Question about starting a cast iron stove in a very cold cottage

DougA · Oct 19, 2015

I have someone interested in buying my used Vermont Castings Resolute (built in '81) and they want to put it into a cottage that is used some weekends in the winter. Their concern is whether the cast iron might crack when going from 0 ::F

in an unheated cottage to 450 ::F

or more. I said I would post the question here because I thought that as long as you didn't start out with a fast, roaring fire and took it gradually from super cold to hot over 30 to 40 min., there should be no problem. I'd be concerned about doing this with a cheapie import (AKA Chinese) where the quality of the cast iron might be bad but I thought the VC's of old were one of the best made.

Since I have no personal experience with this, I promised to ask here and pass along the collective wisdom of the members. Suggestions? I will pass along the link so that we might have a new member also.

begreen · Oct 19, 2015

I'd have a bit of the same concern in that any flaw may get amplified. That said, car manifolds do this temp change daily in the cold north.

Batman · Oct 19, 2015

DougA said:
I... I said I would post the question here because I thought that as long as you didn't start out with a fast, roaring fire and took it gradually from super cold to hot over 30 to 40 min., there should be no problem....
.

Nailed it right there. A thermal 'shock' can indeed crack cast iron, but lighting a normal fire would gradually heat the stove. Can't see how it would matter if it were 50 deg/f or -100deg/f. Its hard to think of how one might warm it up too fast without using some kind of oxidizer or accelerant or black powder.

legrandice · Oct 19, 2015

We have done this for 36 years a few times a winter at my parents summer cottage. Most of the time this has been with a VC resolute or intrepid non cat. Currently the intrepid is up there. We have never had a problem. I think that a standard slow fire is fine. We have started the stove in some pretty cold weather and had it cranking all night as there is no insulation. We had 80 degrees at the ceiling with ice still on the floor.

Warm_in_NH · Oct 19, 2015

50 degrees to 450 or 0 to 450, what's that, about 10-13% increase in temp spread?
Unless it has something to do with the magic 32, I can't see it being all that critical?

I know if many hunting camps around here with a cast stove for heat that do just that. Not sure of make / condition of stoves, never paid attention, bit it's been done with some degree of success for years.

TheRambler · Oct 20, 2015

Cast iron is tough, it will be fine. Just take it easy starting a fire from stone cold if its been sitting a few days-weeks. Basically start with some kindling and 1 split. Let it warm just a bit(20-40 mins) and then let her rip.

mass_burner · Oct 20, 2015

Uh, heat up a wood stove in a cold room...you can't do that, it's not what they were made for.

branchburner · Oct 20, 2015

DougA said:
I thought that as long as you didn't start out with a fast, roaring fire and took it gradually from super cold to hot over 30 to 40 min., there should be no problem.

As with not worrying about whether the ambient temp is 50f or 0f, I don't think you need to worry about the 30 to 40 min. versus a somewhat shorter time. A normal fire IS a gradual heating process, compared with the thermal shock of instant temp changes. Unless you are using gas or something, you never really "start" with a roaring super-hot fire... it takes a few minutes for to build intensity.

Personally, I wouldn't give it a second thought any more than I would putting a cast iron pan on the range and setting the burner on high. Pouring cold water in a hot cast iron pan? That's a different story.

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Question about starting a cast iron stove in a very cold cottage

DougA

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legrandice

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Warm_in_NH

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TheRambler

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