Closing single air-control, but fire still seems to be raging

[wood-fan-atic]

Hi all. All has been going really well with the new insert (make - Flame by SBI, 2.3cu.ft. firebox, non-cat ). But it seems to me that upon re-load, the fire does not 'tamp down' as much as you (I) would think it should. The splits continue to blaze, and the secondary burn tubes are shooting off like a flamethrower. There is only one air control,and I will usually burn with it completely open for about 15 minutes, then close it halfway and wait 5 more minutes, then close all the way. My wood is fairly well-seasoned red oak (18-22%mc) that takes off like a shot in the stove. I would think that lowering the air should slow down the burn faster than it does. Within about an hour, the fire will slow down, but by that time I think that most of the 'meat' of the wood has been burned, and the secondaries stop. Don't get me wrong, there is still mass left in the box, its not just coals and ash. But after about an hour and a half, there is no more 'fire' in the stove. My house is plenty warm (upper 70's 1st floor, lower/mid 70s 2nd floor,30s daytime 20s nite outside), and the house temp hasnt gotten down below 70 before an 8 hour burn time. I should mention that there is never any smoke coming out of my chimney, except on reload, and my glass is always clean. Im just thinking that the 'main burn' during the burning secondaries should last longer. Does this sound familiar? Do you guys have similar burn cycles? Or does is sound like my air-control isnt closing enough? Maybe I'm just nuts.

 

[shawneyboy]

With such short burn times it does sound to me like either the air control is not closing completely, if at all, or perhaps you have an air leak somewhere else. Is there any difference in feel of the air control? Meaning does it seem to close easier or differently? If you can see if you can get into the linkage for the air control, I have heard of air control rods bending, and/or breaking before.

If that seems ok try using inscense or a punk with the fire going all around the insert looking for the smoke to get sucked into the unit itself.

I am sure some other residents of Hearth.com will chime in here with some other ideas.

I hope that helps, and keep us informed of what you find.

 

[burntime]

Is the door gasket leaking? Just a thought as I am replacing mine this week...

 

[wood-fan-atic]

Its BRAND spanking new. Door doesnt leak. I CAN see the flames dissipate slightly when moving the air control from full open to fully closed. Plus,I would think that if there was any sort of air leak, I wouldnt have any coals left after long burns, and I have an AWESOME coal bed ,even after 8-9 hours. Should there still be secondaries visible after 2-3 hours, or is it normal for smoke to burn WITHOUT flames from the tubes- there is no smoke coming from the chimney.

 

[FyreBug]

I have an Osburn 1800 insert which is also a small insert. I also have an impressive secondary burn which leads me to believe I have a slight overdraft. This is a bay window which means if you have negative pressure problem you will be more likely to see some smoke when you open the door. But not with this puppy. not even a whiff of smoke.

Basically, we both have a small insert and possibly a slight overdraft. The second phase of combustion (visible flames burning gases) will therefore be shorter but if you have a good bed of coals this is a good indication everything is as it should be.

On this unit it is unlikely you primary air damper has anything wrong with it. If its not binding or seem overly loose it should be alright. Other wise how do you like the unit overall?

See what my unit secondary looks like here. This is with my damper on low:

 

[wood-fan-atic]

I think youre correct about the draft. Not a whiff of smoke when the door is open. I also think that the air-control DOES work , when the load JUST goes in ( and is just starting to burn) , I can close the air and stop the fire...... so it is working. I believe that your assessment of the draft being too good is right on.The stove heats the house great so far, even when its gone down into the 20s. I can have a hot spot temp above the door(taken with a IR gun) in the high 600s at early stage -- 450 at 2 hours -- 375ish at 4 hours -- 300ish at 6 hours and still around 300 after 8 hours. Lots of coals. I just wish that I could keep the hotter temps lasting longer than they do. Maybe next year, with the super dry white ash I have seasoning, I'll be able to hold a higher temp longer.

 

[FyreBug]

I did the same thing with the IR gun and getting similar readings. I'm making sure I have a good coal bed before going to bed & that seems to help.

 

[begreen]

I'd try bigger splits, then tightly pack with smaller ones. Be sure to burn down the coals before recharging the stove. Otherwise, you'll get a lightshow, but it is a bit of a waste of wood, unless you really need the heat.

 

[wood-fan-atic]

Agreed, BeGreen. I wish I could use bigger splits. As I spoke about earlier, I knew that I needed to season my red oak quickly last year, and split it smaller than I normally would....this most likely accounts for the shorter initial burn times. Not surprisingly, I do find that larger splits last MUCH longer, unfortuantely, its the trade off I chose to make ---> smaller, dry splits instead of larger, greener ones. I have a 20' SS liner inside an interior, centrally located chimney. My draft is really good. All these things seem to contribute to a faster initial burn. I split next years ash into larger pieces, hopefully that will help alot.

 

[Stump_Branch]

I notice a similar burn event depending on how much i fill the stove. Meaning if i does a loose stack small splits ill get secondaries for a shorter time frame then i would if i packed it up. My guess is its partially due to how close the wood is to the tubes. whether I pack it up or smaller load, ill get similar burn time frames, just more secondaries with more wood. Sorry not sure if that helps, kinda sick not really all there.
Good luck

 

[Backwoods Savage]

wood-fan-atic, I doubt you have anything to be concerned with but it always pays to look for possible leaks. Some incense (for smoke) works good to go all over the exposed part of the stove to see if there are any places sucking in air. Otherwise, as you've stated, your wood is small and you will get hotter fires that don't last as long doing it that way.

You state you've split next year's ash already. How about trying an experiment and throwing one good chunk of that ash in with the smaller oak and see what happens.

btw, I'm sure you know, but you can never shut the draft completely because even when you have it closed, the stove will still get enough air to keep burning.

 

[Fsappo]

It sounds like the stove is burning just like the 2.3 Enerzone we used to burn in our showroom. If the heat is good and you have a nice bed of coals for a re light after 9 hours, your doing great. 2 things though...who on Long Island sold you an Enerzone insert? I didnt know they had a dealer down there. Also, do not be misled...just because a stove is brand new you can still have door gasket issues on any stove. Enerzone makes a good solid product, you made a good choice.

 

[wood-fan-atic]

My stove is identical to the Enerzone. Door gasket good. I got the stove from Westbury Stove and Fireplace in Westbury,NY.

 

[EJL923]

Ive explained this many times, i should probably start it as a new thread for everyone to read. Read the article in the link below. In short, stoves are designed at favorable test conditions (short chimney, warmer outside air, etc... I will explain my situation. I have too much draft, and with an insert, the only way to correct this is to limit incoming air (no damper on pipe). Todays EPA stoves do not allow you to completely starve the stove, there is always air leaking in. In most cases, this leaves you to modify your stove or always be unhappy. You can do this and still burn cleanly. All you are doing is trying to match the test conditions in which your stove was designed.

My stove has a single user adustable air control. When i forst got the stove, i was like it cant get any easier than this, only one place for air to come in. Then you say, wow, for having the air all the way down it sure is burning quick. Then you find out that the stove has its own secondary air intake, non adjistable, as well as its own doghouse air intake, non adjustable. On top of that the primary air control is stopped before it can completely close. You now have three areas that are always letting air into your stove. I have actually made it so the primary air can be completely closed, as well as completely block the doghouse air. During this, only secondary air is being brought into the stove and i still burn efficient, and have increased my burn times. Every stoves controls are different, but todays EPA stoves are made so in the warmest and least draft conditions, it still meets EPA emissions.

http://www.gulland.ca/florida_bungalow_syndrome.htm