Ok guys, I realize I am late in this game. But I need to start somewhere right! I have a 1450 sq ft multi level house(basement, den/garage, living/dining, bedrooms), that really does not have a spot for a wood stove, more of it doesn't have a good place for another chimney. I have one stack for the oil forced air furnace, I saw the napolean hybrid combo unit hmf 150 and it looks like a pretty clean looking unit. Is this legal to install in the US? and does anyone have experience with this furnace? I know combo units aren't the best. But it has to be better than paying the oil man every month.
No idea if it's legal to install in the US, however, I suggest you check the size of your flue to see if this is even an option for your application. That chimney doesn't look very big. From the spec sheet, it looks like it recommends a 7" exhaust pipe for the hybrid. Not sure what the difference is between a flue and an exhaust pipe. Also says "high temperature" for the type of chimney so I'm guessing they'd want a stainless steel job. Can you get a 7" inside diameter stainless steel liner down that chimney? Sorry I couldn't be more help but that should get you started. If you show pics of the inside, others may have recommendations for alternatives. Welcome to the forums!!!!
I won't comment on the furnace. But if you don't have a good place for a wood stove do you have a place for a pellet stove? They are vented out a wall and have closer clearances than a wood stove. Something to think about. The pellet pigs would weigh in I am sure.
Pictures will help us see what your dealing with. You may have space and not even know it. A straight shot out of your roof or the chimney out the wall and up. If you are set on wood, get the wood now before you get the stove. Others will chime in.
Have you considered a pellet stoveP? They have considerably more installation options with their through the wall or roof venting. If you have a local dealer, they will often come to your home, assess your options and provide you with cost estimates. I have been heating my 2200 raised ranch with a pellet for the past 5 years.
thanks for the replies. the chimney flue looks at least 6x6 square. I have thought about other fuels, and i'm leaning hard towards wood or coal, I like pellets, I just dont like storage requirements for them. Id really like to stay with a furnace and use the duct work that is inplace to distribute the heat and keep the mess down in the basment(I married a city girl). I grew up burning wood in an old farm house in upstate NY and now live in humid DE. What are your guys thoughts on power vents for the oil furnace? are they good or do they look like crap and noisey? I just saw that napoleon and thought it looked nice and would fit the bill, I need to go find a ladder and measure the chimney
I have a power vent on my oil boiler. Works great and I took that chimney down when I installed that boiler new over 9 years ago now. No problems with power vent yet! And I got chimney off the front of my house because I did not like the way it looked. A couple years later when oil price went way up I installed a new chimney on back of house for wood stove. Then seven years later disconnected that and hooked my wood gasification boiler up to that chimney and kept my wood stove for extreme storm backup! In your situation you could power vent your oil furnace and then go with a wood fired furnace. Have you considered the Kuuma wood fired furnaces? Wood gasification furnace. A little expensive, not as much as my boiler! LOFL, but they seem like they are really nice. And you could just hook it up to your existing ductwork. http://www.lamppakuuma.com/ Check them out.
Yes, it looks like they specify a 7" flue with the wood/oil combo. You'll probably find that you will need an insulated line or class A, insulated chimney for good performance. Keeping the flue gasses warm will help with draft, especially on a short run, and reduce creosote buildup when the cooling gasses condense on the inside of the pipe. EPA stoves need good draft for proper operation. I don't know anything about the Napoleon furnace, but it looks interesting. I might be concerned about the big firebox being oversized for your house, and not being able to burn cleanly and efficiently.
Be aware that Napoleon doesn't exactly have a stellar reputation for customer service. Hopefully you have a really good dealer nearby. I doubt the furnace is too complex, but the simplicity of a wood stove is a beautiful thing.
I think I need to back up a bit and figure out placement first. I would really like to have a furnace so that the whole house is heated. I'll scrounge a ladder up this week and get the exact measurement of the clay tile liner. A power vent sounds like a good option to free up me chimney, I'm researching those now. My whole goal here is to save some dollars, and in the event a power loss not be cold. I can make the wifey use a flashlight to save some generator gas
If your worried about a mess? Then pellets would be more suited to your lifestyle? Do you remember what wood burning was like? And as far as storage goes for pellets? How much room do you have for wood? Only reason I bring pellets back up, is, if you have to buy wood? Why not buy pellets? Only need to buy what you burn. With wood, you will find out, that having at least 2-3 yrs worth of wood on hand is ideal. If you burn 4 cord a year? You will need room for 8-12 cord of wood out back? There are pellet furnaces on the market that tie into existing ductwork also? I have one and love it.. And I burn wood to. But wood is far messier and takes up way more space. My 2 pennies... As you were. (Pellet furnace on left)
Well I personally am not really concerned a whole lot about the mess, I know that if I sweep up after myself the mess will be minimal, its the other half that isn't fully on board yet. My true concern with pellets is the moisture here, and that I don't have a lot of inside storage that I could dedicate to a ton at a time with out leaving it outside. We own a half acre corner lot in an older subdivision with a pretty big side yards that I could stack the wood on. I would like to scrounge my own wood and I have been helping my close friend with his tree removal deal which is hit or miss. Pellets aren't out, and I really am considering them for the ease of use for the wife. But I do miss the wood heat, and even shes parked next to my parents wood stove when we head north.
