New Hearthstone Heritage Issue

[PeterJ]

Good day all. I recently purchase a Hearthstone Heritage soapstone stove after buring a Vermont Castngs Resolute Accalim for 19 years. The Resolute was a fine stove witha secondary burn chamber located in the lower rear section of the stove. All I had to do to get a clean, smokeless burn was to create a solid bed of coals and close the bypass damper while keeping the air at least 1/2 or greater open. No smoke was visible from my chimney. I am having diificulty learning to burn the soapstone stone without visible smoke billowing out of the chimney. I burn the soapstone stove fully open for an hour or so until I get it to around 400 degrees on the soapstone. I add wood, let it get charred for 10 minutes or so and reduce the air to about a 1/4. Sometimes the secondary combustion is visible but many times it is not, particularily if the stove is less than 400 degrees. Any suggestions would be appreciated. PeterJ.

 

[BrowningBAR]

Good day all. I recently purchase a Hearthstone Heritage soapstone stove after buring a Vermont Castngs Resolute Accalim for 19 years. The Resolute was a fine stove witha secondary burn chamber located in the lower rear section of the stove. All I had to do to get a clean, smokeless burn was to create a solid bed of coals and close the bypass damper while keeping the air at least 1/2 or greater open. No smoke was visible from my chimney. I am having diificulty learning to burn the soapstone stone without visible smoke billowing out of the chimney. I burn the soapstone stove fully open for an hour or so until I get it to around 400 degrees on the soapstone. I add wood, let it get charred for 10 minutes or so and reduce the air to about a 1/4. Sometimes the secondary combustion is visible but many times it is not, particularily if the stove is less than 400 degrees. Any suggestions would be appreciated. PeterJ.

When was your wood cut and stacked?

 

[Tarmsolo60]

On mine, after the fire is going well I turn the air down 1/2 way, wait about 10 minutes close down 1/2 of remaining opening, and do it 2 more times only closing 1/2 of remaining opening at a time.
My stove seems to burn best leaving air open about 1/4" from closed after all adjustments.

 

[Todd]

Your going to have to play with your air settings. Sometimes they don't like to be shut right down from full to low and you have to bring her down in slow increments.

 

[PeterJ]

Your going to have to play with your air settings. Sometimes they don't like to be shut right down from full to low and you have to bring her down in slow increments.

Good idea. But why do I not see the secondary combustion ports buring the gasses all the time? I thought they would be operating continuously.

 

[PeterJ]

Good day all. I recently purchase a Hearthstone Heritage soapstone stove after buring a Vermont Castngs Resolute Accalim for 19 years. The Resolute was a fine stove witha secondary burn chamber located in the lower rear section of the stove. All I had to do to get a clean, smokeless burn was to create a solid bed of coals and close the bypass damper while keeping the air at least 1/2 or greater open. No smoke was visible from my chimney. I am having diificulty learning to burn the soapstone stone without visible smoke billowing out of the chimney. I burn the soapstone stove fully open for an hour or so until I get it to around 400 degrees on the soapstone. I add wood, let it get charred for 10 minutes or so and reduce the air to about a 1/4. Sometimes the secondary combustion is visible but many times it is not, particularily if the stove is less than 400 degrees. Any suggestions would be appreciated. PeterJ.

When was your wood cut and stacked?

I'm not sure since I bought from a distributor. But I do think some of it is green since I smell that characteristic sweet oak smell when I split it.

 

[BrowningBAR]

Good day all. I recently purchase a Hearthstone Heritage soapstone stove after buring a Vermont Castngs Resolute Accalim for 19 years. The Resolute was a fine stove witha secondary burn chamber located in the lower rear section of the stove. All I had to do to get a clean, smokeless burn was to create a solid bed of coals and close the bypass damper while keeping the air at least 1/2 or greater open. No smoke was visible from my chimney. I am having diificulty learning to burn the soapstone stone without visible smoke billowing out of the chimney. I burn the soapstone stove fully open for an hour or so until I get it to around 400 degrees on the soapstone. I add wood, let it get charred for 10 minutes or so and reduce the air to about a 1/4. Sometimes the secondary combustion is visible but many times it is not, particularily if the stove is less than 400 degrees. Any suggestions would be appreciated. PeterJ.

When was your wood cut and stacked?

I'm not sure since I bought from a distributor. But I do think some of it is green since I smell that characteristic sweet oak smell when I split it.

When did you buy it and when was it delivered?

 

[PeterJ]

I bought it in January 2010 and it was delivered then as well.

 

[BrowningBAR]

I bought it in January 2010 and it was delivered then as well.

That's your problem right there. There is no way that stuff is dry. Do what you can with it to get you through the season, but buy more wood now so you are all set next season.


Check your chimney often.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I agree with Browning, especially with part of it being oak.

Leaving the stove draft full open for that long is only wasting heat and fuel. Try cutting the draft sooner and you should find the stove heating up much faster. However, you do need better fuel.

Do yourself a favor and get all of next year's wood on hand as soon as possible. No oak if you burn it next winter. Stack the wood in the open where wind will hit the sides of the pile. Wind and time are that wood's friends. If you feel you must cover the wood, then cover the top only. Never cover the sides of the wood pile else it will not dry or take much too long to dry.

Good luck next winter.

 

[Highbeam]

Your going to have to play with your air settings. Sometimes they don't like to be shut right down from full to low and you have to bring her down in slow increments.

Good idea. But why do I not see the secondary combustion ports buring the gasses all the time? I thought they would be operating continuously.

They won't run continuously. If you provide too much air from the primary air control then your fire has all the air it needs and you won't see much any secondary fire coming from the tubes, after all, they are only air inlets. If you run your fire too cold then the temps aren't high enough to support secondary combustion and you will send smoke up the flue.

You sound to be operating the stove in an on/off mode when you should use the middle settings of the air control a lot more. Only spend a small amount of time at wide open air.

 

[PeterJ]

Thanks, Inferno. I will start operating the air control in the mid range and let you know how it functions.

 

[rdust]

I think the others have nailed it, a good bet it's the wood. Last week I had to tap into oak that was cut/split in March/April of 2009. It's less then ideal even though the wood does not sizzle. I find that I need to burn it hotter then I burned my seasoned wood and the secondaries aren't as good.

Every stove is different, with mine I run full air until the wood is burning pretty good with a stove top temp. from 350-400. I then close the air down in about three steps with about 5-10 minutes between them. I usually find the sweet spot for my set up about an 1/8"-1/4" from fully closed.

 

[Highbeam]

Every stove is different, with mine I run full air until the wood is burning pretty good with a stove top temp. from 350-400.

This is one case where the steel stove guys really can mislead you. Burning a stone stove means that you may never get your stove to 400 during the whole burn cycle and if you do it will be at least an hour into the burn. You'll need to learn to burn an efficient fire in a cold stone stove until the stone finally heats up.

 

[PeterJ]

Thanks, Inferno. I noticed you have the same heritage I do, soapstone with black cast. I 'll probably be asking you some more questions in the future. I am taking your advice and running it at lower air settings and it seems to heat up faster and run better. I have even seen the much sought after secondary burn blazing from the tubes!