Flue temps

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Matt KH

New Member
Dec 22, 2013
33
Minnesota
I am running a US stove 2000 and the book said to keep under 500 for flue temp to get the best performance. Now does that mean don't go over that temp? So what if you do how hot can you run these new stoves? It also said 3" out on the air control is high.
 
You want running temps for a magnetic thermometer on single-wall to be more in the 300F range for normal operation. But it's ok for it to go a bit higher during startup.

Edit: The manual is a bit more explicit and helpful:
The ideal temperature for these gases is somewhere between 275°F and 500°F. Below these temperatures, the build-up of creosote is promoted. Above 500 degrees, heat is wasted since a too large quantity is lost into the atmosphere.

Just remember that a surface reading is about 30-50% below the actual flue gas temps. So a 250F surface reading could be 400-500F flue gas temp. Still ok if you have a warm interior chimney, but maybe not with a cold exterior chimney. Creosote starts condensing in the pipe when the flue gases drop below 250F.
 
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I have a prob 18" up from the stove because I have double wall flue pipe and to heat my house I have to keep it around 600 flue temp and that's not even on high what the book says.
 
From the owners manual;
We strongly recommend that you install a magnetic thermometer on your smoke exhaust pipe,
approximately 18” above the stove. This thermometer will indicate the temperature of your gas
exhaust fumes within the smoke exhaust system. The ideal temperature for these gases is somewhere
between 275°F and 500°F.


Their temp guidelines are based upon the use of a magnetic thermometer, your using a probe, as Begreen points out your probe temps will read 30-50% higher than those of a magnetic thermometer. In other words, your 600F probe readings fall within the manufacturers guidelines. 600 x .5 = 300F.
 
I don't have that stove, but I try to keep my probe at 600* but when it's super cold outside, it will easily get 700+. If I'm wasting wood, that's the price to pay for keeping warm inside.
During normal (running) operation, the probe and the stove magnet thermometer will be very close to equal. They will be way off at start up and the probe will be lower as the fire dies but the stove is still warmer. It does not make any sense that they would not be equal once the stove has reached running temps, although with wood that is not so dry, the probe temps will bounce up & down a fair bit. I'm running out of dry wood, so having those problems these days.
 
I want to correct my statement about flue temps that should be equal to stove top in normal running. That is what my experience is but as I stated, I do not have your stove and it may indeed be different with cat/non cat, steel/cast iron, etc.
 
If you have a probe thermometer then your temps should range between about 300F and 700F, the hotter temp being a peak possibly happening during startup.
 
I have double wall stove pipe with a condar prove thermometer. I typically try to max out at 600 but frequently it runs up to 800. That is well with the specs of the class a pipe of 1000 continuous. The 800 is 18" above the stove so it has got to be much cooler by the time it gets to the class a.
 
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