Outdoor Wood Furnace | Lil'House Outside Wood Heater

Read thru the questions it will help. The answers to the questions are on down below the questions on this page!

Installing the heater.

Category: *Hooking up the heater

Can I hook the heatduct up to my existing ductwork?
No, you cannot hook it up to your existing ductwork. All the heat has to come thru the heatduct supplied with the furnace. It needs to come thru a wallk or window. The blower is not big enough to "push" the heat thru your ductwork. Also, you ductwork is not insulated and if the power goes off you have super hot air coming out the heatduct from the furnace.
How long does it normally take to hook the heater up to a house?
Usually it takes about 6-8 hours with a helper. It can accomplished with one person, but helper makes it easier.
Do I need to buy special items that are hard to find to help me in hooking it up to my house?
No, most all of the items needed can come from a Home Depot or Lowes store or similar type store. I can also ship you the 26 guage chimney pipe now via US mail.
What is needed to hook the heater up?
Well that depends on your home or shop or application. 1)You could have a precast concrete pad to sit the unit on the ground. 2)On the pad you would have concrete blocks to raise the unit so you don't have to bend over to put wood in it. 3)Some electrical wire suited for outdoor use (check the local electrical code in your area). You could possibly have an electrican to hook it up for you if your unsure. The wiring diagram is on the brochure. 4)A 10ft piece of electrical conduit 1/2 inch. (that will make the braces for chimney and to run wires for heat sensor to blower box. 5) A new roll of duct tape to tape together the cold air return under you home. 6)Some 8 inch galv. ductwork (starter collar, elbows, straight pipe, 4x12x8 straight boots, 4x12 covers, 8 inch tee, 8 inch flexible duct the flex comes in 25 ft lengths. some 6 inch galv. pipe to use for chimney either 5ft or 10ft lengths) Depends on your setup what you will need. 7)2 tubes of clear silicon ( to seal all the seams outside on furnace and around door). 8)A cordless or electric drill , some pop rivets or self taping screws to put the heatduct and blower box together.
How high does the chimney have to be?
Depends on the fire code in your area it could be different from the national fire code. 1) The chimney has to be 2 ft from anything combustible and 3 ft above the eve (not the peak unless it goes up at the peak) Usually by the time you sit the stove up it is approx. 5 ft to top of the furnace (it can vary with topography). I have customers with 15 or even 20 ft of chimney on there home. If your going to go higher than 10 feet you need to have an additional brace from the house to hold the chimney steady.
Where is the best place to have the heater hooked to my house?
We recommend you hook the heater to your home coming in thru a wall or window into a larger room, say a living room or family room. You would not want to put it coming into your bedroom. We do have customers having them coming in say a hall way. Also something else to consider is the direction it is outside...(North, South,East, West sides of the house). The best sides are: in my opinion South or East then West and finally North. That doesn't mean you cannot hook one up on the North side.......it just is the worst place to put it since it never dries up or has the sun hit it in the winter. Besides who wants to stand on the North side in the wind if you could be on a side out of the wind some!
Would it be better to have a cover over the furnace?
No, it is designed to sit out in the weather and is insulated to loose very little heat being outside. It is so well insulated that it will have snow on it with a fire in it! ( I have seen it). You need to be sure and seal all the seams on the furnace to make it weather tight! If you don't have guttering on your home I suggest you put up some to keep the water from directly hitting the furnace as it comes off the house. That way you will not have a messy muddy spot to load your furnace from in the winter. Remember if you do decide to put a cover on your furnace to keep the distance around the chimney for fire code!

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8. Can I use triple wall pipe for my chimney?

Yes you can but the expense of the chimney is not needed. If you do decide to use it on your furnace you must keep the weight of the chimney OFF of the furnace as it can actually (by the weight) push the top of the fire box down. I have had customers use a section to go thru a roof of an enclosure on a furnace.

9. Can I call you if I have a question about hooking up my furnace after I get it here to my house?

YES YES YES! I have my home phone number and cell number listed on the contact page of the website. All I ask is that you try to call during normal business hours. You also can email me for an answer. I prefer to visit with you before you install to go over things with you as having installed one I know the tricks to installing it easily.

10. What are some of the most common problems in installing a furnace that people tend to do?

1)Check to be sure the flex duct not kinked or obstructed anywhere in your cold air return. 2)Make sure that you get the blower is centered on the blower box when you install the box on the furnace. 3)You want the furnace set up high enough that you don't have to bend over to put wood in it! 4)Getting in too big of a hurry and don't take the time to read the instructions. 5)Not calling me before you do make a mistake.

11. Can I use my existing ductwork for the return air?

Yes and no......It depends on your house size, if your staying in it forever, how much you have to spend. I don't want to spend anymore of your money than you have to! It will work hooked into your existing ductwork. BUT, it works better if it is set up separate system. You see if you use existing you have shut down all the vents closest to the heat coming in, if you don't it won't "pull" the heat to the edges of the house. Well then you have the furnace set for backup......doesn't blow out many vents. Also when you shut down the vents they are not air tight, imagine a garden hose with holes in it all along....wouldn't be much water coming out the end. I prefer it separate I guess you can tell. Email me if you need more help on this one!

12. Can I paint the outside skin to match my house?

Yes since it doesn't get hot go for it! Just do a good job so wife is happy!

13. Can I have the heatduct come off the furnace and go up or down?

No, the heatduct is designed to come off the top of the furnace and go straight thru a wall or window. That is the only way it will work. The reason you cannot have the heatduct go up or down is the bends in the duct will cause you to loose air flow because of resistance. It just works one way and it works well that way!

14. What tools do I need to hook up a Lil'House heater?

You will need a few tools nothing you probably don't already have. 1)tape measure 2)square 3)cordless or electric drill 4)jigsaw or sawsall or even a chainsaw (to cut thru the wall for the heatduct). 5)basic hand tools.....pliers, cresent wrench,screw drivers,pocket knife, 6)pop rivet gun if your going to use pop rivets to put the blower box and heatduct on the stove with pop rivets. 7)a level

15. Can I use smaller than 8 inch pipe for the return air?

No we have found that anything smaller than 8 inch, the airflow is reduced since the blower is not very big. Also you will want to use 4x12x8 boots for the floor. That would require a 4x12 cover.