Ok, so I am still trying to get used to using my new Englander 30 and am having a hard time getting used to handling it. For instance...I got home today and began the process of starting a new fire. Got it going fairly quick with some good kindling with a top down fire and let the stove top thermometer get down to about 300 degrees at the end of the burn cycle to reload for the night burn. I added 5 medium (2 ash and 3 locust) sized splits on top of hot coals from 300 degrees and here is what happened......Took about 20 minutes to get up around 450 stove top temp and I began shutting back the air. At 550 I had shut the air back entirely. The stove crept to about 575 with good secondaries engaged. After about 10 minutes, the stove settled down and was cruising at about 550. At this point I would likely go to bed as I would think the fire is settled down with air shut completely and secondaries going and would slowly drop in temperature overnight... WELL, I go back down before bed (about an hour after I had thought the stove was cruising and settled down and the stove is up to 650 degrees!! Why did the stove proceed to climb once again after the air was shut down and had temp dropped down to what I thought was cruising temp? If this is going on all the time, how do you ever go to bed? I think my fire is calmed and burning nicely, but instead its spiking to almost scary temperatures on me with the air closed....what gives?? Anyone?
Burn cycle question???
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HotCoals
Minister of Fire
650 Doesnt seem too out of line for me. I get that easily with a full load of seasoned hardwood. I cant seem to get her to cruise there very long though. Im still working on getting my air dialed in though. When you say "Medium" sized splits, how medium sized are we talking? Give us a rough guesstimate on size. The smaller the split, the faster it will climb up to hot temps but the less time it will stay there.
dafattkidd
Minister of Fire
I have a very different stove than you, but that sounds like a pretty normal cycle for me. Especially on the second or third fire. I don't get up to 650, but the idea of shutting down the air, then temps rising is normal for me.
The stove climbed in temp after the air was shut down because it was still fairly early in the burn cycle, with lots of gases (=smoke) being released and then consumed by secondary combustion, generating that extra heat. Those temps are not really scary high, but maybe shift your burn cycle - to be in sync with your sleep cycle - until you are comfortable with how the stove likes to run. You are going to be happy with that extra heat in January!
that doesn't sound bad, but i would think if you had the primary air shut down all the way there would be more control over the temp. just curious, how tall is your chimney?
if it bothers you that much maybe put in a pipe damper to slow things down a bit.
if it bothers you that much maybe put in a pipe damper to slow things down a bit.
Backwoods Savage
Minister of Fire
jstellfox said:
branchburner gave a great answer to your question of why the temperature climbs.
One thing I notice is leaving the draft full open until the stove top has reached 450 it seems you might be losing a bit more heat up the chimney. We usually cut the draft back some (not all the way) as soon as the fire is established rather than watching temperatures. Exception being we need stove top 250 before engaging the cat.
I realize there is some difference between stoves, but it should be normal for the temperature to continue to rise with a full firebox. I can set our draft to the low draft we want and with a full load it will always shoot up well over 600 degrees. It is normal. I've even shut down to where there is no flame but on these times, it usually comes back to flame within 15-30 minutes and then we get the really nice dancing flame that looks like the pits of Hell itself. Sure get some nice heat from it too.
If it were me, I would not worry about the stove reaching 650 degrees; I'd enjoy it. I have no problem with going to bed and letting it happen. It is wood burning in there and not a controlled burn like you can get with gas or oil.
I refer to it as "passing gear" after you have set the primary air and it looks like it has settled it picks up a notch or so after 45 min to an hour, does not happen to me all the time though.
oldspark said:
So this "passing gear" is nothing to be worried about as I would typically go to bed before it does this?
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