Add-On Wood Burning Furnace Install.

beenthere · Oct 8, 2005

I hear ya on the 'politics' thing, as I know many on our volunteer squad.

One thing I do is build just small fires, and rely on adding wood when needed, rather than stoke up for long periods of time. I have a remote thermometer (digital) beside my bed which gives me water temperature (I heat water with the wood). I can also tell if the fire needs a piece of wood when I get cold in bed under a sheet (dear wife is under an electric blanket /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif ).
I really enjoy the wood heat.
Wish you well in your installation. Enjoy it.

MarkV · Oct 9, 2005

Not a problem in my area but it has been mentioned on the forum that in some areas insurance companies have problems with wood heating systems inside the house. You may want to check and see if it would affect your coverage if you were to have a fire. At least you have a fireman close by for part of the time. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

MarkV

billbill1 · Oct 9, 2005

My US Stove furnace is a 1400 I believe and I've had it for about 16 years. It has served me well and provides all of the heat I require. We built a new home 5 years ago and I moved the furnace with us. My garage is 30 X 30 and I installed the furnace on the wall closest to the living area. The propane furnace and ductwork is located in a mechanical room just inside the wall so I could get to the cold air return and the heating ducts in the attic right next to the wood furnace. I built a thermostat which shuts off the air to the firebox by means of a solenoid (110 volt) and it keeps the house within 5 degrees of the setting. The biggest plus is that all of the mess is outside of the living area and it keeps the garage at 70-80 degrees too. It's nice getting into a warm pickup and car when it's cold outside. I use the tractor and the pallet storage method that I learned from AndyM to haul the wood all of the way to the furnace area. I've burnt wood since 1978 and I knew what I wanted my setup to be like after having 5 different systems. This one is by far the best I've had. Good luck with your setup, you'll enjoy it.

dennisthomas · Oct 9, 2005

I have been thinking of installing a hot water wood burner in the garage. Is there any safety issues with parking vehicles in the garage. I like the thought of getting into a warm vehicle during the winter also. i was just worried about gas fumes and such. Maybe Mega Me knows the answer since he has been in the firefighting business for a while.

billbill1 · Oct 9, 2005

The closest vehicle is over 6 feet from the furnace and the furnace-though too warm to lay your hand on, doesn't get all that hot-other than the loading door. There is a 3" air chamber all the way around the firebox on this model of furnace. In 5 years, I've never had any problem of any kind. I hope that trend keeps going too!!

PBinWA · Oct 9, 2005

Awesome project. I've been considering doing something similar to this myself. If you can post rough pricing for the chimney and HVAC work that would be great. Unfortunately for me, I'd have to go up 2 floors with a steep pitched roof which would make the chimney expensive.

Keep posting. I want to see pictures of how it all gets tied in to your duct work and the chimney install!

Thanks again!

Farwell · Oct 9, 2005

It is my understanding that Michigan and California codes require that the heaters be 18 inches off of the floor. I guess that gas fumes are heavy and stay pretty close to the floor level. Check on this in your area. Another thing if you are in the snow belt and the highway department uses salt on the roads, the warm air in the garage will speed up the salt corrosion process by quite a bit.
Farwell

JSUnlimited · Oct 9, 2005

Check your PM inbox.

mrcaptainbob · Oct 10, 2005

I havew two experiences along these lines. The first was in the last house I had. Installed a woddburner in the basement and tied it into the furnace and it ran with a small 6" squirrel cage blower 24/7 and get the 15sq.ft. place very comfy. THe down side was to stock the wood in the basement for a easy access for a week or so at a time. At this house, which is a very old two story brick with LOTS of airleaks and baseboard heat, I installed one of those outside woodburners. It's been in place now for one full year and has been running the whole time. It now keeps the house really comfy as well as the water heater. THe nice thing about this set up is that the wood is all outside, the ash is outside and so is the smoke from when the door is opened. Nothing to worry about with the flame in the house. I have seen units such as yours that were housed outside in their own little 'house' and the heat from them wsa piped to the main. ANy way you do it, it's going to certainly help with heating costs and will make for a much more comfy home. Keep the pics coming. Looks like a neat project with warm rewards.

farmerstella · Jan 5, 2010

We are installing an old Timberexe wood burning furnace to an existing oil furnace and are confused about dampers. Any advice. The job is almost done. Karen