I need help (maybe mentally after this)

[realstihl]

I'll try to tell this story as best I can. I lurk mostly on here and this is my most watched forum in the winter anyway here's the story. I've been wanting a Drolet Baltic for a while now and finally pulled the trigger. Formerly I had a Vermont castings like you see in my signature. This new stove puts out much more heat almost too much. Both stoves weigh the same but the Drolet has a 3cu ft fire box vs. the old one which is 2cu ft. There are several observations (problems)
1. The sides of the new stove get really hot even though the clearance of 12" is there. We're talking around 140 deg when the stove top is at 350 deg.
2. The glass is sooted real bad and I think it might be because I can't run it hot enough to clean the glass.
I'm not too happy at this point with my decision as it's only been running for two days so it's hard to tell how well it works at this point. I find it hard to believe that the only thing that really changed was the firebox size and result was drastically different to what I expected. There is a plus side. I do like the the way it looks and the taller glass door and much easier to load without getting burned. There definitely will be a learning curve with this one. This is a basement install in a 2200 sq ft home. The basement is 700sq ft. Hope this all makes some sense. Maybe someone else has a similar stove or situation experience that can help. I'll try to get some pics later.

 

[begreen]

Congrats on the new stove. What model was the VC it replaced. There is bound to be a learning curve here. The Baltic is going to load, burn and heat quite differently. Let's get the basics out of the way. How dry is the wood, that is when was it split and stacked? Can you post a picture of the new setup.

It does sound like you are running it cool. This stove is going to want to run at more like 500-600F with a full load of fuel.

 

[realstihl]

Thanks begreen. The wood is 3 year old mulberry, 4year old elm, and 5+ year old hedge. I haven't run any hedge yet but all the wood I'm using is dry for sure. I also forgot the white oak, it's all about 3 year old css. The stacks are mixed but the hedge (osage orange) is seperate. I also have about 4 cord of maple but it's not ready. I'm also thinking it should be run up to at least 500 but that's pushing it. This is my second EPA stove. The VC was a Savanna SSW30.

 

[begreen]

The model info helps, the avatar is too small to tell it's a steel Savannah. It's the first time I have taken a look at this stove. Your wood supply sounds great. So it comes down to running the stove too cool.

The heat output should be good, but not intimidating. What temp did you run the Savannah at? For now, try firing up half loads of fuel at a higher stove temp and see if that is more comfortable.

What is the main concern here? Room too warm or clearances? I too am a little concerned about clearances. The Baltic has no alcove installation specs. What are your side clearances? The stove does list an 84" ceiling clearance minimum. Does the alcove meet this spec?

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I agree with begreen especially on the point of not filling the stove but burning smaller loads and burning them hotter. That should help with the glass problem and also with how much heat you are getting.

To circulate the air through the home many times it helps to set a very small fan on the floor in a hallway or a cool room and blow the air toward the stove room at a low speed. This will do wonders for keeping the whole house warmer. And if it is possible you might try a fan very close to the stove blowing along one side trying to get air between the stove and the walls. Good luck.

PS Many of us could use some of that mental help.

 

[realstihl]

Here's the pics.

 

[realstihl]

Begreen

The model info helps, the avatar is too small to tell it's a steel Savannah. It's the first time I have taken a look at this stove. Your wood supply sounds great. So it comes down to running the stove too cool.

The heat output should be good, but not intimidating. What temp did you run the Savannah at? For now, try firing up half loads of fuel at a higher stove temp and see if that is more comfortable.

What is the main concern here? Room too warm or clearances? I too am a little concerned about clearances. The Baltic has no alcove installation specs. What are your side clearances? The stove does list an 84" ceiling clearance minimum. Does the alcove meet this spec?

I'm concerned about all the above questions. I think I may have one thing figured out. It's very cold outside and my heat pump is running . When it's running the heat in basement get locked and won't move upstairs. I do have a fan running blowing cool air down. This works quite well as long as the air handler is not running.

 

[realstihl]

I think I will take out the arch and get the 84" that is required. The walls are concrete so no clearance issue there.The first 31/2" inches on the walls is tile over Sheetrock so just to be safe I"ll use metal studs with duarock or something similar. Does this sound like a good plan?

 

[begreen]

If you want to be by the book then yes, that is a good plan. Without the arch you will also get a bit more heat into the room. Shame though, you did a nice job. I'm starting to recall this install now. What was your handle before the forum software change?

 

[realstihl]

I used to be ckr74 but I had to change it for some reason. That was before the change though. To be honest this arch thing has never been right. When we built the house in 1995 the installers really messed things up when they put the flue pipe back against the wall. My wife went to Lowes and found some tile that looks like weathered wood. It' an 8"tile that is 48" long. Hope it looks good when I'm done.

 

[begreen]

If you like ckr74 better, webbie can change that for you. But realstihl is good too.

I was wondering about the flue pipe. Even double-wall need 9" from the nearest ceiling combustibles which are usually the joists or sheetrock.

 

[realstihl]

If you like ckr74 better, webbie can change that for you. But realstihl is good too.

I was wondering about the flue pipe. Even double-wall need 9" from the nearest ceiling combustibles which are usually the joists or sheetrock.

I think It's good on pipe clearance. The flue pipe extends down below ceiling and stove pipe goes from there. It's all Selkirk double wall flue pipe and stove pipe. Thanks!

 

[begreen]

Sounds good. How is the improved heat output during this cold spell?

PS: time to update that signature

 

[realstihl]

The secondary' burn gets pretty wild compared to tubes. The heat output is way more and much easier to manage the coal buildup.

 

[realstihl]

Here's a couple of pics. Justin case someone is interested.

 

[begreen]

Looks like there's a Balrog in there!