EPA stove pipe temps

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fhon

Member
Jan 24, 2013
88
PA
Hi guys,

I bought one of the EPA certified Englander wood stoves recently and wanted to see if I could get any input on these temperature readings.

With it I am often under the "Burn Zone" on the stove pipe thermometer. For example, right now the stove top temperature is at about 550 while the stove pipe temperature is just under 250. The manufacturer told me this is not unusual for these EPA stoves because less of the heat is going up the chimney. However I haven't been able to find any information about this or anything on what temperatures I should expect.

Any input would be greatly appreciated
 
A basic rule of thumb is to take the temp X2 if you are reading surface temp (in comparison to internal temp). So your 250F reading of the surface is equal to roughly 500F internal temp. Not a bad place to be in my opinion.
 
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How far above the flue collar is the stove pipe thermo placed? It sounds like you are ok. The actual flue gas temp in the pipe is much higher than the surface thermometer will read. It can be 1.5 to 2x hotter. Also, later in the burn cycle the flue temps will drop, but if the fire is in the charcoal stage (no flame) it's past the creosote production stage of the fire.
 
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Okay. Thanks guys, i was just a little concerned seeing as how the thermometer is meant to measure surface temperatures and its still reads out of range. It's about 27 inches above the collar.
 
Just for kicks try moving it down to 18" and see if it reads much higher.
 
Is it possible that you are using a stove top thermo instead of a stove pipe thermo? The temp ranges are different. A stove PIPE thermo:
chimgaurd.jpg

And a stove TOP:
S-top.jpg
 
Thanks, I'm feeling a lot better about this now.

I moved it to 18 inches and it seems to have made a little difference but not too much.

The thermometer type makes a lot of sense. Both of mine are somewhere between these two with the burn zone being between 275 and 575.
 
Ignore the zones and go by the temperature. Your stove is pretty darn efficient. It's trying to burn all the wood gas in the stove instead of sending it up the flue.
 
The set up seems to have a lot to do with flue temps as much as the stove.
 
My englander epa nc13 has single wall going out of it I have a magnetic thermo on it about a foot up and after the fire gets going mine typically reads at 425 before it goes to the coal stage
 
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