How does the furnace work?
It all begins with American Craftsmanship.
The Wadena Outdoor Forced Air furnace is manufactured in the USA and made entirely of steel and fireproof components. The heart of the unit is the 12 cubic foot firebox, with dimensions of 36 inches high 24 inches wide and 26 inches deep (LS Model). The fire box is made of 7 gauge (3/16) or 12 gauge (1/8) cold rolled steel and has an octagon shape to promote better heat transfer. Surrounding the fire box is the heat chamber where all the heat is transferred from the firebox within inches of the fire.. Within the heat chamber very hot air above 300 degrees is accumulating. Once the heat chamber reaches 110 degrees the blower attached to the cold air return kicks in at about 1000-1340 cubic feet of air movement per minute depending on your choice of furnace. As the hot air in the heat chamber begins to circulate it gains pressure and escapes through the output duct. The output duct is routed into the house in many different types of applications, with the most popular being directly through the outside wall into the home in a centralized location, and spread throughout with ceiling fans or by using your existing duct work as cold air returns. There are an array of options for heat transfer from the output duct to the house including using your existing duct work and system, and we have a specialist to help you design the best option for you.
Ok! So now we have the heat in the house, but what about the fire and the smoke? The firebox is attached to the chimney that expels smoke, creosote and excess heat out of the fire box. As the fire burns, it is controlled by the indoor thermostat attached to the induction fan inside the firebox, which maintains a steady temperature between 110 and 300 degrees of hot air, that travels into the home. The Chimney can be made of single wall stove pipe or insulated stainless pipe. The actual height of the chimney will depend on your location and your particular application, usually no more than 9 to 12 feet. Since the furnace is going to be as close as 4 feet from the house, a spark arrestor/rain guard is required on all chimneys. REST EASY knowing that if the furnace should ever reach the 500 degree mark the Safe Sleep Alarm system will notify you inside the house that attention is needed outside. Although 500 degrees is still a safe temperature inside the heat chamber it a good level to check and make sure the system is functioning at optimal levels. If your furnace is maintained and used to the manufactures specifications, this option will never be used, but it is nice knowing that it is there if you need it.
4 FEET you say? YES! 4 feet clearance is all that is needed because the outside of the furnace does not get hot. Thanks to the 1200 degree industrial foil faced fireproof insulation sandwiched between the steel liner and the outer skin.
Now we have the heat in the house and fire outside, what kind of wood should I burn and how often to I have to feed the furnace?
Choice of wood is a personal opinion and you can find heating specs and cost information here on the website under the WOOD FACTS page. You can burn any kind of wood in the furnace, Even GREEN wood because the chimney is short and the temperature stays high which prevents creosote build up. Although green wood is a quick source of wood, you are going to maintain optimum heat with good dry seasoned wood. You can also sleep all night without waking up froze because both models of our furnace burn 8 to 14 hours depending on size and type of wood.
The bottom line on the furnace is that you spend half the money of a boiler and don't have to worry about:
Water Freezing
Babysitting an obese wood eating Monster
High Insurance Premiums
Dirt, Soot, Smell, and Bugs in the house
Waking up 2 times a night to feed a fire
Burning children's fingers and hands
Making the utility company rich
THE HARD FACTS .........JUST LOOK
NOTICE January 08 $430.56 (Furnace installed 10-02-08)
January 09 $111.60
If this doesn't answer your questions send us an email to Scott@theoutdoorfurnace.com or click the contact link above.