New Wood Furnace from Blaze King(now with Pics)

[herbdan]

First off, I want to thank the many who regularly contribute to these boards. I've lurked for a while now and learned a lot, and been entertained more. After much thought I think I'm going to install a wood furnace in my basement. I have a RSF see through wood fireplace that is absolutely beautiful, the wife loves it, and we burn everyday (winter) when we're home; but it is not super efficient. I've been trying to figure which wood furnace to purchase and have kinda narrowed down the choice to three different furnaces. BUT NOW, I noticed Blaze King is advertising a new cat wood furnace called the "APEX CBT" Any one hear anything about this neat looking wood burner? (broken link removed to http://www.blazeking.com/furnaces-heaters.html)

Herbster

PS I'm heating a 2600 sq ft house, air tight (air to air exchanger), well insulated, in central Wisconsin. Been using wood on and off since college when I lived up near Lake Superior. In 1977 we lived in a shack and heated it with a Sears "Wonder Wood."

 

[laynes69]

Its nice to see more woodfurnaces moving in the direction of cleaner emissions. I wish there was something to read on, the manuals won't open. I don't personally like the look of the furnace, but I'm sure it would put out a long heat. I'm curious to find out more about it.

 

[Todd]

Interesting, never seen a catalytic furnace before, wonder how long it will burn with a 6cu ft firebox and cat? They don't mention efficiency or a tax credit. You may want to check out Energy King, they have a 75% efficient furnace that quals for the tax credit and is made in your home state.


(broken link removed to http://www.energyking.com/385EK.htm)

 

[herbdan]

I clicked on the little pic of the furnace and a long pdf opened up, lots of info. I will give them a call tomorrow to see what they know about the tax credit, and when this furnace will be available.

Herbster

 

[laynes69]

I finally got to see it. Quite impressive. Looks pretty advanced with the 2 servos on the secondary and primary draft. The manual stated 13% moisture wood, and I seen around 48,000 btus. Not sure how much square footage it would heat. Looks like it could pass for EPA, only time will tell. Do all cat stoves incorporate heated secondary air above or in the cat to assist in combustion? Wonder what the cost is on this unit?

 

[herbdan]

Called Blaze King this morning and got a bit of an update on this new furnace. The first run has already sold out but they're planning a second run soon. They recommended that I order one now and that I should get it by late October. Fine for me as I need to do some prepping for the installation. I asked about qualifying for the tax credit and was told it's a done deal, it does qualify.

They told me to contact a dealer for pricing, which I did. The dealer told me that the price is not firm yet, but expect it to be less than $2800.00. Blaze King also told me that they have had one burning for quiet a while now and they are very happy with it.

I'm pretty sure I'll put one on order ASAP. Now I need to figure out how I'm going to install it. I have a two story house with a gas furnace in the basement. I'll need to put a new chimney in for this furnace, poking four holes through my house. I'm also considering adding an addition on to my basement, a small room in which I could put this furnace. This would allow me to store wood and burn the furnace kinda of separate from the main basement. Not sure how the stovepipe would work though, coming up from this addition in the middle of my yard. Anybody ever do anything like this?

Herbster

 

[laynes69]

Whats its rated for heating square footage? 48,000 is alot but most furnaces can double that on btus. Just make sure its enough heat for your home.

 

[ikessky]

I think I saw a Blaze King furnace when I ran into the hardware store the other day. I couldn't check it out though as I was already late for a chiropractor appointment.

 

[herbdan]

Well I bit the bullet and put one on order. Talked to a local (only 100 miles away) dealer about the BTU output and if it would heat my whole house. After telling him I have a 80,000 BTU Trane propane and that it does not struggle at all in the deep of winter to keep the house warm we figured the Blaze King will do fine. I talked to Blaze King earlier this week and they told me that I should get the furnace sometime in late October. I decided to put in a new chimney through the two floors and out of the roof near the peak. I will update everybody as the winter progresses.

Herbster

 

[ikessky]

Sounds like you are all set! Does the Blaze King have a secondary burn on it?

BTW, where in central Wisconsin are you?

 

[herbdan]

It has, according to the manual, catalytic with post burn preheated secondary air. I looked at the furnace made by WoodChuck which also has a Cat but that stove seems like the Cat was a second thought. This one looks like they built the furnace for the Cat! I also looked into the Kumma but the tax credit is what convinced me on the Blaze King as well as their reputation. We'll see, I kinda don't like being one of the first kids on the block to own one but what the heck, no guts no glory.

I live 4 miles south of Mauston, got 40 acres of mixed hardwoods, lots of oak wilt which is great for the fireplace. Just got in from cutting some wood, first time since early spring. Even got carried away and have a fire going in the fireplace, just to take the chill out of the house......

Herbster

 

[laynes69]

Hopefully at 48,000 btus it will be enough to heat your home. You will have to keep us up to date. This will be my first season with my new woodfurnace the 1950 hotblast (Caddy). The blaze king seems very reasonable in cost. I also called them and asked a few questions, and these are setup to be installed in series. Its a better way then parallel. If you have central air and install in series, just remember to have a bypass for your wood furnace. She said at the factory that they should burn 8 to 10 hours on a load, so that will be nice.

 

[freeburn]

It has, according to the manual, catalytic with post burn preheated secondary air. I looked at the furnace made by WoodChuck which also has a Cat but that stove seems like the Cat was a second thought. This one looks like they built the furnace for the Cat! I also looked into the Kumma but the tax credit is what convinced me on the Blaze King as well as their reputation. We'll see, I kinda don't like being one of the first kids on the block to own one but what the heck, no guts no glory.

I live 4 miles south of Mauston, got 40 acres of mixed hardwoods, lots of oak wilt which is great for the fireplace. Just got in from cutting some wood, first time since early spring. Even got carried away and have a fire going in the fireplace, just to take the chill out of the house......

Herbster

Any word on the Blaze King? I'm in West Salem, near Lacrosse, where did you order your furnace from? Mind telling me how much it cost you? Thanks.

 

[lexybird]

seems alot more companies are starting to get smart and offer high tech secondary burning forced air wood furnaces ,the question is when will Englander finally realize this market is in high demand and make a epa certified wood furnace in their lineup ?

 

[BigBlockChevy]

Blaze King says the moisture content difference is based on the Canadian test standard...They call it B415. Supposedly this test measures the actual efficiency and pollutants. They say the test was 3.3 grams of stuff per hour, which is cleaner burning than many stoves. They also confirmed that the furnace is good for the tax credit.

When is the good old USA EPA going to get a method to test wood furnaces...heck the Cannucks have one!

 

[herbdan]

I ordered from a gent out of Caledonia MN. His name is George Stone; runs a place called Caledonia Home Services and can be reached at 507 725-8646. Got his information through Blaze King when I called them to find a dealer close to me. He called me last Wednesday and told me that the furnace is ready to ship! The price is around $2400.00. I had to order the optional duct and fan since I'm not going to hook it up next to my existing furnace.

I've talked to BK a couple of times since I had this thing on order. Each time they told me how impressed they are with this furnace. The last guy I called (asked him about some measurements) told me that I'll be amazed with the burn times. We'll see....

I'm expecting the stove sometime next week. I'll have to drive to Caledonia (near LaCrosse WI) to pick it up....I'll sure to take some pictures during the install process but that probably won't be for a couple of weeks as I still have to get he carpenter over to poke the holes in my house...

Herbster

 

[BigBlockChevy]

While I have been more than satisfied with my King wood stove, this thread got me interested in an indoor wood furnace for my 2800 sq. ft home. I have a Lennox HVAC system, but only use the air-conditioning option as the King has almost always satisfied our heating needs.

But, if I can pump a mess of hot air into all the rooms, why not. I called Blaze King and told them of my plans and they told me the APEX was only rated for 1,200 square feet or smaller since it is only 60,000 Btu's. They make other furnaces (huge but not catalytic) and I want to avoid being told down the road my investment does not burn clean enough.

I guess I'll wait for their next furnace which I was told is in the planning stages and it should be a replacement for their 80K or 120K non cat models.

I looked at a Caddy and you could fit the firebox in my King So, I guess I have to stick with my King until BK comes out with the next furance.....Or maybe get a smaller house!

 

[herbdan]

What a coincidence, I just finished the installation of the APEX today. I have been running it without the duct work hooked up for the last three weeks. While the upstairs rooms were cool the main floor was very comfortable. I had a fan blowing on the furnace, left the basement door open and usually had the APEX running with both the primary and secondary dampers closed. The CAT thermometer read between 500 - 1100. Outdoor temps got down around 0F but mostly around 15. It held a full load of wood for at least 10 hours, with having a bed of coals once or twice for over 15 hours. I was very impressed how it heat my 2600 sq ft house without the duct work and the associated blower (I purchased the VB1000 blower from BK).

It's now been running with duct work for 2 hours. Too early to tell how it is working. One of the problems I ran into is with the dampers that the HVAC guys installed in the duct work to prevent back drafting. They put one over my gas furnace and one over the APEX. Both of them rattle (open and close) during each of the respective furnace operation. My gas furnace is a DC variable speed fan and when the fan went goes into low mode the damper would cycle open and shut. We turned up the low speed on that fan and have not had a chance to see if that fixed the problem as I'm now burning the wood APEX. The duct damper sitting over the APEX worked fine when the HVAC guy was here, but soon after he left it started making the same type of clicking noise. I have the blower on the APEX adjusted to the slowest setting. I'm going to have to open up the duct work and modify the damper so I can manually lock it open. Shouldn't be much of a problem.

Give me a couple of days and I will report back with some pics and a better report on performance. It's suppose to get back down to 0 this weekend.

Herbster

 

[ikessky]

Give me a couple of days and I will report back with some pics and a better report on performance. It's suppose to get back down to 0 this weekend.

I look forward to seeing some pictures!

I guess I’ll wait for their next furnace which I was told is in the planning stages and it should be a replacement for their 80K or 120K non cat models.

I looked at a Caddy and you could fit the firebox in my King So, I guess I have to stick with my King until BK comes out with the next furance…..Or maybe get a smaller house!

Have you looked at the Yukon-Eagles or Kuumas?

 

[BigBlockChevy]

Thanks for the tip....

 

[Wood cutter]

Hi people, I found this site that looks intreasting regarding the Apex wood furnace.

I bought one and had it installed early November in my 1475 sq ft home ( 2950 total sq ft if you include the finished basement ) This furnace replaces my MP - 80Valley Comfort I used for 22 years. Both are added to an electric furnace that I rarely use. Full duct work to the entire home also.

This furnace will heat my home no problem and burns less wood than the 80 did. We have had tempreatures of -10 C down to -25 C almost the whole past month and a half. I have got to say it was a very smart move going for this furnace,after the first month I shut it down and cleaned the stainless steel chimney insert that was also installed Novemberv2009. All I got was a bit of dust. I think its best feature is the converter that once in use with temperatures above 500deg extracts heat out of the smoke. There is nothing coming out of the chimney visible ( no smoke ) in this mode. I do have a couple problems though,

1. The temperature digital readout requires a 9 volt battery and It " eats " them. I am on #4 battery since Nov. This readout I use when adjusting the fire as they say not to burn a fire 500 deg or less through the converter. The lever is in bypass mode when in the up position then the lever is moved to the lower position when temperatures are above 500 deg. My dealer phoned the manufacturer and they said they are well aware of the problem and expect a replacement in the near future.

2. The lever that is used to open and close the bypass has now gotten very stiff and I have to figure out what this is about. I will let the fire burn out and see inside. I expect nothing major but was hoping this site may give me some leads. Any ideas welcome, Thanks

 

[Wood cutter]

Just a message in reply to my own post earlier about the handle problems on my Apex furnace.

I took the handle right off and found the shaft inside the furnace that is connected to the baffle to be operating perfectly. After studying how the handle operates on the outside of the furnace I found that they use one shaft of 4 inches or so that fits inside another one ( tube ) well this inside shaft was binding up so after pushing the inner shaft out of the tube I found a piece of burr metal inside that jamed the thing up. After polishing and cleaning everything up I reinstalled everything. Boy does it work proper now! I think I had a problem since new. Quality control on this part ?
I am sure the company would replace the parts I would have needed but I am not willing to wait the 2 weeks or so it might take.

Oh I might add that this is the cleanest wood burning furnace in my town, I think it is much better than the Caddy and as I have serial #127 I expect they can only improve their product.

 

[herbdan]

Wood cutter

I've got serial #110. So far no problem with the bypass lever, but I'm on my second battery for the CAT monitor. I don't wait until it reaches 500 to engage. I load it with fresh wood, on a hot bed of coals, and engage. After a few minutes when I check the temp it always shows above 500. Mine varies in the 600 - 1100 range during normal operating. What I have not figured out yet is what triggers the dampers to open and shut. They don't seem to work off of the temp probe in the duct above the stove. Do you know how they are triggered to open and close?

I've got to agree with you on the wood use and heat output of this baby. A few splits in the morning will last easily until we come home from work. It's now 2 degrees F outside and we're sitting around with our shirt sleeves rolled up. I just ordered a 7 inch brush and plan on cleaning the chimney pipe in a few days. It will be interesting to see how much gunk I get. Happy burning!

 

[Wood cutter]

How long have you been running your Apex furnace? 2 batterys in how long?

I am scared to flip the leaver down if not 500 deg or better as they say in the operating book.

I think I had a flaw in workmanship regarding the stuck lever so I sent a message to Valley Comfort telling them what happened and what I did. We will see what they say.

Mine runs almost the same temp as yours.

Oh ya I had not figured out the dampers either until I relized that the limit switch was kicking out because of overheating. I had to reset the red button each time when the fire cooled off as the damper did not open. We reset the relay to Max and seems to be Ok. The dealer was suprized as he said this is good. He did not think the output of the furnace would be that great and he thinks it is around 80 BTU. Apparently I can either increase my fan speed to get the heat out or work with the limit switch.

With the lever up and calling for heat the rear opens I beleve where with the leaver down the front one opens. Mine works OK except when the control limit switch kicked them out. These furnaces actually produce much more BTU than advertized of course depending on the wood. I use dry pine, spruce and a little birtch all seasoned well.

I'm happy as I know after 35 years of wood plus my folks and relitives using the old RSF with all their cresote problems and the Caddy glorified stove built to resemble a furnace with a very limited fire box we have the best out there so far.

 

[Gooserider]

On the binding lever, I'd suggest putting a dab of high temperature Never-Seize on it when you put it together - helps to discourage any future galling, etc...

For the thermometer, you can get 9v "wall wart" transformers that can either come with a battery clip, or you can make one to "fake it" and then you'll never need to worry about batteries again...

Gooserider