Help...i'm cold and cannot figure out what's wrong w/ this wood stove

[Peaceful Angel]

Bought an Ashley wood stove this summer, good condition, 2nd hand, for remodeled 800 sf house, professionally installed w/ chimney pipe, etc. Have a good selection of cut wood. House is well insulated, new insulation. Have used a wood stove for 10 yrs prior, not an Ashley, an Olympic which did a great job of heating a similiar structure on my property...well, that structure had stone walls. I do not know why, but this house is always cold, very cold, even colder than outside. (for San Diego, that is--but we are having a cold spell now). This is a mid range size, should be adequate for this small house. Vent is open...plenty of wood. At night, it's marginally ok, but still not getting the whole house toasty as I would expect and had before w/ the Olympic in the other place. What can be wrong???? Thanks so much. I'm a single woman w/o a guy to help her! Kitty

 

[kingquad]

How long has the wood been cut, split, and stacked? Did you buy it or cut it yourself? This sounds like wet wood.

 

[Grisu]

Hi Peaceful Angel, welcome to the forum! Could you answer a few questions? Do you have a model number of your stove or could you post a picture? Knowing which stove you have will be helpful. How long has your wood been seasoned which means cut, split and stacked in the open? Does the stove get hot at all? What is the stove top temperature? You say the vent is open...could that be the air control? Have you tried closing it partially once the fire is established?

 

[Danno77]

make sure your AC isn't fighting the stove

 

[Peaceful Angel]

How long has the wood been cut, split, and stacked? Did you buy it or cut it yourself? This sounds like wet wood.

No, wood is absolutely dry. Seasoned eucalyptus and oak. Wood is not the problem.

 

[Ashful]

I'm a single woman w/o a guy to help her! Kitty

...could you post a picture?

Aren't you supposed to ask about her interests first?

j/k.... Kitty, do you have a stove-top thermometer? How does the stove react when getting the fire started... does it tend to extinguish when you close the doors? These answers would help confirm the wet wood theory.

 

[Peaceful Angel]

Hi Peaceful Angel, welcome to the forum! Could you answer a few questions? Do you have a model number of your stove or could you post a picture? Knowing which stove you have will be helpful. How long has your wood been seasoned which means cut, split and stacked in the open? Does the stove get hot at all? What is the stove top temperature? You say the vent is open...could that be the air control? Have you tried closing it partially once the fire is established?

Thanks. model # is on back, would need a mirror..hand mirror, don't have...I can try to figure out how to post a picture. It's Ashley, 25" wide, 16" deep, stands 26" tall including legs about 10". Glass door with slightly rounded top of door; good looking little stove. It's not a wood issue, am sure of that, using only seasoned dry split eucaly and oak, seasoned at least a year; Stove does get hot, v. hot to touch, but rest of room only marginally, and rest of house very little. Stove top temp? How to measure this? There is only one lever type pull out thingie and I believe this is the air control. I leave it open. This stove has a blower. I leave blower on low. Thanks again so much for your help. I had the HVAC people out here on Sat as I can't live w/ this level of cold and they said the wood stove should be heating the whole place better, right size for this house.

 

[Peaceful Angel]

Aren't you supposed to ask about her interests first?

j/k.... Kitty, do you have a stove-top thermometer? How does the stove react when getting the fire started... does it tend to extinguish when you close the doors? These answers would help confirm the wet wood theory.

No, don't have a stove top thermometer, where do I get one? Fire is easy to start w/ newspaper and right amt of kindling, a big blazing fire I know how to do this...stove gets hot, but room only heats marginally, not sufficient, as I said, and the rest of house, small house, still cold.

 

[Peaceful Angel]

make sure your AC isn't fighting the stove

What does this mean? Haven't a clue....

 

[Peaceful Angel]

Aren't you supposed to ask about her interests first?

j/k.... Kitty, do you have a stove-top thermometer? How does the stove react when getting the fire started... does it tend to extinguish when you close the doors? These answers would help confirm the wet wood theory.

ok, will try to post a photo...anything to get some heat!!

 

[Danno77]

What does this mean? Haven't a clue....

it means that if you don't turn off your AC then when the place warms up from the wood stove your AC will turn on.

 

[Peaceful Angel]

it means that if you don't turn off your AC then when the place warms up from the wood stove your AC will turn on.

no, don't have air conditioning, no HVAC system...how do I upload a photo? (of stove, and of me)

 

[Peaceful Angel]

ok so here's a photo of me...

 

[rideau]

OK.

You should start to shut down that air control as your stove fire gets larger. Once the wood is fully engaged in flame, you should only have your air open maybe 1/4 - you'll have to see how much you can reduce the air and keep a nice fire going. If you leave the air completely open, you are sending a lot of air very quickly through the stove, and you are building a good draft and sending all your heat up the chimney. You want to keep it in the stove, so you give it time to radiate out of the stove into the home. So, start shutting that air down.

 

[TradEddie]

Everyone here will doubt that you actually do have seasoned wood, oak can easily take two years to season properly, but assuming well seasoned wood, it sounds like leaving the air control fully open is the problem. With properly dried wood, the air control should be almost fully closed once the fire is going well, otherwise, you are just sending all that heat up the chimney.

TE

 

[Peaceful Angel]

OK.

You should start to shut down that air control as your stove fire gets larger. Once the wood is fully engaged in flame, you should only have your air open maybe 1/4 - you'll have to see how much you can reduce the air and keep a nice fire going. If you leave the air completely open, you are sending a lot of air very quickly through the stove, and you are building a good draft and sending all your heat up the chimney. You want to keep it in the stove, so you give it time to radiate out of the stove into the home. So, start shutting that air down.

That could be the problem....i will try that....it's so cold now, I don't usually build a day time fire...but want to try out your theory. THANKS.

 

[Ashful]

There's a button on the lower right portion of your screen labeled "Upload a file". This is how you upload the photo. It will appear as a link below where you type, and then you can select a button next to each photo you upload to attach it to your post. A pretty nice feature that most forums don't have.

You can buy the stovetop thermometer at any stove shop or from amazon.com. I like the Condars I have, and I read mostly positive reviews about them here. Avoid the Rutland gauge, as many here have posted problems with that gauge.

Your mention of the farthest rooms getting very cold almost sounds like the problems us open fireplace folks have... they draw so much make-up air that it makes rooms not adjacent to the fire actually get colder, rather than warmer. You are burning with the doors closed tight, right?

edit: Doh! TradEddie types faster than me. Doors open, air control wide open, something seems to be drawing much make-up air.

 

[Peaceful Angel]

Everyone here will doubt that you actually do have seasoned wood, oak can easily take two years to season properly, but assuming well seasoned wood, it sounds like leaving the air control fully open is the problem. With properly dried wood, the air control should be almost fully closed once the fire is going well, otherwise, you are just sending all that heat up the chimney.

TE

The oak is seasoned at least two years..it's from my property...so i know...Am going to try adjusting the air control...THANKS. one cold kitten...

 

[clemsonfor]

It's not a wood issue, am sure of that, using only seasoned dry split eucaly and oak, seasoned at least a year; Stove does get hot, v. hot to touch, but rest of room only marginally, and rest of house very little. .

I think you answered your own question. 1 year oak is not going to be dry if it was green when cut and split. If it was it will still be about 35%MC instead of less than 20% which is considered dry by these guys. Some stoves wont burn wood that wet and put out much heat others will, its a model specific thing.

My stove in the house will burn it fine and put out good heat, at the farm then smaller stove wont burn wood that wet and put out decent heat, just depends.

 

[Grisu]

You can also try to find a picture on the web. (e. g. Google images; search for "ashley stove") Maybe any of those? http://ashleyhearthproducts.com/products/wood-stoves

You can find a stove thermometer in most hardware stores, stove supply stores or on the web. People here seem to prefer the Condar products. Alternatively, an IR thermometer will also work well.

I have the feeling you are leaving the air control fully open which means most of your heat goes up the chimney. Once you have a fire fully going (usually ~15 min from cold start), start stepwise to close it down. First one quarter, wait 5 min, another quarter and so on. If you barely see any flames anymore open it up again a little bit and wait until you have a good fire going. At the end, you may have it fully closed or still a little bit open.You should see flames coming out from the air tubes at the top of the firebox. When my stove is running well I cannot put my hand closer to the stove than maybe 4 inches for a few seconds without fear of burning it. Thus, I have the feeling your stove is not getting hot enough.

 

[clemsonfor]

The oak is seasoned at least two years..it's from my property...so i know...Am going to try adjusting the air control...THANKS. one cold kitten...

Where did you get this Traeddie quote? I dont see it? reason i ask is i just posted this and dont want to write the same thing someone else did? But also maybe he deleted it after posted and i did not see it as i was composing?

 

[Peaceful Angel]

There's a button on the lower right portion of your screen labeled "Upload a file". This is how you upload the photo. It will appear as a link below where you type, and then you can select a button next to each photo you upload to attach it to your post. A pretty nice feature that most forums don't have.

You can buy the stovetop thermometer at any stove shop or from amazon.com. I like the Condars I have, and I read mostly positive reviews about them here. Avoid the Rutland gauge, as many here have posted problems with that gauge.

Your mention of the farthest rooms getting very cold almost sounds like the problems us open fireplace folks have... they draw so much make-up air that it makes rooms not adjacent to the fire actually get colder, rather than warmer. You are burning with the doors closed tight, right?

edit: Doh! TradEddie types faster than me. Doors open, air control wide open, something seems to be drawing much make-up air.

Don't know if my photo posted or not...i tried...let me know... Yes, burning w/ doors closed tight. Kitty

 

[Peaceful Angel]

You can also try to find a picture on the web. (e. g. Google images; search for "ashley stove") Maybe any of those? http://ashleyhearthproducts.com/products/wood-stoves

You can find a stove thermometer in most hardware stores, stove supply stores or on the web. People here seem to prefer the Condar products. Alternatively, an IR thermometer will also work well.

I have the feeling you are leaving the air control fully open which means most of your heat goes up the chimney. Once you have a fire fully going (usually ~15 min from cold start), start stepwise to close it down. First one quarter, wait 5 min, another quarter and so on. If you barely see any flames anymore open it up again a little bit and wait until you have a good fire going. At the end, you may have it fully closed or still a little bit open.You should see flames coming out from the air tubes at the top of the firebox. When my stove is running well I cannot put my hand closer to the stove than maybe 4 inches for a few seconds without fear of burning it. Thus, I have the feeling your stove is not getting hot enough.

ok, this is a plan...w/ the air control...thanks!! Just to clarify...stove is not getting hot enough because of the air control being fully open as I have had it? Thanks again. Kitty

 

[clemsonfor]

Don't know if my photo posted or not...i tried...let me know... Yes, burning w/ doors closed tight. Kitty

nope. I dont think your clicking the upload button, maybe selecting a pic but not actually attaching it to the thread?

I see the tradeddie post now, it wasent there before i hit refresh??

 

[clemsonfor]

This is not one of those old school ugly box things that look like a grate on a speaker grill is it that the front hinges and you put wood into it like a newspaper box is it?