I am a newbie wood burner and just trying to be on the safe side. After i reload and the wood starts to burn (couple minutes), we damper it back. The stove temps are > 425 degrees (my IR temp gauge doesn't go higher) just above the door Can you damper back too much? If so, it is just a smokey burn, inefficient burn, or is it creating creosote. Creosote is what i am worried about. I want to maximize the burn time, but also want to be safe. Is the following a bad assumption; if you are burning in the "good band" on the thermometers of 275-475 you are not creating creosote regardless of how far the damper is open or closed?
Damping too low
- Thread starter chris2879
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Hopefully a Summit insert owner will pipe up with what "normal" temps on the door are, but beyond that, there are a couple of things to look for. Does your glass stay clean or are you smoking it up? Is the ash a light fluffy gray color? When you damp it down - are you still getting a good clean burn (no smoke from stack)?
Yes . . . you can turn down the air too much . . . alot depends on your set up, stove, fuel, etc. With my stove once I have brought everything up to temp with good, well seasoned wood I can turn down the air all the way for a nice long, clean and efficient burn . . . but I could not do so in my first year when I was dealing with semi-seasoned wood.
The key is to get the stove up to temp and then to slowly back down the air . . . if your glass craps up with black and the fire dies out and there is a whole lot of smoke coming out of the chimney your wood is either not seasoned enough, the stove isn't hot enough or you've turned down the air too much.
Turning the stove's air down to the point where you have a smoky burn = creosote.
All stoves are different . . . but with my own stove 275 degrees is way, way too cool to burn efficiently . . . in general my stove works best and cleanest at 400-600 degrees . . . normally I like to see temps at 450-550 degrees F on my stove and around 400-600 with my probe thermometer on the flue.
The key is to get the stove up to temp and then to slowly back down the air . . . if your glass craps up with black and the fire dies out and there is a whole lot of smoke coming out of the chimney your wood is either not seasoned enough, the stove isn't hot enough or you've turned down the air too much.
Turning the stove's air down to the point where you have a smoky burn = creosote.
All stoves are different . . . but with my own stove 275 degrees is way, way too cool to burn efficiently . . . in general my stove works best and cleanest at 400-600 degrees . . . normally I like to see temps at 450-550 degrees F on my stove and around 400-600 with my probe thermometer on the flue.
Glass is staying real clean. There is no smoke inside the firebox. Once the wood gets burning... there is not too much smoke. I loaded about 35 minutes ago and i just looked on there is no smoke i can see (however wind is blowing at 25+) I guess for the first 15 minutes or so there is a little bit of smoke.. its not bellowing out by any means.
My wood i just bought this year... so from all i have read on this forum you know what that means. When they dropped it off... their moisture meter said it was about 18% at the end... not sure what it is in the center.
My wood i just bought this year... so from all i have read on this forum you know what that means. When they dropped it off... their moisture meter said it was about 18% at the end... not sure what it is in the center.
End grain moisture readings mean very little. The wood needs to be resplit and then the newly exposed wood should be tested.
It doesn't sound like you are doing too bad, but you shouldn't really see any smoke once you are in cruise mode. If you do - try and run a bit hotter and see what it reacts like. It could be your wood cussing you out, but clean glass kinda negates that.
It doesn't sound like you are doing too bad, but you shouldn't really see any smoke once you are in cruise mode. If you do - try and run a bit hotter and see what it reacts like. It could be your wood cussing you out, but clean glass kinda negates that.
From the sounds of it, you are doing fine, but if you want a bit more assurance I'd recommend getting a magnetic surface thermometer and placing it above a door corner on either side. That will be helpful. If it is a stovepipe thermometer, ignore the bands and just watch the temperature.
Here are some good videos including one on how to burn in an EPA stove. They're running the Summit in the Efficient Wood Stove Operation video.
http://www.woodheat.org/videos.htm
Here are some good videos including one on how to burn in an EPA stove. They're running the Summit in the Efficient Wood Stove Operation video.
http://www.woodheat.org/videos.htm
I think sometimes people worry too much about long burn times. The purpose of our wood stoves to put out heat. If you're burning at only 275-300 you're not putting out much heat. Try getting your stove up to about 500 degrees and let it stay there for a while so it really gets established, then cutting back the air just a wee bit at a time.
For me my priority is heat first, longevity second.
For me my priority is heat first, longevity second.
Kenster said:
Please keep in mind that he is reading temps from the front of the unit, not stove top. I am not overly familiar with what "normal" readings should be for this unit, but it probably will not correspond to a free standers stove top temps.
Well, in general, Kenster is correct. The first thing you want from the stove is heat. Of course, then you need to determine how much heat. From there you can work on burn times.
I just picked up a magnetic thermometer. I placed it right above the door. It seems like i have been burning (well this is my second full day) around 450. The last load I put in after it started and about a half hr after the reload of 5 splits, it was cruising at about 500. I keep having to reload every 1.5 to 2 hrs. Its pretty cold today, so i just reloaded when it was around 425 and a fair amount of coals.
How much wood are you putting in with each reload Chris? What type wood and what size are the splits?
We have been putting in 4 5 pieces. I am burning oak and the pieces are i would say are about 4-6 inches at the widest part. I think I was letting it cycle too far for the weather that we are having now. Its about 20 degrees and 25 mph winds with just up to 40... it seems to really put a chill in the house.
Try packing it full to the top of the side bricks or a little higher with the next load. If the wood ignites very quickly, you may be able to turn it down all the way within 5-10 minutes.
Yes, you are getting some nasty cold weather with strong wind pressure on the house. That requires some steady stoking if the place is leaky. See if you can put some tape, caulk, folded newspaper, etc in the worst leaks on the windward side of the house to reduce the wind leaks.
Yes, you are getting some nasty cold weather with strong wind pressure on the house. That requires some steady stoking if the place is leaky. See if you can put some tape, caulk, folded newspaper, etc in the worst leaks on the windward side of the house to reduce the wind leaks.
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