Question about stove temps?

[RIDGERUNNER30]

Last night i decided to start a fire in my new stove and see what kind of burn time i would get and see if there would be pretty of coals in the morning to start another fire, I purchased a country wood stove model s- 260 this spring i've done my three burns to cure my stove, well the manual stated that it will take a good week of hot fireing to fully cure the stove, well anyway i loaded the stove up with a good load of black locust and got fire going pretty good kept the draft open until the temps were about 450 then i started playing with the draft control to see what effect it had on the fire, The draft control knob has three notched out markings in the rod itself to help with the settings. My question is how hot do you try to get the stove temps up to before backing the draft down? I know this sounds like a stupid question ,but this will be my first year burning and there is alot I still don't know . I want to get long burn times and not waste wood and sended all my heat up the chimmey, how hot will you guys burn a stove before backing the draft down?, I woke up this morning and my stove had pretty of hot coals in it and the temp was about 200 degrees and had one mad wife for building a fire when it was 64 degrees outside but i could not help myself.

 

[Todd]

Don't worry, your not alone in anticipation. Your going to have some trial and error with a new stove and it sounds like you did pretty well last night if you woke up to a good bed of coals. Usually people wait 10-20 minutes before turning down the air depending on the load and amount of coals.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Ridgerunner, first of all do not think that the sort of burn you get now will be the same as it will be in the winter.

We do not look at temperature when we start closing the draft but rather how well the wood is burning. If it charred good, then we close the draft part way. Each stove seems to have its own way of what is the best way to run it and even more so, the type of wood you put in.

450 is not all that hot for a stovetop temperature. Methinks it is best to go by the flue temp if possible. And you are correct about being concerned about how much heat is going up the chimney. Some heat is needed going up the chimney but excessive just means you will burn a lot of wood that you shouldn't have to burn.

 

[RIDGERUNNER30]

Thanks guys for the information i will start taking my readings off the stove pipe instead of the stove top, I would would say that the stove still needs some more firings before I will know what this stove will do. I guess if your stove pipe temps are lower than your stove top temps temps than you are not losing alot of heat up the chimmey, would this be right?

 

[Todd]

Thanks guys for the information i will start taking my readings off the stove pipe instead of the stove top, I would would say that the stove still needs some more firings before I will know what this stove will do. I guess if your stove pipe temps are lower than your stove top temps temps than you are not losing alot of heat up the chimmey, would this be right?

Yes, your stove top temps should be higher than the external pipe temps. I like to monitor both, it tells you more of whats going on.

 

[RIDGERUNNER30]

I kind of thought about it last night, it makes sense to monitor both stove top temps and stove pipe temps ,I guess i worry to much about it, my stove has about 36 inches of single wall pipe that exits out the wall into a supervent ss pipe with a about sixteen feet of pipe, some people around here think they know alot about wood burning,but none these guy's that give me advice don't even own a wood stove, but one guy told me that i would have to install a pipe damper in my stove pipe, because i would lose to much heat up the chimmey,but i told him that had a new epa certfied stove and a draft problem should not be a issue, what is your guys opinion on my setup?

 

[BrotherBart]

I think your setup is going to be just fine. Why don't you put your stove model in the signature line in your profile so it shows up when you post.

 

[summit]

no damper should be needed w/ an epa stove: as for surface temps: single wall pipe should run 300-500 normal operation when you are around and tending it: but during long, overnight burns and the later charcoal burning stage you will see it dip down to about 200... I like to crank my summit up to a good 500 + before i even think about closing it down for the night.

 

[RIDGERUNNER30]

Thanks for all this information, it really helps and brotherbart i updated my signature, One question that i still have is .I was reading the operation manual and it tell you to be patient with the heat output of your stove for first few weeks, they claim that the steel will go through a curing process that elimates moisture, which is deep in the steel and firebrick.this moisture will reduce initial heat output of your stove and make it difficult to start they state after you have broken in the paint on the stove it will be necessary to build hot fires to thoroughly remove the moisture from the stove. they say running the stove with the draft fully open for 1 to 1- 1/2 hours after starting and adding good amounts of wood during the first week or two should complete the curing process. they claim that the temps on the stove top and pipe should be between 250-600 degrees range . does this sound to you guys ? I noticed last when i loaded up the stove with the black locust the best temp reading i got was 450 and that was with draft wide open, that was the reading on the stove top and the reading on the piipe was about 250 degrees. I guess it will take some time to figure out how to burn with this stove.

 

[BrotherBart]

I burn in a steel stove and take a little exception to that manual. In the first place the moisture you are cooking off inside the fire box will be from the bricks. And a fire or two will get that done. There are oils in that metal but moisture left that stuff at the foundry. Second, if you get the stove top temp up to around 450-500 and start easing the primary air down the secondary burn is going to start doing its thing and the stove top temp will go up, not down, for a good while. Running it with a full load up to six hundred and then backing down the primary air will make for a real Come To Jaysus moment. A moment about thirty minutes long and seven or eight hundred degrees hot.

Ease into it and get used to your stove with progressively larger loads of wood. Get used to how it reacts to different primary air settings and different amounts of wood. You and that puppy are gonna be nightly companions for a long time so get to know each other.

And as I tell everybody, wait until that coal bed is down to around 400-450 stove top temp before reloading. If you reload at 600 degrees stove top temp you ain't gonna believe what happens next when that fresh wood outgasses all at once.

 

[RIDGERUNNER30]

Thanks Brother Bart for your wisdom, I'am big fan of steel stoves to, I have read alot of your posts and you have helped me out a whole lot, It is good to talk to people that know what they are talking about, I will take my time and learn how this stove runs, I 'am also going to buy me another stove therometer , I believe the one i have might be off a little bit, thanks a bunch brother bart and the picture of your stove makes me want to start another fire ,but my wife would kill me .

 

[summit]

no damper should be needed w/ an epa stove: as for surface temps: single wall pipe should run 300-500 normal operation when you are around and tending it: but during long, overnight burns and the later charcoal burning stage you will see it dip down to about 200... I like to crank my summit up to a good 500 + before i even think about closing it down for the night.

wonder what would happen if u forgot to close it down?

it has happened.. throwing the big splits on for an overnighter, opening her up and cracking that last beer on the couch to wait @ 15 mins to shut her down... only to wake up 4 hrs later with the living room 100 degrees, covered in sweat, thermometer buried, and my beer warm

 

[pen]

no damper should be needed w/ an epa stove: as for surface temps: single wall pipe should run 300-500 normal operation when you are around and tending it: but during long, overnight burns and the later charcoal burning stage you will see it dip down to about 200... I like to crank my summit up to a good 500 + before i even think about closing it down for the night.

wonder what would happen if u forgot to close it down?

it has happened.. throwing the big splits on for an overnighter, opening her up and cracking that last beer on the couch to wait @ 15 mins to shut her down... only to wake up 4 hrs later with the living room 100 degrees, covered in sweat, thermometer buried, and my beer warm

You too! :ahhh:

BTW, for the 6 dollars and extra 37 seconds it took me, I installed a damper in my stove pipe with my new epa stove. I don't plan on using it but if there were a chimney fire, it would help to close things down better I would imagine. Or who knows, perhaps on those -10 degree nights I might find I really do have too much draft and need to slow it down. Bottom line, it won't hurt anything if you don't use it and certainly isn't hard on the wallet.

 

[Ratman]

Lots of info here for RidgeRunner30, some confusing.
Best Answer, apart from mine below, was Todd's. Trial and error.

My suggestion on What, How and When:

Happy Wife = Happy Life

Recite that before making any future stove related decisions.

 

[BrotherBart]

Happy Wife = Happy Life

Recite that before making any future stove related decisions.

Jeff Allen fan eh?

 

[WOODBUTCHER]

Last night i decided to start a fire in my new stove and see what kind of burn time i would get and see if there would be pretty of coals in the morning to start another fire, I purchased a country wood stove model s- 260 this spring i've done my three burns to cure my stove, well the manual stated that it will take a good week of hot fireing to fully cure the stove, well anyway i loaded the stove up with a good load of black locust and got fire going pretty good kept the draft open until the temps were about 450 then i started playing with the draft control to see what effect it had on the fire, The draft control knob has three notched out markings in the rod itself to help with the settings. My question is how hot do you try to get the stove temps up to before backing the draft down? I know this sounds like a stupid question ,but this will be my first year burning and there is alot I still don't know . I want to get long burn times and not waste wood and sended all my heat up the chimmey, how hot will you guys burn a stove before backing the draft down?, I woke up this morning and my stove had pretty of hot coals in it and the temp was about 200 degrees and had one mad wife for building a fire when it was 64 degrees outside but i could not help myself.

If you’re new to wood burning with a new stove, slow and easy wins the race. You will find your niche with your stove.....cold starts, getting a good coal bed, when to add more fuel, sweet spot for your draft control, split size...you get the idea.
Your stove may differ...But most of the time my Oslo's front draft control is 75% or more closed. On the really cold nights, I'll get my Oslo up to 600 and really char the wood before knocking the draft control down.
Here is what secondary combustion looks like:

20 minutes into secondary burn
Wood:Shagbark Hickory
Stovetop temp:600
Draft control 75% closed




WoodButcher

 

[firefighterjake]

I'm pretty much the same as Backwoods . . . I watch the condition of the fire and the fuel as a partial gauge, but I also keep a close eye on the flue temp and stove top temp before I start to close down the draft . . . and even then I close it down slowly (i.e. close to the "3/4" setting before moving it to the "1/2" open setting and keep backing down the air until the secondary light show begins with just a little bit of flame.

On my stove 450 degrees is OK, but typically my Oslo seems to run better and stronger in the 500-600 degree temp . . . typically I'll get the stove up to the 500-600 degree temp range before starting to "shut her down" for the overnight burn. From match to "ready to go to bed" is about 15-30 minutes.

As mentioned a fire started during this time of year will be a lot different critter than a fire started in middle of January . . . and it will be a heckuva lot more comfortable of a fire in middle of January instead of now. As for me, I have had a few fires already, but just a quick, short fire on some particularly cool evenings -- I'm not about to waste wood or get my wife wound up around this time of year just so I can see the pretty flames. My advice -- wait a little more before touching off another fire -- your wife will be happier (and cooler), you'll have more wood to play with come February and you'll get a much better feel for the stove and how the draft works and how it burns when the temps are more seasonal (i.e. much, much cooler than 63 degrees!)

Damper: I thought about installing a damper myself, but opted to not do so. No great loss. I thought it might help me control the heat loss, but honestly heat loss has not been much of an issue. If I am losing some heat up the stack (outside chimney) I don't miss it since the house is always toasty warm. On the other hand, as mentioned, they are cheap enough to install and could possibly be used for a chimney fire -- although a better idea is to not have a chimney fire.

 

[wendell]

Thanks Brother Bart for your wisdom, I'am big fan of steel stoves to, I have read alot of your posts and you have helped me out a whole lot...

Sounds like somebody has a charter member of their fan club! :lol:

 

[johnsopi]

Why are the wives all ways mad about something. If it not to this, it that.