Yukon Big Jack Install

[BigJackPat]

Hello, I'm new to the forum and looking for help on installing a lightly used Yukon Big Jack BJ90 which is new to me. I currently have an oil burner forced hot air system installed in my house with central air (coil inside supply plenum). I'd like to offset the cost of oil this winter winter with burning wood.

Looking for some guidance on how to properly tie in the system using a secondary blower (installed on the side of the Big Jack) to my existing oil furnace system. My hope it to install the Big Jack so that the systems can work independently but can seamlessly switch over to oil if and when the wood furnace runs out of fuel. My ideal setup would be that I load the Big Jack with wood and let it burn down and when the Big Jack runs out of fuel (wood) and the house starts to cool the oil furnace would automatically take back over and start burning oil / supplying heat. Is this possible?

Looking at the install instructions i can find online it shows the need for back flow dampers in the main plenum and also in the supply side of the wood burning stove. The issue I have is that there is an A/C coil in the plenum and I don't know If i can get a back flow damper in there with the coil in place. Also do the back flow dampers need to be manually turned open/ closed or do they work off of airflow?

Anyone have experience with installing this type of setup to work properly? All information is appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[brenndatomu]

It can probably work as you wish, if your layout lends itself to it...so, we need lots of pics with some diagrams to be able to help here.
Hopefully you weren't planning on using only wood this winter...that would be a real PITA with a basic old school heater like the BJ.
It does work half decent as auxiliary heat when it gets colder out though...not so much in early fall heating season and later spring temps...I mean it'll kinda work, but it's a pain to keep up with it all.

 

[begreen]

Kuuma has a ducting diagram that shows their VF100 furnace coupled with a conventional system that may be helpful. Note the check flaps (backdraft dampers). This allows either furnace to supply heat without feeding back into the other system.

 

[brenndatomu]

Kuuma has a ducting diagram that shows their VF100 furnace coupled with a conventional system that may be helpful. Note the check flaps (backdraft dampers). This allows either furnace to supply heat without feeding back into the other system.

View attachment 348945

The problem with that setup is that if the power goes out right after a reload, there is no airflow to cool the furnace...that's why it says "for power outage check flaps"...which is fine, if you are home, and remember. In this scenario an emergency heat dump is needed, which nobody makes anymore, unless you can find a NOS or custom made one somewhere.
A "spring open/power closed" damper motor could work too...

 

[salecker]

Kuuma has a ducting diagram that shows their VF100 furnace coupled with a conventional system that may be helpful. Note the check flaps (backdraft dampers). This allows either furnace to supply heat without feeding back into the other system.

View attachment 348945

Here the one way that was used a lot was for the oil fired furnace to blow through the wood fired furnace by ducting connecting the top of the oil fired furnace to the bottom of the wood fired furnace.
Then the ducting from the top of the wood fired furnace would distribute through small ducts to individual areas.

 

[brenndatomu]

Here the one way that was used a lot was for the oil fired furnace to blow through the wood fired furnace by ducting connecting the top of the oil fired furnace to the bottom of the wood fired furnace.
Then the ducting from the top of the wood fired furnace would distribute through small ducts to individual areas.

I don't believe that is a "legal" connection in USA

 

[begreen]

Here the one way that was used a lot was for the oil fired furnace to blow through the wood fired furnace by ducting connecting the top of the oil fired furnace to the bottom of the wood fired furnace.
Then the ducting from the top of the wood fired furnace would distribute through small ducts to individual areas.

A concern with that method is that the motor windings in the wood furnace blower would be constantly exposed to the 125-145º heat of the oil burner's blower. Or is the wood furnace also using the oil burner's blower for convection?

 

[salecker]

A concern with that method is that the motor windings in the wood furnace blower would be constantly exposed to the 125-145º heat of the oil burner's blower. Or is the wood furnace also using the oil burner's blower for convection?

No blower on the wood furnace, just the one on the oil furnace Big sweeping curved ducting from the top of oil to the bottom of the wood furnace

 

[begreen]

No blower on the wood furnace, just the one on the oil furnace Big sweeping curved ducting from the top of oil to the bottom of the wood furnace

Like this? Is so, it sounds like a Series add-on setup.

 

[salecker]

Like this? Is so, it sounds like a Series add-on setup.

View attachment 348963

Close
Up here the ducting to the house would come off the top of the wood furnace
The cold air return would feed the oil furnace,then a big sweeping curved duct from the top of the oil furnace to the bottom of the wood furnace, the the feeds to the house would be off the top of the wood furnace.
I still have the ducting from my oil furnace/ RSF wood furnace sitting in my yard, if i remember i will take a picture of it.
Back then you only had one flue for both furnaces as well.I was still able to go with one flue when i built my boiler room

 

[Highbeam]

It can probably work as you wish, if your layout lends itself to it...so, we need lots of pics with some diagrams to be able to help here.
Hopefully you weren't planning on using only wood this winter...that would be a real PITA with a basic old school heater like the BJ.
It does work half decent as auxiliary heat when it gets colder out though...not so much in early fall heating season and later spring temps...I mean it'll kinda work, but it's a pain to keep up with it all.

Wasn't his name Crappie Keith? Something like that. Loved super low draft strength to slow down the flue gasses and allow the heat exchanger time to work.

 

[Laynes6999]

Yep! He was passionate with Yukon. No doubt they would put out the BTU's. Fortunately times have changed.

 

[brenndatomu]

Wasn't his name Crappie Keith? Something like that. Loved super low draft strength to slow down the flue gasses and allow the heat exchanger time to work.

Yes! He pretty much single handedly convinced me that a Yukon was the stuff, so when a Big Jack, then later a Yukon Husky wood/oil combo unit came along...little did I know, have much wisdom to gain yet young glasshoppah!
His arguments with Daryl/Kuuma were epic!
The last I heard was he went to work as a fishing/tour/adventure guide or something...