Help with overnight burn-Osburn 2400 insert

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Blueox4

Blueox4

Member
Nov 20, 2017
32
Syracuse, NY area
I’ve had a few days and nights to start learning how this stove runs. I have a IR Thermometer gun to monitor temps and once I get a coal bed if I put 3 splits in it will burn well with lazy flames at the top of the firebox with the air control shut all the way down. My chimney is in the middle of my house and about 35ft or so in height strait up. The insert is in the living room. Stainless liner all the way. Last night I just put in 3 splits knowing that I’ll hit 640F around max temp and then it will slowly head down but I got up at 1am and reloaded the stove with 3 more splits and it ran to coals by 5am.The temp sensor blower activates about 550F on the way up and then will run until stove top temp reads about 275F where it shuts off. Totally love the insert so far it I’d like to load the stove at bedtime and have it go all night say from 9pm till 5am. Is that possible with this insert? Also, could I possibly have too much draft? When I open the stove door air rushes in and no smoke ever comes out. I know that’s good and as I said once the wood is burning well with softish lazy flames I can turn the air control all the way down and it still burns nice. Would like to dial in for an overnight burn but don’t want a runaway situation. The manufacture says never go above 840F and I don’t plan on going anywhere near that. Thanks for any advice.
 
Are you loading your stove full? From what I understand it has a 3.4 cf fire box which is huge. Then what kind of wood are you burning? Soft wood will burn quicker than hardwood. 35’ of chimney is a lot. You might have too much of a draft. Try to load the stove full preferably with a bigger pieces of wood. Shut it down as quick as you can.
 
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Yeah you arent going to get an overnight burn with 3 splits. The stove needs to be full. And with 35' of chimney your draft is going to be to strong. You may need to restrict the intake or rig up a damper with a linkage.
 
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I’m burning mixed hardwood and a fresh split measures about 23% on my moisture meter. I’ll load the stove up tonight a bit more and see how that goes.

I hope I don’t have to restrict my chimney. What is a surefire way to determine that? My temps have not been too high but it’s not even really cold yet. It gets really cold here. Could be single digits for weeks. I know the draft increases as the temps lower so I will have to monitor that somehow.
 
Blueox4 said:
I’m burning mixed hardwood and a fresh split measures about 23% on my moisture meter. I’ll load the stove up tonight a bit more and see how that goes.

I hope I don’t have to restrict my chimney. What is a surefire way to determine that? My temps have not been too high but it’s not even really cold yet. It gets really cold here. Could be single digits for weeks. I know the draft increases as the temps lower so I will have to monitor that somehow.
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You also havnt really loaded the stove either. To much draft will lead to very high temps and short burn times. I dont know your stove at all so i really dont know how it deals with excessive draft
 
Blueox4 said:
I’m burning mixed hardwood and a fresh split measures about 23% on my moisture meter. I’ll load the stove up tonight a bit more and see how that goes.

I hope I don’t have to restrict my chimney. What is a surefire way to determine that? My temps have not been too high but it’s not even really cold yet. It gets really cold here. Could be single digits for weeks. I know the draft increases as the temps lower so I will have to monitor that somehow.
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23% isnt real dry FYI
 
When it gets cold your stove is going to take off, I have 30' and Im putting a damper in, when its gets below 10 I have to be really careful or it will take off, Do a search, I think a member with a Clydesdale rigged up a damper to his insert, it was pretty clever the way he did it.
 
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Well, I got a little scared last night. Put 4 splits in the stove and it was pretty much full. Air control all the way down and it got up to 740F. Is that too hot for the insert? I know the manufacturer says not to go over 840 but I’m not sure 740 is ok either? I was thinking I should be between 500-650. Advice appreciated. Thanks!
 
I think that 740 is pushing it. You will definitely need a key dumper for winter time when the draft will be even stronger. How long was your burn time?
 
prezes13 said:
I think that 740 is pushing it. You will definitely need a key dumper for winter time when the draft will be even stronger. How long was your burn time?
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I loaded the stove around 9:30pm and it was at 740f by 10:45pm. Was coals by 2:30am or so. It was still very warm and the blower was still going. I’ll have to look into some type of damper. If anyone put one in a insert somehow I’d like to know.
 
Your strong draft is increasing heat and decreasing burn times. Also, fans shorter burn times as well. To get the longest burn times possible you need to completed fill the firebox and set it as low as possible with the fan off or on the lowest setting.

The hardest part for me is finding the right pieces of wood to play jigsaw with to cram in the box.

You're definitely going to have problems will too much draft come real winter and cold.
 
Blueox4 said:
Well, I got a little scared last night. Put 4 splits in the stove and it was pretty much full. Air control all the way down and it got up to 740F. Is that too hot for the insert? I know the manufacturer says not to go over 840 but I’m not sure 740 is ok either? I was thinking I should be between 500-650. Advice appreciated. Thanks!
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If 4 splits almost filled it they must have been very big splits. Try turning down the air much sooner with the next fire. This is where a flue thermometer really helps but for an insert it needs to be a remote wired one.
 
I’m thinking I may have loaded the stove too early when there was too much of a coal bed. The temps were about 430f when I reloaded and Begreens comment about big splits made me think about that. They were normal splits but the coal bed was high in the stove and the splits would only fit single on top. I think I need to wait until that coal bed burns down a bit before reloading. This is my first year and I’m learning this stove. Thanks for the input and I’ll try waiting awhile longer to reload next time.
 
As others mentioned once it gets colder out the draft should pick up even more, I'd take the time now and either cut in a damper or find the air inlet and prepare to block it down in the event the stove becomes uncontrollable. (some members had luck with tin foil, others have used a heavy duty magnet)
 
You'll figure the big Osburn out, been burning mine for year 4 now. They can achieve a fairly long burn cycle ~6 to 8 hours of good heat with coals and easy relight for up to 12 hours or so. Definitely want to let it run a full cycle if you can and let the coals cook down otherwise you can easily fill half the firebox with coals. Check your baffle boards, above the secondary air tubes, and make sure they are pushed all the way back as if there is a gap back there the exhaust can short circuit instead of being forced along the secondary tubes to the front of the stove. Not sure of a good way to close off secondary air, the flame cutouts on the side are one of the areas for air enter but if you look around the stove there appears to be a lot of avenues for the secondary air to make it in. I burn dry wood with a 23' exterior chimney and never really had an issue with those high temps but use a stove top thermometer instead of an IR. I reloaded once when the stove was still chugalugging and that was the only time I was worried about an overfire, now I let the stove top get down to 350 or so with hardly a coal bed then reload. For reference though my fan will kick on with stove top thermometer at 400 and off around 200.
 
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