Expectations Too High?

[havermeyer]

Hi Folks,

I recently had a Lopi Declaration installed and I've been using it for the past week or so. I like the stove. It looks great, seems well built and very easy to use. However, from reading posts on this forum, I though I would be able to easily hit 80 degrees in the room where the insert is installed. So far I've only been able to peak the family room temperature to 75 degrees.

So, some details...

The House

The insert is installed on the far wall of my family room which is 15' by 22'. The family room has cathedral ceilings (18' or so high) and I do have a ceiling fan (which I operate when the stove is going). All the away across the room (directly across the insert) is a 6' wide opening to the rest of the house... and where the thermostat is installed. The house is 3200 sq. ft with 10' ceilings on the first floor.... it was recently built and seems well insulated (this is my first winter here).

The Wood

I'm burning a mixture of ash and maple that I purchased. I measured the moisture content of freshly split wood and it's about 20%... with some pieces as high as 25%.

The Stove

No draft issues that I can see (30ft exterior chimney). To get the family room to hit 75 degrees, I first started the stove with 2 small splits and 2 medium splits. Temperature crept up to 67 (starting at 60). After having a good coal bed, I filled about 80% of the firebox (the Declaration has a 2.9 cubic ft fire box). I don't have a stove thermometer but the secondary air tubes were glowing red and I had a good secondary burn going. I also had the insert fan on max to pump out the heat.


So is it unreasonable to expect my family room to hit 80 degrees after the second load? Would I need another load of wood to get there... or is there something "wrong?" Or maybe I'm doing too good of a job getting the heat out of the family room and into the rest of the house Or maybe some nice seasoned red oak is the answer?

Thanks,
Andre

 

[branchburner]

The Wood

I'm burning a mixture of ash and maple that I purchased. I measured the moisture content of freshly split wood and it's about 20%... with some pieces as high as 25%.

The Stove

I don't have a stove thermometer but the secondary air tubes were glowing red and I had a good secondary burn going. I also had the insert fan on max to pump out the heat.

I really want 15-20% vs 20-25% MC, but maybe get a stove thermometer and be a little patient with the blower - keep it low/med until you are in the second load. Too high too soon might cool the stove more than needed and actually decrease your efficiency. I don't think your expectations are too high, you're just trying to get there too fast.

 

[PNWBurner]

I would think you could get close to 80 in a 15x22 room. But that 18' ceiling isn't going to help even with a fan going. I will probably take a few more loads though, maybe 3 or 4. If you're starting at 60 degrees you need to warm up all the walls, furniture, etc. It takes a while but you'll get there.

The real question is how warm is it outside the stove room?

 

[BrowningBAR]

Hi Folks,

I recently had a Lopi Declaration installed and I've been using it for the past week or so. I like the stove. It looks great, seems well built and very easy to use. However, from reading posts on this forum, I though I would be able to easily hit 80 degrees in the room where the insert is installed. So far I've only been able to peak the family room temperature to 75 degrees.

So, some details...

The House

The insert is installed on the far wall of my family room which is 15' by 22'. The family room has cathedral ceilings (18' or so high) and I do have a ceiling fan (which I operate when the stove is going). All the away across the room (directly across the insert) is a 6' wide opening to the rest of the house... and where the thermostat is installed. The house is 3200 sq. ft with 10' ceilings on the first floor.... it was recently built and seems well insulated (this is my first winter here).

The Wood

I'm burning a mixture of ash and maple that I purchased. I measured the moisture content of freshly split wood and it's about 20%... with some pieces as high as 25%.

The Stove

No draft issues that I can see (30ft exterior chimney). To get the family room to hit 75 degrees, I first started the stove with 2 small splits and 2 medium splits. Temperature crept up to 67 (starting at 60). After having a good coal bed, I filled about 80% of the firebox (the Declaration has a 2.9 cubic ft fire box). I don't have a stove thermometer but the secondary air tubes were glowing red and I had a good secondary burn going. I also had the insert fan on max to pump out the heat.


So is it unreasonable to expect my family room to hit 80 degrees after the second load? Would I need another load of wood to get there... or is there something "wrong?" Or maybe I'm doing too good of a job getting the heat out of the family room and into the rest of the house Or maybe some nice seasoned red oak is the answer?

Thanks,
Andre

- Get a stove thermometer
- Try adjusting the fan speed. If you are burning less hot than you think, the high fan speed may not be helping.
- Pick up a few loads of kiln dried wood to see if there is a difference (after you get a thermometer).
- It seems like you have only just started using this insert. What is the longest the stove has run consecutively?
- I bet you can get that room up over 80 if you keep playing with the stove.

First year with the vigilant I could only get the room with the stove up to 75°. Second year I could get the room over 90° without much effort. The difference was learning how the stove works and where the heat was trapped. First year with the Intrepid I had a hell of a time getting it to heat properly. This year is a world of difference.

 

[krex1010]

The high ceilings will definitely slow down the heating process. I don't think you are really doing anything wrong that is preventing you from heating the house, it will just take time. In my opinion, with a large home and high ceilings I think you are doing ok if you are heating it from the mid 60's to the mid 70's with just A start up load and one full load in an insert.

 

[havermeyer]

I really want 15-20% vs 20-25% MC, but maybe get a stove thermometer and be a little patient with the blower - keep it low/med until you are in the second load. Too high too soon might cool the stove more than needed and actually decrease your efficiency. I don’t think your expectations are too high, you’re just trying to get there too fast.

Yeah, as soon as its hot enough for the fan, the fan is usually going max... I'll try putting it on low until at least the second load.

 

[havermeyer]

I would think you could get close to 80 in a 15x22 room. But that 18' ceiling isn't going to help even with a fan going. I will probably take a few more loads though, maybe 3 or 4. If you're starting at 60 degrees you need to warm up all the walls, furniture, etc. It takes a while but you'll get there.

The real question is how warm is it outside the stove room?

I was thinking this may also be an issue... we've been keeping the house pretty darn cold before the insert so it may just take some time to not only heat the air, but all the mass.

Right outside the stove room it was about 10 degrees cooler (65 degrees) which I was quite surprised considering it is a fairly big opening. I guess those cathedral ceilings trap a lot of heat in the family room.

 

[BrowningBAR]

I was thinking this may also be an issue... we've been keeping the house pretty darn cold before the insert so it may just take some time to not only heat the air, but all the mass.

It very much does. Weather permitting, I would keep that stove going for two days straight to see how it burns and how the house heats. Restarting with a cold room won't show you what you can expect from the stove.

 

[havermeyer]

- Get a stove thermometer
I was thinking of getting one of those magnetic ones but I'm not sure where I would even put because the Declaration is a flush insert. Anyone have any suggestions? Would an IR thermometer be worth it?
- Try adjusting the fan speed. If you are burning less hot than you think, the high fan speed may not be helping.
Gonna try this tonight and see how this goes...
- Pick up a few loads of kiln dried wood to see if there is a difference (after you get a thermometer).
Or maybe I'll be more selective with the wood I got and try to get a load of wood in that has MC lower than 20%
- It seems like you have only just started using this insert. What is the longest the stove has run consecutively?
Consecutively... hmmm.... 6-7 hours. Usually I start up the stove with a smaller load when I get home from work and then fill it later in the evening.
- I bet you can get that room up over 80 if you keep playing with the stove.
Playing indeed. Decided to skip buying a TV to get the stove before the end of the year. The stove has been my entertainment!

First year with the vigilant I could only get the room with the stove up to 75°. Second year I could get the room over 90° without much effort. The difference was learning how the stove works and where the heat was trapped. First year with the Intrepid I had a hell of a time getting it to heat properly. This year is a world of difference.

Encouraging! I'll keep at it!

 

[eujamfh]

We have tall ceilings in our house....and a lot of hot air gets trapped p there. For grins I got a step ladder and tried different points last year and it was amazing the thermal levels around the house. You could feel them going up four steps.

Guys above gave all the advice needed...take time and keep playing. You are in a good zone based on your initial numbers.

 

[PNWBurner]

Next time you're just hanging around the house on a rainy weekend try running the stove longer. Load it up in the morning and keep it going all day. You'll be surprized how hot it keeps things. 6-7 hours after a cold start is just when things are starting to get good. It can take that long just to warm up the masonry fireplace around the insert.

You might want an IR thermometer too. Makes it real easy to check the temps. in various places. I bet the top of your ceiling in that room is 90-ish with the stove going. You might also want to try reversing your ceiling fan if you haven't already. Sometimes one direction works better than another for whatever reason.

 

[HeatsTwice]

Next time you're just hanging around the house on a rainy weekend try running the stove longer. Load it up in the morning and keep it going all day. You'll be surprized how hot it keeps things. 6-7 hours after a cold start is just when things are starting to get good. It can take that long just to warm up the masonry fireplace around the insert.

Not to mention that, the longer you burn the more heat gets stored in sheet rock of the walls, 2x4s, floors, and what have you. The whole house can be considered a heat battery of sorts. The more heat you pour into it (via longer burns), the more you'll even out the spikes of over night cold spells as the house gives back its heat.