Running stove with door open

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J

jtcedinburgh

New Member
Sep 19, 2006
133
Fife Riviera, Scotland
Hi all,

I've recently taken to opening the stove door once the main flames have died down and the coals are glowing. I find I get substantially more heat out into the room in doing this. Of course, I'm always present when I do this and I make sure that I keep an eye on it, but other than safety, are there any reasons why I shouldn't do this?

I'm wondering whether I'm effectively creating an 'open fire' situation, but as I'm getting much more heat I don't mind that the coals don't last so long (in my stove the burn cycles are short anyway.

Anyone?

john
 
I would think tho your getting "Radiant Heat" with your door open its going to cause a huge volume of draft of your inside air to to get sucked up and go right up the stack.

Take a cigarette / sent sticks / blown out candle and hold it in front of your door and watch the smoke get pulled into the stove.
 
Hard to say if you'd lose more heat than you are putting into the room. I know if I have a nice bed of coals and I throw that door open the heat that comes out is unreal. But I'm talking a 4-5" bed of red hot coals that is 16" wide and two feet long.
Anywoo...I don't leave my door open for any length of time. My manual discourages this as well.
 
I've wondered the same thing, with a deep bed of coals and the door wide open I cant get too close its real hot. Seems like if its pen for too long you might as well just be burning in the fireplace which we all no isnt efficient.
 
You will get more radiant heat right out the front door but end up with a net loss in the house equal to opening a similar sized window (the size of the flue) but amplified by the higher drafting of a hot chimney.
 
You'll also notice that the coals will glow brighter also. The reason for that is a huge increase in the air volume going into the stove and up the chimney. Because the coals glow brighter the amount of radiant heat is increased, but the air is also taking a lot of the convection heat up the chimney. You might find that your stove top temp actually drops. I didn't confirm this since I don't have a thermometer, but maybe someone could try that tonight and see.
 
Is there a screen on the stove when the door is open? Some coals will spark and pop as they heat up. I've had this happen with just coal and sometimes it's enough to throw a spark out of the stove.
 
I would never try that burning Cedar.... It pops like mad, youd have burn marks all over.
 
John net effect is that more heat is going to get out into that room with the coals warming the stove. You get a short shot of extra radient heat with the door open but shorten the life of the coals. With the door closed those coals are warming the stove body, therefore the room for longer than the radient heat will warm it with the door open.

And as has been said, just as much heat is being sucked out of the room and up the chimney as the coals are radiating when the door is open. Your body may get warm standing in front of it but your room is getting cooler from cold air drawn in from a gazillion little air leaks in your house.
 
now what if you damper down like 90% and then open it up with a nice hot bed of coals? Wouldnt that stop the air going up the chimney?
 
firewatcher said:
now what if you damper down like 90% and then open it up with a nice hot bed of coals? Wouldnt that stop the air going up the chimney?
Click to expand...

If you are talking about "dampering down" the primary air inlet, no. The open door will give it all the air it wants and more. Right up the chimney. Taking your heat with it.

If you are talking about a stove pipe damper, close it and open the door and it will give you all of the smoke and carbon monoxide you would ever want for the rest of your thirty minute life.
 
Thanks for clarifying that for me, folks. Guess I'll leave that door closed. I feel more comfortable with it closed anyway, no worries about things sparking as someone said...
 
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