Intrepid Issues

[BrowningBAR]

Intrepid II 1308 Cat stove.

Here are my problems:
Can not maintain a high temp unless air control is wide open. High temp for me is defined as 550-650°.

Adding wood causes temps to drop to under 300° for 30+ minutes.

I suspected that my wood was not dry enough for the stove so I purchased several bundles of kiln dried wood from local supermarket. I received better burns, but temps still crash when new wood is added, takes 30-60 minutes to get the temps over 400°.

My draft seems good, though I do not know enough to provide details on how good the draft is. (no back puffs, little to no smoke escapes when top loader is opened)

Additional details:
It is a masonry chimney about 30' in height with full liner capped at both ends. It is on an exterior wall, but is inside the house and not an exterior chimney. The Intrepid is configured with the pipe out the back of the stove travels for about a foot before it hits a single bend connected to the vertical pipe that runs straight up the chimney.

Currently I have several small kiln dried splits in the stove. Can not get it over 350°. It has been sitting there at just over 300° for over an hour.

Any information would be helpful. This stove is killing me.

 

[begreen]

When you indicate not getting over 300, is this with the bypass open - before engaging the catalyst? Or is it after engaging? This sure does sound like the wood. If kiln dried it should be obvious. The wood should have a nice ring (not quite the right term) when two pieces are banged together. More like the note of a marimba if you get what I'm saying.

How thick are the splits? Have you tried splitting them in half to see how that helps temps. Although the wood may be advertised as kiln dried, I am always skeptical and split several sticks in half to check inside moisture if I have to purchase wood, regardless of what the seller claims.

 

[thewoodlands]

Intrepid II 1308 Cat stove.

Here are my problems:
Can not maintain a high temp unless air control is wide open. High temp for me is defined as 550-650°.

Adding wood causes temps to drop to under 300° for 30+ minutes.

I suspected that my wood was not dry enough for the stove so I purchased several bundles of kiln dried wood from local supermarket. I received better burns, but temps still crash when new wood is added, takes 30-60 minutes to get the temps over 400°.

My draft seems good, though I do not know enough to provide details on how good the draft is. (no back puffs, little to no smoke escapes when top loader is opened)

Additional details:
It is a masonry chimney about 30' in height with full liner capped at both ends. It is on an exterior wall, but is inside the house and not an exterior chimney. The Intrepid is configured with the pipe out the back of the stove travels for about a foot before it hits a single bend connected to the vertical pipe that runs straight up the chimney.

Currently I have several small kiln dried splits in the stove. Can not get it over 350°. It has been sitting there at just over 300° for over an hour.

Any information would be helpful. This stove is killing me.

This is what works for me, small kindling and let it get to 300 then add some small splits that runs mine up to 400(flue temp) and then I add some bigger splits and that gets me to 500 (flue temp). I have a by pass that I leave open until 400 then I close and adjust the air just before 500 so it levels off and burns at 475.

zap

 

[BrowningBAR]

When you indicate not getting over 300, is this with the bypass open - before engaging the catalyst? Or is it after engaging? This sure does sound like the wood. If kiln dried it should be obvious. The wood should have a nice ring (not quite the right term) when two pieces are banged together. More like the note of a marimba if you get what I'm saying.

How thick are the splits? Have you tried splitting them in half to see how that helps temps. Although the wood may be advertised as kiln dried, I am always skeptical and split several sticks in half to check inside moisture if I have to purchase wood, regardless of what the seller claims.

300 is before the cat is engaged.

The wood is kiln dried and does have a sort-of ring to it when clunked together.

Splits are about 15" long and slender. I have been avoiding larger splits as I was hoping to speed up the time it takes to get to a hot temp. The splits are already quite thin.

 

[BrowningBAR]

This is what works for me, small kindling and let it get to 300 then add some small splits that runs mine up to 400(flue temp) and then I add some bigger splits and that gets me to 500 (flue temp). I have a by pass that I leave open until 400 then I close and adjust the air just before 500 so it levels off and burns at 475.

zap

Makes complete sense when starting a fire from cold. I do pretty much the same thing on both of my stoves. But, I am not talking about a cold start. I am talking about adding to an existing fire. (granted, a cold start is just as much a pain in the ass)

When adding to an existing fire, my temp drops on the intrepid and take up to an hour to get back up to a good cruising speed.

Additionally, once the temps to get up to a good hot burn, unless I keep the air controls wide open the temp goes down, no matter what temp is when I start cutting the air back. Whether it is at 400, 500, or 600, unless the air control is wide open the temps will drop.

I have none of these problems with the Vigilant (the other stove I have running. I figured that since the Intrepid is a Cat stove maybe my wood supply isn't as dry as it should be for a cat. So, when I went to store bought, kiln dried wood and still had issues I am beginning to question whether it is the wood.

 

[begreen]

I think zap is running a non-cat stove. Are the temps with the bypass open or closed?

 

[BrowningBAR]

I think zap is running a non-cat stove. Are the temps with the bypass open or closed?

Bypass meaning vertical burn? (cat not engaged) yes. I have tried engaging the cat early to see if the stove catches and takes off, but I have not seen any consistent results.

 

[begreen]

I can see why you are perplexed. With good dry wood, you should be able to get the stove up to 4-500 fairly easily. As a test, take some 2x4 or 4x4 scraps and see if that perks the stove up.

For the moment, if we assume that the stove is in good order, the wood is dry, then it comes down to the flue. Starting with the cap, if there's a screen, make sure it's not clogging up. Next thing to check is for air leaks in the flue system. Is that a possibility?

 

[BrowningBAR]

I can see why you are perplexed. With good dry wood, you should be able to get the stove up to 4-500 fairly easily. As a test, take some 2x4 or 4x4 scraps and see if that perks the stove up.

For the moment, if we assume that the stove is in good order, the wood is dry, then it comes down to the flue. Starting with the cap, if there's a screen, make sure it's not clogging up. Next thing to check is for air leaks in the flue system. Is that a possibility?

The screen on the cap appears to be clean and without any obstructions.

As far as air leaks in the flue system, what should I look for and if I find any would stove cement work on any leaks I find?

 

[begreen]

Leaks would depend on the setup. All joints should be tight. If the flue collar is not snug tight, yes, seal it with stove cement. Is there a cleanout tee? If yes, make sure the bottom cap is tight.

Another thought is to make sure the stove top lid is sealing well. If there is a significant air leak at the top it could cause poor burning. A dollar bill test on the lid gasket would be a test for this. It won't be as snug as a latched door, but there still should be some resistance to the bill as it is pulled out.

 

[BrowningBAR]

Leaks would depend on the setup. All joints should be tight. If the flue collar is not snug tight, yes, seal it with stove cement. Is there a cleanout tee? If yes, make sure the bottom cap is tight.

Another thought is to make sure the stove top lid is sealing well. If there is a significant air leak at the top it could cause poor burning. A dollar bill test on the lid gasket would be a test for this. It won't be as snug as a latched door, but there still should be some resistance to the bill as it is pulled out.

Yes, there is a cleanout tee. I will check the bottom cap.

I will look for gaps in the flue collar and pipe.

I will check the top loader, but I did replaced all of the gaskets before the stove was installed. There is a chance the top load gasket settled oddly and created a gap, I suppose.

Thank you for taking the time to help me out. I appreciate the info. I hope some of your info pays off, because right now the stove is providing more work than heat.

 

[begreen]

No problem, I know what a pain and bummer it can be. When I installed the F3CB I didn't get the top on squarely. It leaked slightly and that disrupted the combustion air flow enough that the stove top wouldn't get over 450. Reset the top and it was a whole different stove.

 

[BrowningBAR]

No problem, I know what a pain and bummer it can be. When I installed the F3CB I didn't get the top on squarely. It leaked slightly and that disrupted the combustion air flow enough that the stove top wouldn't get over 450. Reset the top and it was a whole different stove.

As frustrating as it is, I am glad it is happening on the second year of burning and on the second stove. If this would have been my first experience with a stove I would have given up on the concept of wood burning.

 

[BrowningBAR]

A little update:

I went in and cemented a few gaps/holes/openings in the flue collar and pipe. That gave me some improvement with keeping the temps up after new wood is introduced. Something I noticed is that I think I am losing a lot of heat up the pipe/liner. It is a tight install and I don't have a damper, so I began engaging the Cat sooner and I have received improved results in maintain temperatures (feel free to chime in to let me know if this could shorten the life span of the cat).

Next is to get a larger fan to throw in the back of the fireplace to move more are out.

Slowly I am making this thing worthwhile. Thank god it isn't the primary stove.

 

[BrowningBAR]

Making a little more progress! The draft IS part of the issue. The draft was so strong that the heat was going right up the pipe preventing the stove from getting up to a decent temperature. I am actually engaging the cat at temps of 300-350 degrees (as opposed to the 450-550 that I have read elsewhere). Going to the cat earlier allows the stove to heat up far quicker.

Additionally I am adding wood sooner as oppose to waiting for the stove to drop below 450. Adding wood sooner and keeping the cat engaged has prevented the temps from crashing. I have maintained 500+ degree temps for 8 hours now. This was completely impossible before.

Now all I need is a bigger diameter fan to throw behind it to move more air and I think I am set. It still won't produce the amount of heat I was hoping for, but it is now worth burning, and far, FAR less needy.

... and it only took about 3 months to figure out.