advice here vs stove manual

[joustinghill]

I'm getting a little confused. Most people here seems to be talking about burning in the 250-400 range and I see several people say they get really worried when their stove goes over 650. My stove manual says that a low burn is about 300 degrees, a medium burn around 600 and a high burn around 800. So why should I be getting nervous if my stove goes over 650?

I've got a 1991 Avalon 991E, installed directly into the flue of an existing fireplace, fully lined. I'm not the first owner of the stove, but I do have the original paperwork and manuals for it.

 

[begreen]

Different styles of stoves burn at different temperatures. I wouldn't take it up to 800 too often, but some stoves will hit that temp for a little bit during secondary burn. For an average temperature, I'm more comfortable keeping to around 600-650. But if it's zero outside with a howling gale, then bringing it up a notch to 650 or even 700 is not going to hurt the stove. This is why we are sticklers for safe installations.

 

[velvetfoot]

Doesn't it all depend on the installation of the thermometer or probe or whatever.

 

[Joey Jones]

I burn at 1000 degrees for 15-20 minutes twice a day to clean my chimney from the low and slow burns of the previous day... I have a probe thermometer which gives a good account of what is actually happening....on't take chances...always burn with a high quality thermometer placed in the reccommended position on your system. Stove thermometers don't lie.

 

[begreen]

I'm assuming we're talking about stove top temps. Most stoves go by that if they make recommendations.

 

[joustinghill]

I'm assuming we're talking about stove top temps. Most stoves go by that if they make recommendations.

That's good, because that's the only place I *can* put a thermometer because of the stove being installed partially inside a fireplace.

 

[joustinghill]

I burn at 1000 degrees for 15-20 minutes twice a day to clean my chimney from the low and slow burns of the previous day... I have a probe thermometer which gives a good account of what is actually happening....on't take chances...always burn with a high quality thermometer placed in the reccommended position on your system. Stove thermometers don't lie.

I wasn't questioning the accuracy of the thermometer, but the disconnect between what the manual tells me and what the members of this forum are saying. I can moderate the burn based on what the thermometer is saying, but if I do what the manual says then I'd be using the thermometer to keep it around 600, whereas if I follow the prevailing advice on here, I'd be using the thermometer to keep it around 400. Am I misunderstanding the conversations here, or do different stoves really have that different of burn recommendations? Or is it a difference between pre-EPA and EPA stoves?

 

[joustinghill]

Different styles of stoves burn at different temperatures. I wouldn't take it up to 800 too often, but some stoves will hit that temp for a little bit during secondary burn. For an average temperature, I'm more comfortable keeping to around 600-650. But if it's zero outside with a howling gale, then bringing it up a notch to 650 or even 700 is not going to hurt the stove. This is why we are sticklers for safe installations.

That makes sense. That's why I paid 3 times as much for a professional installation as I paid for the stove off craigslist. Didn't figure it was a savings if I burnt my house down.

 

[Molson]

It would be difficult to get my stove to run at 400, it likes to cruise at 500-600, and hits 800 often when secondaries are at full roar. Probe temp in stove pipe is 600-700 when stove top is 800. I've hit 900-1000 a couple times, its not hard at all. Every stove is different, as every installation is different.

 

[begreen]

I burn at 1000 degrees for 15-20 minutes twice a day to clean my chimney from the low and slow burns of the previous day... I have a probe thermometer which gives a good account of what is actually happening....on't take chances...always burn with a high quality thermometer placed in the reccommended position on your system. Stove thermometers don't lie.

I wasn't questioning the accuracy of the thermometer, but the disconnect between what the manual tells me and what the members of this forum are saying. I can moderate the burn based on what the thermometer is saying, but if I do what the manual says then I'd be using the thermometer to keep it around 600, whereas if I follow the prevailing advice on here, I'd be using the thermometer to keep it around 400. Am I misunderstanding the conversations here, or do different stoves really have that different of burn recommendations? Or is it a difference between pre-EPA and EPA stoves?

You've got it correct. There is a difference in the stove top temperatures between different stove designs. Steel stoves can often run hotter than some other stoves. Following the stove mfg's recommendations is the best course of action.

There are lots of opinions here. FWIW, 1000 degrees in the flue pipe is not a recommended course to take on a regular basis. That's pushing the pipe's continuous duty recommendations.

 

[velvetfoot]

I'm thinking you want a burn cycle, like load it up and let it burn down and then reload. Trying to maintain a contant temperature I don't think is so practical and anything involving opening the door before the next load probably isn't that great either.

 

[joustinghill]

You've got it correct. There is a difference in the stove top temperatures between different stove designs. Steel stoves can often run hotter than some other stoves. Following the stove mfg's recommendations is the best course of action.

There are lots of opinions here. FWIW, 1000 degrees in the flue pipe is not a recommended course to take on a regular basis. That's pushing the pipe's continuous duty recommendations.

Thank you very much! There's so much more to heating with wood than I thought when I started this journey. I'm glad there are so many people here willing to help a newbie.

 

[SlyFerret]

I question the accuracy of stove thermometers (the magnetic type at least). I ignore the numbers on mine and just glance at the approximate position of the needle on the dial. I've used it enough to know about where it should be at the various stages throughout the burn cycle.

I also agree with the comment about burning in loads instead of opening the door mid-burn and adding more fuel a split or two at a time. Load it up, get it going, set the air, and let it cruise. After the stove has burned down and cooled off some (for me, I let it cool to under ~300 degrees) then reload.

Opening the door mid-burn increases the likely hood of both smoke spillage into the room and burns to your skin.

-SF