We are new to this forum , but not new to wood burning.
This past September we replaced our old 1930's Enterprise Wood Cookstove with a Jotul 50 TL Rangely. We never had a problem either getting a fire started or maintaining a fire when we had the old stove. Now we are having problems. The one difference in our set up is that we used to have a damper on the stovepipe. Now we have none.We have a brick (inside) chimney with a clay liner, 25 feet high. We have no problem getting the fire started. The fire burns quite vigorously and the stove top temperature goes up to maximum 350 to 400 and then stalls at that point. Reducing the combustion air draft has no effect on increasing temperature in the stove and very little heat is being generated.
After an hour or so, the brick chimney seems to get considerably hotter to the touch than it did with our old stove. So, it looks like we are losing most of our heat up the chimney.
Our feeling is that we need to install a damper in the stovepipe to control the draft like we had with the old setup.
But, now, here is our dilemma: I use the top-down method of starting the fire, and as I said, the fire burns very well, working it's way down from the kindling, through the smaller splits and then down to the larger pieces. However, when I later add more wood on top of the hot coals, the wood just seems to sit there forever and refuses to break out into flame. Only by opening the door and giving it a bit of a blow, will it start to combust. But even then, it is far from being a vigorous fire. It will burn right down eventually, but never bring the stove top temp. back up.
It seems that the fire likes to burn, top-down, but not bottom-up! And on the one hand, initially, we're getting too much draft, but then later on, not enough!
We are using well seasoned Maple, Birch and some Beech
Does anyone have any ideas what our problem may be ??.
This past September we replaced our old 1930's Enterprise Wood Cookstove with a Jotul 50 TL Rangely. We never had a problem either getting a fire started or maintaining a fire when we had the old stove. Now we are having problems. The one difference in our set up is that we used to have a damper on the stovepipe. Now we have none.We have a brick (inside) chimney with a clay liner, 25 feet high. We have no problem getting the fire started. The fire burns quite vigorously and the stove top temperature goes up to maximum 350 to 400 and then stalls at that point. Reducing the combustion air draft has no effect on increasing temperature in the stove and very little heat is being generated.
After an hour or so, the brick chimney seems to get considerably hotter to the touch than it did with our old stove. So, it looks like we are losing most of our heat up the chimney.
Our feeling is that we need to install a damper in the stovepipe to control the draft like we had with the old setup.
But, now, here is our dilemma: I use the top-down method of starting the fire, and as I said, the fire burns very well, working it's way down from the kindling, through the smaller splits and then down to the larger pieces. However, when I later add more wood on top of the hot coals, the wood just seems to sit there forever and refuses to break out into flame. Only by opening the door and giving it a bit of a blow, will it start to combust. But even then, it is far from being a vigorous fire. It will burn right down eventually, but never bring the stove top temp. back up.
It seems that the fire likes to burn, top-down, but not bottom-up! And on the one hand, initially, we're getting too much draft, but then later on, not enough!
We are using well seasoned Maple, Birch and some Beech
Does anyone have any ideas what our problem may be ??.
!! 
