Another Temp Gauge Placement ?

[HittinSteel]

I have a Napoleon 1400. The manual says nice operating range is 400-500 degrees on the stove top. This stove has an ornamental trivet on the front that is removable. Someone had posted a picture of this a while back and said this is where they are placing their temp gauge. My question and I have e-mailed Napoleon this without a response, is where on the stove should I be taking the temp? If I put the gauge in the cut out for the trivet, the stove will go to 650 degrees. If I place it 6" or so away from the pipe on the stove top, I get a reading of about 400. The stove went to 650 at the trivet last night after I let the stove cool to 300 before loading up 4 average size splits for the over night burn. I've studied the other threads about the secondaries kicking in and bringing the stove to high temps, but this high of a temp at the trivet makes me wonder if I will ever be able to "pack" the stove full for a nice slow overnighter.

Thanks for any help.

 

[MotoBoyMatt]

My 1400 manual says: "Maximum heat for minium fuel (optimum burn)
occurs when the stove top temperature beneath the trivet is
between 500°F (260°C) and 600°F (315°C)."

When you placed the thermometer 6" away from the pipe was it on the top heat shield or the stove top itself?


Are you using a standard round magnetic stove pipe thermometer?
I've been having problems with that style thermometer reading high.
If I place it under the trivet it will read 700 but when I measure the surface temp with a thermocouple its closer to 500F.
My gut tells me a thermocouple is more reliable than a $10 mechanical thermometer but just to make sure I put the thermometer in the oven today set at 500F and it read 700F.
I've been thinking about this all day and the only thing I can come up with is that the stovepipe thermometer is designed to measure the surface temp of the stovepipe but since it's bimetallic coil can't be totally in contact with the pipe it actually senses the air temp around the pipe (which is somewhat lower than the actual pipe temp) the scale of the thermometer is then compensated to display the higher pipe temp.

But when the themometer is placed horizontally under the trivet on the flat stove top is traps more heat and creates it's own "oven" in wich the air temp around the bimetallic coil is nearly the same as the stove surface temp.

 

[HittinSteel]

I have been doing some more experimenting also and studying the manual. I now put the the temp gauge 18" up on the pipe and look for temps in 250 to 450 range and forget about the stove temp.

 

[Thomask9590]

I found the same to be true. When I put my thermometer in the oven it reads about 150 degrees higher. That would make since that it is set high to detect temperatures of the pipe not the air. My thermometer states that i should place it 12-18" above the stove on the pipe. Napoleon states

Maximum heat for minimum fuel (optimum burn)
occurs when the stove top temperature beneath the trivet is
between 500°F (260°C) and 600°F (315°C). The bricks will be
nearly all white and the glass mostly clear. The whiteness of
the bricks and the cleanness of the glass are good indicators of
your operating efficiency.

I have a 1400 PL without a trivet. So I am a t a loss as to where to take my temps from.

 

[HittinSteel]

Like MotoBoy said, I think something funny is going on with placing the thermo under the trivet. In your case I would just put it on the pipe and try and keep the temps in that range (250-450 I think is what the manual says). I've basically decided that if the flue temps are good, then the stove temp should be good too. I load it up, let it rip for a bit and then choke it way down. I have found that this stove contrary to some others does very well with the air all the way down. I am burning some super dry cherry which may make a difference though.

 

[acesover]

i have the 1400 also and i place a themometer under the trivit a try to keep it at 500- 600 deg. but a few nights ago i loaded it up and she toke off on me temmp went up to750-800. it happend again and this time i pulled out the ash pan and put a magnet on the air intake to close it completely and it worked stove never went over 650. you should measure the stove top temp too even if you dont like the readings your getting. they should have made these stoves damper down alittle more check it out under thestove the slider stays open bout an 3/4 -1/2 inch

 

[Valhalla]

Follow the stove manufacturers placement for a thermometer. It sounds like they want it on the stove body proper (not the trivet) and the sweet spot of the operating range is 500 - 600 degrees.

Make sure your thermometer is for stove top use, not only for stove pipe use.

 

[HittinSteel]

i have the 1400 also and i place a themometer under the trivit a try to keep it at 500- 600 deg. but a few nights ago i loaded it up and she toke off on me temmp went up to750-800. it happend again and this time i pulled out the ash pan and put a magnet on the air intake to close it completely and it worked stove never went over 650. you should measure the stove top temp too even if you dont like the readings your getting. they should have made these stoves damper down alittle more check it out under thestove the slider stays open bout an 3/4 -1/2 inch

In my limited use thus far, I was thinking the same thing about being able to dampper down a little more. I may do the same with a magnet, but I am getting an overnight burn right now, so I will have to see when the real cold weather hits. Did you just use and ordinary magnet?

 

[acesover]

[

I have a 1400 PL without a trivet. So I am a t a loss as to where to take my temps from


if you have no trivit you probably can just place it on the stove top. the 1400 has a heat sheild on the to with a trivit which gives us acess to the true stove top.

 

[acesover]

Like MotoBoy said, I think something funny is going on with placing the thermo under the trivet. In your case I would just put it on the pipe and try and keep the temps in that range (250-450 I think is what the manual says). I've basically decided that if the flue temps are good, then the stove temp should be good too. I load it up, let it rip for a bit and then choke it way down. I have found that this stove contrary to some others does very well with the air all the way down. I am burning some super dry cherry which may make a difference though.

when you say this stove does very well damperd down all the way, are you getting alot of flames with a high secondary burn? cause like i said when my stove is rippen
and i damper down she still wants to rip, i think a little to much.

 

[HittinSteel]

Again, I have limited experience here, but I think it does pretty well when I rake the coals to the front and tightly pack it in the back. With that being said, I think I will find that it is ripping a little to much even dampered all the way down. I was also concerned like you when I got a couple temps under the trivet at 700 or so. I have tried to call Napoleon, but you could be on the phone for days waiting for someone to talk to you. I guess at this point I am just keeping the flue temps where they should be and worrying less about the temp under the trivet.

 

[acesover]

Im going to take my damper control off and either grind some of the stop off so it will close a little more or i might weld alittle piece on to extend it, would make me feel safer cause if something goes wrong and you have to kill the fire we cant, not very safe. ill let you know how i make out.

 

[HittinSteel]

Okay, keep me posted on how it works out