Just looking a little closer at mine and it is as far in as that metal bracket allows.
VC Encore 2040 - how to burn?
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Just looking a little closer at mine and it is as far in as that metal bracket allows.
and regarding the wood issue, this could be possible I guess. I just got a load of oak slab wood delivered this season (the guy told me it was dry). and I also cut some dead locust, but again since this is my first season burning a stove I am no expert, but it seems pretty dry to me.
Here is a guide for getting pics sized and posting them
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/putting-images-into-your-forums-posts.87212/
Thanks begreen! This is about as far up I have been able to get the probe to go after about a dozen good burns, or what I thought to be good burns,
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Excavator
Feeling the Heat
You should lower your camera settings to smaller resolution and try to post pics.
oops begreen did show you instructions in a link.
Very simple to install. It just slides in. But first you should get a simple magnetic stove top thermometer
from your local hardware store (12-15 bucks). Place it in the middle of your stove (griddle). Get the fire going, only when you see 500*f then close the bypass. If you have properly seasoned wood you should achieve the 500 stovetop temp in about 15-20min.
Yeah I did buy a stovetop thermometer and allow it to reach 500 degrees and close the bypass damper, yet when I do this my catalyst probe still stalls out right before the white line. I am wondering if my catalyst is even burning.
When you do this, what happens to the stovetop temp?
Is there smoke coming out the chimney once bypass closed?
I'll have to pay close attention the next time I burn, but I believe the temp stays around 500 for at least 30 min and yes I do believe there is smoke coming out after I close the bypass damper.
It realy points to the wood. It is not fully ready to burn. All of us have been there.
You should post in the "woodshed" forum a question "how to survive a burning season with unseasoned firewood" or something like this
Definitely a wood issue. Get some pallet wood, construction scraps, scrounge, etc. With a 25' liner, you should be getting plenty of draft. With the bypass closed, you should see very little smoke coming out of the chimney. Maybe a little bit for the first minute or so after closing it?
Dead locust and oak is nowhere near dry enough most likely.
Dead locust and oak is nowhere near dry enough most likely.
I am not 100% certain about the smoke after closing the bypass. I will check closely the next time I burn it. It was 76 degrees today!
Would getting one of those moisture sensors be of any use to determine how dry my wood really is?
And I'm pretty sure the manual says not to burn construction material, lol? Is this a thing?
Would getting one of those moisture sensors be of any use to determine how dry my wood really is?
And I'm pretty sure the manual says not to burn construction material, lol? Is this a thing?
Another thing that I was thinking about was the fact that the way this stove is designed, the cat really reduces airflow pretty well, and you should have your flue temps drop by almost half when you are operating properly.
You could try taking the cat out if you don't have super dry wood, and that might still allow you to get secondary burns and longer burn times, but not reduce air flow too much.
My first season, especially the first couple of months, I tried to dial everything in with temps and thermostats, etc. It seemed to me that everyone on this forum and others were able to maintain temps, keep their houses at 79º with no effort and every burn was an optimal burn. I could not figure out why my situation was so much different.
It turned out to be the wood, as well as the fact that I should have just been focusing on enjoying the fire and the learning process. I found that I could not fully load up my stove like everyone else. I needed to keep a bit more space and use smaller pieces. I had to keep my air control open more, and burn with my cat less so my fire wouldn't go out. I never really got more than a 6 hour burn, and at first i was annoyed at that.
Once I started realizing that even with sub-optimal burns, my heating bill went down roughly $100/month, and it was really nice to sit by a fire and read books with my children, the whole process of figuring it out became a lot more enjoyable. I am by no means a seasoned expert, but in a pretty short time I have figured out what works and what doesn't. I was able to find enough wood over the past year that I am now ready for this winter and next winter, and I am working on the 2018-2019 season. I am starting to be a bit pickier about what wood I will scrounge, and how nice my stacks are. Even in a few short months, you can make good progress if you do it right.
For this season, just concentrate on enjoying the view....
You could try taking the cat out if you don't have super dry wood, and that might still allow you to get secondary burns and longer burn times, but not reduce air flow too much.
My first season, especially the first couple of months, I tried to dial everything in with temps and thermostats, etc. It seemed to me that everyone on this forum and others were able to maintain temps, keep their houses at 79º with no effort and every burn was an optimal burn. I could not figure out why my situation was so much different.
It turned out to be the wood, as well as the fact that I should have just been focusing on enjoying the fire and the learning process. I found that I could not fully load up my stove like everyone else. I needed to keep a bit more space and use smaller pieces. I had to keep my air control open more, and burn with my cat less so my fire wouldn't go out. I never really got more than a 6 hour burn, and at first i was annoyed at that.
Once I started realizing that even with sub-optimal burns, my heating bill went down roughly $100/month, and it was really nice to sit by a fire and read books with my children, the whole process of figuring it out became a lot more enjoyable. I am by no means a seasoned expert, but in a pretty short time I have figured out what works and what doesn't. I was able to find enough wood over the past year that I am now ready for this winter and next winter, and I am working on the 2018-2019 season. I am starting to be a bit pickier about what wood I will scrounge, and how nice my stacks are. Even in a few short months, you can make good progress if you do it right.
For this season, just concentrate on enjoying the view....
Those are good tips Dobish, thank you!
I was thinking today about the dry firewood. What makes the dry firewood, or lack thereof in my case, determine how hot the catalyst gets? Like why would my unseasoned wood cause the temp to stall?
I was thinking today about the dry firewood. What makes the dry firewood, or lack thereof in my case, determine how hot the catalyst gets? Like why would my unseasoned wood cause the temp to stall?
Wet wood means more moisture. More moisture means more evaporation. The wetter the wood, the more heat you need to fight the evaporative cooling effects of the moisture hitting the cat and cooling down. Then your temp drops, and you are not getting enough air to Light off the cat.
I am burning my stove tonight. After about an hour and a half, the girdle temp registered at 500. So I closed the damper and waited 10-15 min, the temp remained the same, however, I think there was more smoke coming out of the chimney with it closed vs having it opened.
I guess I am where you were at your first season. I want thermometers for everything; pipe, stove, and catalyst. I just so frustrated I can't the catalyst to burn correctly.
I guess I am where you were at your first season. I want thermometers for everything; pipe, stove, and catalyst. I just so frustrated I can't the catalyst to burn correctly.
The second time I closed the damper the girdle read 600 and now I see no smoke coming from the chimney. Still barely into the white on the catalyst probe, though.
I found that for a few minutes I will get smoke until the catalyst heats up. Then it goes away. You should be getting up there in temps after half an hour or so.
I wish I had a friend that had wood that was a few years sitting, so that I could determine once and for all if it is truly the wood or my catalyst probe not reading correctly.
Jokes aside.
I have been burning it all night and finally made some progress with the catalyst temperature in the white! However, in doing so my girdle temps have been 600ish. When do you worry about overfire damage and how do you control the girdle temp, while still mainting the catalyst at temp?
I have been burning it all night and finally made some progress with the catalyst temperature in the white! However, in doing so my girdle temps have been 600ish. When do you worry about overfire damage and how do you control the girdle temp, while still mainting the catalyst at temp?
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