stove to big

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cyclone

Member
Hearth Supporter
May 20, 2008
161
North East Pennsylvania
Is it possible for your stove to be to big to have it working efficenly and as it should. My home is a ranch home. The stove is located in our finish basement. Where it is placed in apporimatelly a 500ft space. My intention was for the stove to heat approximatelly 2000 square ft. which can do with no problems. The Stove is a HARMAN TL 300 which is rated to heat up to 3000 square feet.

It seems the stove is not working hard enough to work properly. This was also passed onto to me from other wood burners trying to trouble shoot some of problems.
 
It shouldn't have to work hard. What kind of stove top temps are you getting? Is it burning clean, no smoke out the chimney?
 
Getting smoke out of the chimney with seasoned wood. I went through all suggestions, and operations noted in the manual, and advice from fellow wood burners that have the same stove.

When everyone says burning clean that means no smoke from the chimney.

Stove temps have varied . I will tell you this whenever I get clean burns no smoke out of the chimney the stove top cruises at 350-385. At first I thought it was the temp guage and bought another. That was not the case since I got the same reading for both guages. Most individuals with the same stove have noted that their stove top temps run at 400-450 for a clean burn no smoke out of chimney. That is also along with secondary burn.
 
Is your wood well seasoned and dry? Perhaps you could tell us how you operate your stove. Please fill us in on details of house construction and also stove install details. In really cold weather, you will note white "smoke" from chimney--it's moisture and that's okay. Heating the upper level of your home from the basement can be challenging. Many do not recommend it. However, there some of us who do it, with good results. Your temp readings of 350-380 do not sound adequate to get you much heat out of the stove.
 
hummm reducing the box with stove brick sounds like a correct approach.

You could start by reducing in half the length of splits you're burning. Perhaps the resulting smaller fire burning hotter will work out for you. It's probably worth cutting down a face cord of wood and working the kinks out rather than taking a loss on the stove.

Then again you could always crack a few windows and let the stove rip as God intended. Every now and then we have to do that in shoulder season, I love the fresh air blowing in while the stove burns on. NICE!
 
CZARCAR said:
u can downsize the firebox with firebrix

actually thats a pretty good idea ,seems easy enough but I never thought of that
 
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