Soot through the house

ktm rider · By: **ktm rider** On: Wed Jan 31, 2007 9:49 pm

Maybe later you can track down a re usabe/ washable filter. then you would have it made for sure.

Berlin · By: **Berlin** On: Thu Feb 01, 2007 1:07 am

i'd remove the cap from the chimney, nothing but a soot catcher, and will reduce the maximum cfm of flue gases than can exit considerably; this is what you need - lots of air flow when the loading door is open.

also, i'm not understanding why you can't just cut a hole or two in the floor and pipe the return air to a register, this would solve most of your problems (in addition to getting rid of the chimney cap).

dirvine96 · By: **dirvine96** On: Thu Feb 01, 2007 9:38 am

Tigermanrich

Are you ducting that filter box up into the living space. Just putting the filter in will not solve your problem.

Don

Tigermanrich · By: **Tigermanrich** On: Thu Feb 01, 2007 10:55 am

I wasn't thinking about ducting it up stairs

Berlin....you don't know my wife. I just remodeled the whole upstairs and if I put 1 or 2 holes in the newly refinished hardwood floors that my wife and I put soo much time in sanding, staining and polyurathaneing you will no longer be talking to me on here due to the fact that this is what my wife and I will be doing..... :argue: and then I would be shot!! [-X
I can probably make a cold air return from the basements ceiling joists and lead it into another room in the basement.

Berlin · By: **Berlin** On: Thu Feb 01, 2007 11:53 am

that's kind of crazy, i'd ask her if she wants hardwood floors with soot stains or 2 nice, clean, neatly installed registers. but nonetheless, you really do need to use the air in the house as your return air. you don't have to cut a hole in the floor. if your living room has a bunch of hot air registers, use half of them for cold air returns instead. also, you can run duct up, just between walls, then cut a hole in the drywall and install a vent for cold air return, you only really need one big one of these in the center of the house (living room etc.) trust me when i say that this will really solve your problems. still need to get rid of that chimney cap though.

dirvine96 · By: **dirvine96** On: Thu Feb 01, 2007 2:43 pm

This subject has been discussed on other threads. If you ask me your playing with the lives of your family. I have been in the HVAC field for 25 years and I can tell you people get killed when unducted returns draw products of combustion back into the house and put them up in the living space. And I don't care how many CO detector you have. If I was working in someones house and left it like that I would not be able to sleep. Good luck and use your brain. Duct the return. :!:

Don

dirvine96 · By: **dirvine96** On: Thu Feb 01, 2007 2:48 pm

You have 2 - 500cfm blowers on that unit. You will need more than just a 6 inch round to move 1000cfm. If you would like I will size the duct for you.

Don

Tigermanrich · By: **Tigermanrich** On: Thu Feb 01, 2007 3:35 pm

Thanks Don. I'd appreciate it if you can size it and let me know. Family safety is the reason that I've posted this question on here. VERY BIG concern for the family!!!! I have 2 boys and 1 girl 11, 9 and 7. I want to get this problem taken care of so nothing happens to them. By the way I have (2) 550 CFM blowers (1100 CFM) on the back of the furnace and not (2) 500 CFM

Here’s how I have the system hooked up:

In the place of the non-working gas furnace I built a wooden enclosure attaching the existing cold air return and plenum. Within this enclosure I put a 1650 CFM house fan pulling air from the cold air return and blowing it up through the plenum into the hot air vents. Half way between the plenum and hot air duct work is where I tied in the two 8” hot air ducts from the furnace which was not filtered until now. The two 550 CFM fans in back of the furnace was pulling in the air from the surrounding area of the furnace and blowing that into the hot air duct work while the 1650 CFM house fan helped the output of the hot air blowing through the house.

If you look at the pics that I have posted you can see what I’m talking about. If you need more in-depth pics let me know and I can post them. Like I said safety is first and I want to get this done right for them.

dirvine96 · By: **dirvine96** On: Thu Feb 01, 2007 5:14 pm

Tigermanrich

1100 cfm at 1000@fpm or static of .1 is a about an 8X20 duct or two 10 inch. round ducts. Remember this is the return so the duct need to be slightly larger than the two 8 inch coming off the top. The Two eight are off the discharge of the fan so they can move 1100 cfm. You could also do one 14 inch round. Its hard to tell by the pics you have posted, but it looks like you can get the air from room above the coal furnace. If space is tight you could use two eight. Your fan performance will be a little off.
By the way are you also operating the fan on your main furnace?

Don

Tigermanrich · By: **Tigermanrich** On: Thu Feb 01, 2007 5:29 pm

Don,
No. I removed the furnace and in place built the wooden enclosure with the 1650 CFM house fan. I wanted to tap into the houses cold air return and couldn't with the furnace being there. The furnace woudn't kick on so I couldn't use it's fan that is why I built the enclosure and put the 1650 CFM house fan.

LsFarm · By: **LsFarm** On: Thu Feb 01, 2007 5:51 pm

Rich you need to get some outside air into that room! Or keep the door open and a window open in the basement to get some air to go up the chimney.

I like the idea of making the room the air box/plenum for the cold air return, good thinking, but it needs some fine-tuning to reduce the suction on the room when the furnace is burning.

Greg L

,

Tigermanrich · By: **Tigermanrich** On: Thu Feb 01, 2007 8:03 pm

furnace cold air return:

Tigermanrich · By: **Tigermanrich** On: Thu Feb 01, 2007 8:06 pm

cold air return:

Tigermanrich · By: **Tigermanrich** On: Thu Feb 01, 2007 8:08 pm

more pics of enclosure:

Tigermanrich · By: **Tigermanrich** On: Thu Feb 01, 2007 8:09 pm

more: