How hot do you run your stove?

The IR will just give you the surface reading so no worries. In fact, it is very interesting to have one and then check different areas of the stove. You will probably be amazed at the differences in those temperatures.

The only difference between a thermometer for the flue or stove top is the recommended temperatures. Still gives the same output readings.

Backwoods Savage said:

Still gives the same output readings.

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that is why I have been able to switch it back and forth. Still, if I can find one cheap on Amazon or e-bay it might be nice. Thanks for all your help.

dyerkutn said:

My alderea T5 manual does not give maximum temps--just says the stove and pipe should not be glowing red (that is a scary image), so maybe I will contact them. However, it does say to make sure wood has charred before starting to close air down. However, my experience over the last few weeks is that if, on a reload, I wait till the wood is charred all over even on the ends, the flue gets awfully hot. I follow advice on this forum to close air down once flue reaches red zone (450-500 single wall magnetic therm) so I don't get the flue too hot and if I get too ambitious and it dies down, just give it a little more air.

oops--my original quotes and replies got a bit mixed up sorry.

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You are in a place I seldom visit at 450-500 on flue pipe surface. At 400 the probe reads over 850. I shoot for 500-600 on the probe that gives me 300-400 surface temps after a long burn as surface temp moves very slow. Even worse if I use a fan to blow cold air in at the stove room surface temp drops 100F and probe stays the same.

I hit 785 stove top on the 30 last night. The front of the glass was at 867. Wasn't my plan, the stove decided to go for a ride. Still got 10 hours of usable heat for me.

Stove room was a little warm.

Is there some instituted standard for "flue temp" ?

I don't see much value to it if stove A has the thermometer 3 inches above the stove, Stove B 12 inches above and Stove C stuck to the chimney cap.

billb3 said:

Is there some instituted standard for "flue temp" ?

I don't see much value to it if stove A has the thermometer 3 inches above the stove, Stove B 12 inches above and Stove C stuck to the chimney cap.

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Every time I've ever seen it discussed, the flue thermometer is somewhere close to 12" - 18" above the stove top. There will be almost no difference in the steady-state temperature between 12" and 18", although you will see differences during times of rapid heating (eg. reload in bypass on a cat stove).

hman said:

I run my Kuma from 300-650.I run the blower on low when it is real cold and windy.

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just wondering... what is advantage of running the blower on low when its real cold/windy ? Typicially i been running mine on high for more heat output but maybe thats not the correct strategy.

BrowningBAR said:

I hit 785 stove top on the 30 last night. The front of the glass was at 867. Wasn't my plan, the stove decided to go for a ride. Still got 10 hours of usable heat for me.

Stove room was a little warm.

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785 is nothing! On a large load of oak my stove will get to 850 without breaking a sweat. That is with the air all the way shut down and nuclear secondaries. The 30's really like to run on thier own with a large load of wood and good draft.

I have no idea. No thermometer.

Before i fixed my draft issue i could not get the 30 over 600. Now it will go to 800 on low air if im not careful.

BurnIt13 said:

785 is nothing! On a large load of oak my stove will get to 850 without breaking a sweat.

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My stove never sweats, but I do, any time the stovetop goes above 700F. Always a case of me forgetting to turn down the air soon enough, these stoves can easily hold temps as low as 300F on a full load, at minimum air setting.

Agreed! But with the 30 some times you have no choice. It will do that on a fresh load from a cold stove. Once the secondaries get going it will run like hell even with the air shut down all the way. Only thing you can do is turn the fan on high and pucker up.

I've read quite a number of posts that involve the discussion of stove temperatures. I think a lot of the temperatures posted are not very hard data since we don't know if the posted temperature was recorded at the proper spot on the stove. I'll give you an example: The manual for my Jotul F600 says you should take your temperature readings by placing a magnetic thermometer on one of the four corners on the top. When I first got the stove up and running I experimented taking readings from all four corners with both a magnetic thermometer and an IR gun. I found there was as much as a 75 degree difference between the highest and lowest corner temperatures. When I took a reading off the center of the top I got a reading that was 250 degrees hotter than the coolest corner reading.

I doubt my stove is unique in this variance, so unless we know that the posted temperatures have actually been taken from the correct spot (according to the manufacturer) we could be talking numbers that radically different when two stove are actually both burning at the same temperature. I've been around enough wood burners to know that they are like most people in that they like to present themselves in the best light possible. What better way to show your acumen as a top notch burner than to post high stove temperatures and long burn times, since that is what we strive for in most instances. I'd suggest we all pull out our manuals and refresh our memories on where we should be taking temperature readings on our stoves before we post a temperature if we aren't absolutely certain we are already following the stove manufacturer's specs on taking temperature readings.

begreen,
What you just said is exactly what I was talking about. When you don't take your reading from the place the stove manufacturer recommends then we don't know how to interpret the reading that is posted. As I mentioned, my particular stove calls for readings to be taken on one of the top corners. The manual also says that users should burn at temperatures between 400F - 600F. When my stove is burning at 500F as measured on one of the top corners the center of the stove top is running close to 700F. So, it would make a big difference if I posted a question regarding how my stove is functioning and I posted a temperature of 700F and did not explain that this reading was taken from the hottest spot on the stove and not where readings are supposed to be taken. It would be difficult for others to give me accurate feedback when they tried to answer my question. A person could point out that I'm burning 100 degrees hotter than what my stove was designed to burn at, when in reality I'm actually right in the middle of the recommended range when the temperature is taken where it's supposed to be recorded.

So far iv always been able to tame a hot fire by adjusting the air to the minimum on the 30. It will still cruise at 600 but not 800+ . But even a small increase in the sir adjustment can send the stovetop to 800.

Dyerkutn,
I agree with Ddhlgren. I would not redline the flue temp before starting to shut down for a long burn. The orange zone is the operating zone. I would try starting to shut down when you get to an internal temp of 500 and see how that works for you. The flue temp will continue to rise.