Long story short, I bought a brand new PSG Caddy rated for 2500sqf 15k-49k btu ( this is all relative based on the homes windows and insulation and other factors). Well after 3 years running the caddy, I need something larger. Ive looked at the Kuuma 100 there largest and its basically the same then there is the Yukon which they tell the oil btu but not the wood btu, and Charmaster. Any ideas? Oh and the caddy smokes like a freight train when you open the door to add wood.... as we all know ya cant wait for the wood to be burned completely out or your house will start to drop in temp. Any suggestions for me to google would be greatly appreciated.
Need a different wood furnace
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hobbyheater
Minister of Fire
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/grannys-new-wood-furnace.108241/#post-1419909
If you don't have a ducting problem and burn dry wood , the bigger of these two furnaces should roast you out of the house!
If you don't have a ducting problem and burn dry wood , the bigger of these two furnaces should roast you out of the house!
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brenndatomu
Minister of Fire
brenndatomu
Minister of Fire
Oh, and I have a Yukon Husky, I dunno the BTU output on wood but but it is at least as high as the oil...for a while anyways, these things with crank it out if you need to bring a cold house up to temp. Obviously with wood heat you are getting a lower heat output spread out over 6-8-10 hrs so it is hard to say what the BTU/hr. is compared to a Caddy, but it is more for sure.
I also have a Drolet Tundra (the Caddys sister furnace) installed as a temporary experiment...the Yukon will put out more heat for sure. Now then, the Tundra also burns cleaner and uses less wood compared to a stock Yukon (I have mine modded)
One thing to keep in mind is the difference in chimney size, the Caddys use 6" and the Yooks are 8", I think the Charmaster is 8" too.
My neighbor has a Charmaster...he seems to like it well enough, it will crank out the heat, but it is a hungry beast and definitely gonna burn dirtier than your Caddy.
I also have a Drolet Tundra (the Caddys sister furnace) installed as a temporary experiment...the Yukon will put out more heat for sure. Now then, the Tundra also burns cleaner and uses less wood compared to a stock Yukon (I have mine modded)
One thing to keep in mind is the difference in chimney size, the Caddys use 6" and the Yooks are 8", I think the Charmaster is 8" too.
My neighbor has a Charmaster...he seems to like it well enough, it will crank out the heat, but it is a hungry beast and definitely gonna burn dirtier than your Caddy.
I dont think its a draft issue. I have great draft 6" double wall about 30'... Ive toyed all sorts of ways with it. Stock calls for .06 daft, I have tried closing the damper so it pulls all the air through the furnace, ive tried opening the flue wide open to try and and keep the heat in the fire box longer, Ive pulled the ash plate out so it pulls max air through the fire box and that way it will burn fast and hot. But its like burning with an old style woodstove and not the designed gassification process the caddy is meant to burn. My wood it dry dry dry, I get it from my friend at a log mill and its usually year old hickory, cherry and some maple.
Your heat loss is higher than furnace you installed. It sounds to me like your wood is suspect, I have zero problems achieving secondary combustion with good seasoned wood. If you need to add wood in the middle of the burn, the furnace is too small. We only load our Caddy when it's down to the coaling stage, and depending on the weather it will almost be out.
Dont want to sound rude but you dont exactly live in a cold climate, your coldest winter months are my early winter or early spring months. On average Dec,Jan,it doesnt get above 20 and feb usually is in the teens if not below zero the entire month and our 30 year snow fall average is 189" of snow. The months that match your coldest months I can easily keep the house 70 no issue ( oct nov, march april - average upper 20-30's ).
Really? Two years ago, I recorded the actual temperature at -17 below zero, while not too far away was -20. We see many days below zero, and many days in the single digits. This year was one of the warmest winters I've seen.
brenndatomu
Minister of Fire
You guys get more snow than us for sure...and you may be just slightly colder than us...but @laynes69 advice still applies here, your heat load is higher than than the output of the Caddy...which I personally think they overate the capability of, unless your house is very well insulated/air sealed (above average anyways)
If you have to load before the coaling stage the furnace is outgunned and/or the setup on it is wrong.
If I open my Tundra door before the active flame stage is done I'll get a lil smoke too...but I also know why, my chimney setup on it is not ideal. There is no issue at all if I wait until it is down to coals though...
maple1
Minister of Fire
If it is smoking 'like a freight train' when you open the door, that would seem to mean either the door is being opened way too soon, or there is a draft and/or wood quality issue. If you are sure the draft & wood are both good, that leaves the first. Which would imply that the furnace is simply undersized for the job - if you need to open up to refuel that early in the burn. Or you are refueling before you need to.
But, I am also thinking that if there is enough smoke being made to create freight-train like smoke, that should also mean there is also still enough fuel in there to make lots of heat. Since to a gasifying burner, smoke is fuel. Which makes me think, in turn, that there is still something wrong with the existing setup that is making it not burn to its potential. That could be anything from the aforesaid wood/chimney stuff, to the whole furnace needing a very good cleaning.
Has it been this exact same way in the entire 3 years you have had it?
But, I am also thinking that if there is enough smoke being made to create freight-train like smoke, that should also mean there is also still enough fuel in there to make lots of heat. Since to a gasifying burner, smoke is fuel. Which makes me think, in turn, that there is still something wrong with the existing setup that is making it not burn to its potential. That could be anything from the aforesaid wood/chimney stuff, to the whole furnace needing a very good cleaning.
Has it been this exact same way in the entire 3 years you have had it?
brenndatomu
Minister of Fire
I wouldn't classify 1 year old wood as "dry dry dry", more like barely useable...and that is assuming it has been Cut/Split/Stacked that whole year. If it was in log form some of that time then it barely drys at all like that, and I would consider it "next years wood"
With a few exceptions, I don't like how wood burns in a "EPA" style firebox at all until about 2 years CSS...and it really runs well at 3 years!
Yeah, one year old hickory from a log mill means wet/green wood. It's not a firewood mill and every log mill I've seen has the logs stored outside.
sounds like you need to measure the draft, moisture of wood. if thats good then maybe you should update insulation, air-seal the house, or bigger furnace.
Smoking like a train ? Sounds like a draft issue or wood quality . If it burns like crap in your caddy it'll likely burn poorly in a kumma or whatever else you choose , don't just assume you need a new unit . Tons of guys use these for 2500 sq feet . I use a caddy max but we like it hot and I'm gone most of the day so I Need the extra firepower
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