T5 burn time and damper issues update

[raybonz]

FWIW i just replaced some cracked fire bricks in rear of my T5 and recemented door gasket at upper left corner, while at it i plugged the dime sized hole with foil and am going to see if it makes any difference in burn times and fire control.. i love my stove and can get 9 hours burns with some coals left but would like a little more control of flue temps usually at 2 hrs into a full load my flue can read 450 to 480 with dry oak in stove.. we will see what happens.

I think your flue temps are just fine in fact just about perfect.. I get those temps when the secondaries are really going well and see nothing wrong with that..

Ray

 

[begreen]

jetmech, are those surface, single-wall temps or probe, double-wall temps? If they are probe temps, then I agree with ray, that is pretty good.

 

[raybonz]

jetmech, are those surface, single-wall temps or probe, double-wall temps? If they are probe temps, then I agree with ray, that is pretty good.

BG I am referring to single wall surface temps monitored 18" from stove flue collar and this is the high side of normal according to my Condar which I verify with my IR scanner.. I also have a surface thermometer just before the chimney and it registers about 300.. If jetmech is reading those temps in a similar setup I'd say he is doing OK.. Better a little warm than a little cool when it comes to creosote formation in my opinion.. What do you think?

Ray

Edit: This is the warmest my flue temps get and they gradually cool down during the burn cycle.. I also will add I am getting plenty of heat from the stove and long burn times as well..

 

[oldspark]

jetmech, are those surface, single-wall temps or probe, double-wall temps? If they are probe temps, then I agree with ray, that is pretty good.

If that is probe temps and that is good then my flue temps are still too high. :ahhh:

 

[begreen]

I should qualify this because the new Condar thermos are off at high temps IMO. On our 3-19 probe thermometer we cruise at 400-500F with a 650F stove top.

 

[raybonz]

I should qualify this because the new Condar thermos are off at high temps IMO. On our 3-19 probe thermometer we cruise at 400-500F with a 650F stove top.

I am also adding that my stovetop temp runs between 500 and 650 degrees all verified.. I see nothing wrong with how I am running..

Ray

 

[oldspark]

You guys are a bunch of slackers, I had 725 surface (checked with a IR a week or so ago, did not like it. My flue temp can run around 400 surface when the stove top is 600 or so.

 

[raybonz]

You guys are a bunch of slackers, I had 725 surface (checked with a IR a week or so ago, did not like it. My flue temp can run around 400 surface when the stove top is 600 or so.

LOL OK so exactly what is the problem? I would find the stove uncomfortable if it were radiating temps over 700 degrees.. From what you just stated it sounds like your stove is working fine..

Ray

 

[oldspark]

You guys are a bunch of slackers, I had 725 surface (checked with a IR a week or so ago, did not like it. My flue temp can run around 400 surface when the stove top is 600 or so.

LOL OK so exactly what is the problem? I would find the stove uncomfortable if it were radiating temps over 700 degrees.. From what you just stated it sounds like your stove is working fine..

Ray

It dies out at 600 to 650 stoe top, sometimes I need the extra heat, I dont like the 700 flue temps but they dont happen as much as they used to but if I dont watch it they will easily hit 600, worse now that its colder.

 

[raybonz]

You guys are a bunch of slackers, I had 725 surface (checked with a IR a week or so ago, did not like it. My flue temp can run around 400 surface when the stove top is 600 or so.

LOL OK so exactly what is the problem? I would find the stove uncomfortable if it were radiating temps over 700 degrees.. From what you just stated it sounds like your stove is working fine..

Ray

It dies out at 600 to 650 stoe top, sometimes I need the extra heat, I dont like the 700 flue temps but they dont happen as much as they used to but if I dont watch it they will easily hit 600, worse now that its colder.

Sounds to me like you're setting your air too high or you have too much draft.. I find that I can get more heat by reducing the air and getting those secondaries rolling and this reduces the flue temp a bit as well.. If excess draft is the problem you may need a key damper to slow it down a bit.. The T-5 likes running from 400 to around 650 degrees and though it's been mild here so far the T-5 hasn't broken a sweat heating this house.. One more thing are you talking flue surface temps or internal flue temps?

Ray

 

[Huntindog1]

You guys are a bunch of slackers, I had 725 surface (checked with a IR a week or so ago, did not like it. My flue temp can run around 400 surface when the stove top is 600 or so.

LOL OK so exactly what is the problem? I would find the stove uncomfortable if it were radiating temps over 700 degrees.. From what you just stated it sounds like your stove is working fine..

Ray

It dies out at 600 to 650 stoe top, sometimes I need the extra heat, I dont like the 700 flue temps but they dont happen as much as they used to but if I dont watch it they will easily hit 600, worse now that its colder.

Sounds to me like you're setting your air too high or you have too much draft.. I find that I can get more heat by reducing the air and getting those secondaries rolling and this reduces the flue temp a bit as well.. If excess draft is the problem you may need a key damper to slow it down a bit.. The T-5 likes running from 400 to around 650 degrees and though it's been mild here so far the T-5 hasn't broken a sweat heating this house.. One more thing are you talking flue surface temps or internal flue temps?

Ray

Some Good Info there.

A concept that's overlooked sometimes.

I hope people take note!!

 

[oldspark]

I do turn the air down and I have a damper and that is surface temp on the flue checked with a IR. I have a box of crazy fire, secondaries a blazing and she gets to 600 to 650 and slows down, if I let it go sometimes it will slowly go up to 700 or so I have to milk it up, I have reduced the air long before that. It does seem like the draft could be a little on the strong side, but the damper did not help the top end so much. I keep trying different things but for the most part the stove just seems to like 650 or so.

 

[jetmech]

Hey guys, i am reading single wall temps about 18 inches from collar... gonna try with foil for a while and see if any different. i can always remove it later. its not been cold enough hear last couple of days to burn non stop and fully loaded... there have been times when i load with oak it gets pretty warm, i have been using the blower as it cools stove and flue if needed. my condar does read a little high about 20 deg than my ir thermometer... once the stove settles in my flue is around 300 and slowly falls from there.

 

[raybonz]

I do turn the air down and I have a damper and that is surface temp on the flue checked with a IR. I have a box of crazy fire, secondaries a blazing and she gets to 600 to 650 and slows down, if I let it go sometimes it will slowly go up to 700 or so I have to milk it up, I have reduced the air long before that. It does seem like the draft could be a little on the strong side, but the damper did not help the top end so much. I keep trying different things but for the most part the stove just seems to like 650 or so.

My Condar magnetic surface thermometer shows 650 as the high end of the normal stove operating range. I have lots of dry red oak here and it cranks up the BTU's so I am sure this helps too.. I will also suggest you try stacking in layers of NS then EW etc.. This will maximize your BTU potential because the fire will be more involved however you'll go through it quicker.. Smaller splits will also burn much hotter than large splits but you can be overfire so keep an eye on the stove when burning lots of smaller splits.. Maybe you need more heat than one stove can provide? Using a blower helps a great deal to get the heat out of the stove too so if you don't have one consider it.. Good luck!

Ray

 

[madison]

... she gets to , so I have to milk it up...

Jeez spark , I hope that stove top isn't getting stained with all the action happening around your stove

 

[raybonz]

Hey guys, i am reading single wall temps about 18 inches from collar... gonna try with foil for a while and see if any different. i can always remove it later. its not been cold enough hear last couple of days to burn non stop and fully loaded... there have been times when i load with oak it gets pretty warm, i have been using the blower as it cools stove and flue if needed. my condar does read a little high about 20 deg than my ir thermometer... once the stove settles in my flue is around 300 and slowly falls from there.

Jetmech I keep my blower on auto and set around 25% speed and lemme tell you this house gets pretty darn warm and quickly too! Recently we had a 12 degree night and I loaded the stove up with Oak, it was 75 degrees downstairs and 73 upstairs.. Over 9 hrs. later the temp was virtually the same and I had a pile of hot coals left.. This house is 1600+ sq. ft. with lots of windows and the T-5 did great! I ran a CDW large convection cat stove for over 20 yrs. prior to the T-5 and the T-5 puts out more heat, sometimes too much heat! Unfortunately I haven't had any prolonged cold spells this year so maybe I will change my tune then...

Good Luck!

Ray

 

[oldspark]

... she gets to , so I have to milk it up...

Jeez spark , I hope that stove top isn't getting stained with all the action happening around your stove

My chuckle for the day. thanks :lol:

 

[Todd]

I think a lot of you guys are running high stack temps and wasting heat up the stack. If a pipe damper isn't slowing it down maybe an air supply mod is in order. Begreen is running internal temps which are twice as cool as some of others.

 

[raybonz]

BG what are your flue temps?

Ray

 

[certified106]

My flue probe temps 18" above the stove are usually never over 650 and and that is during the peak of the burn not during the whole burn.

 

[begreen]

BG what are your flue temps?

Ray

I just got a new 3-19 thermometer and it reacts really quickly compared to the old one. We have only had a couple of 24/7 burns so far, so I have been doing a lot of startup fires. The flue temp can peak to 900F on startup if I forget to turn down the stove early enough on a fresh startup. :red: But the temp drops quickly when I reduce the air. Normally it will vary from about 600-700F on a startup and cruises between 400-500F.

 

[certified106]

BG what are your flue temps?

Ray

I just got a new 3-19 thermometer and it reacts really quickly compared to the old one. We have only had a couple of 24/7 burns so far, so I have been doing a lot of startup fires. The flue temp can peak to 900F on startup if I forget to turn down the stove early enough on a fresh startup. :red: But the temp drops quickly when I reduce the air. Normally it will vary from about 600-700F on a startup and cruises between 400-500F.

That sounds exactly how my stove has been acting so far this year. The only time I might see a higher cruising temp is of I don't shut it down quickly enough and then it will cruise hotter for a while before settling back down.

 

[raybonz]

BG what are your flue temps?

Ray

I just got a new 3-19 thermometer and it reacts really quickly compared to the old one. We have only had a couple of 24/7 burns so far, so I have been doing a lot of startup fires. The flue temp can peak to 900F on startup if I forget to turn down the stove early enough on a fresh startup. :red: But the temp drops quickly when I reduce the air. Normally it will vary from about 600-700F on a startup and cruises between 400-500F.

Based on what you and Cert are saying I am running the normal range.. OS sounds like he is running a hot flue but I suspect it's because he is trying to run his stovetop north of 700 degrees.. In my mind even if OS gets his stovetop to 700+ he is sending a hell of a lot up the chimney to achieve 700+ degrees.. I feel my CDW lasted as well as it did because I operated it in the low to mid range at all times and I will do the same with the T-5.. I feel the blower makes a tremendous difference in terms of heat transfer and I run that at about 25% speed in auto unless it gets cold and I need more heat faster, in that situation I run the fan at 50-75% speed without creating a blast furnace..

Ray

 

[oldspark]

The 700 would be a peak I would hit before I turn on the fan, it wont stay there but I cant even get it there most of the time, there are several people on this forum running their summit at 700 or more. I'm not cause I cant get there.

 

[oldspark]

BG what are your flue temps?

Ray

I just got a new 3-19 thermometer and it reacts really quickly compared to the old one. We have only had a couple of 24/7 burns so far, so I have been doing a lot of startup fires. The flue temp can peak to 900F on startup if I forget to turn down the stove early enough on a fresh startup. :red: But the temp drops quickly when I reduce the air. Normally it will vary from about 600-700F on a startup and cruises between 400-500F.

Is that a probe?