An Indoor Wood Burning Furnace May Mean a New Career

Are you looking for an immensely cheap way to heat your home? Every year, you get that bite cutting into your pocket book every year when the mercury on the thermometer dips low. This article is really to give you some information on the indoor wood furnace and the outside wood furnace. First of all, it may sound elementary but it's useful to learn a bit about wood and some of its burning characteristics. A cord of wood stands 4 feet wide and 4 feet high and 8 feet long. In this measurement, there is an allowance made for air pockets, so you're going to get about 85 ft.? out of a cord of wood. One pound of wood on the average produces 7500 BTU's of heat, regardless of the species.

One important consideration to remember is that dense heavy wood will deliver more heat per cord. You'll want to take this into consideration when comparing prices for different kinds of wood. Each log contains moisture, and it takes about 1,000 BTU's to evaporate the moisture from each pound. Dry wood produces 10 to 30% less creosote and is more usable to heat your home. It's a good idea to burn drier wood for an indoor wood burning furnace. A good practice to get into is to cut or buy green wood in the early spring or late winter, dry it as quickly as you can by cutting it to length and stack it so the air can circulate through the pile. If you stack the wood outside, make sure you cover it from the weather and hold it for 18 months, or if you can, indoor storage is certainly more preferable. Here is a very interesting tip for you! If you fell your own trees for your furnace, cut them in the spring or summer and leave them "unlimbed" until the leaves wither, as they will draw moisture out of the wood. Cut the wood to the longest length possible to fit in your firebox, as the longer it is, the longer the fire will hold. Seasoned wood carries about 20% moisture content.

One type indoor wood furnace is made by several manufacturers and you may want to consider goodman furnace as one of your choices. Essentially, all you do is put unsplit logs into the firebox and ignite them with kindling and paper. The firebox is ceramic and as the fire grows, fresh air flows through the air intake manifold and fans the flames. After the gas is heated to a temperature of 2,000?F, it then flows out of the firebox and down the flame path toward the exhaust vent. This incredibly hot air moves toward the vent and its energy passes through a fluid flowing through an internal heat exchanger. This heat transfer fluid reaches 180?F before circulating to an external heat exchanger, usually mounted on the back of the furnace. The energy produced by the furnace is then passed to the home heating system. This heat exchanger is usually sold as an option.

To control the operation of the furnace, there are usually dual aquastats. One controls the damper on the air intake manifold by monitoring the temperature of the heat transfer fluid. When the desired temperature is reached, the damper closes, shutting off the flow of fresh air and thus extinguishing the fire. When your home cools off and more heat is needed, the damper opens and the furnace re-fires. Heat that is stored in the refractory walls of the firebox will support automatic re-firing for up to two days. The second aquastat is wired to your home heating system, and will continue to run for a short period of time after the furnace shuts down and will dissipate residual heat from the fire.

The decision as to whether an outside wood furnace or an indoor wood furnace would be more suitable for your application will depend upon your personal preference. As the name implies, the outdoor wood furnace sits outdoors, much like a utility building and is usually 50 to 100 feet away and may be safer than an indoor one. The outdoor furnace concept is simple, safe and effective. The outdoor application also removes the danger of a wood- stove fire in the house. If you're considering a wood-fired heating system for your home, be sure to consult with the experts online. Also visit your local dealer and learn more about whether an indoor wood furnace or an outside wood furnace would be more suitable for you. Good luck!

Terry Price is a successful publisher and author on the topic of the home heating systems at: http://www.furnace-water-heaters.com/outdoor-wood-furnace.html Remarkable cash savings exist with the right furnace application - http://www.furnace-water-heaters.com/radiant-floor-heating.html Did you enjoy this article? http://www.digg.com/about

Furnace Filter As A Holiday Gift

We use furnaces when the weather calls for it. It seems obvious that we follow a seasonal pattern when looking for furnaces and related services. In general this is true, but Google reveals a few interesting details within this seasonal pattern that are anything but obvious.

Google can show search trends throughout the year for each furnace-related key word and the month when the search peaked. That peak is what we are after in this article. Unfortunately, this article's format does not us allow to insert pictures. Please follow the link at bottom of this article to see the page with all the charts and details.

At the time it was written, the available Google report covered the months from August 2006 through July 2007, so we are starting from the month of August.

There isn't a single furnace-related search peak in August, which is no surprise - everybody is still enjoying summer.

September does bring a surprise. There are search peaks for furnaces, but not gas, oil, or electric ones. Instead, people are looking for all kinds of wood and corn furnaces.

Most of the keywords peak in October. People search for the following:

•Furnace, best furnace, and new furnace

•Furnace ratings, furnace reviews, and furnace comparison

•Furnace sales, furnace installation, gas furnace, and gas furnace prices

•Gas furnace parts, gas furnace repair, gas furnace troubleshooting, furnace service, furnace maintenance, furnace repair, furnace parts

November has nothing to brag about. There isn't a single furnace-related search peak in this month.

December is a month of partying and gift buying. Only three searches peaked in this month, but all three are worth mentioning. Two of them - furnace filters and furnace humidifiers - we will return to in February. For now, just remember these two plurals.

The last search is for “THE furnace.” When does “furnace” become “THE furnace”? When it breaks in the last week of December?

By January, furnaces have been working hard, and the focus of queries shifts toward repairs. Numerous part names peak in searches, as well as words like "furnace troubleshooting" and "furnace problem(s)." It’s understandable - the longer furnaces run, the more of them are in need of repair. This trend will continue in February.

February is a month of several interesting queries.

Do you remember “furnace filters” and “furnace humidifiers” in December? Well, now they've turned singular. February maxed-out searches for “furnace air filter,” “furnace filter,” and “furnace humidifier.” Is it just a coincidence, or were people buying multiple furnace filters for Holiday gifts and Google just uncovered it? It may have something to do with New Year's resolutions as well.

On a serious note. All of a sudden, searches on “furnace efficiency” and “high-efficiency furnace” peak. Have high winter gas bills started coming?

The last, but not the least interesting, search for the keywords “out of this furnace” peaks in February, but before that also spikes in October. What information are these people searching for? Perhaps:

Do I get another winter “out of this furnace”?-- in October.

Do I get another month “out of this furnace”? -- in February.

How can Google be sure?

Nothing special happens between March and August. The only peak is in July in searches for “furnace prices.” Not much furnace buying goes in July, but everybody wants to know the price. Could be some tug of war going on between the vacation budget and the renovation budget.

And in August we are back to our starting point, with the same seasonal pattern.

A link to the web page with charts.Boris Sherman is a heating and air conditioning contractor His company Cozy World installs furnaces, air conditioners and heat pumps in the Greater Toronto Area

TLC For Your Furnace - Avoiding Premature Failure of Heat Exchangers

Ever notice how your car seems to run better right after an oil change, especially if you wash and wax it? Well, it's the same for your furnace... don't laugh, I'm serious!

The main component of heating units, both forced air and hot water, is the heat exchanger. This component takes the heat produced by burning fuel and transfers it to the water or air for distribution throughout the house. In a hot water system this component is usually concealed from view, and in a forced air unit only 10 to 25% (sometimes it's completely hidden) of this component is typically visible without disassembly.

Cut-away view of a modern forced-air gas furnaceModern forced-air gas furnace:

1. Solid-state furnace control (Fan assembly visible at lower rear)

2. Draft inducer (fan-forced exhaust)

3. Igniter and flame sensor

4. Gas valve and manifold

5. Gas burners

6. Heat exchanger(s)

7. Air filters

(Configuration will vary between models)

What usually makes heat exchangers inoperative is developing a hole or a crack that allows the hot water to escape, or exhaust from the combustion fuel to escape into the interior air of the home. Constant heating and cooling from years of use will eventually cause a heat exchanger to crack, however some last longer than others. Under ideal conditions, many survive well beyond their predicted life spans.

It seems regular cleaning and maintenance play a factor in life expectancy, as does the environment surrounding the unit. Damp environments tend to assist the build-up of rust on the heat exchanger, shortening its life, while dry, clean environments tend to increase the life span of most furnaces.

Reduced airflow...

Dirty air filters and fan blades, dirty ductwork and obstructed air vents can all contribute to wear on fan motors, reduced efficiency and even premature failure of heat exchangers. Fuel-fired forced-air furnaces are prone to overheating due to obstructions to airflow. Modern furnaces are designed to shut down if temperatures become dangerously high... however, moderately elevated internal temperatures caused by dirt, dust and debris may not be high enough to switch off a furnace, while remaining high enough to cause metal fatigue over extended periods of time.

An annual internal inspection by a licensed burner mechanic or gas fitter, including cleaning and testing for exhaust leaks, should cost between $50 and $100. Considering the implications, I'd say that's a real bargain! Why not have your furnace inspected, and treat yourself to some peace of mind? For those of you with gas furnaces or wood stoves, a carbon monoxide (CO) detector ($30-$45) is an inexpensive means of protection against the possibility of exhaust leaks, between inspections.

Gil Strachan is a professional home inspector, representing Electrospec Home Inspection Services in east-central Ontario, Canada since 1994. Visit http://www.allaroundthehouse.com to learn more about home inspections.

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