Wood/Electric Furnace

[tsacrey]

Hi Folks,

This is my first post here so please be patient. I did search the Q&A to find an answer but was unsuccessful.

So I just moved into a house a few months ago and it has a Caddy PF01010 Wood/Electric forced air furnace. My dad had a wood/oil furnace when I was younger so I had some exposure to using a wood furnace but the one I have is much more automated than the one my dad had.

The previous owner of the house just moved next door and he has been great in helping me out when I need it. He maintained the furnace well, sweeping the chimney twice per year.

What I am wondering is how to best manage the fire. The furnace has a thermostat, so does it make sense to build a large fire inside, and let the thermostat keep the fire burning slow to maintain a comfortable temperature (~21-22C) consistently throughout the day?

Or, should I turn the thermostat way up and let the fire burn really hot for a short time to get it up to a less comfortable temperature (25-26C) and then let the fire burn out so that the temperature slowly lowers throughout the day and into the evening when it will be more comfortable for sleeping?

Is one way any safe than another? I have read that I should burn hot, and burn dry wood. My wood isn’t the driest, but it will have to do for this year, since we moved in the fall, and dry wood for purchase is hard to find now.

Oh, and what is the name of the tool that is a half circle for cleaning out the ducts that are located behind the door above the firebox? There wasn’t one with the house so I need to purchase one.

Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Wood1Dennis]

Hi Folks,

This is my first post here so please be patient. I did search the Q&A to find an answer but was unsuccessful.

So I just moved into a house a few months ago and it has a Caddy PF01010 Wood/Electric forced air furnace. My dad had a wood/oil furnace when I was younger so I had some exposure to using a wood furnace but the one I have is much more automated than the one my dad had.

The previous owner of the house just moved next door and he has been great in helping me out when I need it. He maintained the furnace well, sweeping the chimney twice per year.

What I am wondering is how to best manage the fire. The furnace has a thermostat, so does it make sense to build a large fire inside, and let the thermostat keep the fire burning slow to maintain a comfortable temperature (~21-22C) consistently throughout the day?

Or, should I turn the thermostat way up and let the fire burn really hot for a short time to get it up to a less comfortable temperature (25-26C) and then let the fire burn out so that the temperature slowly lowers throughout the day and into the evening when it will be more comfortable for sleeping?

Is one way any safe than another? I have read that I should burn hot, and burn dry wood. My wood isn’t the driest, but it will have to do for this year, since we moved in the fall, and dry wood for purchase is hard to find now.

Oh, and what is the name of the tool that is a half circle for cleaning out the ducts that are located behind the door above the firebox? There wasn’t one with the house so I need to purchase one.

Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hi, I missed this post, so maybe this reply is a bit late :-( I have the same Caddy wood furnace backed up with an LP gas furnace. I might be able to help with a few clues about how I operate it.

With this furnace you really have to control the heat by how you fire. I set my thermostat pretty high, maybe a degree or two above my target temp in the house. Only if I overfire and get the house too warm will the t-state shut down the damper on the stove. It helps to slow the fire, but when she is making heat it will make heat until the firewood burns down. It is better to get the load right. You don't want it to shut down if you have a big old fire going. It tends to not burn as clean when the damper shuts down so I always try to fire it appropriately for the heat needed. I added some adjustment to the damper on the stove so I can adjust how open it is. When the weather is warm I load it with less wood open the damper a bit more and let the fire burn pretty hard, it will burn down pretty far before I have to load it and repeat. When the weather is colder, the fire gets reloaded more often, when there is still good coal base to light it from. It is kept loaded pretty heavy and I adjust the damper down to a minimal opening. With a full firebox and a good fire going it will not need a lot of primary air and will get most of what it needs through the secondaries.

Again, fire to match the heat you need. You figure it out after you mess it up a few times. Wake up sweating because you overfired, or the house gets too cold. It takes some practice but really I find the t-stat is not that useful. With practice you will get better at predicting the needed load, it is all part of the fun.

And by the way, work at getting dry firewood. That will help a LOT. These modern wood burners do not like wet firewood. Good Luck!