On my 10th season with my Kuuma Vapor Fire 100.....

[JRHAWK9]

I just realized we are on our 10th season of heating our place with our Kuuma Vapor Fire 100. I still am like a kid at Christmas when it comes time to light the first fire of the year and I still enjoy the h@ll out of this furnace. It's just sooo dang easy to operate. It's currently enjoying a diet of oak that's been split/stacked since spring '15.

That's all, carry on.

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

Congrats, JR. We're starting our 11th season with our Harman PB105, and it has been a champ. I lived in Baraboo years ago, met my wife there. So good memories of the area.

 

[yooperdave]

2nd full season for heating with the vapor fire 100 here. Can't say enough about it....all good!

 

[hobbyheater]

I think its our 40th year with gasification and storage ! And no need to clean the chimney!

 

[brenndatomu]

Been online with our VF since Oct 13th 2018...and after running more than my share of different wood furnaces, I'm fully convinced that there is not a better better forced air wood furnace out there.

 

[JRHAWK9]

I loaded 90lbs in it on Sat morning at 8:45am before we left for the weekend. The blower turned off at 8:28am Sunday morning. Almost 24 hours of straight blower runtime.

 

[woodey]

In year 7 with the VF. I've had no issues with it. Great furnace

 

[JRHAWK9]

I loaded 90lbs in it on Sat morning at 8:45am before we left for the weekend. The blower turned off at 8:28am Sunday morning. Almost 24 hours of straight blower runtime.

I'd also like to add that what I burned was some 10+ year old Black Locust that has been sitting down our dry basement for the last 4-5 years or so. When I tested the moisture on a re-split last winter, it would not even read on my moisture meter. It was some dry stuff!

 

[all night moe]

I'd also like to add that what I burned was some 10+ year old Black Locust that has been sitting down our dry basement for the last 4-5 years or so. When I tested the moisture on a re-split last winter, it would not even read on my moisture meter. It was some dry stuff!

How was the burn? Still coal like no other, or did it burn a bit faster from being so dry?

Congrats on your 10th season.

 

[JRHAWK9]

How was the burn? Still coal like no other, or did it burn a bit faster from being so dry?

Congrats on your 10th season.

It burned just like everything else. I wasn't home but when I checked into the furnace's vitals remotely it seemed to burn/behave like I expected it to. I loaded on very minimal coals. Furnace has always seemed to have very good control.

It kept the LP furnace from kicking in during the 32 hours we were away from home.

 

[Jwilly]

2nd full season for heating with the vapor fire 100 here. Can't say enough about it....all good!

Hi Dave! My wife and I live over by Michigamme. We are considering upgrading to a vapor fire 100 from our older hot blast furnace. How much wood are you going through each season you think? In terms of face cords/ cords, what sq footage are you heating, and what temp is your house normally at? Thanks a bunch!

 

[brenndatomu]

We are considering upgrading to a vapor fire 100 from our older hot blast furnace

Well that'll be a night n day difference!
If you have owned the HB for a while, you well know that it should have been called the "wood blast"!

 

[yooperdave]

Hi Dave! My wife and I live over by Michigamme. We are considering upgrading to a vapor fire 100 from our older hot blast furnace. How much wood are you going through each season you think? In terms of face cords/ cords, what sq footage are you heating, and what temp is your house normally at? Thanks a bunch!

I sent you a PM with some info. When you are logged in, there is a envelope symbol on the upper right of the page.....click on that and open the PM. Looking forward to any more questions you have.

 

[Jwilly]

I sent you a PM with some info. When you are logged in, there is a envelope symbol on the upper right of the page.....click on that and open the PM. Looking forward to any more questions you have.

Thanks Dave!

 

[Jwilly]

Well that'll be a night n day difference!
If you have owned the HB for a while, you well know that it should have been called the "wood blast"!

I even replaced the gaskets, still burned through wood like crazy

 

[brenndatomu]

I even replaced the gaskets, still burned through wood like crazy

Yup, its just an old school "fire in a steel box" type wood furnace, there's not much you can do to make them more efficient.
The VF100 was designed from day one to be an efficient/clean wood furnace.

 

[yooperdave]

How is the purchase going, Jwilly?

 

[Jwilly]

How is the purchase going, Jwilly?

Good! Furnace will be here Tuesday. So gotta play musical furnaces. The garage stove is going to scrap, it's an old vogelworth barrel stove kit someone built walls around and added a blower to. If you look in the doctionary under "Yooper Ingenuity", it shows a picture of this thing.Then the hot blast is coming out into the garage. And the VF100 is basement bound. Is there any reason I cant just throw a plenum on top with 3 vents on each side for now and basically heat the house like that? My thought is i can let heat rise up through the floor vent holes and the open stairway that connects basement to ground level. I just am not sure if i'll have time to get the new ductwork up before heating season starts. I figure with the cleaver use of small fans, i can make it work for a while.

 

[brenndatomu]

Good! Furnace will be here Tuesday. So gotta play musical furnaces. The garage stove is going to scrap, it's an old vogelworth barrel stove kit someone built walls around and added a blower to. If you look in the doctionary under "Yooper Ingenuity", it shows a picture of this thing.Then the hot blast is coming out into the garage. And the VF100 is basement bound. Is there any reason I cant just throw a plenum on top with 3 vents on each side for now and basically heat the house like that? My thought is i can let heat rise up through the floor vent holes and the open stairway that connects basement to ground level. I just am not sure if i'll have time to get the new ductwork up before heating season starts. I figure with the cleaver use of small fans, i can make it work for a while.

I think you'll be disappointed with heating that way...the VF is a much more controlled burn and the duct temps aren't as high as your old wood blast, so you'll lose so much to the basement that the lil bit making upstairs will be inadequate

 

[Jwilly]

I think you'll be disappointed with heating that way...the VF is a much more controlled burn and the duct temps aren't as high as your old wood blast, so you'll lose so much to the basement that the lil bit making upstairs will be inadequate

Hmmm... maybe ill try it on a cold day in Sept. and see how it does. Might have to hurry on the ductwork after painting the house and doing soffits. Gotta do outside work before theres snow in October haha

 

[brenndatomu]

It might kinda sorta work, until it gets cold outside, and the ground temps/basement temp drops...that doesn't usually happen until at least November IME, but you are a lil further north than me...

 

[Jwilly]

Hey All, got the Kuuma up and running relatively easily. This thing is a beast. I would consider the past month of use as shoulder season, with the exception of the last few days being in the teens at night. Ive had everything set to low pretty much. Loading the wood twice a day, kept the basement around 80F. I then installed vents in the ground level floor that have powerful computer fans built into them. That would get the house around 72. So not bad at all. That's with no ductwork running upstairs and the cold air return just sucking off the basement floor. With all that in mind, I think I am having an issue with chimney flue temp. I just have one of those magnetic temp gauges. My chimney pipe leading to the thimble in the wall is made up of 2 45's and 2' of pipe on a diagonal between the 45's . The temp gauge usually hovers around 150-175F and tends to top out at 200, but never above. I have a rigid chimney liner inside of my cinderblock chimney which is around 25' tall and the famco wind cap. Barometric damper set at 3. Looking for anyone elses experience with flue temp on the VF100's. Thanks!

 

[Micdrew]

Those magnetic thermometers aren’t the best. You should get one with a probe that goes inside the stove pipe, even with the probe type you won’t see high flue temps with the Kuuma, the highest I’ve seen is 300 and that’s when things are still getting fired up before the computer starts throttling back, that’s how efficient the thing is it burns so clean you don’t need those high flue temps. Hope this helps. Happy Thanksgiving.

 

[hobbyheater]

Hey All, got the Kuuma up and running relatively easily. 's . The temp gauge usually hovers around 150-175F and tends to top out at 200, but never aboveThanks!

 

[hobbyheater]

I just have one of those magnetic temp gauges. My chimney pipe leading to the thimble in the wall is made up of 2 45's and 2' of pipe on a diagonal between the 45's . The temp gauge usually hovers around 150-175F and tends to top out at 200, but never above.s. Thanks!

Have done the experiment with a probe type next to a magnetic gauge and the difference is 100 degrees Fahrenheit !