Couple Questions After First Year Burn

[xjcamaro89]

So this has been my first year burning wood. And i love it! So much heat with less $. Anyway a couple questions. I have a Century wood stove. Its a non EPA. It doesnt have a control mechanism for controlling intake, and the way that the flue damper is mounting in the collar on top of the stove, the damper can only be closed about 66% of the way. Now this stove puts out the heat, but it also burns a load fast. So what i end up with is a roaring fire with lots of heat, then its done and im left with coals and the temp starts to drop in the house. I would like control it a little more and get a more steady slower burning fire out of a load. I bought the stove from Norther Tool Company, and i was recently on their site and saw a review on my stove by a customer. The customer said exactly what i did, that the flue damper only closes about 66% of the way, and that the customer ended up installing a second fllue damper about a foot up from the factory one. Thus having 2 dampers allowed them to slow down their fire and maintain longer burns. I was thinking about doing this but wanted to see what you guy thought first. This would be a easy mod, and i would probably just do it for next year. But i was really thinking if i could slow my burn and get a more consistant longer heat i would be very happy, (well happier than i already am with this stove).

Second question, firebricks. Is there any advantage to having thicker firebricks over thinner ones? My stove has thin firebricks in it and i was wondering if putting thicker ones in does anything for holding heat longer or anything like that.

Thanks guys! I love this site!

 

[Backwoods Savage]

If it were me, I would definitely install a second damper. At the same time I would also make sure I kept informed of the flue temperature. This is easily done with a magnetic thermometer or a probe. I think a magnetic will give a close enough reading to make good decisions. However, some of this would also be dependent upon your whole setup; that is, what is the chimney height, does it go straight up or are there bends, etc.

On the firebrick I would simply stay with the recommended brick.

Good luck and I sincerely hope you already have next year's wood supply ready. Better yet is to have 2 or 3 years wood supply all ready split and stacked. That will really give you the best fires and the fewest problems.

 

[savageactor7]

I'm not familiar with that stove but it's good to hear you see the advantages of wood burning

The old timers that schooled me said that ordinarily dampers are never closed more than 45* on a running stove. In the event of a chimney fire you close them to assist in cutting off the air. When you close them more than 45* or 'slow burn' you create an opportunity for creosote to form.

In your case without having a look see of your stove I suppose I might recommend the establishing of a new damper 18" above the collar but ONLY using it in case of a chim fire.

Fire bricks mostly just protect the metal from failing so I don't think that will help you out.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Savage, this old timer ran stoves with flue dampers a lot. I can assure you we closed the dampers a lot more than 45%. Yes, you can create that opportunity for creosote but this is just one more case for the positive points of burning good dry wood. There is no substitute.

 

[xjcamaro89]

My setup is straight up and out chimney. I have about 6 ft of black stove pipe single wall going from the stove to the ceiling. Then 6 ft of double wall stainless from there up. I've been burning since October, cleaning the chimney once a month. I get black sout out it. Taking into consideration my wood has only been seasoned for about 6 months, but its slab wood from a wood mill, only a couple inches thick at the most so im sure it dried quickly. I already have had next years wood split and stacked since summer so it should be good to go by next winter. We didnt really have alot of time to get wood ready for this year. We had snow damage to the roof last winter, insurance company paid to fix it and i had th guys throw a chimney in while they had the roof apart, so that was about this time last year, so i didnt have that much heads up that i would be burning to have wood ready earlier. I have some better wood ready for next year. Im sure the thicker heavy splits will give me longer burning than the slab wood. I know this is a dumb question but what sort of chimney temps should i look for?

And even though i install a second damper, and only close it about 66%, having two dampers at 66%, wont that still slow down the draft a little to slow my burns?

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Your setup sounds good except you did not state the total height. Recommended is 13' minimum for most stoves. If any bends, then add 2-3' per 90 degree bend.

Cleaning the chimney monthly is a good thing until you get better wood. Even then, check it monthly at the least. After a few years and you get everything dialed in good you may be okay to clean only annually. What you have for next year should be better but please bear in mind it depends upon the type of wood as to how long it is best seasoned. Also, it should be stacked in a single row (we usually stack 4' high). We usually leave it uncovered the first summer and then cover only the top of the stacks before the snow flies.

It is not a dumb question on flue temperature! That one rates as an intelligent question. I hope I can give a good answer. Most folks want a flue temperature of 400-500 and some go up to 600 but that might be wasting heat. It all depends upon the setup. Higher temperature on the immediate reload. On ours, we take the flue temperature to 500 on reloads and then back it down to around 300-350, but ours is a cat stove so we can get by with lower flue temperatures. The flue definitely has to have some heat but too much heat is just wasting fuel. Better to keep some of that heat inside where it helps keep you warm.

Only you will be able to determine if two dampers will close it too much. You have to watch the fire and keep track of temperatures to determine what is too much or too little. You should be able to learn that quite fast.

btw, if you don't now have, I would highly recommend 2 stove thermometers. I recommend the Condar but some like the Rutland. I've never had a Rutland that was anywhere near accurate but the Condar gauges have been good. Place on on the center of the stove top and the other about 18" - 24" up on the flue. I'd try to not run the stove top temperature over 700 but you can go higher. If you try for 700 peak, then you still have some reserve without thinking you will burn the house down.

Good luck.

 

[xjcamaro89]

I would venture to say that my total height from stove top to cap is probably right at the 13' mark. There are no bends. I have not had any draft problems or back draft problems. Only twice have i got a puff of smoke into the house and that was due to some hellacous winds. When someone is concerened about high stove temps and burning down a house, is it because of the heat transfer to surrounding objects that could catch fire, or something else? Because with my setup, the stove sits on a concrete floor and the wall behind it is cement block.

As far as the wood goes, i was suprised at how good it burned for only sitting for at the most 7 months before use. I have had no problem getting fires going and burning hot. I get wood from a amish woodmill. He has a huge pile of slab wood, which if you pick through it and get the good stuff, those peices have just as much meat on them as a split log. And for $15 a pickup load, i can fill a cord rack with two loads if i stack it in the truck nicely. But for next year i have some actual split logs and bigger cuts. I just kept getting loads of wood everytime i had time cause the wood looked really good and i wasnt sure how much i would use in a winter, and it just came down to where what i got will get me through next year. So if i haul the same amount of wood this year, ill be good for the next 3 winters. I just have to find somewhere to put it.

I dont have a thermometer on the stove. The only time i used a stove before we got one, was at my father in laws camp, and there you just loaded it up and let it go cause we are usually up there in the dead of winter. For being a complete novice i feel like it has been extremely easy to use, and really made a huge difference in my oil bill (even though i work for the oil company) and made a large finished, unheated room on the side of my house, now a very used area of the house. Plus i love the smell and going outside in the middle of winter and the smell of burning wood, i love it!

 

[Backwoods Savage]

13' sound really good and so is how you have the stove. Most times with an overheated stove it will be because the flue also becomes overheated. It is from the flue usually where most home fires occur or from embers flying from the stove and landing on combustible surfaces. I don't think heat transfer from the stove would be too high on the list unless it caused a stove to warp badly or split open; anything to cause the firebox to open up.

Lots of folks burn slabwood and I have burned some over the years. The only concern usually with slabwood is if it is dry. Usually when it is sawed at the mill it is still green. However, slab wood is usually small pieces and will usually dry faster. One still has to be concerned with how it is handled though; that is, get it stacked out in the open where wind can do the drying. Don't cover the wood until fall or winter sets in unless you are in an extremely wet climate. We cut wood in winter, split in spring and stack right after splitting. We then cover the top of the stack usually by December 1 or sometimes earlier. It sits in the stack for a time and they year we will burn it, it is moved into the shed that fall.

Burning logs rather than slabwood will allow for some larger pieces. You might even leave some of the smaller logs whole rather than splitting. The large pieces or rounds make great overnight pieces because they will hold the fire longer. Also, different woods will hold the fire longer than others. The greatest thing about oak is that it takes a long time to burn it completely, therefore, getting more heat from the log. Burn popple or cottonwood and you get the same heat, but for a lot less time. Burn the faster woods in the daytime and the slower burners at night.

I too have always enjoyed the smell of wood smoke as long as I wasn't standing in it. But it is difficult to stand by an open fire because that danged smoke will take aim at me every time! We burned for many, many moons without any thermometers and got along just fine. When we got this stove, we received a thermometer with the stove. I liked it so got another fore the flue. Now I'd hate to burn without either! It just gives you more information about what is going on so you can fine tune your burning better.

 

[xjcamaro89]

When i got the slab wood i stacked it in racks that were open on 3 sides and left them uncovered throughout the summer and most of the fall, i then covered them about halfway down in late fall before the first snow. I know i have thrown in a couple pieces that were a little wet cause they would just not go, but it wasnt cause it wasnt dried enough, it ended up being because they were on the bottom of a rack and got damp from rain splash and stuff like that.

I have sort of a system down for moving firewood so its good to go when i need to burn it. I have three different racks .I have large racks which i cover behind the garage, this is where i store the wood. From there i have a smaller rack that sits outide our porch under a overhang. Then i have a smaller yet rack inside. So i move wood from the large racks to the medium outside rack. i fill that rack about once every three weeks. Then about once a week to 10 days i move wood from the medium outside rack to the small inside rack. So this way the wood gets to sit out in the air under the overhang to dry a little bit before it comes inside just in case it collected any surface moisture while in the large racks covered (or near the bottom). Then once inside in the small rack, it gets a couple days of drying again in the nice warm dry air of the woodstove. This seems to have worked good. And im glad i invested in a nice large wheel barrow.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Usually surface moisture will have very little effect on firewood. However, if the wood sits in the water it becomes a problem for sure. Even in the racks you have, I'd think strongly about having something in the bottom to hold the wood up. This not only should stop any water soaking in there but it will give you some air flow to help the drying process. As for rain, we simply do not worry about it. Wood is not a sponge unless it is punky....or if it sits right in the water or water running on it from, say, an eve.

 

[xjcamaro89]

My racks do sit up off the ground the bottom of the racks are made from 4x4's. I think what happened was on one of my larger covered racks snow melting ran down the backside of the rack and soaked a couple bottom peices then froze. Not a big deal, In all the wood that i have burned this year ive only had a handful of peices that just didnt burn like the rest.

 

[WoodpileOCD]

So this has been my first year burning wood. And i love it! So much heat with less $. Anyway a couple questions. I have a Century wood stove. Its a non EPA. It doesnt have a control mechanism for controlling intake, and the way that the flue damper is mounting in the collar on top of the stove, the damper can only be closed about 66% of the way. Now this stove puts out the heat, but it also burns a load fast. So what i end up with is a roaring fire with lots of heat, then its done and im left with coals and the temp starts to drop in the house. I would like control it a little more and get a more steady slower burning fire out of a load. I bought the stove from Norther Tool Company, and i was recently on their site and saw a review on my stove by a customer. The customer said exactly what i did, that the flue damper only closes about 66% of the way, and that the customer ended up installing a second fllue damper about a foot up from the factory one. Thus having 2 dampers allowed them to slow down their fire and maintain longer burns. I was thinking about doing this but wanted to see what you guy thought first. This would be a easy mod, and i would probably just do it for next year. But i was really thinking if i could slow my burn and get a more consistant longer heat i would be very happy, (well happier than i already am with this stove).

Second question, firebricks. Is there any advantage to having thicker firebricks over thinner ones? My stove has thin firebricks in it and i was wondering if putting thicker ones in does anything for holding heat longer or anything like that.

Thanks guys! I love this site!

I don't understand the two statements I bolded. How do you purchase a "non EPA" stove from Northern or anywhere else new since 1990 or whenever the EPA law took effect. What makes you say that it is 'non EPA'? Not trying to slam you or anything but being new are you confusing the term EPA stove with catalyst stove?

EDIT: My bad xjcamero. Just looked at the Northern site http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200393570_200393570 and it says that it is an EPA exempt stove. Is this the one you have?

Showing my ignorance here but 'oh well', nothing new. :-S

 

[xjcamaro89]

Oh, sorry, its EPA exempt.

Here is a link:

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200393570_200393570

 

[WoodpileOCD]

Oh, sorry, its EPA exempt.

Here is a link:

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200393570_200393570

Yea, just updated my previous post right before you posted this.

What makes a stove EPA exempt.

 

[xjcamaro89]

I dont know what makes it exempt. Maybe not being as efficient, or maybe the fact that you cant control the intake. i bought this stove cause it was the only one in my price range at the time that could take up to 21" logs. But it works for how we burn. I just wondering about an extra damper for longer burn control.