Hot Blast wood furnace

[AnalogKid]

Can I get some opinions on the US Stove Hot Blast wood furnaces? The model that I would need based on the size of my home is $1099 at Tractor Supply. That seems really inexpensive! I have an existing forced air oil furnace, a walk out basement where it is installed, and a free open flue, so adding a wood furnace would be relatively straight forward.

I guess the inexpensive price has me a little apprehensive. I mean this thing is almost half of what I spent on my insert last year.

Thoughts, opinions, comments, etc..... Thanks!

 

[STIHLY DAN]

Can I get some opinions on the US Stove Hot Blast wood furnaces? The model that I would need based on the size of my home is $1099 at Tractor Supply. That seems really inexpensive! I have an existing forced air oil furnace, a walk out basement where it is installed, and a free open flue, so adding a wood furnace would be relatively straight forward.

I guess the inexpensive price has me a little apprehensive. I mean this thing is almost half of what I spent on my insert last year.

Thoughts, opinions, comments, etc..... Thanks!

Garbage, stay away. Pay the money and get a good one.

 

[brenndatomu]

+1 ^^^, your gut feeling is correct! Now here is a bang-for-the-buck furnace! http://search.yahoo.com/r/_ylt=A0oG...ol.com/shop/tools/product_200612191_200612191
Don't forget to budget for making your chimney flue right. most are too big to draft properly with modern wood burners. Plus, if the chimney is older, it likely needs a liner to make it safe.

 

[JustWood]

They are on the lower end as far as quality. I bought a new scratch and dent similar model 23 years ago at a give away price and it worked but it was burnt out in less than 10 years burning 24/7 fall-spring. If its not going to be a full time burner, it will get you by but will use alot of wood.

 

[AnalogKid]

+1 ^^^, your gut feeling is correct! Now here is a bang-for-the-buck furnace! http://search.yahoo.com/r/_ylt=A0oG...ol.com/shop/tools/product_200612191_200612191
Don't forget to budget for making your chimney flue right. most are too big to draft properly with modern wood burners. Plus, if the chimney is older, it likely needs a liner to make it safe.

I know all about the chimney prep, liner, extra cost of install, etc. Just focusing on the furnace options now. I hadn't ever even considered one, but $1100 got my attention, and my set-up/lay out is ideal. That Drolet looks decent upon quick look, even at $1800 it seems like a relative bargain. Any experience with them?

How much wood in general do these furnaces consume? I live in CT, house is very efficient, very well insulated, brand new Marvin windows/doors, low ceilings, and just under 2000sqft. Typically require heat Nov thru end of March. Just to get an idea, my wood insert heats the entire main living area (1450sqft.), and will require about 4-full chord, maybe a hair more. A wood boiler would be able to heat the additional 500sqft living area in the basement. My plan, if I were to ever add a wood furnace, would be to use the furnace as main heat source, and supplement as needed with the insert.

 

[JustWood]

If the furnace is intended for your main heat supply I would definteLEE spend the extra money for a better unit. If it cost double of the one you're looking at and lasts twice as long, the extra was justified. The wood savings is the bonus.

 

[brenndatomu]

Yeah, at $1800, that is a lot of furnace for the money, it's gonna cost ya at least twice that for anything else that has modern clean burn technology and a secondary heat exchanger. The Tundra is a new furnace designed around the proven firebox of the PSG Caddy, which has been around quite awhile and widely distributed. I know there are at least a couple people here that have Caddys too.
The Tundra (some vendors sell them under the name Heatmax, same furnace) is just newly released this year, there are several people here and over on Arboristsite that have either just installed one or have one on order. https://www.hearth.com/talk/posts/1539070/ If you do a search here on Hearth.com, it will bring up all the posts about the Tundra, or you could PM Fyrebug, he is a Stove Builders International rep, they make the Tundra and the Caddy (among many others)
As far as wood use, it's really hard to say, but I think most people that have houses with an average heat load use, say, 4-6 cords per winter. I wouldn't think that the Tundra would use much more wood than your insert, even with heating the extra square footage. Now that Hotblast, she'll eat ya outta house-n-home! Just a lil FYI, I don't really actively heat my 1200 sq ft basement (couple of small registers, that's it) but it stays pretty warm down there just from the radiant heat off my Yukon furnace (see avatar)