Correlation b/w Pipe Temps and Stovetop Temps??

[Mr. Kelly]

Alright you stove and pyro aficionados!

I suspect you've answered this before, but I can't find a good thread for it...

What do you find is the correlation b/w your stove pipe temp and your stove TOP temp?

I haven't acquired my top thermometer as of yet (I should...), but I have a Condar flue gas thermometer installed on the pipe. With a good fire humming, it reads b/w 600-800 degrees. Do you think that this spec alone is sufficient to gauge how effectively the fire is burning? Does stove combustion have variables that make stove top and pipe temps sometimes differ in proportion to each other? One would quickly assume that if a fire is raging, the pipe temp should reflect that about as accurately as you would expect. Any arguments?

Have a warm MLK weekend. Hope you have an extra day off!

 

[WES999]

I don't think there really is much of a correlation between stove top and pipe temp.
For example, on a cold start the flue may be 900 °F and the stove top may be only around 150 °F . After the stove has been burning for a while and the air is closed down, the flue may be around the same temp as the stove top around say 500 °F .

So if you want to know what temps the flue and stove top are, you need two thermometers.

BTW I have thermocouples with digital readouts for both flue and stove top.

 

[Mr. Kelly]

Qu'est-que c'est, thermocouples?

 

[begreen]

That seems a tad high. The flue on our T6 rarely gets over 600°F except on start up or if I forget to close the air down. Once the air supply is reduced, it cruises at about 650°F stove top and 400-500°F flue temp. The difference might be probe thermometer location. My flue thermometer is located at 20" off the stove trivet top.

 

[hareball]

I've been checking 3 places with an IR thermometer and have been seeing around 100 degree differences. If my pipe surface temp is 400°F The bottom level of the steptop is around 500°F and top level at 600°F. I've also noticed over 100°F differences in areas on the bottom level of the steptop.

 

[WES999]

Qu'est-que c'est, thermocouples?

From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermocouple

Basically a electronic device for accurately measuring temperature.

Here is a pic of my thermocouple and controller.

 

[firefighterjake]

Alright you stove and pyro aficionados!

I suspect you've answered this before, but I can't find a good thread for it...

What do you find is the correlation b/w your stove pipe temp and your stove TOP temp?

I haven't acquired my top thermometer as of yet (I should...), but I have a Condar flue gas thermometer installed on the pipe. With a good fire humming, it reads b/w 600-800 degrees. Do you think that this spec alone is sufficient to gauge how effectively the fire is burning? Does stove combustion have variables that make stove top and pipe temps sometimes differ in proportion to each other? One would quickly assume that if a fire is raging, the pipe temp should reflect that about as accurately as you would expect. Any arguments?

Have a warm MLK weekend. Hope you have an extra day off!

I don't think there is a direct correlation . . . you can't take the temp from the stove top and say "Ah ha, the temp in the flue is X" or vice versa.

What I do find generally is that the stove top temp and the flue temp will both rise to a certain degree with the draft open . . . once the stove is up to temp (i.e. at temps where it can maintain secondary combustion) and I start to shut down the draft then the flue temp will stabilize or sometimes drop a bit whereas the stove top temp will either be maintained at the same level or will increase.

I will also say I am a big proponent of both stove top and flue thermometers -- the stove top thermometer helps you avoid an over-firing situation and lets you know when the temps are sufficient to maintain a secondary combustion and the flue temp helps you avoid over-firing and keeping the flue too cool which can produce excess creosote.

That said, I will readily confess that in my second year of burning I use my flue thermometer far more . . . once the stove has been up and running and the flue temps are "in the zone" I will start to cut back on the air and typically the stove top temp is also good based on the secondary action . . . occasionally I'll dig out the IR thermometer and get a good reading on the stove top and every single time the temp has been good -- not too cold, not too hot . . . right in the zone for good burning.