Ya if you could slow down the draft your wood would last longer in the stove.Locate the air intakes and partially cover with heat tape.I know it's crazy when the new modern stove provides less heat times than the old so-called smoke dragons.Go figure !
Can chimney cap affect burn time
- Thread starter etiger2007
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I don't think the answer is as simple as some are making it. What I found when I owned a non cat was the stove would peak say at 650+ hang there for a bit then make a steady fall until it was down to no usable heat. The stove room and the house would get uncomfortable during that high peak temp then cold while I let the coals burn down.
The cat stove for me gives me better control over the way the heat is released into the room/house. If your house needs that high 600+ heat to maintain temps I'll agree the cat stove won't do much better. What I think you'll find is a stove temp that is steady in the 400-500 range will maintain temps better than some think. With a longer steady burn you don't have to waste heat to warm the place back up. You can load and dial it down for the long haul without needing to add large amounts of heat back into the space. With a cat stove I don't get the peaks and valleys like I used to with the non cat.
I'm not sure what cat inserts are available that would fit your fireplace though and we all know inserts don't heat as well as free standing stoves so you mileage may very. In the end it sounds like your stove is doing a fine job most of the time and may fall a little short when it gets cold. Normally that cold isn't the meat of the heating season but so far this year has been different.
It is easy to heat my house , it's been remodeled and insulated well, that's why I think and I don't have or never used a cat stove so I kinda pull 400 surface temp out if the air ( I know it's the low end for my stove ) that a stove around 400-450 for eight hours would heat the place just fine and give me a break from tending the fire. My stove does do a good job , I loaded up five kinda small to medium red oak splits at 3pm and it's currently 615pm 74 in the house , stove top is just under 400. It's snowing and it's 22 outside .
Temps in the teens and single digits it doesn't keep up ,tending the fire every 3/4 hours. I know it could be worse!
Man three hours of heat and tending the fire every 3/4 an hour sounds like your burning with the draft wide open.Is your draft gauge working?
With a stove your size you should be getting 6 or seven hours of heat easily.Check to see if your draft gauge is working correctly.Man your wood is burning as if your draft is wide open.Did you try the heat tape ?Some draft caps induce draft though I couldn't make out yours.Even so you have to be able to slow the draft down.You can also try to use heat tape to partially block off the opening at the draft gauge and also make sure all is tight at door and ash door if you have one.
There is a hole on the primary air plate that is about the size of a dime, I took heat tape and blocked that off half way. Since then and Ive had a couple fires if I closed the air too soon I will lose all flames, this has never happened before on a well established fire so I know Im dealing with a strong draft. As far as the fires go , the fires seem more managable than before heres what happened. I dont start a new fire before work so I start up cold when I get home from work.
1. First fire since heat tape, it was high teens outside at night loaded up four red oak splits medium in size around 9pm, woke up to a 250 degree stove top at 4am and the furnace was kicking on , lots of coals to easily start a new fire but I didnt. Furnace was set to 68.
2. Second night fire since heat tape, Loaded up two medium ash splits with two black locust medium splits at 9pm , this night it was 20 outside, house was 73 when I went to bed digital themostat set at 68, got up at 4am to a huge coal bed and the house was 71 and the furnace never kicked on all night. Stove was still kicking some heat and the stove top was just below 300.
Since adding the heat tape the I have to adjust the air in smaller increments or I lose flames. I have great secondaries and my glass stays clean. Im not sure If I have any smoke coming from chimney becasue Im firing up later in the day and cant see chimney smoke because its night out. I will be able to do that this weekend. I can tell you one thing my flames are alot more lazy than they ever been. I may cover more of the hole but not seal it completly this weekend. I have more tuning to do.
I was tending the stove every 3 to 4 hours thats is not 3/4 of an hour.
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It sounds like your heat tape fine tuning is a way to go.Ya I wouldn't cover the hole as you reasoned.The stove needs to get some air just keep tweeking.Take care.
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