I've got one of the magnetic flue temperature gauges. It says to located it 18" above stove top. But I can get it to the "comfortable" range about 325, but it seems that the stove is just running along nicely. Is a stove top more accurate of the temperature or should I be fine with that. And just adjust the fire according. Im kinda of curious because it seems that most of the numbers that are being thrown out here on the forum is much hotter, is that the stove top, then?
Magnetic Flue Therm. How accurate?
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chvymn99 said:
That depends if you have a cat stove or a secondary burn stove.. Cat stoves flue temps run about where your temp is now.. What stove do you own?
Ray
We have a thermometer on both the stove top and the flue. For the flue temperature we basically pay attention to that only on reloads and we try to not get it over 500 (single wall, horizontal run). The stove top is a better way to use the thermometer if you have only one. If you have for both, it is just a little more information you can count on which is good. We heated with wood almost 50 years without a thermometer and got along just fine but now I'd hate to be without one.
Dennis,
Can you detail how the flu temp should be used in conjunction with the stove top? I have tried to make sense of that correllation in my mind but can't really make heads or tails of it. I have single wall flu that has a thermometer as per the manufacturers specs, at 6 inches up from the stove top. The stove is top exhaust and has an oval to round adapter that holds the thermometer.
Can you detail how the flu temp should be used in conjunction with the stove top? I have tried to make sense of that correllation in my mind but can't really make heads or tails of it. I have single wall flu that has a thermometer as per the manufacturers specs, at 6 inches up from the stove top. The stove is top exhaust and has an oval to round adapter that holds the thermometer.
Please realize there can be some differences in the temperatures with the various stoves. Ours is a cat stove so we might have a bit lower flue temperature than others. It is strange that your's calls for only 6" from the stove top but they should know what is best. Usually I think most folks will place them around 18" or thereabouts.
Single wall pipe is good with the thermometers so you are good to go there. On ours, as stated we use that basically on reloads and try to not go over 500 but have gone as high as 600 (not planned). Once the flue temperature starts going up on ours it can go quite fast. On the stove top, depending on the weather we will burn anywhere from 400 up to 700 maximum. At this time of the year we usually burn anywhere from 500 to 650 or a bit towards that 700 which is maximum for our stove. But no matter if our stove top is 500 or 700, the flue temperature varies little and will stay around the 350 mark.
Right now we are burning down some coals before reloading and the temperature is 400 stove top and 280 flue. I usually reload anywhere from 350-400 in cold weather and this one will be just about right. I'll probably put in 2 or 3 small splits and that will hold until we are ready to fill it for night. After we fill it for night we watch the flue and when it is 500 or thereabouts, we turn the draft down. Our draft setting is marked from 0-4 and the first time we drop the draft we go to usually from 1 to maybe 1.5. Then we just watch the fire. We want some flame but not a big flame so once we have that good flame we will drop the draft to about .75. Now if we needed some serious heat I would leave the draft at 1 or slightly above and that is when it will look like the pits of Hell with the fire really dancing. It will be sort of like a rolling ball at the top of the stove with a beautiful redish color and it is really something to behold. Scared the heck out of us the first time it happened though. lol But once over that we now look forward to the show. But even with this great show going on, the flue temperature will not go above 400.
With our stove and the fuel we use we have found this all to work out ideally. Whereas we used to clean our chimney 3-4 times per winter and sometimes more, now we are into our 4th year of burning the Fireview and we've cleaned the chimney exactly one time and got somewhere around a cup of soot. Nice clean burn and nice clean chimney. This is the end result of what you are trying to accomplish while at the same time give your home the amount of heat it needs to meet your comfort level. My comfort level is a bit above most it seems but that is okay. We could burn less wood and keep the house cooler but that is not what I want. I want comfort in my home and if I am cold or even cool, that is not good. I'll take that outside but not when relaxing in my home.
Single wall pipe is good with the thermometers so you are good to go there. On ours, as stated we use that basically on reloads and try to not go over 500 but have gone as high as 600 (not planned). Once the flue temperature starts going up on ours it can go quite fast. On the stove top, depending on the weather we will burn anywhere from 400 up to 700 maximum. At this time of the year we usually burn anywhere from 500 to 650 or a bit towards that 700 which is maximum for our stove. But no matter if our stove top is 500 or 700, the flue temperature varies little and will stay around the 350 mark.
Right now we are burning down some coals before reloading and the temperature is 400 stove top and 280 flue. I usually reload anywhere from 350-400 in cold weather and this one will be just about right. I'll probably put in 2 or 3 small splits and that will hold until we are ready to fill it for night. After we fill it for night we watch the flue and when it is 500 or thereabouts, we turn the draft down. Our draft setting is marked from 0-4 and the first time we drop the draft we go to usually from 1 to maybe 1.5. Then we just watch the fire. We want some flame but not a big flame so once we have that good flame we will drop the draft to about .75. Now if we needed some serious heat I would leave the draft at 1 or slightly above and that is when it will look like the pits of Hell with the fire really dancing. It will be sort of like a rolling ball at the top of the stove with a beautiful redish color and it is really something to behold. Scared the heck out of us the first time it happened though. lol But once over that we now look forward to the show. But even with this great show going on, the flue temperature will not go above 400.
With our stove and the fuel we use we have found this all to work out ideally. Whereas we used to clean our chimney 3-4 times per winter and sometimes more, now we are into our 4th year of burning the Fireview and we've cleaned the chimney exactly one time and got somewhere around a cup of soot. Nice clean burn and nice clean chimney. This is the end result of what you are trying to accomplish while at the same time give your home the amount of heat it needs to meet your comfort level. My comfort level is a bit above most it seems but that is okay. We could burn less wood and keep the house cooler but that is not what I want. I want comfort in my home and if I am cold or even cool, that is not good. I'll take that outside but not when relaxing in my home.
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