Any tricks to soften the heat off a steel stove?

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Sconnie Burner

Sconnie Burner

Feeling the Heat
Aug 23, 2014
488
Western Wi
Loaded the Quad full of oak this morning after an all night burn which kept the house at 70. It cooked me out of the family room in the basement but brought the upstairs back up to 72 quickly and beyond. Am I alright turning it down so that a touch of smoke comes out of the chimney beyond the 20 mins after start up? To keep the temp spike down a little. So I don't get it so overheated? Stove temp never exceeded 675 with the blower on but would like to not have to run it if avoidable. I would make sure it wasn't for the full duration of the burn just more to mellow out any super crazy secondaries taking off.

I usually sweep every other month and its quite easy as I have a clean out T on the bottom of my exterior chimney. So if thats an ok cure I'm good with that.

Obviously I can add less wood but dont like to have to reload it so often. And I dont feel I get as good of efficiency out of the stove/load. Or is that going to just be a trade off?
 
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You can maybe turn down the air sooner but once they start the secondary burn there's no turning back. Get some fans and blow the air around or you could get a cat stove.
 
realstihl said:
You can maybe turn down the air sooner but once they start the secondary burn there's no turning back. Get some fans and blow the air around or you could get a cat stove.
Click to expand...

Yup, thats on the radar if I buy this place or buy a house in general. The Ideal Steel has caught my eye for sure. Just renting from a friend right now and the stove was already here. I have been playing with fan configurations. Blowing at the stove just doesnt seem to evacuate the heat fast enough. On the next load I'm going to point a pivoting box fan, sitting next to the stove, at the cieling to rush the air up the stairwell opening faster. I know it goes against the grain of reccomendation here but every setup is unique so we'll see what happens.
 
I've had the same issue. What I have done is put registers in the floor to the next level. It really relieves some of the heat to the upstairs. Is the ceiling of the family room insulated?
 
JA600L said:
I've had the same issue. What I have done is put registers in the floor to the next level. It really relieves some of the heat to the upstairs. Is the ceiling of the family room insulated?
Click to expand...
Don't want to steal the thread, but I'd like to see your setup. I've thought about doing it. Thanks!
 
Sconnie Burner said:
Loaded the Quad full of oak this morning after an all night burn which kept the house at 70. It cooked me out of the family room in the basement but brought the upstairs back up to 72 quickly and beyond. Am I alright turning it down so that a touch of smoke comes out of the chimney beyond the 20 mins after start up? To keep the temp spike down a little. So I don't get it so overheated? Stove temp never exceeded 675 with the blower on but would like to not have to run it if avoidable. I would make sure it wasn't for the full duration of the burn just more to mellow out any super crazy secondaries taking off.

I usually sweep every other month and its quite easy as I have a clean out T on the bottom of my exterior chimney. So if thats an ok cure I'm good with that.

Obviously I can add less wood but dont like to have to reload it so often. And I dont feel I get as good of efficiency out of the stove/load. Or is that going to just be a trade off?
Click to expand...

So your problem is that in order to keep the house comfortable you need to overheat the stove room? Or is your problem that you can't run the stove cooler without smoking?

If you can't run the stove between 400 and 600 without smoke and this is an epa quad then it is a fuel problem.
 
My first thought is to not load a full load of oak if you want softer heat. That's going to give you pretty much the max heat output for the stove. Put 2 splits in at a time.
 
Just thinking out loud to get others opinions.
How about a stovepipe damper to reduce flow when warranted? You'd lose some efficiency from the secondary burn but it should be easier to control temp output. When it gets colder keep it open and use the stove as intended.

And I second the ideal steel. That's my next stove.
 
Smoke when I try to run it a little cooler (smothered). I should add that with the primary closed all the way I had crazy flames still. Like close to over fire mode. I've shut it down in various configurations of steps and end up at 700 no matter what I try. I even modified the primary and secondaries with magnets to slow it down. My wood is all under 20 verified with a mm. I think I'm just having trouble getting the air out of the area of the stove. And I would imagine an overdraft with these cold of temps!

Here's how the stove sits:
Forum couch area
20150104_141830.jpg

From stairwell
20150104_141656.jpg

I have no problem keeping the upstairs between 72-74 (outside temp of 1 and some solar gain) with the stove set as tight as it is allowed by stops on the levers during the start and middle of a burn. I would actually not mind it a tad cooler. My basement ends up about 82-84. Which is great in the morning shorts and t-shirt pajamas! But not with pants. With the fan where it sits in the pic it is a little cooler right now, but also a little smaller load.
 
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My wife works in home but with a newborn consuming her time, I want to beable to load the stove before leaving for work and not have her worry about it. But in the same token she wants to sit downstairs by the tv and not be cooked DONE like dinner! Ahhh the trade offs!
 
Highbeam said:
So your problem is that in order to keep the house comfortable you need to overheat the stove room? Or is your problem that you can't run the stove cooler without smoking?

If you can't run the stove between 400 and 600 without smoke and this is an epa quad then it is a fuel problem.
Click to expand...

Its an epa 3100 step top. Just replaced the glass gasket and the upper baffle blanket this fall. Door gasket passes the dollar bill test. So it should be running at max efficiency. Obviously too well! Refer to prior post as far as no matter how I shut it down it likes 700.
 
Congrats on the little one! Pretty setup, also.
I second the idea of mixing in lower btu wood or smaller loads. I did this in warmer weather to even out a small epa non cat I had previously. I often woke to the sound of the heat pump going, but didn't get cooked out .

Not familiar with the clearances to combustibles on your stove...but is that wood too close?
 
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osagebow said:
Congrats on the little one!

Not familiar with the clearances to combustibles on your stove...but is that wood too close?
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Thanks!

I'm good. Its shielded on the sides. So 12" per the manual. I'm actually 17. The angle is a little deceiving. Corner clearance recommended is 6" and I'm 17 from the closest, rear corner even. As the stove is some what chanted towards the stair way.
 
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Sconnie Burner said:
Loaded the Quad full of oak this morning after an all night burn which kept the house at 70. It cooked me out of the family room in the basement but brought the upstairs back up to 72 quickly and beyond. Am I alright turning it down so that a touch of smoke comes out of the chimney beyond the 20 mins after start up? To keep the temp spike down a little. So I don't get it so overheated? Stove temp never exceeded 675 with the blower on but would like to not have to run it if avoidable. I would make sure it wasn't for the full duration of the burn just more to mellow out any super crazy secondaries taking off.

I usually sweep every other month and its quite easy as I have a clean out T on the bottom of my exterior chimney. So if thats an ok cure I'm good with that.

Obviously I can add less wood but dont like to have to reload it so often. And I dont feel I get as good of efficiency out of the stove/load. Or is that going to just be a trade off?
Click to expand...
My neighbor filled his Quad up with wood shortly after he had it installed and about burnt himself out. Now he doesn't fill it up and it does a good job.
I think you will have to have your wife learn to reload the stove if you want less heat.
 
Dieselbreath said:
My neighbor filled his Quad up with wood shortly after he had it installed and about burnt himself out. Now he doesn't fill it up and it does a good job.
I think you will have to have your wife learn to reload the stove if you want less heat.
Click to expand...

Kinda what I'm thinking. Did a 4 log reload and it went much better.
 
When my stove area gets too warm I turn on the furnace fan. Just to cool things off a little
 
If you hit 700 temps while loaded, then half a load will probably get you to 500 no problem! Half load it!
 
Sconnie Burner said:
Obviously I can add less wood but dont like to have to reload it so often. And I dont feel I get as good of efficiency out of the stove/load. Or is that going to just be a trade off?
Click to expand...

Yes, that's the trade-off. Running a stove on half loads most of the time to get less heat will not be as efficient. (That's the reason I don't always support the "go larger" recommendations here.) On the other hand, stuffing it full that you cook yourself out of the house is not that efficient either.
 
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