Firechief 1700

[NSExpress]

hey folks..new to the site and new to using a wood furnace. Have burned wood for many years out of a stove but this year bought a Firechief 1700. Hooked it up properly and started burning the other day. Everything works fine but the only real problem is the burn time. With the fire box loaded I get about 5-6hrs out of it. They claim about 12-15hrs. Now would wood types done how wet it it’s play that much of a factor. They say to achieve the max u need only hard wood and must be seasoned well. Mine is dry but maybe not enough. Wouldn’t dry wood just burn faster??? I know the stove is brand new this year and not much feedback but maybe ppl with other wood furnace brands would be of some help. Thanks in advance

 

[laynes69]

This is a new model, so there won't be many users out there. The furnace has a forced draft, if so, the longer the call for heat, the quicker it will burn. Being epa certified, once hot you should be able to close it down and it should burn clean and hot. Also, do you have a manometer and have you measured draft? What size and height of chimney do you have?

 

[brenndatomu]

This unit uses a thermostat right? Maybe try reloading the firebox, if the Tstat is calling for heat then just let the furnace do its thing for a while so that the firebox is completely up to temp, then turn the Tstat off so the furnace will just be on "cruise" the rest of the time...see what happens. On many (most) EPA fireboxes the most heat/burn time you can get out of it will occur when the unit is "cruising" with a load of good dry wood...but this doesn't work nearly as well with wood that is not dry enough.

As Laynes said, you need to get a draft reading too...it can make a huge difference...if it is too high it can overheat (and damage) the furnace and it pulls WAY to much of the heat right up the chimney...which makes for a clean chimney, but an unhappy furnace owner.
The Dwyer manometers used to check draft can be cheap enough...there's some for sale in the classified section here...

 

[NSExpress]

Ok so basically when this furnace heats my house up to the temp my house stays warm from the blow off the stove. The last few days hasn’t called for heat due to the heat being blown off while on “cruise”. From the back of the T there is about 6’ of single wall then 10’ from the ceiling box to the top. I don’t have a manometer nor do I know anything about them. If the wood is really dry wouldn’t it burn faster bc there isn’t much moisture? I know burning wet wood isn’t good but figured alittle would help go longer.

 

[NSExpress]

Would be interested in one of those manometers....I’m standing at my stove and hear a whistle...not sure if it’s from the wind or what. Brenndatomu send me a message about that meter

 

[brenndatomu]

Hmm, so you are getting short burn times even when the Tstat is satisfied?
Dry wood can burn a little quicker, but it puts off much more heat and is not really "optional" on modern wood burners
Sounds like high draft to me...although the chimney setup you describe doesn't sound like one that should be prone to that...

 

[NSExpress]

Exactly...I load the box up and get maybe 6hrs. Thermostat has be satisfied for over a day and we’re below freezing. Unit gets nice and hot and blows excessive heat off threw duct work which in turn doesn’t drop temp inside and thermostat doesn’t call for heat. Alittle puzzled and sorta posed bc I leave for work afew days at a time and wanted to make this easy on my wife

 

[brenndatomu]

Well, just so you know I have owned 7 different wood burners over the years...and there is always a few things to sort out and/or a learning curve to each one.
A whistle...hmm, hard to say what that's about...can you tell where its coming from?
How big are the splits/logs you have been using? And what kind of wood?

 

[laynes69]

Excessive heat is fine if it's extremely cold, but the unit should cruise low and slow. How tall is the chimney and diameter? I'm sure the whistle is from the air intake. How are you judging burn times, 6 hours till reload, or 6 hours to coals? Coals will still produce heat, and it's okay to let the fire burn down prior to reloading. At the end of the burn for us, the blower will still cycle. If the house is warm, I won't mess with it until time to load again.

 

[NSExpress]

Splits are around 20-24....I understand the coals are still throwing heat and when I check it I just load it up again. I was just trying not to let it go out and just throw more on. I imagine that the blower will continue to cycle until it cools off enough and won’t kick back on. Was trying not to have the draft blower fan come on so I would just load it up. Threw so dry wood on at 315 and just looked and I’m almost down to the coal. Maybe I’ll see how long those cools last before reloading for the night. It seems when I reload that it keeps the temp down for awhile then it heats the firebox back up and the circulation blower runs a lot heating up the house but the thermostat isn’t calling for heat. Not really a problem I guess

 

[NSExpress]

6” all the way up 10’ for class A and 6’ for single wall

 

[laynes69]

Eventually the fire will die down to coals, and the forced draft should kick in to revive those coals, then shut off. It sounds like it's doing fine heating, so I would let it go and experiment. A forced draft and a few coals will start a new fire in no time. Like mentioned, every unit is designed differently. Your draft shouldn't be too high from the sounds of it. Just new operation.

 

[brenndatomu]

Wood heat works best if you let the house temp swing a little...say you want it at 72*, don't reload until it is 71*, then the new load should surge the temp back up to 73* or 74* maybe...depending on the heat load of your house at the time of course. Even with a Tstat there is still some skill involved in doing wood heat well...there is wood species, size and timing of the loads among other things...

 

[brenndatomu]

Splits are around 20-24

I meant average diameter...or width per side if using triangular or square splits...smaller ones can make more heat for a short time, but larger ones last longer

 

[NSExpress]

It runs fine just looking for things to try for longer burn times. Just not really sure what different stuff to try. I have the thermostat set for 67 and stays about 71-73. I never let it get back to 67 bc there would be no coals at that pint Most is triangular splits about the size of a softball. I get that the bigger the split longer it will burn. Does it matter square vs triangular ass far as burn time?

 

[brenndatomu]

Does it matter square vs triangular ass far as burn time?

Probably not a huge difference, but square might go a little longer.
Another thing you can try is to let the ashes build up a couple inches deep...that will hold hardwood coals quit a while...should be enough to let you extend the load times and still get a matchless restart...10-12 hours is not uncommon. And unless your house has poor insulation and air sealing the temp should still be above your setpoint

 

[NSExpress]

If I could get 10-12 I would be happy. Will try letting the ash build up a bit more. House is well insulated I just don’t want to keep start new fires...if ya think of anything else let me know. Thanks

 

[STIHLY DAN]

use a torch for relight , simple and fast.

 

[laynes69]

Any updates? I looked at the smallest furnace tonight (shelter, made by the same company) and I couldn't see where any other air was introduced except thru the forced draft blower. Have you tried closing the flap a little on the forced draft blower to introduce a little less air?

 

[NSExpress]

Well been getting bad burn times...nothing better then 9hrs. Been in constant contact with Firechief and there sending me a new draft box(I think that is what they call it). It’s the black box on the back of the furnace. Depending on how it’s burning the flap lifts up and allows more air into the furnace. They said it’s preset at the factory under certain conditions (72 degrees and some other things.) They think it’s burning to fast and air is indroduced through the box cause it to burn faster. It’s weird bc the unit gets warm and blows off the heat to keep the furnace cool and that’s heating the house. Thermostat stay doesn’t even call for heat which means I should be getting the absolute longest burn time right now. There customer service is top notch and have worked with me better then I expected. Should have the box here Tuesday.

 

[brenndatomu]

It’s weird bc the unit gets warm and blows off the heat to keep the furnace cool and that’s heating the house. Thermostat stay doesn’t even call for heat which means I should be getting the absolute longest burn time right now.

That's the tricky part of building a great wood furnace, getting it to "idle", burn clean, and long, and then still make big BTUs when needed...really tough to pull off. Can't shut that fire off once its started...Lord only knows all the hordes of outdoor boiler makers that have tried to "make wood fire idle cleanly" and failed miserably!

 

[laynes69]

Yeah, with the new epa requirements, they will burn hot even when shut down, therefore the furnace will still produce alot of heat. Have you tested the draft in the chimney? I know unfortunately things may test out well in the labs, but when put to the real world they are completely different. We have a 32' chimney, so it took a little while to get things dialed in. Without a baro, id been screwed. It's not the update I was hoping for, but does sound like the company is working for you.

 

[Goob]

I also recently installed a Fire Chief 1700 and I'm still working on achieving the longest burn time. I previously had a Yukon Eagle wood furnace and I can tell you that the burn rates in any install can be different in each application. I will say however that in my experience I get the most efficient burn by using good hardwoods, primarily Oak, Locust, Ash, seasoned at least a year and splitting it to the largest size that will fit through the furnace door. So far this week with moderate outside temps I have been able to get a good 8-10 hours with a full load. If you try that and are still getting short burn times with run away fires I would definitely recommend getting a draft guage to test the pull up your chimney, or call an hvac guy to check it for you. If you have a pull of more than .08 water column than you really need a barometric damper on your chimney. Fire Chief says they're trying to design new furnaces not to require them but they admit that in some installations they are still needed.
Hope that helps

 

[NSExpress]

burn times have got alittle better. Can a solid 10hrs more or less depending on the outside temps. In the 20’s for hugs and barley getting that. Had a problem with the handle letting air threw there and got that fixed. Obv when it’s windy also it pulls more and burns faster. Inform me alittle bit about this damper. Where does this get installed? I burn mostly oak and maple and some ash. Have been splitting wood for next in slot but chunks.

 

[Goob]

First a disclaimer, I am by no means a trained hvac tech so maybe a more knowledgeable blogger can chime in here and correct me here. I've been planning my install for quite some time but in the end I paid a contractor to do it right. This is what I gathered from asking questions.
Sometimes when the conditions are right with a chimney depending on factors such as height, location inside or outside of house, surrounding topography, slope of roof and probably several more factors, the flow of exhaust up the chimney can actually create a vacuum within the firebox causing the same effect as the induction blower always being on. A barometric damper is an adjustable weighted damper installed in a tee in the chimney just outside of the furnace. When the exhaust starts to pull more than is necessary then this flapper opens up and mixes basement air with the hot exhaust to cool down the overheated fumes and slow down the loss of heat though the chimney.
Again this is a layman's perspective so keep that in mind before you cut into your metal chimney.