New VF100 Install!

[twilli91]

About 2 months ago I stumbled on this this form, I was having some issues with an old (probably older than me) USSC Hotblast 1300 that had come with the house we bought last spring. After the first fire up for the season the inside grate kind of just collapsed and I noticed a small crack on the front face. So began the frantic scramble to find a replacement. I first looked at a stove that was sold at the local Tractor Supply. Thankfully I didnt buy after reading several horror stories.

So after poking around here for a while I kept hearing about the VF100. So I decided to call Kuuma and spoke with Dale. The amount of time that he spent with me on the phone going over our set up to make sure it would do what we needed it to, I decided to paced my order. I can not speak highly enough about the staff at Kuuma. Morgan and Dale probably got tired of me calling and asking 1000 questions while I was getting everything in order for the VF100 arrival.

After the shipping company messed up and didn't bring a truck with a lift gate or anyway to unload it, we were able to slide it to my pick up truck bed. getting it down from there solo was a bit "fun" I guess you could say.

But needless to say I was able to get it to the basement and in position. Spent most of the night last night doing the ducting, and after a few calls to Dale this morning clarifying some of the electrical wiring (me being over cautious) I was able to get everything going and the first burn going. I am excited to see how this works once it actually gets cold here again.

Ignore the mess still need to do some clean up. Like a kid with a new bike I wanted to show it off!

And I realize some of the ducting is black, I reused some of the old ducking from the previous stove.

 

[woodey]

About 2 months ago I stumbled on this this form, I was having some issues with an old (probably older than me) USSC Hotblast 1300 that had come with the house we bought last spring. After the first fire up for the season the inside grate kind of just collapsed and I noticed a small crack on the front face. So began the frantic scramble to find a replacement. I first looked at a stove that was sold at the local Tractor Supply. Thankfully I didnt buy after reading several horror stories.

So after poking around here for a while I kept hearing about the VF100. So I decided to call Kuuma and spoke with Dale. The amount of time that he spent with me on the phone going over our set up to make sure it would do what we needed it to, I decided to paced my order. I can not speak highly enough about the staff at Kuuma. Morgan and Dale probably got tired of me calling and asking 1000 questions while I was getting everything in order for the VF100 arrival.

After the shipping company messed up and didn't bring a truck with a lift gate or anyway to unload it, we were able to slide it to my pick up truck bed. getting it down from there solo was a bit "fun" I guess you could say. View attachment 303667

But needless to say I was able to get it to the basement and in position. Spent most of the night last night doing the ducting, and after a few calls to Dale this morning clarifying some of the electrical wiring (me being over cautious) I was able to get everything going and the first burn going. I am excited to see how this works once it actually gets cold here again.

View attachment 303670

Ignore the mess still need to do some clean up. Like a kid with a new bike I wanted to show it off!

And I realize some of the ducting is black, I reused some of the old ducking from the previous stove.

Nice

 

[brenndatomu]

Way to git'-r-dun with the unload and install there @twilli91 !
Where you at in central OH? Wayne Co here...

 

[twilli91]

Where you at in central OH? Wayne Co here...

I am in Morrow County just outside of Cardington nice to meet you neighbor!

Hopefully your having a better time locating firewood logs for the next few season than I am down here.

 

[brenndatomu]

I am in Morrow County just outside of Cardington nice to meet you neighbor!

Hopefully your having a better time locating firewood logs for the next few season than I am down here.

I have about a 4-5 year supply sitting here tanning in the sun...I am fortunate to have never needed to buy wood, there are always neighbors wanting rid of some tree or other.
Depending on the size house you have, and its insulation level, I'd say you probably want to figure on 4 cords per winter...5 at the most...4-4.5 cords per year is my average, and that's with us being 99.9% wood heat...and you have just a touch more mild weather than we do up here.
Oh, and wise decision to avoid the box/farm store furnaces...there are non of those that are worth the crate they come in anymore! If they ever were!

And you aren't too far from @sloeffle then...

 

[brenndatomu]

Don't overlook "junk wood"...any of the poplars (cottonwood) pine, silver maple, box elder, and certainly be on the lookout for dead ash trees! They can either be ready to go right away, to even if still wet, will dry in a year no problem. We have lots of boxelders growing around the property at work, and they seem to die off a lot, I get paid to clean them up, so I haul it to my house for processing...the last few years I have heated with mostly box elder, no problem.
The holy grail is finding some beech...it has the BTU's of oak, but dries in a year, instead of 3!

 

[twilli91]

I have about a 4-5 year supply sitting here tanning in the sun...I am fortunate to have never needed to buy wood, there are always neighbors wanting rid of some tree or other.
Depending on the size house you have, and its insulation level, I'd say you probably want to figure on 4 cords per winter...5 at the most...4-4.5 cords per year is my average, and that's with us being 99.9% wood heat...and you have just a touch more mild weather than we do up here.
Oh, and wise decision to avoid the box/farm store furnaces...there are non of those that are worth the crate they come in anymore! If they ever were!

When we moved here in the spring i was able to get 5 cord from a local tree service. this year I have been on wait lists for several logging companies and tree services.. i have 2 acres of woods on my property just dont want to use my own trees lol

 

[sloeffle]

I am in Morrow County just outside of Cardington nice to meet you neighbor!

Hopefully your having a better time locating firewood logs for the next few season than I am down here.

I’m down SR 61 from you in Marengo. Good choice on the furnace.

 

[twilli91]

I’m down SR 61 from you in Marengo. Good choice on the furnace.

Really? If you go down 61 north of Merengo I’m pretty much right by Boondocks, just off township rd25/26

First burn went well, however I do have a question. When I woke up the computer was on C (which I expected I didn’t add a load before I went to sleep) however the blower was still on. Should the blower kick off once the low limit thermostat hit 95 degree start? 95 is what Dale told me to set it at.

 

[brenndatomu]

Yes, when low limit switch hits it's lower setpoint, blower should turn off

 

[twilli91]

Yes, when low limit switch hits it's lower setpoint, blower should turn off

Hmm I’ll have to poke around and troubleshoot it when I get home. May need a replacement.

 

[brenndatomu]

Hmm I’ll have to poke around and troubleshoot it when I get home. May need a replacement.

You have it mounted up high on the plenum?
Next time you run into that scenario and you think it should be turned off by now, just give the switch a light tap, if it turns off (and you can repeat this test) then the switch sounds faulty.

 

[twilli91]

You have it mounted up high on the plenum?
Next time you run into that scenario and you think it should be turned off by now, just give the switch a light tap, if it turns off (and you can repeat this test) then the switch sounds faulty.

Yea it’s mounted high. I just took it off and used an ohm meter to check it’s showing continuity and it’s roughly 65 degrees in the basement and it’s been off all day so sounds like I have a bad switch. Any idea of the model number for it I didn’t see one imprinted on it anywhere? If not I’ll give Dale a call tomorrow.

 

[brenndatomu]

Yea it’s mounted high. I just took it off and used an ohm meter to check it’s showing continuity and it’s roughly 65 degrees in the basement and it’s been off all day so sounds like I have a bad switch. Any idea of the model number for it I didn’t see one imprinted on it anywhere? If not I’ll give Dale a call tomorrow.

I dont know the model...you can find the same ones online though, but its under warranty so might as well have them send you one...I had a bad one too...and I just heard of another earlier this week also.
Good thing about it is you can still use it, just have to turn off manually when the fire is totally out...you might try turning it up some, see if it makes any difference...

 

[sloeffle]

Really? If you go down 61 north of Merengo I’m pretty much right by Boondocks, just off township rd25/26

Yep, I know where you are at. I’m near the Delaware county line between 26 and 170.

 

[twilli91]

So I have had the chance to run the new VF100 a few nights since I installed it. I have noticed something pretty odd, when the computer goes to 'c' occasionally I get water that leaks from the where my chimney pipe meets the 6" exhaust. The external temp of the flue pipe sits just below 100* C so I am assuming its just condensation. Has anyone else seen this issue before? Other that the possible condisation and the low limit switch it runs great keeps the house warm and getting much better burn times than the old Hotblast.

And one last question (for now), I am in the process of building and hooking up my cold air return. I currently pull air from the basement floor, I have decided that using 2, 12" flex ducts is probably going to be my best option due to the location of the furnace and the cold air ducts. that puts me over the 200 sq inch specification listed in the owners manual. I do not think that this would cause issue, but wanted to verify with some of the experts around here before I go out and buy all the materials.

 

[brenndatomu]

Yes on the puddle...usually only the first fire or two of the year though.
You should be ok with (2) 12" flex ducts since you are well over 200 sq in...but just FYI, flex duct has really poor flow characteristics, so they will always flow less than the same size rigid/smooth duct...and flex should never be used on the supply side of a wood or coal furnace (just a free PSA)

 

[JRHAWK9]

occasionally I get water that leaks from the where my chimney pipe meets the 6" exhaust.

so I am assuming its just condensation.

Yes on the puddle...usually only the first fire or two of the year though.

yep and yep.

Almost every fall I will get the same thing for the first fire or two or three.

 

[twilli91]

yep and yep.

Almost every fall I will get the same thing for the first fire or two or three.

Ok cool, just wanted to make sure I didnt miss something when I was installing. I also spoke to Dale this morning and he will be sending a new new low limit switch out soon. He also said I may see a little more water until my chimney is completly warm which could take a while since i have an 35' external, stone thats clay lined. The weather here has been warmish, only been running loads at night time.