First Time With CO in the House.

Post by **Lightning** » Thu. Nov. 27, 2014 9:12 pm

Right I agree with Dennis. If you aren't getting puff backs while the baro is blocked, it's because the draft is so strong that it's keeping the volatile gases diluted. This could be a bad thing too since it could also mean your draft is excessive and you aren't getting the best efficiency that you could be thru your burn cycle.

Do you have a mano installed?

Scottaw · Post by **Scottaw** » Thu. Nov. 27, 2014 10:17 pm

Lightning, the heat exchanger in a natural gas furnace broke and blocked off the flue. quite a scary night, but all ended fine.

Post by **Lightning** » Thu. Nov. 27, 2014 10:25 pm

Scottaw wrote:Lightning, the heat exchanger in a natural gas furnace broke and blocked off the flue. quite a scary night, but all ended fine.

Wow. Thank God for CO alarms!

HarMark3500 · Post by **HarMark3500** » Fri. Nov. 28, 2014 8:46 pm

McGiever wrote:Is this stove/furnace a little on the large size for the heating load requirements of the house?

Idling an over sized furnace will always present it's problem.
Perhaps a firebox size reduction could help all around for better operation.
Reducing firebox size has been practiced and described elsewhere here.

Im not sure if its over-sized or not. I had a local reputable dealer install it. My house is 2500 sq ft, plus the 1500 sq ft in the basement.

HarMark3500 · Post by **HarMark3500** » Fri. Nov. 28, 2014 8:49 pm

Lightning wrote:
HarMark3500 wrote:I guess it way because of the warm outside air?
Yes, its actually a combination of a few things. #1 the warmer air outside, #2 trying to run the furnace cooler. Do you have an exterior block chimney? That would be #3..

HarMark3500 wrote:I do have a baro, but I blocked it. It seemed to cause more problems with "puff backs". Since I blocked it, things have been great. Even on a windy day flue temp is 100-150.
Without a mano, its not probable that the baro is set right. Does your furnace have any knid of automatic combustion air regulation? Or is it strictly manual, in that you must manually give it more combustion air to run it hotter? If it's all manual operation, the baro IS YOUR FRIEND..

lobsterman wrote:When it is warm out like it has been this week, I just close down the primary air feeding the cola bed and open up the secondary air above the coal bed and open up the manual damper to ensure adequate draft. This holds the fire while burning very little coal, and the house does not get hot.
This is what I was getting at earlier. It's nice to see others use this technique, it really works.

My stove has an automatic damper that works off a thermostat. However, it does have "idol air" settings to provide min flow when not calling for heat.

HarMark3500 · Post by **HarMark3500** » Fri. Nov. 28, 2014 8:52 pm

lobsterman wrote:Are you sure that number was real? The alarm should have sounded. I would have re-zeroed the alarm to see if it again read back above zero. 70 ppm is the approximate threshold where symptoms of poisoning occur and twice that can kill. I don't worry about CO because my house is so leaky. (Still, I have a CO alarm and make sure it is working.) Is your house super "tight"? Every stove needs air to burn. You might need to crack open a window far away from the to let in some air. BTW, the heat capacity of air is tiny so it takes negligible additional energy to heat this air compared to your massive house, true of course, only if the air flow into the house is small. When it is warm out like it has been this week, I just close down the primary air feeding the cola bed and open up the secondary air above the coal bed and open up the manual damper to ensure adequate draft. This holds the fire while burning very little coal, and the house does not get hot.

I thought the same. However, I then read the alarm set points. At 70PPM the alarm will sound after some time 50-60 minutes I believe. The higher the amount of CO detected the faster the alarm response.

HarMark3500 · Post by **HarMark3500** » Fri. Nov. 28, 2014 8:55 pm

Lightning wrote:Right I agree with Dennis. If you aren't getting puff backs while the baro is blocked, it's because the draft is so strong that it's keeping the volatile gases diluted. This could be a bad thing too since it could also mean your draft is excessive and you aren't getting the best efficiency that you could be thru your burn cycle.

Do you have a mano installed?

Im looking to buy a mano. I cant tell if I have excessive draft or not enough. I do keep a window cracked, and that seems to work well. When first installed the blower would pull fumes from the chimney and the basement would have a sulfur smell. I opened the window, and it was gone. I believe my house is pretty tight?

McGiever · Post by **McGiever** » Fri. Nov. 28, 2014 8:59 pm

HarMark3500 wrote:
McGiever wrote:Is this stove/furnace a little on the large size for the heating load requirements of the house?

Idling an over sized furnace will always present it's problem.
Perhaps a firebox size reduction could help all around for better operation.
Reducing firebox size has been practiced and described elsewhere here.
Im not sure if its over-sized or not. I had a local reputable dealer install it. My house is 2500 sq ft, plus the 1500 sq ft in the basement.

see highlighted features below:

Features Options
Limited 5-Year Warranty
Exclusive Harman Spiral Chamber
Harman Grate System
Automatic Draft Control
Secondary Air Flow
Heavy Duty Blower
Three-Speed Blower Switch
Reversible Filter Box With 14" x 20" Filter
Domestic Hot Water Coil
Specifications
Fuel
Wood
BTU Range 170,000
Heating Capacity
4,000
Blower Size 1,400 cfm
Flue Size
7 inches
Weight
800 lbs
Depth
36 inches
Log Length 27 inches
Height
52 inches
Width
28 inches
Domestic Hot Water Coil
Optional
Number Of Grates 6
Ash Pan
Standard
Firebox Reducer Optional
Height Top Of Flue
45 inches
Automatic Draft Standard
Plenum Size
20" x 25"
Filter Box And Filter Standard
Number Of Blower Speeds
1
Fan Control & High Limit Standard
Thermostat
Standard
Depth Without Filter Box 36 inches
Depth With Filter Box
53 inches