Happy Heating Season to all you guys!

I'm a long time corn burner (CornFlame 2100) and posted a bunch of tuning adventures on the old forum.

(Which ironically is the only site that a search engine will pull up for some reason, both at home and work. Might be something for the site owner to look into?)

Anyways, this year is the first year for burning pellets. I have a McDonald Manufacturing Cozy Cornburner Furnace, and have blocked the lower ring of holes with screws, added a reostat to the combustion fan, and made a quick/easy way of changing the room blower fan speed. Otherwise stock. It is easy to light and runs effortlessly.

However - with the timer 1.5 on and 1.5 off, it will take the house up to 90 degrees if the wind is not blowing and the temps are in the 40's. Have to shut it down and let the 2100 do the work. Not a major problem, okay?

Here is the part I can't get. Outside temps in the 20's-30's, and the furnace can only make 62 in the house. Thermostat set at 90, no improvement. Set the timer to 1.5 off and 6 on, and I have 68 in the house, plus I have relit the 2100 so I'm not really crediting the Furnace with that increase.

What gives? Room blower is on high (though I've tried medium and low with no real difference in house temp)

I'll try to put up pictures of my setup. Can't quite get the forum software to cooperate.

I also installed a manometer since the pictures were taken. Initial reading was at .05 increasing to .08 maximum with strong wind gusting.

I added to the draft control weight to get it into the .02-.03 range. Now it is at .03 increasing to .05 with strong wind gusting.

Sounds like you need new windows and some insulation?????

I had the LDJ furnace which looks just like yours. My duct work was so spread out that I didn't have enough fan power to move the heat like my N/G furnace did. I traded in the furnace for an LDJ boiler and now have water to air exchanger in N/G furnace. It heats a little slower up to temp, but holds it there just fine.

So you went from scorching air to using hot water to scorch air? Sounds like your NG blower had a lot more ooomph than our LDJ style blowers have.


The first thing I noticed was how my curtains hardly move with the blower on high. Our fuel oil furnace blower would take the curtains a foot away from wall, I'd like to swap that blower out for something with some guts!

Our house has pretty good insulation, and all new windows and doors. As we remodeled rooms, we gutted the plaster/lathing and went crazy with the caulk gun. Siliconed up every draft we could find, and then insulated on top of that. Our fuel oil btu useage is within 90% of a modern efficient brick ranch of the same size. So I see your point, but I don't believe it applies in this case. (The house I grew up in had the "horizontal winter ventilation", so I know what you are getting at.)


I did some more adjusting, and now have my burn times at 1.5 on and 7 off with the combustion blower door 1/2 open. I'll keep sneaking up on the lean burn, changing the chimney draft from .05 to .02 made a huge difference.

Invest in a Manometer guys. They are super simple to use, and the $50 they cost will come back to you many times over.

I need to make my test ajustments to my draft control permanent now. I'm thinking of drilling a couple of bypass holes in the face of the flapper to bring the adjustment weight back into play. I "added" weight to the weight in order to make it open more and open sooner, but that weight keeps it 1/3 open all the time. I'm thinking a pair of 1/4" bypass holes will allow me to remove the extra weight and give some adjustability back to it.

Yea, easy to suck all your heat up the chimney!

Not necessary, but, if you have an electric outage, smoke from the fire will find the path of least resistance. I have my damper in a second Tee so the smoke stays at the top and doesn't drift out the flap.

It talks a little learning curve with pellets, just like corn, every brand is different and takes a little tweaking.

For cheap people like me:

www.komar.org/faq/manometer/

That's just one of many you can find if you do a search online.

You can make you own and make it fit to your exact needs. Remember what the guy says, pressure is pressure so you can use just about any tubing you have laying around.

They aren't used much around the house usually, but come in very handy when needed.

Any chance you have a picture of your double-T setup?

I'm going to keep bumping my idle timers OFF setting up. Tonight I go to 8 minutes off, 1.5 on.

My furnace does not have an adjustable second timer for high burn.

I'm actually not sure how the thermostat calls for more heat, it seems to just activate a relay that runs the auger and fan for a set amount of time? I understand the LDJ have a second timer like the idle timer?

I do get the mushroom cloud, or heap of ash on top of the firepot. It doesn't seem to interfere with the functioning of the furnace, but I am sure it is "insulating" the heat produced to some extent, keeping the heat downwards instead of radiating upwards.

It seems I have my chimney in check finally.

Apparently having too strong a draft is the exception, usually low draft is the problem?
Mine has all the attributes to cause low-draft problems (outside chimney, on windward side of house, large flue size, etc) but I have a very vigorious draft.

I bought a cheap cast iron dampner and installed it in the 8"-to'6" adapter right at the chimney entrance. With it set about 1/2 way closed I am able to maintain a .02-.03 draft with gusting only taking it to .04 - - MUCH improved, and only cost $7

What finally clued me in to needing a restriction was when I completely REMOVED the cleanout door.....and the draft STILL moved to .09+ with 20mph wind gusting. No way I can add or modify a draft control to move THAT much air, the door is 1'x1' square and its still not enough!

So a restriction was the only logical option left. I lucked out that it was also the cheapest.


The net effects are increased exhaust temps, increased firebox temps (from 200* to 250* as measured with a magnetic thermometer on the upper part of the door.

I'm still not happy with the actual heat output to the ductwork/house, I'm fairly certain the blower does not have enough HP to do the job. High speed isn't much different from medium, barely can tell the difference at the registers.

So more work to do! Any advice is welcome.

Pictures

Pictures