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  1. Beetle-Kill Minister of Fire

    The T-stat on my stove has never allowed it to burn well much below a 1.75 setting.
    Right now, it's cold enough outside to see your breath, so yeah, I have a fire in the stove.
    Currently, T-stat on 2, fans off, Cat @1250, stove top @390, flue @350. Pine slab wood in box.

    It's 10:00 pm , I'll turn it down to 1.5 for the next hour, see what happens, then report in.
    #1

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  2. Beetle-Kill Minister of Fire

    11:05- here's the results, T-Stat @ 1.5 for the last hour
    Cat @ 520, stove top @260, flue @ 200

    So, going from a 2 setting to a 1.5 setting on the T-stat has dropped the temps. by half in one hour. This does not seem normal.
    BKVP- give me some feedback on this one.
    Anyone else have this happen to you?
  3. jeff_t Minister of Fire

    joined: Sep 14, 2008
    2,695 posts
    SE MI
    On my stove 1.5 is just barely completely closed. You can take the top cover off the thermostat and see how it works. Those temps are pretty close to mine, but I only have the cat probe that came with the stove. How long has the load been burning, and how big was it? Is it burned down enough that there isn't a lot of smoke for the cat to burn?

    Do you have an Ultra? I think the thermosats are different on the Classic and Parlor. At least a different part number.
  4. Lanningjw Feeling the Heat

    joined: Oct 15, 2008
    486 posts
    Plymouth, Minnesota
    How long had you been on the number #2 setting?
  5. Todd Minister of Fire

    joined: Nov 19, 2005
    8,804 posts
    Lake Wissota
    I don't know the answer but you could email BK or PM BKVP with your question. I had a question last week, emailed BK and about 15 minutes later BKVP called me To discuss my questions. He has also answered my PM's.
  6. Todd Minister of Fire

    joined: Nov 19, 2005
    8,804 posts
    Lake Wissota
    Could it have something to do with your elevation?
  7. rdust Minister of Fire

    joined: Feb 9, 2009
    3,345 posts
    Michigan
    That's what I was wondering. These stoves are draft sensitive due to the low burn temps. I'm guessing the draft is much different at higher elevations requiring more chimney height than normal?
  8. Beetle-Kill Minister of Fire

    Elevation could play a part, I don't know.
    the stove is a Parlor model, and the wood was good. Box was 3/4 full and had been stable on the 2 setting for an hour and a half prior to my little experiment.
  9. begreen Super Moderator

    joined: Nov 18, 2005
    36,119 posts
    South Puget Sound, WA
    It sounds draft challenged. High altitude can require more flue height. Describe the complete flue system on the stove including elbows, connector pipe and chimney.
  10. Beetle-Kill Minister of Fire

    I would agree about the draft. Pipe length and rise are at the min. right now. Would a 1 or 2 ft. piece noticably help?
    More curious about this than anything. I normally run the fans, with the T-stat above 2.
  11. begreen Super Moderator

    joined: Nov 18, 2005
    36,119 posts
    South Puget Sound, WA
    Maybe. Describe the current flue setup. Is it 8", any elbows, how tall?
  12. Beetle-Kill Minister of Fire

    It's a twisty mess, hardly ideal. 8" pipe and it goes like this.-
    Dbl. wall about 3' up from top of stove, ties into 2- 45's to provide an offset. Another foot and a half through the ceiling box to an elbow. Follows roof pitch in the attic
    (6/12 pitch) for about 6'. Verticle from there, about 5' to the cap.
  13. jeff_t Minister of Fire

    joined: Sep 14, 2008
    2,695 posts
    SE MI
    BK recommends 14'. I was a little under 13 when I started. It worked ok, but I added 3' after about a month. Everything worked better. Not night and day, but noticeable. It's a straight shot, by the way.

    I haven't looked at my thermostat when the stove is cold, but 1.5 is closed when it is burning. Really, take the cover off and look at it. Two screws and it comes right off. It's just a cover, nothing will come apart or shoot out at you.
  14. begreen Super Moderator

    joined: Nov 18, 2005
    36,119 posts
    South Puget Sound, WA
    Yep, but that is 14ft straight up and at lower altitude. I think it will take more than a ft or two of pipe to improve draft here. Start with adding 3 ft.and brace the exterior pipe at 5ft. above the roof penetration.

    PS: Are the elbows in the attic both 30º class A pipe?
  15. Beetle-Kill Minister of Fire

    Everything in the attic is class A. It even protrudes about 8" below the ceiling line, so I had to fab a custom box for it.
    I've got a pretty good stove supply shop in Breckenridge, I'll see what he's got on hand.
    Adding 3' is gonna make it a pain to clean.
  16. daleeper Feeling the Heat

    joined: Dec 18, 2006
    443 posts
    NC MO
    I think the only difference on the thermostat between the models is the length of the shaft the control knob is attached to.

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