Runaway 30-NC

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cdcarter82

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Sep 30, 2014
45
Magnolia, DE
After changing my shorts, I thought I would post here... Just caught my 30-NC running away from me. Started smelling hot steel, so I checked with my IR thermo - 1020 F!

Luckily I read here more than I post, and quickly opened the door, and put a fireplace screen in front of the stove. Opened up some windows to let in some cold air, and said a prayer. The sound of the draft going up the chimney was intense! I went outside to check the chimney top to make sure it wasn't shooting flames or embers. Thankfully it was very uneventful outside.

After a few minutes, stove top was down to 750 and falling, so I closed the door, and directed a fan on the stove. I have a 16" metal floor fan that blows on the stove to help circulate heat upstairs. Stovetop now at 650, and stove room around 95.

Thanks for the forum for wise advise I was able to keep my cool when my stove couldnt. First year burning with the stove, and have not had any problems to speak of other than this. Basement install, and have been burning Ash that has been split an stacked since early spring. Not the ideal wood, but it has been burning without much problems. I hope to get up on the roof after it warms up a bit to check the liner for any build up. Have burned approx 1 cord so far this winter mostly as supplemental heat.
 
How did it get up to that temp?
 
I honestly dont know, possibly excessive draft with this cold weather? I put in a full load when I got home from work on a cold stove. Raked the leftover coals from this morning, and put in a fresh load of wood. Choked it down once it got to about 450 as usual. We were eating dinner in front of it, when i started smelling the hot steel, so i checked it then.

I did not see anything out of the normal with the burn characteristics. I do have a 25' chimney with the basement install, but its never done anything close to this, although I do regularly see temps around 750 without the fan on it.
 
I will add that I did not see anything glowing, on the sides, or top of the stove. The stove is tucked into a masonry fireplace, so I cant see the liner above the first foot or so out of the stove. The appliance connector was at 500. It is now crusing at the normal 575-600 degrees, and the connector at about 400
 
Were the splits extra dry or thinner than usual?

If I had a basement install I would have a remote alarm system for sure. I get distracted too easily.
 
There were about 8 splits, 4 were about 6" square, 2 were thin / smaller than usual, and the others were normal 4" or so. I split them thinner in the spring for faster drying, but I wouldnt say that I put in anything smaller than usual this time.
 
You beat me by 20 degrees. I only got up to a thousand the night I discovered that swinging the door open brings it down. A last ditch effort since it was headed on up. Do not stack the wood higher than the top of the brick retainers. Once it gets to around 450 and the bark and exposed dry surfaces of the stuff stuck up high around the burn tubes lights off to char, all hell breaks loose with the secondary tubes torching the stuff on top.
 
Thanks BB. I believe it was one of your many posts that stuck in my mind and told me to open the door. I did stuff it in there tonight, up to the tubes. I think I will stick with slightly smaller loads from now on. I've done it in the past without issues, but it only takes 1 time do screw things up.
 
I had no idea about opening the door and opening the draft all the way. That's good to know ::-)
 
How far back was the air cut prior to it taking off?
 
cdcarter82 said:
I think I will stick with slightly smaller loads from now on.
Click to expand...

Yeah it took me some time to find that stacked to the roof just wastes wood and underwear. Ya get the same burn times without the drama. All the load to the roof thing does is overheat the stove and blow the BTUs up the chimney during your pause to reflect time while it is running too hot.
 
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After it got to the inial 450, I closed down the intake to about 25% or so, I think the spring was about even with the ash lip.

Im thinking that I over loaded the stove. That combined with the extra draft this evening with temps down in single digits (first time this year) caused this. I had packed the stove pretty tight, up to the tubes.

I'm going to pay more attention to my burning teqniques to prevent this from happening again! It shook me up a bit, and thats I feelingI dont need on a common occurance.
 
Another thing us stand alones in a fireplace guys deal with is the heat trapped that the stove can't shuck out into the room. Like wrapping the stove in an insulation blanket. The hotter it gets, the hotter it gets and the harder the draft pulls.

In 2006 when I bought my 30 I met Bob Pennington, the fellow that designed the stove, in his burn lab at ESW. When I told him the back half was in a fireplace and the pipe was 21' straight to the sky he winced, turned to his work bench and handed me a roll of aluminum tape. Don't think anybody ever dreamed somebody would install one like that.
 
I have to admit, I thought about putting a smaller stove in, but I'm glad I went with the 30. Great stove I noticed a big difference with adding fans. The one 16" bowing into one side of the stove. The hot air blows out the other side of the fireplace. I didn't have the clearance to add the included fan on the back.

It keeps the upstairs of a 1300sf ranch, around 68. Partially finished basement, stove room approx 800 sf. I do have another fan ciculating on first floor too. (It did get a bit warmer tonight, but not worth the touble)
 
You can also try cutting the air back even more. I have 27' of liner and I must cut mine back all the way.
There are not many things I disagree with BB on, but I do load my insert FULL, and do get longer burn times. Mine runs just as hot with a lower load, then it does with a load to the roof, but burns longer.
Yours may be able to accept the air cut back even more, or even all the way. Not all can,. but many do. Something worth experimenting with. My insert at 25%, or even just cracked, when up to temp, will skyrocket.
 
Try shutting the air all the way down. Especially in these super cold temps that suck the draft like a freight train. Not everyone can cut it off completely but I can without any problem. I also have magnets covering part of the air inlet holes. Every system is different and although no one wants to smolder it is better to learn the system backwards from run away. See what makes I smolder and adjust from there as apposed to finding out what not to do and have it run away on you.
 
BrotherBart said:
Yeah it took me some time to find that stacked to the roof just wastes wood and underwear. Ya get the same burn times without the drama. All the load to the roof thing does is overheat the stove and blow the BTUs up the chimney during your pause to reflect time while it is running too hot.
Click to expand...

I can't bring myself to leaving that space open when it's this cold, no way.

I routinely pack it to the secondary tubes and never had any problems with it overheating while getting great burn times (I have a thermometer to show the max temp that it reaches).

Shutting down the air sooner would have likely prevented the 1000+ degree stove top for the OP. There are far too many variables involved and experiences are going to vary.
 
BrotherBart said:
Another thing us stand alones in a fireplace guys deal with is the heat trapped that the stove can't shuck out into the room. Like wrapping the stove in an insulation blanket. The hotter it gets, the hotter it gets and the harder the draft pulls.

In 2006 when I bought my 30 I met Bob Pennington, the fellow that designed the stove, in his burn lab at ESW. When I told him the back half was in a fireplace and the pipe was 21' straight to the sky he winced, turned to his work bench and handed me a roll of aluminum tape. Don't think anybody ever dreamed somebody would install one like that.
Click to expand...

Yes always nice to have some aluminum tape around to close off the secondary holes when a stove gets too hot.
 
Did you melt anything in the stove? Any saggy stuff?
 
This overheating situation has me thinking about installing a damper in my flu pipe above the stove . I've had no issues but I do have a 30' inside chimney with a strong draft ..............
 
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No damage that I could tell. After it cooled to about 450 I got down and looked up at the baffle and tubes. It looked as if nothing happened. I checked it out again this morning before I left for work. No discoloration to the outside of the box, no visible damage to the inside.
 
cdcarter82 said:
No damage that I could tell. After it cooled to about 450 I got down and looked up at the baffle and tubes. It looked as if nothing happened. I checked it out again this morning before I left for work. No discoloration to the outside of the box, no visible damage to the inside.
Click to expand...

Nice! I get really spooked and attentive when the thermometer passes 700. So far, the stove has been easy for me to reign in when I get uncomfortable and I haven't had a runaway yet.
 
Highbeam said:
Nice! I get really spooked and attentive when the thermometer passes 700. So far, the stove has been easy for me to reign in when I get uncomfortable and I haven't had a runaway yet.
Click to expand...

I bent it mostly back straight but the weakness in this stove (that I've found) is the airwash plate at the top of the door. It's really really thin. Look for sags here.

I've never had this stove over 750. Monitored excessively. It seems to be holding so maybe some sort of built in manufacturing flaw? The stove has some very well thought out design features but a little more heft here would be great.
 

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