350F a good temp once wood burns down?

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Jotel me this

Feeling the Heat
Sep 21, 2018
302
Pennsylvania
i can get a 10 - 12 hour burn now out of my F55; heats house to 73F.
to do so, the stove top center keeps at 350F.
is this ok? too low? worry about creosote?
Jotul's site says 400 - 600F optimal.
 
i can get a 10 - 12 hour burn now out of my F55; heats house to 73F.
to do so, the stove top center keeps at 350F.
is this ok? too low? worry about creosote?
Jotul's site says 400 - 600F optimal.
350 seems a bit low. If it is heating well, and you are getting complete combustion & burn of the load, then go with it. Just check your stack, esp near the top periodically, until you see how everything is going.
 
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350 seems a bit low. If it is heating well, and you are getting complete combustion & burn of the load, then go with it. Just check your stack, esp near the top periodically, until you see how everything is going.

question.. if its low, does this mean ill need to add more fuel more often to keep the cruising temp higher? You think 400F is good then? :eek:

Most important question.. if 350F is low, dont we all get down to that temp anyways at night during a night burn when we wake up to coals?
 
what kind of thermometer do you have? some of them can be off. is it easy for you to check your chimney for build up?
 
question.. if its low, does this mean ill need to add more fuel more often to keep the cruising temp higher? You think 400F is good then? :eek:

Most important question.. if 350F is low, dont we all get down to that temp anyways at night during a night burn when we wake up to coals?
Running 350*F IMO is low.....way different than when you are letting it burn down. The lowest I let ours cruise is 400F....not sure if thats hot enough, but mostly cruise in the 500F range once the house is warmed up, and if need be, crack open a window. I'm far from an expert, just the way we run ours.
 
Running 350*F IMO is low.....way different than when you are letting it burn down. The lowest I let ours cruise is 400F....not sure if thats hot enough, but mostly cruise in the 500F range once the house is warmed up, and if need be, crack open a window. I'm far from an expert, just the way we run ours.
Right, do you mean 350F for the entire 10-12 hour burn? That does seem really low. My stove will read around 350 after 8-10 hours when all I have left in there is some coals, but it runs around 600-650 for 2-4 hours at the beginning of the burn (depending on how much wood is in there) and temp gradually decreases. Then again, I don't have the same type of stove as you, so maybe mine runs differently
 
Right, do you mean 350F for the entire 10-12 hour burn? That does seem really low. My stove will read around 350 after 8-10 hours when all I have left in there is some coals, but it runs around 600-650 for 2-4 hours at the beginning of the burn (depending on how much wood is in there) and temp gradually decreases. Then again, I don't have the same type of stove as you, so maybe mine runs differently

i definitely dont let it run 350F the whole time. but maybe 600F only for the first hour, close the air incrementally , and then it runs around 350F for the rest of the time. hmm
 
Running 350*F IMO is low.....way different than when you are letting it burn down. The lowest I let ours cruise is 400F....not sure if thats hot enough, but mostly cruise in the 500F range once the house is warmed up, and if need be, crack open a window. I'm far from an expert, just the way we run ours.

when people say 'cruise'.. does that mean without adding more fuel during that time and without adjusting the air? or do you constantly adjust the air up and down to keep it at 400?
 
i definitely dont let it run 350F the whole time. but maybe 600F only for the first hour, close the air incrementally , and then it runs around 350F for the rest of the time.
That sounds about right, but maybe your wood isn't real dry? That will definitely cause your stove to run cooler than if your wood is below 20% moisture.
when people say 'cruise'.. does that mean without adding more fuel during that time and without adjusting the air? or do you constantly adjust the air up and down to keep it at 400?
Once the stove is up to temp, bypass is closed, and I've set the air to cruise. I usually just let it run, no air adjustments. Temp will gradually fall to about 200, then I reload. Right now, though, it's about 12* out, so I opened up the air a bit on the coals and the stove top is back up to about 380 or so...probably because those are Black Locust coals I'm burning down. ==c Once they are burned down and I've made more room in the box, I'll jam it full and repeat the process.
 
question.. if its low, does this mean ill need to add more fuel more often to keep the cruising temp higher? You think 400F is good then? :eek:

Most important question.. if 350F is low, dont we all get down to that temp anyways at night during a night burn when we wake up to coals?
I can't speak for all stoves or set ups, as they are all obviously different.
Here is a typical reload & burn here at my place.
Load on a bed of coals that has been burnt down to a decent layer on the stove floor, which for me, usually means a few remnants of splits in their last stages of coaling(small pcs chunks). I break up any bigger coals, and spread evenly on firebox floor.
Load new load of fuel, for me big splits.
Let it establish a good initial charring & fire.
Cut air back, anywhere from 300 to 400 degrees on thermo, and visually what I have experienced seeing over the years also depending on the fuel species. Pine, poplar etc, is more about visual than temp, as they can go high heat, quickly.
The secondaries kick in, small and slow at first, then then it will kick on full secondaries, may be slowly at first, but will always end up full bore secondaries on her own (with good dry wood). Otherwise with wet wood it may stall, or take an extended time before the wood dries out and full secondaries kick in. With 3+ years splits stacked, this is not an issue.
It will peak at about 700-750ish, depending on when I cut the air back, and how large the splits are, how tightly I pack the box. Full secondaries and some dancing flames here and there.
Then after the nasties burn off, it will settle in about 600-650 for the majority of the burn, then slowly cruise down in temp till next reload, which can be anywhere from 250- 300-350ish, again depending on length of time, fuel species, outside temps, wind, etc.
At the end and coaling stage, 300, 350, even lower to cold is not a issue, as most of the bad stuff is burned off, the stack is hot/warm, and there is no concern for major creo build up. IMO most major creo build up is from wet wood releasing major moisture into the stack which condenses and settles on the inside of the stack. Smouldering is also a culprit.
So bottom line, is low temps after initial firing of new load = bad, low temps during cruising = bad, low temps at end = normal.
As originally said, if 350 is heating without smouldering, and serving the purpose, it may be fine for your set up, but I think is is a bit low. Keep an eye on the top of your stack, it will give all the info you need as to whether you're burning too low or not. Note some build up is normal at top, as this is the coolest part of the stack. Some build up at top is normal, lots is not.
 
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