Furnace recs?

  • deerdragger
    Posts: 346
    January 3, 2013 at 4:27 pm #1304645

    I’m building a wheel house and am torn as to what direction to take concerning the furnace. The house will be 8×16. Pretty much all of the Ice Castles run forced air units, which require battery life and/or a generator. I don’t have a generator, nor do I plan on purchasing one. They annoy me.

    So then, do I just go with a direct-vent unit? Is the battery drain (and the fan noise) of forced air unit too much of a hassle?

    One of the drawbacks to the direct-vent units is the amount of wall space they take up – as opposed to the forced air units, which seem to take up less space.

    I dunno.

    What experiences do you guys have with these different applications?

    mark-bruzek
    Two Harbors, MN
    Posts: 3841
    January 3, 2013 at 4:47 pm #1126454

    Direct vent out the wall. Mount it near the door end of the shack for better heat recovery. Empire is a good one but one of the more expensive.
    I would recommend at least a small fan on the ceiling to bring some heat down. Many will use computer fans, efficient, 12v and cheap.

    mike-west
    Amery, WI
    Posts: 1422
    January 3, 2013 at 4:55 pm #1126458

    Do you plan an staying in it over night, or just day fishing?
    Forced air has 2 major benifits.
    1, it moves air which makes tempature much more consistant and comfertable, and 2, very econimical to run (easier on propane).

    Down side is yes, they requiure some power source.
    They are somewhat hard on batteries, but if using 2, you can get a couple 24 hours days from them.
    Another thought might be solar powered charging system.
    You can get into them realitively in expensive (compared to Generators and Invertors) and they do preform.
    Change batteries daily, charge 1 while using other.
    I had okay luck with a cheaper version years ago.

    If not using as an over night sleeper, then mood point really, go direct vent and good-to-go.

    Jusy my $.02.

    I have had 2 wheelhouses. 1 ith invertor and 1 without. If I ever go back, it’s invertor + generator all the way, which is what my last Lodge had.

    deerdragger
    Posts: 346
    January 3, 2013 at 5:02 pm #1126462

    Yeah, I’ll be sleeping in it. Both on the ice and as a deercamp.

    How many BTU’s is enough/too much for this size? I don’t want it cycling all of the time (if it’s too big), yet I don’t want it struggling to keep me warm.

    I’d already planned on some 12V fans to move the air around.

    mark-bruzek
    Two Harbors, MN
    Posts: 3841
    January 3, 2013 at 11:30 pm #1126586

    Quote:

    How many BTU’s is enough/too much for this size? I don’t want it cycling all of the time (if it’s too big), yet I don’t want it struggling to keep me warm.



    15-20k BTU

    Try this link for a sizing guide.

    BTU Guide

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