Smoke vs. Steam

[leeave96]

I am on the learning curve for my Englander 30-NCH and am wrestling with enough fire/secondaries to get no smoke out the chimney. Sometimes when I have secondaries, there is zero smoke, other times there is a small bit coming out the chimney. The smoke is white vs blue/grey and generally you can see through it. This makes me wonder if what I am seeing is smoke or steam.

This stove, being a secondary burn type stove is much different than my other cat stove. Then I engage the cat and it fires off - there is zero smoke or steam. It is though you are not burning anything in that stove when looking at the chimney.

So out of the same pile of wood, with the cat, I get zero smoke. With the Englander, sometimes no smoke, other times a light smoke (or steam) with the secondaries going.

My question for you folks with secondary type burn stoves is:

1. Do you think I am seeing smoke or steam?

2. How much steam/smoke is normal for your stove to discharge with the secondaries going? Is your stack always clear or is there some smoke/steam coming out?

Just courious.

Thanks!
Bill

 

[pen]

It's probably steam.

What are your stove top temps when this is happening? If they are over 500, I'm pretty much guaranteeing steam. I can't get a clean burn out of the stove less than 500 degrees, even if secondaries are lighting off.

I've learned, I don't need to look at the chimney to tell this. I'll notice over the course of a 1/2 hour to an hour or so into the burn after I started closing the air down as I'll see some amber haze build up on the glass. If I see that, I'll give it a 1/16 to and 1/8 inch tops more air and things clear right up.

If the glass stays nice and clean (other than the very bottom corners of the door on a lower type burn) then I know it truly is a clean burn.

Just my observations tho, I could be wrong

pen

 

[leeave96]

We try to maintain 500 degree stove top as minimum too. That seems to be the temp the secondaries fire off and little to no smoke out the chimney. I think it's steam too. We use the same wood on the Keystone and that stove is burning perfect. Glass is clear on the Englander, so I'll assume what I am seeing is steam.

The good news is that when I go to clean the chimney this Englander is using, I can clean it from the bottom - so I'll be checking it monthly until I get a handle on how clean this stove burns.

Thanks!
Bill

 

[Todd]

What are the outside temps when you see this smoke or steam? I only see steam when the temp's are in the 30's or maybe low 40's. Seems like it's got to be colder outside for that water vapor to materialize otherwise I just see heat waves.

 

[gzecc]

What are the outside temps when you see this smoke or steam? I only see steam when the temp's are in the 30's or maybe low 40's. Seems like it's got to be colder outside for that water vapor to materialize otherwise I just see heat waves.

I'd have to agree with the above. Condensation of vapor in colder temps will produce water vapor. Its probably not smoke unless your not burning ideal fuel. Not an engineer, but I stayed at a Holiday Inn last night!

 

[leeave96]

What are the outside temps when you see this smoke or steam? I only see steam when the temp's are in the 30's or maybe low 40's. Seems like it's got to be colder outside for that water vapor to materialize otherwise I just see heat waves.

It was probably about 50 degrees outside last evening and falling. What I am seeing - when I see it is white and very light, almost transparent as you can easily see through it. Wood is great, 20% or less MC - usually much less. Same wood in the Keystone yields heat waves only and they are hard to spot - as it looks like there is no fire on that chimney.

This morning, same wood, much colder, in the upper 30's to very low 40's and no smoke or steam or whatever it is!

Thanks!
Bill

 

[Todd]

Even if what you see is a little smoke, it's white smoke and it won't make creosote like gray or brown smoke does. You know you have good wood and two very clean burning stoves, you should be fine.