2025/26 VC performance discussion thread

[arnermd]

Same strategy....maybe a 4th split if I've got nothing to do in the afternoon.

Are you able to get it to burn through the night with that small a load? At least have enough coals for a relight after 8-10 hours?

I do not want to be lighting off a new burn everyday!

 

[davargo]

Are you able to get it to burn through the night with that small a load? At least have enough coals for a relight after 8-10 hours?

I do not want to be lighting off a new burn everyday!

I have an Encore installed in 2022. Similar issues to everyone else here. I have given up on overnight burns, we only put 3-4 logs in at a time and expect to light it from cold in the morning. Quite disappointing but we had a couple late, tense nights early on hoping the thing wouldn't burn the house down, so no overnight burns for us. I won't even put wood in past 8pm usually, just let it burn down so we can sleep at night...

 

[Woodsplitter67]

I have an Encore installed in 2022. Similar issues to everyone else here. I have given up on overnight burns, we only put 3-4 logs in at a time and expect to light it from cold in the morning. Quite disappointing but we had a couple late, tense nights early on hoping the thing wouldn't burn the house down, so no overnight burns for us. I won't even put wood in past 8pm usually, just let it burn down so we can sleep at night...

How exactly are you loading for a long or overnight burn

 

[Turbo89]

I have an Encore installed in 2022. Similar issues to everyone else here. I have given up on overnight burns, we only put 3-4 logs in at a time and expect to light it from cold in the morning. Quite disappointing but we had a couple late, tense nights early on hoping the thing wouldn't burn the house down, so no overnight burns for us. I won't even put wood in past 8pm usually, just let it burn down so we can sleep at night...

There’s a troubleshooting thread here that helped me get my encore under control.
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/encore-2040-cat-c-burns-too-fast.205794/

FWIW I ended up plugging two second air holes and part of the secondary air intake on the back of my encore, and it’s like a totally new stove, I was getting 10-12hr burns last year with sort of sub-par wood. My stove also prefers a full ash tray, despite the gaskets passing a leak test… I should just replace them, but for now I just leave it full.

 

[davargo]

There’s a troubleshooting thread here that helped me get my encore under control.
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/encore-2040-cat-c-burns-too-fast.205794/

FWIW I ended up plugging two second air holes and part of the secondary air intake on the back of my encore, and it’s like a totally new stove, I was getting 10-12hr burns last year with sort of sub-par wood. My stove also prefers a full ash tray, despite the gaskets passing a leak test… I should just replace them, but for now I just leave it full.

Yes, I read that thread a few times this summer and have made some changes in my setup. I fixed a handful of cold air leaks in my chimney, found the ash pan was leaking air due to a loose set screw on the locking lever, and am making a blockoff plate for the secondary air intake as we speak. I plan to run the ash tray full at all times this year, with two secondary air holes plugged, and will adjust the blockoff plate as needed. I also installed a key damper as my chimney is about 30' tall and I suspect the draft is too strong, especially in the dead of winter.

How exactly are you loading for a long or overnight burn

The first couple winters we would level out the coals, let ash fall into the tray, stack up 3-4 pieces of wood, leave the damper open for a minute to let them catch, then close it up with reduced primary air for the night. Last winter we tried pushing the coals all the way against the back wall or to one side, hoping to reduce the volatility of the offgassing and rapid cat temperature rises. We did not see much difference with this method. I do have a raspberry pi based temperature monitoring system and we are now typically able to catch the stove before it goes nuclear, but it still requires constant attention. Last winter, a typical load of wood (fuel box ~50% full, 3-4 splits) would run for 3-4 hours. We have not had a fire yet this year but I would be thrilled to get into the 6-8 hour range with minimal attention

 

[Turbo89]

First fire of the year in the shop encore:

Lit around 7:30, shops 68F now with air turned down about half, cat settled in around 1230. I’m burning some of the my oldest, crappiest wood stack. Looks like a mix of maple and ash, with a little punk.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

Yes, I read that thread a few times this summer and have made some changes in my setup. I fixed a handful of cold air leaks in my chimney, found the ash pan was leaking air due to a loose set screw on the locking lever, and am making a blockoff plate for the secondary air intake as we speak. I plan to run the ash tray full at all times this year, with two secondary air holes plugged, and will adjust the blockoff plate as needed. I also installed a key damper as my chimney is about 30' tall and I suspect the draft is too strong, especially in the dead of winter.


The first couple winters we would level out the coals, let ash fall into the tray, stack up 3-4 pieces of wood, leave the damper open for a minute to let them catch, then close it up with reduced primary air for the night. Last winter we tried pushing the coals all the way against the back wall or to one side, hoping to reduce the volatility of the offgassing and rapid cat temperature rises. We did not see much difference with this method. I do have a raspberry pi based temperature monitoring system and we are now typically able to catch the stove before it goes nuclear, but it still requires constant attention. Last winter, a typical load of wood (fuel box ~50% full, 3-4 splits) would run for 3-4 hours. We have not had a fire yet this year but I would be thrilled to get into the 6-8 hour range with minimal attention

So don't take the coals at all don't put the ash down in the pan just let it burn as a normal fire. Normally I don't let the wood catch fire. With the stove already up to temperature and a decent bed of coals just put the wood in and close the damper. I routinely cut the air back as soon at the damper closes. Depending on the previous cat temperature I may wait slightly to cut the air all the way back.

Allowing a lot of wood catching will lead to significant off gassing. Pushing the coals back on a already up to temperature stove will least to the stove spiking super high cat temps.. putting your wood on an even bed of coals is the best way to go.

I burn my stove 24/7 with overnight burns daily. It gets loaded to the gills and 12+ hour burns doing it this way. The sweet spot for my stove is to reload with a cat temperature of about 1k

I wouldn't reload fully if my catalyst was 1200 I'd wait until it drops

 

[davargo]

The sweet spot for my stove is to reload with a cat temperature of about 1k

Interesting, this is significantly hotter than we have been reloading. I don't have any data in front of me now but I would estimate the cat temp to be around 500-600 when we reloaded previously. This would be a STT of about 350. Should we be reloading sooner? How high does your cat temp go after a full reload? Maybe I am getting cat temp spikes because it is not igniting immediately on reload, letting too much combustible gas build up?

 

[Woodsplitter67]

Interesting, this is significantly hotter than we have been reloading. I don't have any data in front of me now but I would estimate the cat temp to be around 500-600 when we reloaded previously. This would be a STT of about 350. Should we be reloading sooner? How high does your cat temp go after a full reload? Maybe I am getting cat temp spikes because it is not igniting immediately on reload, letting too much combustible gas build up?

Yeah that's way to cool for a full reload. You put all the wood in there and the stove cold and struggles to get going

I suggest an alber at 100 for your cat

Sometimes I reload at a little below 1k but not super often

If you look at last years thread and the prior year I've done a few how to with pictures and STT and cat temperature

 

[Turbo89]

Yeah that's way to cool for a full reload. You put all the wood in there and the stove cold and struggles to get going

I suggest an alber at 100 for your cat

Sometimes I reload at a little below 1k but not super often

If you look at last years thread and the prior year I've done a few how to with pictures and STT and cat temperature

That’s sort of interesting, do you stuff it to the gills with it that hot?! I’d be worried about a thermal runaway if I did that then turned it down within an hr.

I’m typically reloading around 4-600 deg CAT temp (almost always just coals left). I rake the bed of coals back, stuff the firebox and run it wide open with the CAT bypassed for 15-30 minutes. I only engage the CAT when I see a firebox full of flames, typically this puts my STT above 450.