Newbie question, night temps, and clean the glass after every overnight burn?

[tickbitty]

We had our first overnight burn. Stove top was only about 150 this AM but that was fine, we won't be burning during our workday so we didn't really need to reignite the coals this AM., I suppose we could have if we wanted to though.

Two questions, when you are burning low and slow for an overnight, what should the general temps be evened out to, so that it lasts a long time but still burns well enough to keep going? We had it shut down pretty low but the temps were dropping under 300, I suspected it might just get too low and go out if it kept dropping like that so I got it up about 450 and for a decent while between 400 and 450 before I decided to leave it alone for the night.

Also, because of the longer lower burn the glass is now hazy and somewhat darkened. Should I clean this each night before I start the stove up again to keep it at it's clearest? If I burn it hot again will it burn it off, or just concrete it on there? I have read how to clean the glass I just kind of want to know how frequently I have to keep up with it.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

At 300 degrees it certainly won't heat much so I'd definitely run it at a higher temperature. (Our typical night time temperature is 600 or more.)

So much depends upon your fuel. Poor wood = dirty chimney; dirty glass; and a poor fire.

You should not have to clean that glass very often at all and having to clean it tells the story about your wood. However, cleaning is simple and easy. Just take a sheet of newspaper and sort of wad it up. Wet it slightly and dip it gently on the ash (you don't need much ash). Wipe that across the glass and the glass cleans up very nicely and it is easily done. You don't even have to buy anything special to clean the glass.

Good luck.

 

[par0thead151]

At 300 degrees it certainly won't heat much so I'd definitely run it at a higher temperature. (Our typical night time temperature is 600 or more.)

So much depends upon your fuel. Poor wood = dirty chimney; dirty glass; and a poor fire.

You should not have to clean that glass very often at all and having to clean it tells the story about your wood. However, cleaning is simple and easy. Just take a sheet of newspaper and sort of wad it up. Wet it slightly and dip it gently on the ash (you don't need much ash). Wipe that across the glass and the glass cleans up very nicely and it is easily done. You don't even have to buy anything special to clean the glass.

Good luck.

i clean with those disposable shop rags.
wet the rag, and wipe. if it sizzles a little, is that something to be concerned about?
naturaly it is not so hot that the water boils off, just a little hiss when it is first applied.

 

[tickbitty]

At 300 degrees it certainly won't heat much so I'd definitely run it at a higher temperature. (Our typical night time temperature is 600 or more.)

So much depends upon your fuel. Poor wood = dirty chimney; dirty glass; and a poor fire.

You should not have to clean that glass very often at all and having to clean it tells the story about your wood. However, cleaning is simple and easy. Just take a sheet of newspaper and sort of wad it up. Wet it slightly and dip it gently on the ash (you don't need much ash). Wipe that across the glass and the glass cleans up very nicely and it is easily done. You don't even have to buy anything special to clean the glass.

Good luck.

The wood we are using right now has been sitting for over four years and is hard as a rock (not punky) though it snowed last week and there might be some moisture from the weather. Things were good but looking like it would burn out pretty soon so I decided to load more in for the overnight, which was when my husband decided to shut it down really low. I brought it back up not too long after but the glass was already a little fogged.

I was thinking we should not run the stove much more than 600 most of the time so I thought that for low and slow I should be at 450 or something. But maybe I should stay higher then? THe glass definitely got mussed when it was down at 300. I probably won't care about a little haze after we have been using it a while but it looked sooooo nice when it was super clear so I would like to keep it up a while! Thanks for the info.

 

[Pagey]

My overnight burns are no different than normal: full load, air and bypass fully open till the load is involved/charred, close the bypass, adjust the air down in stages, stoves cruises at 600F-650F. Wake up 8 hours later to a stove top temp of 250-300F, rake the coals forward, reload.

The last time I had a low burn like you are described is when I was gone one day and came home to find that the older daughter had shoved in several fresh splits without making any adjustments to the air. Glass was BLACK, stove was about 300F, visible smoke, very messy.

Let that Lopi purr. 600F will not hurt that stove. You might get a clean burn at 400 with very dry wood, but you won't produce much heat, unfortunately.

The only difference, for me, in an overnight burn versus a "regular" burn is the amount of wood I put in and the species of wood I burn: during the day, smaller loads of pine, maple, and tulip poplar; at night, full loads (8-10 splits) or red oak, white oak, and tight bark hickory.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

My glass gets hazy after a couple/few days I guess, but I live with it until it bugs me. Sort of like when I cut my hair- no set schedule.

 

[tickbitty]

My overnight burns are no different than normal: full load, air and bypass fully open till the load is involved/charred, close the bypass, adjust the air down in stages, stoves cruises at 600F-650F. Wake up 8 hours later to a stove top temp of 250-300F, rake the coals forward, reload.

The last time I had a low burn like you are described is when I was gone one day and came home to find that the older daughter had shoved in several fresh splits without making any adjustments to the air. Glass was BLACK, stove was about 300F, visible smoke, very messy.

Let that Lopi purr. 600F will not hurt that stove. You might get a clean burn at 400 with very dry wood, but you won't produce much heat, unfortunately.

The only difference, for me, in an overnight burn versus a "regular" burn is the amount of wood I put in and the species of wood I burn: during the day, smaller loads of pine, maple, and tulip poplar; at night, full loads (8-10 splits) or red oak, white oak, and tight bark hickory.

Yup it sounds like what we did was pretty much JUST what your daughter did - except that we turned the air DOWN. You said you let it run at over 600, it worried me to get it going that high and then go to bed. I guess we better just keep learning. Pagey your help and answering my questions has continued to be invaluable (and saved the other people on the board from me asking them all here!) THanks very much for the info everyone else too. So it sounds like "Low and Slow" means Low BURN, NOT Low TEMP! Got it!

 

[Pagey]

Yes, the overnight burn is not about temps so much as it is time. Whether you are burning a smaller load for day time/shoulder season heating, or a full load for an overnight burn, you're going to need to reach a certain temperature range in order to burn clean. Your stove may be happy cruising at 550 or even 500F. I just know that for me, when I hit the "sweet spot" with my air adjustment and my supply of wood, I end up with a cruising temp of 600 to 650F. The 650F is usually a "brief" spike lasting 45 minutes to an hour. Then it will run at 600F for another hour or 2, then it's down to 500, then it holds the 300-400F range for the longest of the overnight burn.

Some people may be able to do it (especially with a cat stove), but I don't see how I could hold a 400F temp in my stove and get a clean burn. Heck, by the time I get a load charred good, I'm well on my way to 450F. Close the bypass damper and it's 500F in mere moments.

 

[tickbitty]

Thanks... I think we are going to have to get better at loading the stove, too. I think we were sort of just adding a split or two as things went along, rather than just loading it. THat meant we were always introducing something new and made it hard to keep any constants.

 

[Pagey]

Here's something that can help you overcome your fears of leaving it overnight: one Saturday or Sunday when it's really cold, load it up like you would do for an overnight burn. Get it settled in a cruising around 600F or so. Turn off the TVs/radios/satellite/etc. Just sit down, enjoy the company of your spouse and/or kids/family. Watch the stove go through a burn cycle. Don't add any wood. Don't tweak the air unless absolutely necessary. Warm up some cocoa, sip a cup of coffee, play a board game in the stove room. Just enjoy some quieter time and look up every now and again at the stove.

Consider this: if installed and operated properly, your stove is as safe as any other heating solution on the market. Natural gas and propane explode. Electric systems catch fire. Ad infinitum. The list goes on.

I've seen people run old beat up non-EPA stoves on some of the craziest setups imaginable, and they go to bed with the stove loaded every night. Not saying this makes them safe, but it does give you a basis to compare your installation and unease to.

Try it, and I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

 

[mnowaczyk]

I've seen people run old beat up non-EPA stoves on some of the craziest setups imaginable, and they go to bed with the stove loaded every night. Not saying this makes them safe, but it does give you a basis to compare your installation and unease to.

I think I fall into that category, but I'm pulling my stove tomorrow or the next day for a chimney check. I've been trying to figure out the mysterious overnight burn too. I think it requires N-S splits to load up that box nice and tight... with good front to back air. Right?

One the glass... I'm using leather work gloves, and a piece of dry newspaper when the glass gets a little sooty. The soot comes right off and the draft typically sucks to soot right back into the stove. It's the quickest and easiest thing I've tried, and don't see much mention of it. The wet ash thing can get so messy, and requires cold glass. I'm trying to avoid cold anything in my stove. (I figure it's the one-the-way-to-450 and the on-the-way-down-from-450 that cause creosote, a major concern with my existing, but temporary setup.) Is there anything wrong with this dry newspaper technique? Ink on the glass? Burning newspaper... I just toss it in if it starts smoldering when I clean 5-600 degree glass.

 

[firefighterjake]

+1 to Pagey's advice . . . load the stove up, get 'er hot and then start dialing down the air to the point where the secondary combustion is maintained for 10-15 minutes . . . if the secondaries die out you've cut the air back too much.

About the only thing I do differently from my overnight fire and fires during the day is I load up the stove a bit more and if possible I use the "better" wood. For example, during the day I may use some "junk" spruce, softwood slabs and some odd-ball pieces if I'm kicking around . . . the firebox isn't loaded up as much and I don't get as long a burn, but it's all good. At night, before going to bed (typically a half hour or so ahead of time) I'll load up the firebox with some of the maple, ash, etc. and I try to make sure things fit in a bit tighter and when possible use bigger splits and rounds.

A key to getting usable coals the next morning and retaining heat is to always have some ash in the base of the firebox . . . it helps preserve the coals and heat. In my case I have 1-2 inches of ash in the base . . . unlike last year when I kept wanting to clean out all of the ash to make the firebox look "nice."

The haze . . . you'll get it . . . it's no big deal. Typically you can carefully (and easily) wipe this away for that nice crystal clear view (yeah, I know . . . you don't have to have the clear view to get warm, but I agree tickbitty . . . it's nice to have a nice clean window to watch the fire) . . . you can do this with a couple sheets of damp newspaper. If you're getting black on the window it typically means wet wood, not enough air and you're starving the fire or a split or round has rolled up against the glass for an extended period of time.

 

[mnowaczyk]

+1 to Pagey's advice . . . load the stove up, get 'er hot and then start dialing down the air to the point where the secondary combustion is maintained for 10-15 minutes . . . if the secondaries die out you've cut the air back too much.

About the only thing I do differently from my overnight fire and fires during the day is I load up the stove a bit more and if possible I use the "better" wood. For example, during the day I may use some "junk" spruce, softwood slabs and some odd-ball pieces if I'm kicking around . . . the firebox isn't loaded up as much and I don't get as long a burn, but it's all good. At night, before going to bed (typically a half hour or so ahead of time) I'll load up the firebox with some of the maple, ash, etc. and I try to make sure things fit in a bit tighter and when possible use bigger splits and rounds.

A key to getting usable coals the next morning and retaining heat is to always have some ash in the base of the firebox . . . it helps preserve the coals and heat. In my case I have 1-2 inches of ash in the base . . . unlike last year when I kept wanting to clean out all of the ash to make the firebox look "nice."

The haze . . . you'll get it . . . it's no big deal. Typically you can carefully (and easily) wipe this away for that nice crystal clear view (yeah, I know . . . you don't have to have the clear view to get warm, but I agree tickbitty . . . it's nice to have a nice clean window to watch the fire) . . . you can do this with a couple sheets of damp newspaper. If you're getting black on the window it typically means wet wood, not enough air and you're starving the fire or a split or round has rolled up against the glass for an extended period of time.

Agree with saving the best wood for overnights.

I still just use dry newspaper which gets soot off, not the haze, which burns off at the hight temps. I've got a "parts" stove, so I've always got a second pair of doors if I want to clean it with wet newspaper and ash. I can put on the clean doors, let the dirty doors cool, and then take them to the sink if i want. I prefer that to letting the whole stove cool down. Maybe a benefit to having an old junky stove? I bought a second for $50! I have to deal with a LOUD fan though. There's a lot of "what did you say" when the fan is on.

 

[Ratherbfishin]

You should not have to clean that glass very often at all and having to clean it tells the story about your wood.


I would agree to a point... You could have the best seasoned wood there is but if you choke the air off too much it will bog down and smoke therefore dirtying the glass. I have done this several times finding the sweet spot for an overnight burn... If I wake up to a dirty window I adjust the air and try again.

 

[tickbitty]

Thanks for all the input and suggestions. Have done better since that night that it got really sooty by just letting it burn a little longer before shutting it down and going to bed. I guess I was not really letting it get established enough. I have only gotten a little haze once since then and it burned off when the fire got bigger.
Now I am wondering how often everyone actually cleans the stove itself! The black paint on this Republic is really flat and shows any ash smear and dust. I am sure I will stop caring soon enough but right now I want my new stove to look kinda new!

 

[mellow]

I just did let my stove cool down and give it a cleaning on these 50 deg. days we have been getting. We have been burning 24/7 with it for the past 2 months. I mainly wanted to check the welds and do a full clean out of the ash and really clean the window (white fluff specs on it) and brush off the inside tubes and baffle. Everything looked good and she is now up running again.

For my insert at night I load it up and leave the air open until the stove top gets to 500, then I slowly reduce the air till it is all secondary air, sometimes I can do it right away if I have a good bed of coals and the fire is going really good, sometimes I have to wait 10 minutes for the wood to get really charred before reducing the air. Since I only have a 1.8cu ft firebox my burn times are only around 4-5 hours with good heat, I load it up around 10pm and let it go and set the heat pump for 66 deg., when the fan kicks off when the insert goes below 300 the heat pump will start kicking on. In the morning we have enough hot coals left to rake to the front and load some small splits on to get the fire going again. Since the wife is home all day the stove is getting fed throughout the day. You will pretty much get into a cycle of how to best load and when to load and how much.

 

[logger]

At 300 degrees it certainly won't heat much so I'd definitely run it at a higher temperature. (Our typical night time temperature is 600 or more.)

Good luck.

Just so tickbitty isnt confused, I go to bed with ours running around 500-600 deg, but thats an impossible temp to keep all night. My stoves around 200-250 deg in the morning, so if tickbittys is at 150 deg in the AM, I dont see that being a problem. A stove is only going to put heat out until the wood burns down. No type of wood keeps a stove at 600 deg all night. Four year old wood sounds almost too seasoned for my liking. 2 years is just plenty for hardwoods at our home. Perhaps thats why the temps are lowering so quickly. Wood that is seasoned too much will burn quick and hot, then cool the stove rather quickly.