My England Madison install

[WayneN]

Well it's been a journey but I got my first burn in. I have a 1024 Sq foot end of unit townhouse . It's brick on cinder on plaster with no insulation at all. I've been spending between 300-400 a month to heat the place during winter here in Maryland USA using a 35k btu gas furnace. The England Madison has so far heated the first level to a toasty level ( 85 Ish degrees ) and the 2nd floor to a 70-75 degree range. It's currently about 45 outside and I've only put in 2 half loads of wood so far. I have to say, I'm thoroughly impressed. I'll have to wait to see how the house does when it gets even colder out but it's already outperforming the gas furnace using ZERO electricity ( it has a blower but I'm not using it ).

I should note I could barely hit 70 on the first level yesterday and the 2nd floor hit 60's running the furnace non stop.

 

[begreen]

Nice big window on that stove. Where do you store your wood?

Might be time to move the thermostat to the other side of the wall and the loveseat a bit further away.

 

[WayneN]

Nice big window on that stove. Where do you store your wood?

Might be time to move the thermostat to the other side of the wall and the loveseat a bit further away.

I agree on both points but space is a bit limited. It's actually a free floating chase up against a sectional. It's very warm sitting there but not hot enough to worry about it combusting. I sat there most of the night lol. Maybe the metal safety Gate helps diffuse the heat?


I only have about a quarter of a cord until Saturday. I keep that on my covered porch. I'll be keeping the bulk of the wood along the side of the house in a wood rack.
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[moresnow]

98 on the thermo!! Haaaaaaaaa. Warm enough I'd guess.

 

[WayneN]

98 on the thermo!! Haaaaaaaaa. Warm enough I'd guess.

Lol the thermostat is on the wall right next to the stove ( about 3 feet from the firebox ). At one point it was so hot it said " HI "

The house was comfortable last night. I loaded it up 3/4 and left it alone for 7-8 hours with the damper pulled out ( slow burn ). The stove top still read 300 this morning and I had a lot of glowing coal. Put in a single log leaving the door cracked for a minute and she lit right up. I think we hit 30's last night so I think she did her job! Didn't blow through a whole ton of wood and the house stayed warm ( 70ish ).

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[WayneN]

First meal cooked on top. It's a slower heat for sure but it works! Woohoooo! Next time I'll bring it up to 500 instead of 300 on top. Might cook faster lol





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[begreen]

300F is about when I get ready to reload our stove.

 

[WayneN]

First wood stove.... lots of learning going on. Thanks! This group has been awesome and I've learned a lot.

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[begreen]

Watch that loveseat when it gets cold and normal temp for the stove is 600F.

 

[WayneN]

Will do. Thanks. So far the metal gate is deflecting a lot of the heat. The couch isn't getting warm. It's also at the recommended distance from combustibles so it should be a nice warm toasty safe spot lol

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[spirilis]

Good work! That Madison will make quick work of our Maryland winters. If you have space start stocking up on wood to "get ahead"... these things like truly dry firewood. I also find the stove works best with a "tall" stack, usually I stack "north/south" (splits front-to-back) and keep the stack narrow so I can get it up near the burn tubes. It's an art but you'll figure it out.

 

[WayneN]

Good work! That Madison will make quick work of our Maryland winters. If you have space start stocking up on wood to "get ahead"... these things like truly dry firewood. I also find the stove works best with a "tall" stack, usually I stack "north/south" (splits front-to-back) and keep the stack narrow so I can get it up near the burn tubes. It's an art but you'll figure it out.

I find when I go north south, the glass gets black fast. Maybe I should cut closer to 16 and run N/S ? I think it's because the wood sits almost against the glass as it is.


On the plus side, it's still giving off heat very well and I'm using wood that's less seasoned than I should. No issues with keeping up. Seems to have an awesome draft

Stacking e/w and keeping wood off those 2 front fire bricks seems to keep the glass nice and clean though.

I just got home from work at 4am, the wife put in a log around 10pm and there was still a full bed of hot glowing ember. Instant ignition on the wood so it can't be all that bad lol

There's something nice about coming home and relaxing by a fire. Mixing old fashioned and modern decor .... love it.





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[spirilis]

I find when I go north south, the glass gets black fast. Maybe I should cut closer to 16 and run N/S ? I think it's because the wood sits almost against the glass as it is.


On the plus side, it's still giving off heat very well and I'm using wood that's less seasoned than I should. No issues with keeping up. Seems to have an awesome draft

Stacking e/w and keeping wood off those 2 front fire bricks seems to keep the glass nice and clean though.

I just got home from work at 4am, the wife put in a log around 10pm and there was still a full bed of hot glowing ember. Instant ignition on the wood so it can't be all that bad lol

There's something nice about coming home and relaxing by a fire. Mixing old fashioned and modern decor .... love it.

View attachment 188213
View attachment 188214


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Yeah that's an important point, I cut my rounds closer to 15" in fact. Glass never gets black but that might be how dry my wood is. I also like adding a couple "Liberty Bricks" (2lb compressed sawdust blocks) to my fires, it helps keep it burning hotter.

I like your metal surround, reminds me of the stove we had growing up... my dad put a metal gate around the old stove cause he was afraid of me fiddling with it :-D

 

[WayneN]

Question. What's a good stove top temperature for this stove? I seem to only be able to get up to 400 on average. It tends to run more at 3-350 unless I stack it full of wood and leave the damper open.

It's hot enough to evaporate water in the 5 quart pot in 6-8 hours. Right now it's 35 degrees outside, 70-75 on my second floor ( have thermometers in all the bedrooms ) and the first floor reads 77 furthest area away. I'm just worried when the Temps get even lower If it will keep up. My gas furnace struggled although it's rated for a slightly smaller house ( trane xr80 35k btu 900 Sq ft rating).

That said...I'm using zero fans and all gravity heat. The Madison has a fan but I can't feel a difference when I've used it. It's too loud to run if we are downstairs. I could run it at night if needed.

I'm thinking about cutting in some floor registers on the second floor. The house is 1024 Sq ft total ( half 1st floor and half 2nd ) and the stove is dead center on the first floor. Opinions? Will she keep up as is ? Fans? Cut the floor vents ? Lol

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[spirilis]

Question. What's a good stove top temperature for this stove? I seem to only be able to get up to 400 on average. It tends to run more at 3-350 unless I stack it full of wood and leave the damper open.

It's hot enough to evaporate water in the 5 quart pot in 6-8 hours. Right now it's 35 degrees outside, 70-75 on my second floor ( have thermometers in all the bedrooms ) and the first floor reads 77 furthest area away. I'm just worried when the Temps get even lower If it will keep up. My gas furnace struggled although it's rated for a slightly smaller house ( trane xr80 35k btu 900 Sq ft rating).

That said...I'm using zero fans and all gravity heat. The Madison has a fan but I can't feel a difference when I've used it. It's too loud to run if we are downstairs. I could run it at night if needed.

I'm thinking about cutting in some floor registers on the second floor. The house is 1024 Sq ft total ( half 1st floor and half 2nd ) and the stove is dead center on the first floor. Opinions? Will she keep up as is ? Fans? Cut the floor vents ? Lol

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A high burn should hit 550-600F at its highest (in front of the flue collar). You really need to stack it up high for that though. If you are stacking it high and it's not getting there, suspect under-seasoned wood. Compressed sawdust briquettes (biobricks et al) can help.

For heat distribution I highly recommend using the rear blower. Scavenge that heat trapped between the stove & heat shields.

 

[kennyp2339]

Wait for the cold, wait for better seasoned wood, and run the blower before cutting holes for vents, also a small box fan at the base of the steps going to the second floor pointed at the stove will help establish a convective loop.

 

[WayneN]

A high burn should hit 550-600F at its highest (in front of the flue collar). You really need to stack it up high for that though. If you are stacking it high and it's not getting there, suspect under-seasoned wood. Compressed sawdust briquettes (biobricks et al) can help.

For heat distribution I highly recommend using the rear blower. Scavenge that heat trapped between the stove & heat shields.

Thank you. I'm measuring the heat off of the stove top. The thermometer is posted in one of the pics. It's more towards the front. I also think I have underseasoned wood too. I'm mixing seasoned and fresh split. I got the wood stove this month with a wild hair of an idea to save a bit on heating....but didn't have any wood. My coworker has helped a lot and had wood that's been sitting for a year. I've been swapping fresh split with his. He has enough wood for 2-3 years lol


That said, I might actually be getting it hotter than I think and I'm not stacking all the way to the top. Another thing is I have been emptying ash every few days. I may empty it every day just to see if it helps ( as the ash takes up room in the box so I can only fit 3-4 pieces of wood ). With an empty box I can fit 5-6.

I tossed in a big round and left the damper open. It lasted a good 8 hours and the stove still read 300 this morning. The house stayed right at 70 on both floors this morning with it hitting below freezing last night ( 30 degrees ). Maybe I'm worrying too much? I can hit 80-85 on the first floor and 75 on the 2nd floor if I'm constantly feeding her.

Thanks again !

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[WayneN]

Wait for the cold, wait for better seasoned wood, and run the blower before cutting holes for vents, also a small box fan at the base of the steps going to the second floor pointed at the stove will help establish a convective loop.

Will do and thanks! Seasoned wood is hard for me to get readily. I know for sure half of what I'm burning is not seasoned at all. It doesn't hiss a lot but I know it's wetter than it should be. I'll run the fan tonight and see if it helps. Box fans should be on sale everywhere right about now lol

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[WayneN]

Here's how the thermometer looks now. I try to keep it between 250-500 as that's the " best operation " range and the No creosote zone. It's definitely hot enough to cook eggs though.

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[spirilis]

Here's how the thermometer looks now. I try to keep it between 250-500 as that's the " best operation " range and the No creosote zone. It's definitely hot enough to cook eggs though. View attachment 188594View attachment 188595View attachment 188596

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Yeah I think you're cruising well in that pic. I check the stovetop temps near the same spot as your thermo but in the center in front of the flue collar, and I use an IR thermometer. Might take longer for your thermometer to register the higher temps.

I find the best way to roll with under-seasoned wood is to put it at the bottom, and put the better seasoned splits & kindling up top, then do a "top-down" fire. On the reload you can rake the coals towards the front, put your under-seasoned wood in the back (leave a little space for a seasoned split or kindling on top) and better seasoned stuff in front. The "magic" happens when you have well-seasoned firewood burning a short distance under the baffles, getting the baffles raging hot along with the burn tubes. The hot baffle radiates heat downward at the rest of the firewood which helps it catch shortly after.

The amount of ash you're producing sounds suspicious though. I usually go months without emptying ash... is the ash very clumpy or full of bits of charcoal?

 

[WayneN]

Yeah I think you're cruising well in that pic. I check the stovetop temps near the same spot as your thermo but in the center in front of the flue collar, and I use an IR thermometer. Might take longer for your thermometer to register the higher temps.

I find the best way to roll with under-seasoned wood is to put it at the bottom, and put the better seasoned splits & kindling up top, then do a "top-down" fire. On the reload you can rake the coals towards the front, put your under-seasoned wood in the back (leave a little space for a seasoned split or kindling on top) and better seasoned stuff in front. The "magic" happens when you have well-seasoned firewood burning a short distance under the baffles, getting the baffles raging hot along with the burn tubes. The hot baffle radiates heat downward at the rest of the firewood which helps it catch shortly after.

The amount of ash you're producing sounds suspicious though. I usually go months without emptying ash... is the ash very clumpy or full of bits of charcoal?

I've been pulling it out and cleaning while glowing red mostly because I worry about not being able to fit enough wood in for an overnight burn. There are large chunks ( charcoal briquette sized ) that ive been removing. Theres also a lot of fine powdered adh too. I woke up this morning to 75 degrees downstairs and 70-73 in the bedrooms upstairs. It hit in the 20's here last night. I cleaned the ashes completely out yesterday and got it up to almost 90 downstairs during the day just to test.


Should I be raking coals to the front and loading the wood in the back? I've been just leveling it out and laying the wood right on top the flat bed of coals.



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[spirilis]

I've been pulling it out and cleaning while glowing red mostly because I worry about not being able to fit enough wood in for an overnight burn. I woke up this morning to 75 degrees downstairs and 70-73 in the bedrooms upstairs. It hit in the 20's here last night. I cleaned the ashes completely out yesterday and got it up to almost 90 downstairs during the day just to test.


Should I be raking coals to the front and loading the wood in the back? I've been just leveling it out and laying the wood right on top the flat bed of coals.



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The "rake the coals to the front" seems to be a theme I've read about here on Hearth.com fwiw. I think it makes sense, as the primary air comes in through the front (either a small stream from the "doghouse" hole in the front bottom center or the primary air washing over the glass), and since coals smothered by fresh firewood won't burn well (i.e. - the coals will cool down and not burn out as fast, thus exacerbating your problem), it makes sense to put the coals up front where the all the air's at.

The coals are also responsible for lighting your next load of wood, so putting them where the air's at will ensure a stronger start to the next load.

 

[WayneN]

The "rake the coals to the front" seems to be a theme I've read about here on Hearth.com fwiw. I think it makes sense, as the primary air comes in through the front (either a small stream from the "doghouse" hole in the front bottom center or the primary air washing over the glass), and since coals smothered by fresh firewood won't burn well (i.e. - the coals will cool down and not burn out as fast, thus exacerbating your problem), it makes sense to put the coals up front where the all the air's at.

The coals are also responsible for lighting your next load of wood, so putting them where the air's at will ensure a stronger start to the next load.

I've had no issue with getting any wood to catch ( both seasoned and unseasoned ). I have literally 3 inches of ash / red coal leveled out in the box from yesterday and this morning ( pretty much level with the front fire bricks ). Maybe I should start raking them to the front and it will burn the coal down more into the powdery ash?


Thanks again for the input. Starting fresh and new here. My only experience with fires is making bonfires when we camp, and when I was younger we had a fireplace. Both completely different from this thing lol.

At least making a fire is the same though. No issues on that front!

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[spirilis]

I've had no issue with getting any wood to catch ( both seasoned and unseasoned ). I have literally 3 inches of ash / red coal leveled out in the box from yesterday and this morning ( pretty much level with the front fire bricks ). Maybe I should start raking them to the front and it will burn the coal down more into the powdery ash?


Thanks again for the input. Starting fresh and new here. My only experience with fires is making bonfires when we camp, and when I was younger we had a fireplace. Both completely different from this thing lol.

At least making a fire is the same though. No issues on that front!

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Yes definitely rake all the coals to the front, in fact, try doing that with nothing more than a small kindling split on top (just to get some hot flames going which can help "awaken" the coals as well as boost the chimney draft), close the door, open the damper all the way (push all the way in), see what kind of heat you can get out of just burning down coals... it might give you good heat for ~1/2 hour or more before you reload again. Great thing to do just before grabbing the morning coffee or tea, sit by the stove and watch the coals burn down.

 

[WayneN]

I'll have to do that once this burns down a bit. I stuffed a couple logs in already this morning around 7 lol

Came downstairs this morning and the stove read 250 ( which so far has been normal ) then I pump it up to 400. I try to load it up enough to burn all night arpund 10pm. The furthest part of the living room is reading 77.5 currently and it's pretty cold out so I think it's just a matter of learning how to burn / load correctly without going through wood so fast.








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