Woke up to this

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Status
Not open for further replies.

corey21

Minister of Fire
Oct 28, 2010
2,249
Soutwest VA
The family tried to run the stove and my bad stove thermometers were pegged 30 minutes ago. Nothing was glowing i don't really know if it was that hot flue probe was almost to the over fire air control was half open.

After it gets back from the moon i will open the door and check for damage.

This odd there was only 4 small splits of sycamore and half of a black gum split. After talking to them it seems odd that it took off like this i asked was the coal bed big no then i ask about the time frame and it was in a short period.
 
No damage but a lot fly ash i think i may have caught chimney fire in the works.

The single wall pipe looks OK i think it was mainly in the stove when i caught it.
 
I had an incident last night. I set the stoves up before going to bed and the Defiant took a little longer to set up for some reason. It was just sluggish. The 30 was all set so I was in the living room with the Defiant. I fell asleep with the air controls at only 70% closed. Woke up on the couch at 5am and I could tell I was sweating at some point and all the wood in the Defiant had broken down into huge chunks of coals. Usually 5 hours into the burn the splits aren't broken down yet . This means the Defiant ran hot and was sitting at 700-750 degrees at peak temp, which I really don't like it to do.

I checked the cat this morning and it looks fine, so I appear to be in the clear.
 
I had an incident last night. I set the stoves up before going to bed and the Defiant took a little longer to set up for some reason. It was just sluggish. The 30 was all set so I was in the living room with the Defiant. I fell asleep with the air controls at only 70% closed. Woke up on the couch at 5am and I could tell I was sweating at some point and all the wood in the Defiant had broken down into huge chunks of coals. Usually 5 hours into the burn the splits aren't broken down yet . This means the Defiant ran hot and was sitting at 700-750 degrees at peak temp, which I really don't like it to do.

I checked the cat this morning and it looks fine, so I appear to be in the clear.

My biggest concern is were my thermometers are off i think i have been burning on the cool side a little here lately. The family just got a good clean out fire going but i don't really know if it was 900 On the side of the stove. All I know nothing was glowing when i got up.

Seems i am not the only one having trouble last day or so.
 
My biggest concern is were my thermometers are off i think i have been burning on the cool side a little here lately. The family just got a good clean out fire going but i don't really know if it was 900 On the side of the stove. All I know nothing was glowing when i got up.

Seems i am not the only one having trouble last day or so.
The thermometer on the 30 is the worst of the bunch. The Defiant thermometer is relatively reliable right now. The Encore thermometer likes to change it up. Sometimes it's over, sometimes it's under.

I just use them as broad stroke estimates.
 
The thermometer on the 30 is the worst of the bunch. The Defiant thermometer is relatively reliable right now. The Encore thermometer likes to change it up. Sometimes it's over, sometimes it's under.

I just use them as broad stroke estimates.

Seeing as my probe was at 800 The stove may have been that hot. Normal stove side temps run at 550 to 700 normal probe temps run 400 to 500 when cruising.

But still the walls were a safe temp i monitored them i could leave my hand on them they were hot but not to hot.
 
Whew! Sounds like you just caught it in the nick of time, and no harm done. :cool:
I've been trying to get family up to speed on operating the Buck 91 I put in my MIL's house. Anal stove nerd that I am, I'd like to be the one running the stove all the time. That's just not feasible, though...
 
The Encore thermometer likes to change it up. Sometimes it's over, sometimes it's under.
Yeah, I've seen that too. It seems like sometimes the surface meters "store up" heat. Haven't yet figured out what's going on there...
 
The problem is the family don't understand EPA stoves they spent 30 years burning coal in a warm morning stove i have tried to explain the new stoves but i don't think it has sunk in yet. Now they do understand pipe dampers i am considering installing one for insurance in time like today,.

It seems they done better running the wondercoal it was more simple for the whole family.
 
Now, a coal overfire -- that's something dangerous. Leave a fully-loaded hand-fired coal stove with the drafts open and you have a real problem.
 
Now, a coal overfire -- that's something dangerous. Leave a fully-loaded hand-fired coal stove with the drafts open and you have a real problem.

I my self have done that one time by mistake.

We used some coal in the old stove but mostly wood and every one done much better at running it by no means did we let it smolder you could keep a stable fire burning with no trouble..
 
Must have been something in the air, I had my stove dampered down yesterday to 3/4 shut at 450 stove top temp. The damn thing slowly kept climbing and climbing until it was at 700 stove top temp with four ash splits. Im nervous as hell if it gets past 600 since my over fire. I grabbed a small desk fan and kept it pointed at the stove and she didnt climb anymore. I just dont understand why sometimes the things just run off.
 
Must have been something in the air, I had my stove dampered down yesterday to 3/4 shut at 450 stove top temp. The damn thing slowly kept climbing and climbing until it was at 700 stove top temp with four ash splits. Im nervous as hell if it gets past 600 since my over fire. I grabbed a small desk fan and kept it pointed at the stove and she didnt climb anymore. I just dont understand why sometimes the things just run off.

Mine most of the time climbs like that also.

I am just frustrated with the EPA today all i need to say.
 
The family tried to run the stove and my bad stove thermometers were pegged 30 minutes ago. Nothing was glowing i don't really know if it was that hot flue probe was almost to the over fire air control was half open.

After it gets back from the moon i will open the door and check for damage.

This odd there was only 4 small splits of sycamore and half of a black gum split. After talking to them it seems odd that it took off like this i asked was the coal bed big no then i ask about the time frame and it was in a short period.

After another discussion tonight i found out they put some dry pine kindling in also that explains things.

This time i showed them some things on this web site also.
 
After another discussion tonight i found out they put some dry pine kindling in also that explains things.

This time i showed them some things on this web site also.

As nervous as I get I dont think i could handle having mutiple people tending the fire. I was going to teach the wife how to run it but after my over fire screw that.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bluezx636
As nervous as I get I dont think i could handle having mutiple people tending the fire. I was going to teach the wife how to run it but after my over fire screw that.

They also said they did not intend to leave the air like that come to think of i could have that happen to me one day also.
 
As nervous as I get I dont think i could handle having mutiple people tending the fire. I was going to teach the wife how to run it but after my over fire screw that.
There was a thread on here somewhere a while back discussing that subject. The consensus seemed to be that it's not a good idea to allow others to operate your stove. Other than my wife, I just wouldn't do it. My stepdaughter is visiting right now and if we are gone, we just set the furnace t'stat.
 
  • Like
Reactions: etiger2007
Yeah i have just been trying to show one person how to operate just so we can share the heating job.
 
After another discussion tonight i found out they put some dry pine kindling in also that explains things.

This time i showed them some things on this web site also.
At the risk of encouraging another pine debate:oops:, a bunch of dry pine kindling like that on top of coals should do the trick, all right. Fortunately, it would probably get burned off pretty quick.
 
As nervous as I get I dont think i could handle having mutiple people tending the fire. I was going to teach the wife how to run it but after my over fire screw that.
I think your opinion will change after you spend more time with the stove.
 
At the risk of encouraging another pine debate:oops:, a bunch of dry pine kindling like that on top of coals should do the trick, all right. Fortunately, it would probably get burned off pretty quick.

Plus 4 sycamore splits.
 
I think your opinion will change after you spend more time with the stove.

I may be worrying to much about this morning i guess this why they test stoves for.
 
They also said they did not intend to leave the air like that come to think of i could have that happen to me one day also.

Absolutly Corey it could and does happen to us, after the fear I felt that night I just dont want to put anyone else through that. That night I kept great composure because the only thing the wife said was " you got it under control in there"? lol
 
To prevent the described above, I made a stove temperature meter for my Defiant that alarms about when about the time the damper should be closed It also alarms at over temperature and then when it is time to reload. This allows the family to reload when I am not present. They just close the damper when the alarm goes off. Wakes me up in the night upstairs and far removed from the stove if a reload is needed. It is not perfect as the fuel you put into the stove can affect how hot the chimney gets before the damper is closed. But it is a good approximation for them. It also allows me to fall asleep in the chair waiting...

Incidentally, since I purchased an installed the Condar cat probe, I have found that closing the damper at 350 on the stove top is usually not hot enough. I typically cycle the damper open and closed about 2 times in the range of 400 to 500 degrees F on a flue temperature thermometer. Cat usually takes off after the third time the damper is closed.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.