Glass fogging

[mcook]

I just got a Napolean 1100 and burt it one time. After one burn the glass is already fogging, is this normal? Any suggestions?

 

[kalevi]

Is your wood dry? Are you closing the air intake too much or too soon? If you get a roaring fire going in there, the glass should clear up.

 

[mcook]

I bought seasoned wood so I dont think that is the problem. I left the door slightly cracked when I first started the fire until I got a decent size fire. It smoked very heavy at first then lightened up. Maybe it was the initial heavy smoke that caused it. I was told to apply a wood stove glass cleaner to the glass to prevent it fogging. Is this a good idea? Is the cleaner a preventative as well?

 

[DriftWood]

Water condensing on cold clear ceramic at start up is normal. Creosote on your view ceramic after a max hot burn its not. Hot fires and dry wood are the answer on modern air wash stove ceramic fire views to keep them clean. Open up the air and get a long, burn hot fire going when you want to clean up a Creosote covered clear ceramic glass. You do have a stove top thermometer, if not get one for your stove and another for the smoke stack. with out them over firing is a real possibility.

 

[kalevi]

I have a pacific energy vista insert. The only time I get fogging is when I use wet wood or close the airtake too soon. A good hot fire clears the glass quickly. I have no idea about the cleaner because I have never needed it. The only stuff I need to clear from the glass is ashes that sometimes stick to the glass.

 

[mcook]

Im new at this and have not had the chance to experiment yet. So far it doesnt seems that I can get a good rip roaring fire with the door closed. I have left my air intake all the way open and it doesnt seem to be getting enough air. Does the air go through the seems of the fire bricks?

 

[DriftWood]

. I have left my air intake all the way open and it doesnt seem to be getting enough air. Does the air go through the seems of the fire bricks?

Once your stove is broken in. Shutting down the primary air seems to help get a hot stove hotter. Start a small hot fire, Then add more wood. When this second load starts to get really going shut down the primary air slowly. you want a hot fire as fast as possible, Then shutting down the primary air flow really starts the secondary burn going and the stove gets hotter and the wood lasts longer.

see FIGURE 1 page 4 of this INSTALLATION AND OPERATION INSTRUCTIONS for the Napoleon 1100 on air flow in your stove.

http://www.napoleonfireplaces.com/Webshare/installation_manuals/EPA.pdf

and read all operation instruction on page 11

The first fire(s) in your unit will be difficult to get going and keep going with little amount of heat being generated. This
is a result of the moisture being driven out of the fire brick. Allow 30 to 40 hours of hot fires ( temperatures in excess of
500°F - 600°F) before your unit will perform normally. During the break-in period (the first 2 or 3 fires) create only
small, hot fires using kindling; this will allow the firebrick to cure. Do not be alarmed if small hairline cracks develop in
the firebrick. This is a normal occurrence and does not pose a safety hazard. The paint may also smell a little for
the first few fires as it cures and you may wish to open a door or window to alleviate the smell.

 

[backpack09]

I am putting my money on wet/not seasoned wood. Most woodsellers consider seasoned wood, log length that has sat for 6-8 months and has been split within the last 2 months. Firewood does not season in this method... someone needs to tell the sellers this.

I payed a premium for a load of wood that has been split since December of last year.

 

[kalevi]

How do you know your wood is dry? I had problems last year with two batches of wood that were supposed to have been seasoned but they had been stored outside by the sellers and they delivered rain soaked wood to me. I had to store a lot of it in my 3 season room and halfway through winter it was dry enough to burn properly.

This fall I have dry wood. It takes very little kindling to get it going and it keeps burning with little smoke even when I put a new load on the coals. There is some smoke or perhaps steam with the new load but it goes away quick.

 

[mcook]

The more I am reading and thinking about it, it may be my wood. The only reason I say it is seasoned is because the seller told me it was. I may just be a sap when buying wood. (pun intended)

 

[babalu87]

Hardly a sap, I dont think many wood sellers are delivering wood with 20% moisture in it.
20% is the bench mark as far as wood stoves go, a little dryer is even better.

Best suggestion is to buy your wood a year in advance and give it a south facing location if you can.
You can get better deals on wood if you buy it in log length and cut, split and stack it yourself.
Stacked single file it will dry out (season) better too. Air circulation is a big part of the drying process. You really dont need to cover wood piles until September or October.

 

[kalevi]

After my first winter of burning, I learned to order my wood in May. That way, it has another 6 months or so of drying time. Buying wood in November is no good unless you really know the guy you are buying it from. They all say it is dry or seasoned firewood and unless you have a moisture meter when he delivers, you can't tell what you are getting till you try to burn it.

 

[thephotohound]

Mcook -

I, also, have been a victim of "seasoned wood". As I was pulling up (in September) to pick the wood up, the guy told me it was seasoned. It was my first year burning, so what did I know? He said the tree had been down for 2 years (he was probably right... it had evidence of that), but the point is, it had never been split. Needless to say, we used a lot more oil that year than we had planned. Now, I fell, split, and stack all of my own wood... AT LEAST 6 months in advance.

When you put the wood in on a nice bed of hot coals, after a few minutes, open the door back up. Can you hear the new load hissing? If so, there's your culprit.

 

[woodconvert]

"I bought seasoned wood so I dont think that is the problem."

I would bet it's part of your problem. It may have been split last winter or early spring but most wood dealers don't stack their wood in row but leave it in a monster pile. The stuff in the middle and on the bottom doesn't dry.

Get your wood in the spring and stack in rows like others have said.

In the mean time...be careful burning with that wood. If you are unfamiliar with how your setup runs you may want to check monthly for creosote in the chimney versus having a chimney fire.

 

[PAJerry]

If I recall correctly, the 1100 is a pretty small unit, similar to the PE Vista. You might have better luck getting some cut slab wood to use along with the splits. We are using slab wood this year in the Vista and it burns much better than using cord wood. I also got the slab wood last spring and stacked it up to dry all summer, and it dries faster than cord wood. If you were able to find some good, dry slab and mix it in, it might work better to get the heat up in the stove.