? about Rutland temp gauge

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
  • Super Cedar firestarters 30% discount Use code Hearth2024 Click here
Status
Not open for further replies.

Gazdik

Member
Hearth Supporter
Oct 29, 2009
50
NE Ohio
I have the above mentioned temp gauge for my USSC burner...I had it on the pipe about 20in up from the stove but could not seem to get it up to the "burn range" on the gauge....My stove burns nice and hot with no problems...I love the little stove so far (APS1100B)...So I put the gauge on top of the stove and now seem to get good readings....Where should this thing go or is it just my preference? Thanks! BTW The stove likes to burn around 475 to 500 degrees...seems to be the temp I can keep it steady at with oak and maple wood..Thanks again!
 
Keep in mind the range on that is for a single wall stove pipe about 18" up from the top of the stove. Some stove manufacturers will specify an over fire range in their manuals, others just tell you to avoid over firing. My stove is happiest "cruising" around 600-650F on the top plate.
 
Thanks for the reply...My pipe is single walled pipe.....hhmmm.....Is there a better temp gauge out there that I could use?...And I should try to find out the temp range of my stove...thanks
 
I don't know that there's a "better" one. A lot of the members here use the Condar brand (you can get one from Amazon), but they operate off the same principle: a coiled piece of metal.

It never hurts to know the safe operating range for your stove. I use my Condar to be sure I'm in the range I want, but I can almost tell by the look, behavior, and amount of heat produced by the fire where my stove top temps are running.
 
I have the exact same stove and love it. Just got it about a month ago. I burned with an old non air tight pre-EPA stove for about 10 years before now. I have my magnetic temp gauge at 12 inches centered on the pipe above the stove top. I had to learn the new ranges for this stove as compared to my other one. It definetely sends less heat up the pipe now that I'm using an EPA certified stove. At 12" above the stove top, this is where I place my magnetic temp gauge. When starting a fire (or reloading) , I leave the door open about 1 finger width or less. Once the pipe temp gauge gets to about 270°F(or close to whats called "the clean burn zone"), I close the door. The draft control is to the far right for this stove in the wide open position. When it gets over 300°F, I slide the control to about 3/4 wide, and in about 10 minutes down to 1/2. I leave it there for another 45min, then slide it to about 1/4 open. It sounds like your operating temps are about the same as mine. When she's going full burn I measure the top with an infrared and it shows about 475-590°F on the center of the stove top. This is also different from my last stove. This is a nice little stove. Remember, these magnetic temp gauges are for repeating and knowing how YOUR stove operates. Just always have a bright hot fire going, and you don't have to worry about the "burn zone". As you may already know. This stove is very sensitive to needing seasoned wood. My last stove was not airtight and would burn just about anything(inefficiently of course). Seasoned wood is a must, but the APS1100B has been absolutely great so far. I barely get to the "clean burn zone" at 12" above the stove, I couldn't imagine it at 20". I had my last one at 18" and learned it's "sweet spot". This stove operates differently, so I moved it down and closer to the stove. Hope this helps.
 
Gazdik said:
Thanks for the reply...My pipe is single walled pipe.....hhmmm.....Is there a better temp gauge out there that I could use?...And I should try to find out the temp range of my stove...thanks
Some magnetic thermometers are designed for the stovetop, and others are designed for the pipe. You need to make sure you're using the right kind. They don't read the same when placed on the same surface.
 
I just bought a pair of rutlands and sitting side by side they read 90 deg F different. I also switched them to make sure it wasn't a hot spot and same readings. So precision instruments they are not, hopefully santa will bring me a laser thermometer this year. but they are better than nothing at all.,.,at least for me being a new burner
 
Status
Not open for further replies.