Am I burning too hot?

[Cab4you26]

Hi everyone. I posted a thread awhile back about installing a chimney liner. I’ve since finished the install and have ran the stove for about a week. So far everything seems fine. It’s drafting well but I’m wondering if I’m running it too hot. The stove is a PE Super LE. I’m using my thermometer directly behind the door but in front of the flashing that covers the fan (this is the hottest spot I’ve been able to find on the exterior). The highest my thermometer read was 726 F. I know the actual fire is much hotter. Some of the stainless in the firebox is orange colored but the flue collar and none of the exterior of the firebox itself is orange.

For context I’m getting the fire started on H, letting it run 20-30 min till I see about 600 F on the same place, then shutting it down to L.

 

[begreen]

Stove temp is a lagging indicator. It takes time to warm up the mass of the stove body, even though the firebox is already up to temp. Try turning the fire down, in increments, sooner. Do you have a flue thermometer? This is a better and earlier indicator than stove temp.

 

[Cab4you26]

Stove temp is a lagging indicator. It takes time to warm up the mass of the stove body, even though the firebox is already up to temp. Try turning the fire down, in increments, sooner. Do you have a flue thermometer? This is a better and earlier indicator than stove temp.

What do you mean it’s lagging?

….I guess I know what you mean by lagging, but I feel like if the max temp I’m measuring is 726 on the outside then that’s I’ll get from it. PE doesn’t give actual temps not to exceed but they do say if the flue collar or stove itself is red then you’re over firing it, I just don’t know if they mean the stainless interior parts or if they’re referring to the exterior of the stove.

I opened the firebox door and checked the firebrick and it was maxing out the measurement of my thermometer around 1200 degrees. I don’t have a flue thermometer. I should probably state that the 726 I measure was with the blower fans off. When I cut them on it started to drop.

 

[begreen]

I mean the firebox and flue will be at secondary combustion temperature while the stove body temperature may lag behind and take another 15-30 minutes to get fully warmed up. It's not practical to read the firebox temp, but the flue temp is a good indicator. Read this thread to see what I mean.

Starting a fire and running an EPA stove

Questions about starting a fire and avoiding a runaway stove come up so frequently I decided to document starting our stove. This is a Pacific Energy Alderlea T6 with about a 3 cu ft firebox. The stove is connected to a straight-up, 20' interior flue. The outside ambient temperature is 34ºF. The...

www.hearth.com

 

[Cab4you26]

I mean the firebox and flue will be at secondary combustion temperature while the stove body temperature may lag behind and take another 15 - 30 minutes to get fully warmed up. Read this thread to see what I mean.

Starting a fire and running an EPA stove

Questions about starting a fire and avoiding a runaway stove come up so frequently I decided to document starting our stove. This is a Pacific Energy Alderlea T6 with about a 3 cu ft firebox. The stove is connected to a straight-up, 20' interior flue. The outside ambient temperature is 34ºF. The...

www.hearth.com

That’s a really interesting and insightful post. I wish there were more specific on temps for the PE stoves. I’m going to try cutting down the intake sooner like you said and see how that affects everything. I will say that this is the hottest I’ve ever seen it and that was with two pieces of oak and a piece of locust.

 

[begreen]

That’s a really interesting and insightful post. I wish there were more specific on temps for the PE stoves. I’m going to try cutting down the intake sooner like you said and see how that affects everything. I will say that this is the hottest I’ve ever seen it and that was with two pieces of oak and a piece of locust.

That is a PE stove. The stove top thermometer is about 6" to the left and may be 4" in front of the flue collar.

The hottest fire I have seen with our stove is with a full load of locust. That wood burns like coal, with a blue flame.

 

[cahaak]

Once your wood is charred on the outside and the firebox is hot, turn it down. Turning it down in stages works well. Once my stove top is 500F, I turn it down. The hot flue gasses pass directly under my stove top.

 

[BigJ273]

700 would make me very nervous

 

[Ctwoodtick]

Can you point the thermometer onto the stove top? It’s hard for me to tell where you described taking your reading from.
For directly on stove top- 726 is not too hot as long as it’s not steadily climbing from that point. In that case, I’d keep an eye on the stove. But stove top temp that is cruising at that temp is no problem.

 

[begreen]

Once your wood is charred on the outside and the firebox is hot, turn it down. Turning it down in stages works well. Once my stove top is 500F, I turn it down. The hot flue gasses pass directly under my stove top.

If I waited for the stovetop to get to 500º on a cold start the flue would be over 1000º. Go by flue temps or if that is not possible, go by visuals. Stove top temp is a lagging indicator. It takes time to heat up even though the stove is already in secondary combustion mode.

 

[Samsquanch]

For what it’s worth, my PE T5 has hit 700-750 stove top numerous times and is alive and well. Usually just if I turn down too late or the wood is arranged loosely. Like you said, the stainless baffle and support rails are usually glowing softly at that kind of stove top temp, and it’s the point where I’m starting to question my judgement, but it always seems to peak out around 700 if it’s fully shut down. That’s probably hotter than I would aim to run on a regular basis, and I usually find I’m happy around 550-600 - cruising along nicely but with minimal glowing of the internals. As others have said, flue temps and visual cues are a far more “responsive” measurement of what’s going on. Maybe just shoot to turn down a little sooner as long as you can maintain a good clean burn, and it should take some of the peak off of your energy output.