Hearthstone Equinox

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I agree it would be nice to have more info, but this is EXACTLY the same problem I had (down to the same old stove) and I went through you have wet wood, you dont know how to run your stove, dont worry about your high stack temps and it came down to the chimney so I guess I am giving him the benefit of the doubt.
 
oldspark said:
I agree it would be nice to have more info, but this is EXACTLY the same problem I had (down to the same old stove) and I went through you have wet wood, you dont know how to run your stove, dont worry about your high stack temps and it came down to the chimney so I guess I am giving him the benefit of the doubt.

He's already mentioned that his chimney is lined:
"The draft is out the back of the stove. To a T and then strait up the SS liner about 25 feet."

Another thing is that the Hearthstones have higher pipe temps than most EPA stoves. My Heritage will have a higher pipe temp than the Vigilant I run which is an old Pre-EPA stove. So, him having high pipe temps would not be an instant indicator of an overly strong draft.

Even with a strong draft he should be able to get the stove to a higher temp.
 
oldspark said:
I missed the post about the liner, I see it now.


With a 25ft chimney, he could very well have a really strong draft and might benefit from a pipe damper. But, without additional info, I bet he could install the damper and still have problems getting the temps up on that stove. If I ran the Heritage like I run the Vigilant, I'd have a tough time getting the stove over 350 degrees as well.
 
So Browning - if he has too much draft that will cause his stove to run cold? But wouldn't he have a rip-roaring fire???

From the Equinox manual:

BURN RATE
HIGH BURN: Fully load the firebox with wood on a bed of hot coals or on an actively flaming fire and fully open the primary air control by moving it all the way to the left, away from the ash lip. A high burn rate once or twice a day to heat the stovepipe and chimney fully, will help minimize creosote accumulation. Temperatures of top center stone near flue collar should be in the 500-600 degrees F range.
MEDIUM HIGH BURN: With the primary air control in the open, left most position, push the control handle about ¼ to ½ the distance to the right. You should see temperatures around 450-500 degrees F.
MEDIUM LOW BURN: With the primary air control in the open, left most position, push the handle about ¾ of the distance to the right. A medium-low burn rate is the typical setting and is preferable if the stove is unattended. You should see temperatures around 400-450 degrees F.
LOW BURN: Push the primary air control inward all the way to the right. This closes the air shutter to its minimum opening. A low burn rate over extended periods is not advisable as it can promote the accumulation of creosote. Inspect the venting system frequently if using low burn rates consistently. You should see temperatures around 300-400 degrees F

In reality my little Tribute has rarely seen 350+.
 
I think that BBar is right about the draft, and my flue temps are usually about 90 degrees hotter than the stove top after things have stabilized. I have been reading this post and playing with my stove since this is the first cold morning we have had in Milwaukee. When my stove hits 400 degrees, the fuel really gets going and the draft is very strong. That Equinox is a lot of rock to heat up and he might not have gotten it hot enough yet. Three hours is kind of a normal length of time for mine to heat through. 425/450 is as hot as I have ever measured my stove top temps though.
 
jonwright said:
So Browning - if he has too much draft that will cause his stove to run cold? But wouldn't he have a rip-roaring fire???

From the Equinox manual:

BURN RATE
HIGH BURN: Fully load the firebox with wood on a bed of hot coals or on an actively flaming fire and fully open the primary air control by moving it all the way to the left, away from the ash lip. A high burn rate once or twice a day to heat the stovepipe and chimney fully, will help minimize creosote accumulation. Temperatures of top center stone near flue collar should be in the 500-600 degrees F range.
MEDIUM HIGH BURN: With the primary air control in the open, left most position, push the control handle about ¼ to ½ the distance to the right. You should see temperatures around 450-500 degrees F.
MEDIUM LOW BURN: With the primary air control in the open, left most position, push the handle about ¾ of the distance to the right. A medium-low burn rate is the typical setting and is preferable if the stove is unattended. You should see temperatures around 400-450 degrees F.
LOW BURN: Push the primary air control inward all the way to the right. This closes the air shutter to its minimum opening. A low burn rate over extended periods is not advisable as it can promote the accumulation of creosote. Inspect the venting system frequently if using low burn rates consistently. You should see temperatures around 300-400 degrees F

In reality my little Tribute has rarely seen 350+.

The problem with this section of the manual, and yes it is in the Mansfield manual as well. When I load her up, and shut her down in stages, when I am fully closed, my stove top is at 550-575 degrees, which is the "high burn" range temps but..... my air control is in the "low burn" range. I also maintain these temps for a looooooonnnnnggggg time. This is how I do my overnights, and wake up to a stove at 200 plus degrees and nice bed of coals 8-10 hours after loading.

Just saying....
 
I'm getting some popcorn and keep an eye on this thread, screwy stove temps are dear to my heart.
 
jonwright said:
So Browning - if he has too much draft that will cause his stove to run cold? But wouldn't he have a rip-roaring fire???

From the Equinox manual:

BURN RATE
HIGH BURN: Fully load the firebox with wood on a bed of hot coals or on an actively flaming fire and fully open the primary air control by moving it all the way to the left, away from the ash lip. A high burn rate once or twice a day to heat the stovepipe and chimney fully, will help minimize creosote accumulation. Temperatures of top center stone near flue collar should be in the 500-600 degrees F range.
MEDIUM HIGH BURN: With the primary air control in the open, left most position, push the control handle about ¼ to ½ the distance to the right. You should see temperatures around 450-500 degrees F.
MEDIUM LOW BURN: With the primary air control in the open, left most position, push the handle about ¾ of the distance to the right. A medium-low burn rate is the typical setting and is preferable if the stove is unattended. You should see temperatures around 400-450 degrees F.
LOW BURN: Push the primary air control inward all the way to the right. This closes the air shutter to its minimum opening. A low burn rate over extended periods is not advisable as it can promote the accumulation of creosote. Inspect the venting system frequently if using low burn rates consistently. You should see temperatures around 300-400 degrees F

In reality my little Tribute has rarely seen 350+.

If he has too much draft he will lose heat up the chimney, but the stove should still be able to get up above 400 degrees. I have a really strong draft and, I can get the Heritage above 450 regularly without closing the damper I have installed. With the damper closed and the air controls slowly adjust to the 'closed' position I can consistently achieve 550-600 degree stove temps.

The description on achieving a "High Burn" seems ridiculous. Leaving the air controls all the way open (far left) will rarely provide a high stove temp in my experience. You'll get a lot of flame, but minimal secondaries and a lot of heat shooting up the chimney.
 
shawneyboy said:
jonwright said:
So Browning - if he has too much draft that will cause his stove to run cold? But wouldn't he have a rip-roaring fire???

From the Equinox manual:

BURN RATE
HIGH BURN: Fully load the firebox with wood on a bed of hot coals or on an actively flaming fire and fully open the primary air control by moving it all the way to the left, away from the ash lip. A high burn rate once or twice a day to heat the stovepipe and chimney fully, will help minimize creosote accumulation. Temperatures of top center stone near flue collar should be in the 500-600 degrees F range.
MEDIUM HIGH BURN: With the primary air control in the open, left most position, push the control handle about ¼ to ½ the distance to the right. You should see temperatures around 450-500 degrees F.
MEDIUM LOW BURN: With the primary air control in the open, left most position, push the handle about ¾ of the distance to the right. A medium-low burn rate is the typical setting and is preferable if the stove is unattended. You should see temperatures around 400-450 degrees F.
LOW BURN: Push the primary air control inward all the way to the right. This closes the air shutter to its minimum opening. A low burn rate over extended periods is not advisable as it can promote the accumulation of creosote. Inspect the venting system frequently if using low burn rates consistently. You should see temperatures around 300-400 degrees F

In reality my little Tribute has rarely seen 350+.

The problem with this section of the manual, and yes it is in the Mansfield manual as well. When I load her up, and shut her down in stages, when I am fully closed, my stove top is at 550-575 degrees, which is the "high burn" range temps but..... my air control is in the "low burn" range. I also maintain these temps for a looooooonnnnnggggg time. This is how I do my overnights, and wake up to a stove at 200 plus degrees and nice bed of coals 8-10 hours after loading.

Just saying....

This has been my experience as well. Leaving the air controls wide open throws a ton of heat up the chimney and not in the firebox.
 
Milt said:
I think that BBar is right about the draft, and my flue temps are usually about 90 degrees hotter than the stove top after things have stabilized. I have been reading this post and playing with my stove since this is the first cold morning we have had in Milwaukee. When my stove hits 400 degrees, the fuel really gets going and the draft is very strong. That Equinox is a lot of rock to heat up and he might not have gotten it hot enough yet. Three hours is kind of a normal length of time for mine to heat through. 425/450 is as hot as I have ever measured my stove top temps though.


That's surprising. I wonder if a damper would work for you as it does for me.

But, not to get sidetracked, before we can recommend a damper for the OP, we need more info about how he is burning. I suspect he is trying to run the stove like a Pre-EPA stove. That will not work with a Hearthstone.
 
e replaced a Castine with a Heritage last year. The Castine would react much faster than the Heritage does with rising temps. The Heritage will generally hold a 200 degree overnight temp but to regain the 400 to 450 degree temp can take two hours where as the Castine would climb from > than 100 degrees to 500 plus in way less than an hour. 450 with the Heritage is some serious heat for our application 550 is too much. One thing we have learned is that the control lever on the Heritage is very precise a quarter inch adjustment can suffice to change this stove's burn tendancies greatly.
 
Did you fill the firebox? - Yes
What type of fire did you have? - Very large amount of flames
Was it roaring? Was it lazy? - Roaring
What were your air controls set at? - Full Open
How did you adjust your air controls? - I didn't (It only got up to 400 Degrees)

I know my wood is dry but not dry enough. Next week I will get get the meters (moisture and draft)
 
trettig said:
Did you fill the firebox? - Yes
What type of fire did you have? - Very large amount of flames
Was it roaring? Was it lazy? - Roaring
What were your air controls set at? - Full Open
How did you adjust your air controls? - I didn't (It only got up to 400 Degrees)
I know my wood is dry but not dry enough. Next week I will get get the meters (moisture and draft)

There is the problem... you are going by the look of the fire and the temp of the stove...

Try this...(with properly seasoned wood)

Light her up.. Get the wood good and charred.... Say 30 mins.
Close intake to 3/4 open....
10 minutes later go to 1/2 open
10 mins later go to 1/4 open...
5 mins later all the way (only on VERY cold days)

Watch stove top temp go up to near 500 and secondaries flame away.

This is with a 1/2 - 3/4 full stove....

If you really load it up with Oak and do this you will be near 600.

Times and mileage vary (you may need to go to 20-10-10 or 30-5-5 or whatever).... but with properly seasoned wood, this is the best way I have found to run my Mansfield (the Equinox little brother)

I actually do this process over about 30 mins total...
 
trettig said:
Did you fill the firebox? - Yes
What type of fire did you have? - Very large amount of flames
Was it roaring? Was it lazy? - Roaring
What were your air controls set at? - Full Open
How did you adjust your air controls? - I didn't (It only got up to 400 Degrees)


I know my wood is dry but not dry enough. Next week I will get get the meters (moisture and draft)


There's your problem. Once the fire is roaring slowly, in stages start to reduce your air. That will increase your temperature. You seem to be working the Air controls like a Pre-EPA stove. It will not work that way with a Hearthstone. Once the fire is roaring and set in, slowly adjust the air controls and you will begin to see temps rise.

This will take some time to get used to to figure out when the air should be reduced. But, when you have it right, the flames calm down and the secondaries take off.

Even with less than perfect wood, you should still be able to get the stove up to 500 degrees if you work the air controls correctly.
 
BTW I don't even look at the stove temps to decide when to adjust the air controls. I use my flue gas temps. Stove temps are irrelevant to the timing.because of the mass of stone that needs to be heated. I have started to push my air controls back when the stove was at 200 degrees before. If you really want a signal, you need to go by the flue gas temps, IMHO.
 
shawneyboy said:
BTW I don't even look at the stove temps to decide when to adjust the air controls. I use my flue gas temps. Stove temps are irrelevant to the timing.because of the mass of stone that needs to be heated. I have started to push my air controls back when the stove was at 200 degrees before. If you really want a signal, you need to go by the flue gas temps, IMHO.


I don't have a flue thermometer. I base my air control decisions on the look of the fire.
 
shawneyboy said:
trettig said:
Did you fill the firebox? - Yes
What type of fire did you have? - Very large amount of flames
Was it roaring? Was it lazy? - Roaring
What were your air controls set at? - Full Open
How did you adjust your air controls? - I didn't (It only got up to 400 Degrees)
I know my wood is dry but not dry enough. Next week I will get get the meters (moisture and draft)

There is the problem... you are going by the look of the fire and the temp of the stove...

Try this...(with properly seasoned wood)

Light her up.. Get the wood good and charred.... Say 30 mins.
Close intake to 3/4 open....
10 minutes later go to 1/2 open
10 mins later go to 1/4 open...
5 mins later all the way (only on VERY cold days)

Watch stove top temp go up to near 500 and secondaries flame away.

This is with a 1/2 - 3/4 full stove....

If you really load it up with Oak and do this you will be near 600.

Times and mileage vary (you may need to go to 20-10-10 or 30-5-5 or whatever).... but with properly seasoned wood, this is the best way I have found to run my Mansfield (the Equinox little brother)

I actually do this process over about 30 mins total...


You beat me by about 30 seconds!
 
BrowningBAR said:
shawneyboy said:
BTW I don't even look at the stove temps to decide when to adjust the air controls. I use my flue gas temps. Stove temps are irrelevant to the timing.because of the mass of stone that needs to be heated. I have started to push my air controls back when the stove was at 200 degrees before. If you really want a signal, you need to go by the flue gas temps, IMHO.


I don't have a flue thermometer. I base my air control decisions on the look of the fire.

But for a rookie, if they are wanting a measuring device wouldn't you agree on a big stone, flue gas temps are a better measure?

I also go by look, but when it looks right, I check my flue temps to verify.
 
BrowningBAR said:
You beat me by about 30 seconds!

I am just that good.

Answer was the same, just expressed slightly differently, which I think shows we may actually know what the hell we are doing Browning. ;-)
 
shawneyboy said:
BrowningBAR said:
shawneyboy said:
BTW I don't even look at the stove temps to decide when to adjust the air controls. I use my flue gas temps. Stove temps are irrelevant to the timing.because of the mass of stone that needs to be heated. I have started to push my air controls back when the stove was at 200 degrees before. If you really want a signal, you need to go by the flue gas temps, IMHO.


I don't have a flue thermometer. I base my air control decisions on the look of the fire.

But for a rookie, if they are wanting a measuring device wouldn't you agree on a big stone, flue gas temps are a better measure?

I also go by look, but when it looks right, I check my flue temps to verify.


I wasn't disagreeing, just noting that it can be done on look if you don't have a flue thermometer.
 
shawneyboy said:
BrowningBAR said:
You beat me by about 30 seconds!

I am just that good.

Answer was the same, just expressed slightly differently, which I think shows we may actually know what the hell we are doing Browning. ;-)


That alone concerns me! :cheese:
 
trettig said:
I am sorry if I missed it - What should the flue temps be? On the equinox.

You didn't miss it. It really depends on your own setup. For me, flue temp is around 500-600 when I cut it back to 3/4. THIS is with a probe thermo NOT a surface unit. If you have a double wall stovepipe, then get a probe thermo. If it is single wall then you would use a magnetic surface mount. A simple, but not exact, rule of thumb is the gasses are double the temp of a magnetic mount. By the time I am done my flue gasses are in the 900 area for a short while, then they settle back down.

But try the timing 20-10-10 and go from there.

Experiment, you will figure it out.

Good fuel, and good operation makes a happy wood burning stove, and for me a happy stove makes for a happy wife, and a happy wife makes for a happy life.
 
This isn't a great video, but the stove was at about 325 when I dialed it down, it continued to CLIMB to about 500 on this load if I remember correctly.. and then cruised there for a nice long while..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JPA2DK2mMM

as has been posted several times.. it's counter intuitive, but once your load is engulfed.. start turning the air DOWN.. the stove doesn't need all the air it's running on when the air is wide open in order to operate effeciently, and if you run with the air wide open once all you fuel is going.. well all the HEAT rushes up the stack because it is getting WAY more air than it needs to run.
 
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