Odd things that happen when you burn wood.

His ..you know...wood. Gotta make sure it fits in the stove.
I guess there’s a reason why they say “load er up!”

 

Hey now! My boy has a fascination with tape measures it’s his.

 

Maybe he uses that to tell just how long he has been there.....

 

nope you can tell how long I have been there by the amount of empty beer cans next to the chair...

 

True, but not the only way. All modern T-stats have the fan only option on them. The way you suggest (wiring it at the furnace) would be to run a switch form the terminal board of furnace to a location outside the furnace cabinet, no? You already have that remote location with the T-stat.

So, you would have to take the T-stat off and check just how many wires are run to it...In the case of two wires, the T-stat would be used for heat only. But there is still a way to convert the two wire to have the option of fan only mode.....

And it would all be low voltage instead of what I read as line voltage in your suggestion. Both will work, one seems so much easier.

 

Not a heating guy and the only fan- forced heating systems I have seen, and remember, only 3 or 4 altogether, have been two wire, low voltage systems to the thermostat. Close the circuit (those two wires) and the gas valve opens, heating the plenum; there is a temp. switch on the plenum so once it is hot, the fan comes on to circulate hot air. In these system, no way to have the fan controlled by the thermostat wires directly. I am not familiar with the newer systems you mention- not doubting you at all, just saying I have no knowledge.

What I am suggesting is tapping into the fan circuit (115 VAC) at the furnace, and wiring it into a dual- timer relay at the furnace. Set the timer for the ON time and OFF time and when the relay closes (ON time), it would supply the furnace fan with 115 VAC and cause it to run, completely bypassing the entire heating circuit and all components completely. The ON / OFF time ratios would be set in the relay at the owner's pleasure and would result in the main circulating fan coming on, just for an example, every 30 minutes for 4 minutes. If and when the thermostat in the house called for heat, it would still trigger the gas valve, heat the plenum, and then the plenum temp. switch would also feed the same hot leg of power to the circulation fan and over- ride the relay feed (actually it would simply close a second switch to give the same power a different way to get to the fan and cause it to run). The 30 minute / 4 minute cycle would continue but it would not matter because the hot plenum would cause the circulating fan to run no matter where in the timer cycle the timer actually was when the plenum. temp. sensor called for heat. A simple logic AND circuit, using relay logic, wired in 115 VAC.

In the systems you mention, it sounds like the fan control can be isolated at the thermostat (or anywhere along the thermostat wire) but it would still require some type of timing device attached to it to lower the duty cycle (ON time) to less than 100%. Unless the gentleman wants to run his main furnace circulating fan 100% of the time of course, then the 'fan only' switch on the thermostat would work just great. Otherwise I would end up with an 11- pin relay socket, relay and some wires screwed to the living room wall next to the thermostat- effective but a bit industrial looking.

Brian

 

One odd thing that happens during burn season, is I get excited to check the weekly furnace oil level. Before I had a stove I really dreaded checking the level.

 

Guilty of the lawn chair in the basement...and I haven't checked the oil level in years.

 

Instead of going outside to take a leak, I go outside for more firewood...and take a leak on my way to the shed.

 

Wife wears less and burns more, she even likes the smell of wood smoke in my beard and the sheets.
Unlike when we burned oil, winter doesn't mean a huge pile of blankets on the bed, instead we sleep with the ceiling fan on low.

 

There's a window in my bedroom that's been cracked open for a month....in the winter. That's kinda odd