I've used the search on this site, looked for a bit about the topic got some info but wanted to get more in depth.
Englander 30-NC, I do a top down fire for cold starts keeping the door wide open (with a window near also cracked) until the fire is going. and all the kindling is caught.
I then shut the door but let the lever rest on the catch piece so that the door is not locked and is still letting air in. I let the stove pipe temp reach 350-400 before shutting the door completely mean while the air control is fully open. If my wood is not at a very dry MC this will usually start to suffocate the fire flames die and I have to mess with the door opening and closing to get it to relight and or keep going. I believe this has alot to do with the higher MC for sure, but possibly weak draft as well. smoke will fill firebox very quickly if im not babysitting and stuck to the stove.
If I have drier wood and shut the door down completely when the pipe hits 350-400, the wood is usually engulfed and I let it go to let the stove temp rise.. on my first start i have to wait til the stove top is at 450-500 then I throttle back the air control starting with 75% open.. watch that the flame doesnt die down (sometimes it will, weak draft?) and if all is good throttle it back some more til the Air control knob is even or just behind the sill plate of the stove.
At this point I watch the stove to make sure it doesnt take off because its done so in the past, sometimes the stove pipe will come down rapidly other times itll go up, usually depending how well secondaries light and stay lit.. but secondaries dont last very long.. I turn the blower on when the stove top reaches 650+ to cool down the stove top before it keeps going. pipe temp will hover about 400-450 here, after i get the stove back to 600 i turn the blower off and from there with the air control still where i put it ( i assume its about 30-40% open maybe) the stove will slowly begin to come down in temp with the pipe dropping off very quickly first.
I have only been getting 2-3 hour burn times until i need to reload. i load up a good amount of wood, on reloads with quick starts i still use the same door sitting on the catch barely shut til the pipe hits 3-325 door shuts air control wide open then throttle down at 400 stove top and by the time it hits 450 im at that "sweet spot" air control knob flush with sill. dry wood, stove still rises to 650 very quickly and only max of 3 hour burn time til reload.
Been messing with the stove for a while, and even though ive gotten better at it, achieving secondary burns, slightly longer burn times then before and hotter burns over all i know this stove is capable of much longer times then 2-3 hours. From this long story which i apologize for, what can I do differently?
Mason chimney with clay liner.. 6.75"X6.75" ID.. total length is about 15 foot. Not lined, I want to line it when i get the extra money. stove pipe situation is far from Ideal.. at the collar of the stove it goes right into a 45 elbow.. 2 foot section of pipe at that angle up towards the thimble into another 45 elbow into the thimble which is 18 inches deep then 90 degrees into the stove. it was this way or having the pipe come up 10-12 inches from the collar into a 90 elbow and a 2 foot run into the 18" thimble into the chimney.. Unfortunately who ever build the house mustve have a very small stove where the thimble was at a good height for that appliance and doesnt do me good with the 30-nc sitting at i think 30 inches or so at the collar the thimble at 42-45 or so inches from the ground.
Englander 30-NC, I do a top down fire for cold starts keeping the door wide open (with a window near also cracked) until the fire is going. and all the kindling is caught.
I then shut the door but let the lever rest on the catch piece so that the door is not locked and is still letting air in. I let the stove pipe temp reach 350-400 before shutting the door completely mean while the air control is fully open. If my wood is not at a very dry MC this will usually start to suffocate the fire flames die and I have to mess with the door opening and closing to get it to relight and or keep going. I believe this has alot to do with the higher MC for sure, but possibly weak draft as well. smoke will fill firebox very quickly if im not babysitting and stuck to the stove.
If I have drier wood and shut the door down completely when the pipe hits 350-400, the wood is usually engulfed and I let it go to let the stove temp rise.. on my first start i have to wait til the stove top is at 450-500 then I throttle back the air control starting with 75% open.. watch that the flame doesnt die down (sometimes it will, weak draft?) and if all is good throttle it back some more til the Air control knob is even or just behind the sill plate of the stove.
At this point I watch the stove to make sure it doesnt take off because its done so in the past, sometimes the stove pipe will come down rapidly other times itll go up, usually depending how well secondaries light and stay lit.. but secondaries dont last very long.. I turn the blower on when the stove top reaches 650+ to cool down the stove top before it keeps going. pipe temp will hover about 400-450 here, after i get the stove back to 600 i turn the blower off and from there with the air control still where i put it ( i assume its about 30-40% open maybe) the stove will slowly begin to come down in temp with the pipe dropping off very quickly first.
I have only been getting 2-3 hour burn times until i need to reload. i load up a good amount of wood, on reloads with quick starts i still use the same door sitting on the catch barely shut til the pipe hits 3-325 door shuts air control wide open then throttle down at 400 stove top and by the time it hits 450 im at that "sweet spot" air control knob flush with sill. dry wood, stove still rises to 650 very quickly and only max of 3 hour burn time til reload.
Been messing with the stove for a while, and even though ive gotten better at it, achieving secondary burns, slightly longer burn times then before and hotter burns over all i know this stove is capable of much longer times then 2-3 hours. From this long story which i apologize for, what can I do differently?
Mason chimney with clay liner.. 6.75"X6.75" ID.. total length is about 15 foot. Not lined, I want to line it when i get the extra money. stove pipe situation is far from Ideal.. at the collar of the stove it goes right into a 45 elbow.. 2 foot section of pipe at that angle up towards the thimble into another 45 elbow into the thimble which is 18 inches deep then 90 degrees into the stove. it was this way or having the pipe come up 10-12 inches from the collar into a 90 elbow and a 2 foot run into the 18" thimble into the chimney.. Unfortunately who ever build the house mustve have a very small stove where the thimble was at a good height for that appliance and doesnt do me good with the 30-nc sitting at i think 30 inches or so at the collar the thimble at 42-45 or so inches from the ground.
