Hyfire II Decision

Mark,

Thought I sent this post earlier but just noticed that it never made it..... Weird. Anyway, I will post some pics tomorrow. Just need to find them on my system.

Thanks for everyone for their help today!

Morning Mark,
I have attached a couple of pics....
Bill

I would think if you have a central location in a living area or lower room, that you can get good heat circulation throughout (as well as can be expected) would be a good option, and a good location for your chimney/power vent pipe.

Maybe a fan or two in a door way or something to move the heat around depending on your layout, they do make very small doorway fans that mount in a corner.

but anything is worth a try at those heating costs.

I'm going to install it as close as I centrally located as possible, however, that too will be a challenge due to the layout of that floor. The good news is that the floor where the stove is going to be installed is relatively wide open with a kitchen and dining room but there are still areas that will not heat well. There is a 1/2 bath in the far corner of that floor next to a butlers pantry, neither of which will likely get a lot of heat. If I can keep the kitchen and dining area comfortable and let the heat radiate up the stairs to the second floor and do the same I will be very satisfied. The master bedroom/bath and my office are on the second floor which is where I am most of the time anyway. The third floor is a bar/entertainment area and I am willing to shut that floor off if needed to make this work. The 3rd floor has a 20'+ cathedral ceiling (with a ceiling fan which is pretty much useless due to the height), which traps most of the heat so high that it's useless.

I did see an earlier post about larger fans being available for the Hyfire II (512k vs 265k) and will want those. They will certainly help move the heat around that first floor. I like the idea of the doorway fans as well. I need to look into that.

And while I agree that anything is worth a try to save on the heat bills, I still want to make certain that the investment in the stove/power vent/coal ($5000+/-) makes a substantial difference in my propane use. My fear was that I would buy the equipment and notice very little improvement, however, based on the comments/suggestions I have received out here I think it will help a lot. Now I just need to get off my dead ass, buy the Hyfire II and install it before the snow starts, which around here could be any day now.

bbnx wrote:
And while I agree that anything is worth a try to save on the heat bills, I still want to make certain that the investment in the stove/power vent/coal ($5000+/-) makes a substantial difference in my propane use. My fear was that I would buy the equipment and notice very little improvement, however, based on the comments/suggestions I have received out here I think it will help a lot. Now I just need to get off my dead ass, buy the Hyfire II and install it before the snow starts, which around here could be any day now.

Coal heat, IMO, feels different. It's much more comfortable. Besides, the Hyfire II will always have a constant burn so you don't lose precious BTU's as does a re-start of a propane furnace.

If you're going to locate the Hyfire on the main, living floor, then I'd say it would work just fine. That monster is going to radiate wonderfully. The BEST part of all this is when your propane supplier is wondering why you haven't ordered anymore and you tell them why. It's an awesome feeling when you can have independence from the propane juggernaut.

You'll see.

BTW, that's a gorgeous house!

bbnx wrote: I did see an earlier post about larger fans being available for the Hyfire II (512k vs 265k) and will want those. They will certainly help move the heat around that first floor. I like the idea of the doorway fans as well. I need to look into that.

I've inquired about the 512K fans and they're not in full development. I'm hoping they will soon. When they do, I'll be the first one to grab them. That would probably allow me to not use the propane distribution fan to push the heat through the ducts. The 512K fans will do it all.....I hope.

I'm looking forward to NOT having to contact the propane company to fill my tank.... They will probably be rethinking their decision to charge me a new $150 "maintenance" fee this year. I flipped out when I received that bill and shared my frustration with them. Didn't work tho, still need to pay it IF I get the tank filled this winter.

As far as the 512 fans.... I read the post below as an indication that they are available...?

Matthaus wrote:At long last actual photos of the fan kit parts and oe fan installed. This kit will be available through your dealer (after you tell them about it! LOL)all you have to provide are the fans (Dayton 1TDR9, 4C264, 4C448 or Fasco B45267, AO Smith #563, run on high speed for those units that are 2 speed). Retail price will be around $75 to $85, not exactly sure yet. We have a pair sent to ewcsretired for product evaluation. Let us know if you would like to participate in that.

The units are mountable on either side before you glue on the small piece of hopper gasket, but that can be changed to the other side if need be. Tools needed are a 7/16" wrench and a 1/4" drive ratchet with extension and deep wall six point 7/16" socket. These will not fit the older Hyfires with the 160 CFM fans but we are working on that as well.

There is a slide on each side for tuning and release of air along the side of the stove. We are also working on an adapter for the hot air jacket so that the sides of the stove will be washed of heat under fan pressure.

Relative to my house... Thanks! I appreciate it. It's a great house for a variety of reasons. It is a BAD house for ONE reason. Inability to effectively heat. I'm anxious to get the Hyfire II and put those days behind me.

Looks like a beautiful home on a hill. My house is also on a hill and is about 7000 sq ft (not so beautiful) and I opted for a Pocono 110K in the basement. I leave the stove convection fans on high as I don't care about noise down there. I have ducted air conditioning on the ground floor and reverse feed a 1000CFM 12" fan into the duct which just gives a gentle air flow. On the inlet I put a Filtrete 1900 filter and as the fan is sucking through a wall, all I have to do is stick the filter on the wall and it stays by vacuum. This takes care of distribution of warm air in my particular case. As the fan is so far away it is very quiet. On the ground floor a have a DVC to mindlessly stare at the flames (need a new glass) and of course give heat but I am not sure I need it now. Bought a second Pocono and put it by the first. Now I have a 400lb hopper, two ash pans that I can actually lift, bigger surface area to extract the heat and redundancy. I'll be damned if I am ever going to turn on my oil heat again - f*** the Arabs and I keep Americans in work. More dollars than a hyfire but I get more. The house is very open plan so cold air returns have just established themselves. Hydronics - you can keep it - I have no interest. In thirty years of all types of heating and homes this is the best by far. Shelley and I love it and she is supersensitive to fumes and dust. I am not trying to guestimate your heat needs or change your opinion from a hyfire.

However, we all agree on one thing, coal is king! It's a different type of heat and I don't know why. Perhaps some of the brains on this board can quantify. Is it humidity, negative ions, phases of the moon or the pills I am on

You are a bit strung out there. You can get coal and it's rice anthracite now where is it from and is it good anthracite. Ya see the newbie is learning (slowly).

Thanks to all that replied and assisted me in my decision. I ordered a Hyfire II today from Jerry and Karen and am getting the larger fans at an additional charge. I WILL post my experience with this stove out here regularly. Thanks again!

Great looking home Bill. Thanks for posting the pictures. We love pictures here on the NEPA Coal Forum. Keeps us from becoming cranky old guys! But I am never cranky. Unless... Go Phils!

One thing I haven't seen addressed in this thread - the baseboard water system. What's the plan to keep that from freezing up when the wind is blowing in off the lake? You plan to close off the top floor but is there baseboard up there?

Good Morning!

The entire house, other than the lower walkout, has baseboard. I had the system filled with glycol several years ago to prevent it from freezing.....

bbnx wrote:Good Morning!

The entire house, other than the lower walkout, has baseboard. I had the system filled with glycol several years ago to prevent it from freezing.....

The glycol sure wasn't helping your heating problem. As a general rule, running glycol will reduce the heat output of the baseboards; how much depends on the concentration of glycol in the system.

Does your boiler struggle to get the water temperature up to ~180 degrees on the cold days?

I ran straight water in the system for several years without any noticeable difference (at least there didn't seem to be) in heating capability. I had the system switched to a water/glycol mixed after the 3rd floor froze when I was gone for a few days. The boiler is set at 215 degrees I believe. With or without the glycol, the boiler runs non stop when we get into the dead of winter. I don't know the water/glycol ratio though. I left that up to the heating contractor.

The propylene glycol covers the freezing of the heating system. Brain storming here ... Now, how will the domestic water systems be protected from freezing?

• Is the potable water city or well? Assuming the piping is running in the floor joist bays of the lowest floor, the walk-out, will they be exposed to sub freezing temperatures?
• Are there any waste water traps in the floors or ceiling of the walk-out?
• Are there any domestic water pipes running inside the exterior walls?
• What's the plumbing situation for the top floor your will close off?
• Another thing to consider is the first floor's flooring sure could become cold!