Use That Surplus Furnace Heat

[Yukon]

I recently saw a special device in a RV store to dry out wet boots etc. It was way to specialized of a tool to carry around in a small vehicle such as ours. Thinking that we had surplus heat that comes from our campers in the Winter...when our boots get wet from hiking in the snow, etc., I came up with this idea. Just channel the heat from the furnace exhaust to a specific location. You could even put a space blanket over the exhaust area and dry other stuff. Of course, all precautions would have to be made to not start fires, nor in any way obstruct the exhaust pressure.

Anyway...just sharing an idea. The little pipe I show in this picture is not permantently installed. It just hooks onto the output area and comes off quite easily.

 

[Barko1]

It does spit out quite a few BTU's! I used to stick stuff by the outlet until I ripped it out and put in a Wave. Good energy use.

 

[Lighthawk]

I always wonder if I can put an exhaust port on my house furnace to heat a greenhouse. House = single family residence, not FWC

 

[chnlisle]

Clever idea.

 

[UglyScout]

I always wonder if I can put an exhaust port on my house furnace to heat a greenhouse. House = single family residence, not FWC


When I was a kid our house had a 30'x10' attached greenhouse and it was heated by the dryer duct. It would get HOT and HUMID!!

I'm not sure I'd try the furnace exhaust as you really don't want to be breathing too much of the exhaust.

 

[ntsqd]

Natural gas burns pretty clean, particularly if the designers kept the combustion temp under the NOx threshold. So long as there was a source for breathing air it could be very workable as a greenhouse heater/humidifier.

As for the PO's concept, perhaps a box that folds flat ala some of the camping firepits available, would work even better? Duct the furnace exhaust into the side and let it vent out of the top.

 

[billharr]

I always wonder if I can put an exhaust port on my house furnace to heat a greenhouse. House = single family residence, not FWC


If you have that much heat coming out of your heater you need a new one. My 96% heater uses PVC pipe for the exhaust.

 

[natjwest]

If you have that much heat coming out of your heater you need a new one. My 96% heater uses PVC pipe for the exhaust.

Bill, there's still a lot of hot air coming from that PVC. Especially during those cold winter and early spring months when a greenhouse needs heat for growing 'maters and eggplants.

I'm going to do the same plan at home since my tankless water heater throws out some nice exhaust heat and my garden is RIGHT THERE next to the outlet.

 

[Lighthawk]

My pulse furnace is 96% efficient, but 4% of 80k BTU is quite a bit.