Another OverFire Post

[veemaxx]

I just got home and found our stove doing this. My wife had been going through the woodpile picking the smaller rounds when she discovered they produce a hotter fire. She says she had done this 3 or 4 times and it worked good. These are from the top branches of standing dead elms after a 2 year drought, about as dry as you can get. I had the alarm on the pyrometer set for 950F which she said annoyed her. I explained why she shouldn't do this anymore and all is good. In the pictures at the time the stove top was well over 800F and the pyrometer registered a high temp of 1140F 18 inches above the stove in double wall pipe. With 4 fans running counting the ceiling fan it still took 20 minutes to get the pipe temp below 800F. All five of the secondary burn pipes were ripping which was kind of neat to see.
There is a face in the flames!

 

[Bagelboy]

Oh boy!

 

[Chimney Smoke]

At least your stovepipe is good and clean now

 

[smokedragon]

My big concern is that thinner stoves (like the ponderosa) are more prone to warping when overfired.

When it cools down, you may want to check your door (do the dollar bill test).

I agree that you don't have to worry about creosote in your chimney now......

But hey, on the upside.....I'll bet your house was warm when you got home

 

[branchburner]

There is a face in the flames!

I see it... does not look like Jesus. Most likely Vulcan, the god of overfire. Given his presence, I's say your stove probably survived just fine.

 

[jatoxico]

Veemax you're definitely doing the right thing by monitoring and addressing the problem but seems the stove should be able to control the load in the picture you posted. Smaller splits like kindling do burn hot and fast but maybe need to consider some other things. May need to cut back air earlier or more completely and like smokedragon said, do yourself a favor and check that everything is in order. Dollar bill test the door to check for air leaks etc.

 

[razerface]

I am going to tell you what I do,,,,,not telling you it is ok,,,our stoves are different. I tell you just to make you feel better

I have run my stove pipe probe up over 1400 when starting a reload. I don't like the 1400,, but it happens on my super drafty chim. I hit 1500 once or twice. I try to keep it to 1200-1300,,, and I don't let it stay there,,,,when it gets there, I shut my dampner (different system then you have) I do hit 1200 everyday,,, every reload,,, for a very short time.

Now the temp seems high, but remember, the pipe is not that temp, the air inside it is. You can estimate the pipe temp to be about 1/2 of that probe temp,,,so your pipe was APPROX 570 deg,,,,which is ok. The 800 stovetop seems too high for my taste. What was measuring that?

Now remember,,,if you hold that temp on the probe in the pipe,,, the pipe temp WILL catch up, so don't hold it there long.

If mine gets too hot,, i shut off the air and open the top door and let air in (seems stupid doesn't it ) but it cools the pipe right off. You need to learn a fast way to cool yours off,,,for your next uncontrolled burn!

I run the same digital gage you show in your pic. I have also had a few runaways that were hard to get cooled down, but I know my stove better now,,,and I can cool it quick. I still have the 5 gallons of sand sitting there ready to pour in though,,,,just in case.

 

[veemaxx]

Veemax you're definitely doing the right thing by monitoring and addressing the problem but seems the stove should be able to control the load in the picture you posted. Smaller splits like kindling do burn hot and fast but maybe need to consider some other things. May need to cut back air earlier or more completely and like smokedragon said, do yourself a favor and check that everything is in order. Dollar bill test the door to check for air leaks etc.

I usually start cutting the air when it gets to 650 then use the key damper at 800 so it cruises along in the 600 to 700 range, my wife thought she discovered the key to being able to heat our 4700 foot home when it is in the single digits. She told me she did it 3 times, I checked the door for leaks and the stove top for warping and everything is just fine so no damage done.

 

[veemaxx]

I am going to tell you what I do,,,,,not telling you it is ok,,,our stoves are different. I tell you just to make you feel better

I have run my stove pipe probe up over 1400 when starting a reload. I don't like the 1400,, but it happens on my super drafty chim. I hit 1500 once or twice. I try to keep it to 1200-1300,,, and I don't let it stay there,,,,when it gets there, I shut my dampner (different system then you have) I do hit 1200 everyday,,, every reload,,, for a very short time.

Now the temp seems high, but remember, the pipe is not that temp, the air inside it is. You can estimate the pipe temp to be about 1/2 of that probe temp,,,so your pipe was APPROX 570 deg,,,,which is ok. The 800 stovetop seems too high for my taste. What was measuring that?

Now remember,,,if you hold that temp on the probe in the pipe,,, the pipe temp WILL catch up, so don't hold it there long.

If mine gets too hot,, i shut off the air and open the top door and let air in (seems stupid doesn't it ) but it cools the pipe right off. You need to learn a fast way to cool yours off,,,for your next uncontrolled burn!

I run the same digital gage you show in your pic. I have also had a few runaways that were hard to get cooled down, but I know my stove better now,,,and I can cool it quick. I still have the 5 gallons of sand sitting there ready to pour in though,,,,just in case.

Well this makes me feel a little better, I use a ir temp gun and a magnetic temp gauge for the stove top temps. I've been using fans to cool it down which seem to work after a few minutes. Now with the temps getting warmer outside the stove is keeping up with the heating demand better. Thanks for your reply, ghee, 1500 degrees, wow

 

[begreen]

Seems like this is an education issue. What temp was the stove when loaded? Was this a reload on a hot coal bed? If so, those smallish splits are going to outgas very rapidly providing a lot of fuel for the fire.

 

[razerface]

ghee, 1500 degrees, wow

Don't forget, you and I use digital probes inside the pipe. You have to divide by 2 to get our pipe temp. That is important when you read threads on here and are looking at flue temps! Others using the mag temps, will not divide. That brief 1500 is only 750 flue/pipe temp, which it will survive, but I will not make a habit of it.

I pulled probe out when temp hit 1200,,, and it is red at that temp

 

[rideau]

My Condor flueguard probe thermometer says 900 is too hot....can't understand why you make a point of regularly getting to 1200. If I get to 900, I have a crazy active fire.

 

[Bobbin]

Wow, that sucker is cookin'! (I'm nervous just lookin' at the picture, lol)

 

[razerface]

My Condor flueguard probe thermometer says 900 is too hot....can't understand why you make a point of regularly getting to 1200. If I get to 900, I have a crazy active fire.

I am only relating what happens on my stove here. I have a downdraft stove.

I also have a mag temp everywhere that I have the digitals. Yea, I know,,,way too much monitoring,,,,,I like it.

I do not know for sure about your stove and mag probe,,,but I compare mine every day,,,and if money were involved,,,I would bet you get to much higher temps inside the flue then you think. Here is why I think that...

My digital reacts immediately ,,,,where the mag temp is delayed. I have seen hundreds of degree differences in the 2, just because the mag temp is so slow to react. My flue can hit 1200-1300 in 30 seconds or less when climbing,,,,then I can shut the damper and get the temp back down before the mag temp has just barely moved.

I have seen my flue hold at 950 deg for an hour before while damper is closed, when the AB is running hard. While that is happening,, I see very few flames in the box,,,the AB will be glowing hot!


Again,,,I do not hold those high temps! The flue hits that, and I immediately shut the damper and normally cool to 6-700 flue temps.

 

[razerface]

Seems like this is an education issue. What temp was the stove when loaded? Was this a reload on a hot coal bed? If so, those smallish splits are going to outgas very rapidly providing a lot of fuel for the fire.

Bumping this to the top as it is relevant! If you do not understand what BG is getting at,,,ask him questions!

 

[Motor7]

Welcome to the overfire club. I am not familiar with your stove, so was your wife running it with small splits/rounds and using the same primary air setting for usual larger splits? Unless you have an air leak(s) like I did, adjusting the primary should keep the overfire from happening....no?