Help noob with draft problem!

[begreen]

If I took a temp gun and took the temp of the stove top, I could expect the flue temp to drop and the stove top temp to rise as I shut down the air control?

Am I understanding this right?

Yes, this is the way most metal topped stoves react when all systems are working well.

When the firebox is flooded with air, the flames and fire can wrap around the baffle and even up the flue pipe for a ways. By closing down the air control, primary air is reduced and secondary air takes over, forcing a hotter fire with much more complete combustion, all within the firebox.

 

[smitty81]

There's a fine line there with stove top temps and pipe temps but basically when you turn your stove down to a lower burn the pipe temps will go down and your secondaries will light off and heat up the stove top creating a more efficient burn. Trial and error with different settings may take some time and different woods and weather all play into it.

You see though, thats my problem. I can not get the secondaries to burn unless the stove is either packed full of wood or unless I get it really hot and then back it down.

Even then, the secondaries only burn for about an hour.........but I guess that has to do with my cotton wood burning fast.

 

[begreen]

The firebox has to be up to temp before you start seeing good secondary combustion. You are doing it correctly if the video is showing a fire from a cold start. Once the stove is warmed up, you should be able to close it down a little quicker with a refill. And once it gets colder outside there will be stronger draft too which will help secondary burning.

For the load of cottonwood that is in the video about an hour of this light show sounds correct. All in all though, I don't think you have a draft problem. You are experiencing a normal learning curve for a new stove in shoulder season. But if possible, round up some hardwood for those sub-zero nights. You will really notice the difference.

 

[smitty81]

The firebox has to be up to temp before you start seeing good secondary combustion. You are doing it correctly if the video is showing a fire from a cold start. Once the stove is warmed up, you should be able to close it down a little quicker with a refill. And once it gets colder outside there will be stronger draft too which will help secondary burning.

For the load of cottonwood that is in the video about an hour of this light show sounds correct. All in all though, I don't think you have a draft problem. You are experiencing a normal learning curve for a new stove in shoulder season. But if possible, round up some hardwood for those sub-zero nights. You will really notice the difference.

So your telling me that the secondaries SHOULD kick on after I back it off but not till it gets up to temp?

Cool, thanks for all the help guys, your great!

I will try to get ahold of some hard wood too....

 

[begreen]

Yep. If you put the thermometer on the stove top, I am guessing that they will kick in when the air is reduced and the stove top is somewhere around 400-450 °F. You'll have to experiment a little here. This is going to vary with the outside temp, the wood, and the stove.