting a wood burning furnace in the basement, pumping its heat through the ductwork to the whole house makes sense to me, but, for some reason, I can't find an installer. Is there any reason I should stay away from an add-on furnace?

If not, how would you recommend that I find a good installer? If you know one in central Iowa, that would be great to hear.

Thank you.

 

[FyreBug]

Wood furnaces are somewhat intimidating to Sweeps and other solid fuel installers. You may want to take another approach.

Hire a furnace HVAC guy to hook up electrical, the ductwork, balance the system and adjust the static pressure as per the MFG suggestion (very important). That type of work is standard stuff for any HVAC guy.

For Venting (ie flue and chimney) hire a certified sweep or another solid fuel professional. Code & installation is no different for venting a wood furnace than a wood stove. They should have no problem with it.

There may be some local hearth shop who sell solid fuel furnaces and maybe able to offer full install.

Also, download the install manual of any wood furnace you are considering and familiarize yourself with the basic install requirements so that when talking to an installer you can talk knowledgeably about what is needed for the install.

Finally, and this is very important... make sure that when you get the quote you stipulate the installer will follow the MFG specifications as per the manual and any other changes that bypass it must be approved by the MFG. From your HVAC guy you want to see a report showing static pressure readings that conform to the MFG. From the venting guy, some draft readings on cold and hot. I have seen too many slammed installation that made the furnace under-perform to bypass these steps.

All the best and let us know how it goes.

 

[begreen]

A competent furnace installer should be able to handle the install if the installation manual is decent. Installing a wood furnace is not that much different than installing an oil furnace. Depending on the installation he may need to install backdraft dampers in the ductwork to avoid closed looping of the hot air flow.

What make/model furnace?

 

[jeff_t]

For me, the biggest negative was the fact that a blower is required to move heat. It's not like a normal furnace that shuts down when the power goes out. The fire keeps on burning, and things can get mighty hot, mighty fast, when the blower isn't taking the heat away. That is why it is super important to maintain ALL required clearances, including the ductwork.

I was waiting for that to happen, in windy, sub-zero temps, when the thing was rippin'. We were always lucky, and never had a problem. I'm gone for work a lot, and my wife isn't able to get the generator into action, so the only way I would do it again is if I had a standby generator.

I didn't really care for running to the basement all the time, and my non-EPA furnace went thru lots of wood. I had to set an alarm on the really cold nights.

On the plus side, it could make a ton of heat, and the whole house was always evenly warm.

 

[heatseeker]

FyreBug, thanks for the helpful suggestion to divide up the job so that each specialist does what they're best at. I appreciate it.

 

[heatseeker]

For me, the biggest negative was the fact that a blower is required to move heat. It's not like a normal furnace that shuts down when the power goes out. The fire keeps on burning, and things can get mighty hot, mighty fast, when the blower isn't taking the heat away. That is why it is super important to maintain ALL required clearances, including the ductwork.

That's good to know, jeff_t. Thanks.

 

[heatseeker]

Thanks for the suggestion about the backdraft dampers, begreen.

What make/model furnace?

I'm not sure yet. One that I am considering is the Englander 28-3500 (or the Summers Heat 50-SHW35, which seems to be the same unit). I saw that the Englander has many excellent reviews at Home Depot, FWIW. There's also a thread about the Englander that mustash29 started.

Do you have any recommendations?

 

[begreen]

I like Caddy's wood furnaces. They are cleaner burners.

 

[fbelec]

i don't remember where that i read this but i recall someone had a heat dump just for that problem of losing power. it was a big damper door install in the supply trunk. it was closed unless the power went out then it opened up and dumped it's heat into the basement instead of overheating the wood burner.

 

[jeff_t]

http://www.yukon-eagle.com/FURNACEACCESSORIES/SAFETYHEATDUMP/tabid/200/Default.aspx

It will certainly keep the ductwork cooler. I wonder if it will help keep the paint from burning off the cabinet?

A couple other furnaces
(broken link removed to http://www.psg-distribution.com/product.aspx?CategoId=16&Id=577&Page=description)
(broken link removed to http://www.drolet.ca/en/products/wood/drolet-furnace-heatmax)

 

[heatseeker]

I like Caddy's wood furnaces. They are cleaner burners.

Thanks for the recommendation, begreen.

 

[mellow]

Drolet has just released the (broken link removed to http://www.drolet.ca/en/products/wood/drolet-tundra-furnace) which you might be able to find local, fyrebug would be able to give you more info on that.

 

[heatseeker]

Drolet has just released the (broken link removed to http://www.drolet.ca/en/products/wood/drolet-tundra-furnace) which you might be able to find local, fyrebug would be able to give you more info on that.

Thanks, mellow. I hadn't heard of that one, but I found Fyrebug discussing it on another site. Interesting and seems like a reasonable price for an EPA certified furnace, from what I read. Also, there is a local dealer here.

 

[begreen]

Cool beans. What is the Tundra selling for? It looks like it is modeled after the Caddy.

See page 48/49 of the Tundra manual for an example of the back-draft duct damper installation I mentioned. In this manual I see that they allow only 2" clearance between the beginning 6 ft of horiz supply ducting and the joists or combustible above. I am uncomfortable with that close a clearance. Most other wood furnaces recommend at least 6" for a greater safety margin. This is important if there is a power outage for example. Check the Caddy manual for more detailed ducting instructions.

 

[heatseeker]

Cool beans. What is the Tundra selling for? It looks like it is modeled after the Caddy.

On the AS site, Fyrebug (broken link removed to http://www.arboristsite.com/firewood-heating-wood-burning-equipment/232092-2.htm#post4228174):

Retail should be around $1,699 - $1,899​

That was several months ago, and I don't know whether the pricing has been finalized yet.

Thanks for the ducting advice, begreen.

 

[begreen]

Based on their manuals, there appears to be a ton of similarities between the Caddy and the Tundra once the sheetmetal jacket is off. The firebrick pattern is almost identical. It wouldn't surprise me if they both came from the same mfg. plant. One thing I like better on the Caddy is the Honeywell Fan and Limit controller. The Tundra uses snap switches which have a shorter lifespan in my experience.

 

[mellow]

This is basically the Caddy firebox. Same heat exchanger. same firebox. Different blower & plenum hookup. Also, no option for oil or electrical. We've increased the size of the ash drawer that you see at the bottom. Also smaller than the Caddy.