Well crap...I just got the flue into the red

  • 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.

mfglickman

Minister of Fire
Jan 17, 2012
676
NW CT
I forgot to set my timer....full load in stove...flue thermometer was about halfway through the red. Stovetop was 500. Opened the door for a sec, and closed the cat. Draft was and is open full.

Checked outside and just white smoke coming from chimney.

Assuming all comes back down within 10 minutes or so, I'm assuming this is OK? This will be twice that we've gotten the stack into the red (ugh!). I don't really have a convenient way to look up or down the chimney so I'm hoping I don't need to have anyone come and check, since I do not think it was a chimney fire...

Thoughts?
 
How hot is into the red? If you were having a flue fire you would know it!
 
600 but it's on the tee so crap crap crap. I feel like an idiot!
 
The only sound was the roar of hot fire in the firebox - and a little flue expanding sound. Came right down and now flue Isat 300 (orange) and still dropping, but more slowly. Stovetop came up to 600 which I am comfortable with.
 
How hot is into the red? If you were having a flue fire you would know it!


Around 700f glickman?

After you shut it down and as long as you didnt hear what sounds like a rocket going through your chimney you'll be fine..

Had one at the cottage years ago and like webby said you would know it ::-)

loon
 
Folks here worry too much. What the heck did people do not that long ago when we didn't have all these thermometers hooked up? It was common to "let her roar" at least once a week with full time burners.
 
  • Like
Reactions: charly and loon
I've had my tee in the red...glowing! _g

Folks here worry too much. What the heck did people do not that long ago when we didn't have all these thermometers hooked up? It was common to "let her roar" at least once a week with full time burners.
Yeah, and doctors once used leeches...
 
600 but it's on the tee so crap crap crap. I feel like an idiot!
600? That's it? That is nothing to worry about. My pipe gets that hot routinely when I'm firing up with my older stoves.
The only problem I see here is forgetting about the stove with it wide open.
 
600? That's it? That is nothing to worry about. My pipe gets that hot routinely when I'm firing up with my older stoves.
The only problem I see here is forgetting about the stove with it wide open.

Well 600 but the tee is double wall, no? So I would guess 600 = 900 maybe? Dunno.
 
If it is a decent class A chimney like duravent plus it is made to run 1000F continuous 1400 for i think an hour and 2100 for 10 minutes three times..
 
600? That's it? That is nothing to worry about. My pipe gets that hot routinely when I'm firing up with my older stoves.
The only problem I see here is forgetting about the stove with it wide open.
Yes with a old stove that shoots fire up the pipes..
 
Actually they still do along with maggots. Leeches are beneficial in re-establishing circulation where and amputation has taken place, and maggots are great at removing necrotic tissue. Hope that makes your day.
I don't think that back in the day, that is what doctors were using leeches for. My point was that as we learn more, we develop better ways of doing things. I don't think any stove or class A chimney manufacturer recommends that you "let her roar." There are reasons for that. Modern stoves are generally more refined than the heavy old plate-steel or cast iron tanks, and have parts that will be damaged by "letting her roar." Besides that, more people now know that with dry wood, you'll have minimum creo buildup which was the main reason for "letting her roar." Excessive heat equals stress on the stove and chimney and the OP is wise to be concerned about it, IMO.
 
my t is double wall and I have a probe in top of the t. I have to be carefull when reloading as if air is wide open the ss double wall liner will glow and probe shows 1300+ if I forget to watch. I just don't keep air wide open until the cat is engaged then I open up for few minutes.
IMGP0833.JPG
 
  • Like
Reactions: loon
my t is double wall and I have a probe in top of the t. I have to be carefull when reloading as if air is wide open the ss double wall liner will glow and probe shows 1300+ if I forget to watch. I just don't keep air wide open until the cat is engaged then I open up for few minutes.
The Tee in the picture is single wall.
 
Yes with a old stove that shoots fire up the pipes..
Or any stove with a bypass. My old stoves have cats or baffles in them, so it's not much different than most new ones.
 
Well 600 but the tee is double wall, no? So I would guess 600 = 900 maybe? Dunno.
I don't know if your tee is double wall. Are you talking about a class a chimney Tee, or stove pipe? I assumed you were talking about the stovepipe. It could be either if it's stovepipe.
 
Or any stove with a bypass. My old stoves have cats or baffles in them, so it's not much different than most new ones.
That is true for a stove with a bypass i get what your saying.
 
600 but it's on the tee so crap crap crap. I feel like an idiot!


I think you're fine. It sounds like you caught it in time and this wasn't burning this way for more than several minutes. Your pipe is rated to handle that temp. If this was a surface reading the actual flue gas was probably somewhere around 900F.
 
my t is double wall and I have a probe in top of the t. I have to be carefull when reloading as if air is wide open the ss double wall liner will glow and probe shows 1300+ if I forget to watch. I just don't keep air wide open until the cat is engaged then I open up for few minutes.
IMGP0833.JPG

This is just what mine looks like, but the therm is actually just on the outside attached by a wire - no probe inside.
 
Then you have a Stainless Steel single wall Tee just like the one above. (I hope your stovepipe isn't backward like the one above) The temps that you experienced were normal. it's good that you remembered the stove though!
 
600 would be around 1200 internal. I don't have a thermo but would be willing to bet that my flue gas gets to 1200 with every full reload. And the adapter and the liner haven't split in two in six years of that.

Getting "in the red" on a thermo and "getting red" are two different things. >>
 
Webby - You are correct about the T being single.;lol I was thinking of the double wall FlexKing Pro SS liner.
As far as the stove pipe backwards, ;) I have a correct adapter that I found to correct this when I get all my parts in to redo the refractory and the upper and lower fireback on my 1987 0028 Encore. Or I may just up date to a new stove but I need to do something after this season as warpage is visable and cat is in need of replacement.
 
Folks here worry too much. What the heck did people do not that long ago when we didn't have all these thermometers hooked up? It was common to "let her roar" at least once a week with full time burners.

It may have been common with some folks but certainly not all. I have always hated that theory of "letting it roar" to clean out the gunk. It is about the poorest way of burning that I know of.

So what did we do without these thermometers? For us, we just burned and kept track of what the stove was doing and tried to use some common sense. We never used a thermometer before we bought the Fireview. I wondered if I'd even use the one they included when the stove was shipped. Soon, I bought another one so we have one on stove top and one on flue. Now I'd hate to go without them as it gives you just a little better control of the stove. But you can bet your booties we won't be letting her roar!
 
I forgot to set my timer....full load in stove...flue thermometer was about halfway through the red. Stovetop was 500. Opened the door for a sec, and closed the cat. Draft was and is open full.

Checked outside and just white smoke coming from chimney.

Assuming all comes back down within 10 minutes or so, I'm assuming this is OK? This will be twice that we've gotten the stack into the red (ugh!). I don't really have a convenient way to look up or down the chimney so I'm hoping I don't need to have anyone come and check, since I do not think it was a chimney fire...

Thoughts?


Mary, I'm happy this turned out okay. The only comment I'd make is that I would have closed the draft at least 75% or more. In this case, I may have closed it completely. For sure the 500 stovetop was nothing to be concerned with so you really did not need any draft as that hot chimney would provide plenty even with your draft shut.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.