new wood burner chimney cleaning and temp questions

[saskwoodburner]

Hey guys, new to the forum, I've lurked a bunch and done some reading and there sure is a wealth of information. It can get pretty chilly up here in Saskatchewan for a big chunk of the year, so this year we bought a Englander 17 on sale at from one of the local big-box stores.

Anyways, things seem to be going very well, but I have a few questions or concerns.

#1- My install is in a mobile home, and my stack (stove top/double wall/chimney) isn't very tall. about 5 feet double wall pipe, with 4 feet of chimney. It meets the 3 feet above roof and anything within 10 feet kinda thing. It seems a bit fussy when it's not so cold out, say 20 F or above, but below that it gets easier. Not hard to get going, more have to babysit it. If it works, don't fix it? Would three more feet of chimney make much difference?

#2- I've been burning some okay wood and some rough wood, didn't have time to lay into a good supply as the stove purchase was sort of a snap decision. I cleaned out the chimney and ended up with 2 cups of almost talcum powder like brown ash or soot? Looks like a very fine grind of coffee. Very fluffy stuff that just disappears between your fingers. Put the torch to it, and it does nothing. Is this acceptable if a regular cleaning schedule is maintained? Bothers me not a bit to get up there and give er a good scrub every 3-4 weeks.

#3- Lastly, I'm just running one of those Imperial brand single wall pipe thermometers on the side of the stove as I can't find a stove top thermometer here. The thermometer is on the right hand side of the stove, the top is even with the door, and its about an inch back from the corner. I keep the temp within the burn zone listed on the gauge just to have a rough idea where I'm at, but I'm not sure how accurate this method is.

Any thoughts or ideas appreciated! I love this thing though, mom and dad had a smoke dragon when I was a kid, so my inner firebug sure had to get used to different burning techniques running this stove.

 

[firefighterjake]

One thought on the chimney . . . sounds like you're burning OK . . . not really sure for how long you've been burning and 2 cups is a bit more than I get by this time of year . . . but it being soft to the touch and brown like coffee grounds is encouraging.

 

[saskwoodburner]

I haven't been burning very long, probably four weeks, trying to give the oil furnace a break as much as possible. I run the stove from morning until night, and a cold restart every morning, so it gets a good run everyday.

 

[Jags]

An addition to your stack height can make a meaningful change in draft. It don't always work in your favor, but for what you have described I think I would give it a try. The cheap snap together tin for ductwork will work for a temp test. If it works as expected then go and buy the proper pipe for the addition.

2 cups in that short of time is a bit much in my opinion. At least it is the relatively harmless stuff.

 

[farmboy05]

For your thermometer, go ahead and use the single wall thermometer on your stovetop. I just started burning here recently and had to do the same. Works great actually. I don't know about where you have it placed, but i think it should work just as well on top.

 

[saskwoodburner]

I think there might be some of that tin pipe from an oil furnace (the outer shell) that I could jury rig to try on a warmer day. We've had some -20 or-25 F weather which is abnormally cold for this time of year, and I swear when it's that cold, the fire almost starts itself!! I will definitely give it a try though. It's almost silly the amount of fuel oil we're not burning.

As for the thermometer placement, I used the "feels warmest to my hand on this part here" method, which I thought to be best. It's not on the front at all, it's on the right hand side (looking from the front), the thermometer dial top is even with the door level, and it's back from the front right corner approx. 1.5". I get the highest readings here on my Englander 17

 

[saskwoodburner]

Finally got one of those hand held laser temperature reader. Turns out where the single wall temperature gauge was placed on my stove is reading fairly close on the bottom end of the scale, off by 10-15 F, but goes out of wack higher up in temp. 500 on the gauge is reading 465 F on my temp gun. At least I've been stuck in the burn range the whole time. I'd assume if the stove is that hot, the temp inside the pipe can't help but be at least that warm.

 

[Jags]

I'd assume if the stove is that hot, the temp inside the pipe can't help but be at least that warm.

Not completely the case. During the startup phase it is probably in close proximity, but during the later stages of the fire, I would suspect that the pipe temps drop lower than stove temps. At least that is how my setup runs.

 

[Wood Duck]

I added four feet to my 20+ ft chimney and it made a difference. I'd give it a try if I were you. The ash you got sounds pretty normal to me.

 

[Poindexter]

I have 14' of total stack from stove collar to rain cap and mine is a bit fussy above freezing, works better down to about -10dF and really gets to drafting good below about -20dF. I have thought about adding some height to my stack but i don't really "need" it.

Agree with the above, 2 cups is quite a bit for only burning four weeks - but the description of the ash you have sounds like the good stuff. Keep scrubbing once or month give or take for now, once you get into drier wood you will probably be able to lengthen that interval quite a bit. Watch for hard shiny black bits in with the brown-tan-grey powder. Shiny black is the stuff you don't want, but a few bits in frequent cleanings is OK.

 

[saskwoodburner]

Not completely the case. During the startup phase it is probably in close proximity, but during the later stages of the fire, I would suspect that the pipe temps drop lower than stove temps. At least that is how my setup runs.

I totally agree with you there. Guilty of typing faster than I think sometimes. Until I use up all the wood I have, I'll just keep sweeping the chimney often. I've been scrounging dry poplar here and there, so my fires have been a lot better.

 

[saskwoodburner]

It turns out the mechanical gauge is off by around 80 F up higher in the burn zone. Got the stove to 600 on the gauge, and the hand held read 515-520 F. Good to know I have a little room up there to push it.

 

[begreen]

Good news. According to Condar the high end is the first range to become inaccurate when the thermometer is pushed too hot too often.

 

[saskwoodburner]

Not sure if I'm guilty of "too hot, too often" but I do know how to run my little stove pretty well now. Really helps with my comfort level though knowing my actual temps.