550 on front of insert. What would be comparable on stand alone?

[WoodpileOCD]

I built a fire this morning after the recent warm spell. We are starting a downward trending cold spell and I didn't want the house to cool down. I have always wondered about this and now I'm asking. My Buck 91 has an air sheath around it for the blower So I place my thermometer on the front above the door. This seems to be the hottest spot on the stove. With it reading 550 what do you think a comparable temperature would be on a stand-alone stove. With my cat cruising at about 1500 this is usually the temps I get. I hear people talking about running their stoves based on the stovetop temperatures (shutting air down at a certain temp. etc. )and wonder how this might compare. I usually pay more attention to my cat temps. How do you other insert owners do it ?

 

[topoftheriver]

I built a fire this morning after the recent warm spell. We are starting a downward trending cold spell and I didn't want the house to cool down. I have always wondered about this and now I'm asking. My Buck 91 has an air sheath around it for the blower So I place my thermometer on the front above the door. This seems to be the hottest spot on the stove. With it reading 550 what do you think a comparable temperature would be on a stand-alone stove. With my cat cruising at about 1500 this is usually the temps I get. I hear people talking about running their stoves based on the stovetop temperatures (shutting air down at a certain temp. etc. )and wonder how this might compare. I usually pay more attention to my cat temps. How do you other insert owners do it ?View attachment 91614View attachment 91615[/quote I have two thermometers on the top and one on the pipe. I generally run 400-500 on the average. Does fine for me. Once in a while it might peak up a hundred but I general burn it uniformly.

 

[Ralphie Boy]

How do you other insert owners do it ?

I'm a new Buck 80 owner and I, at this point, just watch the cat temp. What I have noticed is the cat temp can be in the 1200 to 1300 degree area and the air, at full blow, coming from the top of the insert is not nearly as hot as I expected . I'm not sure what that means and I'm also not sure where to read more about it other that here. It seems that the cat can be busy eating smoke while the fire is just a smolder.