Basic introduction to wood insert use

[Mattman079]

I know this has been covered before but I am having trouble finding information on it. If it has been covered and someone knows where it is please feel free to point me in the right direction.

I'm curious if someone can provide basic entry level instructions on using a wood insert. I understand how to start a fire and load more wood. I'm looking for more information on how hot you should be running it, is there certain temperatures you are supposed to keep it at, how often should you be reloading it, are you supposed to pack it completely full of wood when reloading, etc.

Longer story... I just bought a Regency i2500 for my two story house and am always nervous that im going to cause the stove to get too hot or load too much wood. As a result each time I've used it I feel like I have to reload it every hour and a half and the temperature seems to drop quickly. It also seems to put off a lot of heat in short bursts and then not a lot of heat for longer periods. I figure I'm doing something wrong since I've never owned one before but don't know what and don't want to damage the unit.

Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[TheBigIron]

I have an Avalon wood insert in my house with a decent sized firebox. On a cold start I usually pack that thing to my secondary burn tubes and do a top down fire. Usually takes about 25/35 minutes to get my insert to temperature, once temperatures are reached I throttle back my air and my secondary burn kicks in usually get about 6-10 hour burn times ( outside weather dependent etc wind outside temperatures).

 

[EbS-P]

I know this has been covered before but I am having trouble finding information on it. If it has been covered and someone knows where it is please feel free to point me in the right direction.

I'm curious if someone can provide basic entry level instructions on using a wood insert. I understand how to start a fire and load more wood. I'm looking for more information on how hot you should be running it, is there certain temperatures you are supposed to keep it at, how often should you be reloading it, are you supposed to pack it completely full of wood when reloading, etc.

Longer story... I just bought a Regency i2500 for my two story house and am always nervous that im going to cause the stove to get too hot or load too much wood. As a result each time I've used it I feel like I have to reload it every hour and a half and the temperature seems to drop quickly. It also seems to put off a lot of heat in short bursts and then not a lot of heat for longer periods. I figure I'm doing something wrong since I've never owned one before but don't know what and don't want to damage the unit.

Any advice would be appreciated!

How and where are you measuring temps? I really like my Auber AT200. I have two.

 

[kennyp2339]

IR thermometer is your friend, you want to find the hot spot on the stove (outside the firebox) and go from there, sometimes in the manual of the insert there is advice of where to mount a stove top thermometer.
Typically with epa re-burn tube stoves, you want between 450-650 deg f cruising temps, there is no set of formal steps to get there since everyone's wood & draft are different but the key is to get a good coal base, load and turn the air down in increments until you learn your stove, leaving the air control wide open actually takes away from the top end of the burn, some people say that once some of the wood starts catching they will close the air down a quarter, wait 20min and return again to either check the fire (visual and temp) or turn the air control down some more.

 

[jatoxico]

Typically with epa re-burn tube stoves, you want between 450-650 deg f cruising temps,

Agreed, I find that's perfect for me too. As far as safety, you can go higher but I find those higher temps wasteful with my flush insert since I can't seem to extract all that heat. The very max I want to see is 750 but it could be different with an insert that extends onto the hearth or of course, a free standing stove. No glowing though, if you see parts of the stove turning dull red you're over doing it.

Another important thing is sending enough heat up the flue to maintain the temp of the gases so you don't create excess creosote. Gases need to be above about 250 or they'll condense. Assuming dry wood and a vigorously burning fire, reducing air will increase the stove temp and burn time but will also reduce the amount heat going up the stack which can lead to smoldering. Wet wood and chasing burn times can cause problems.

 

[Mattman079]

I have an Avalon wood insert in my house with a decent sized firebox. On a cold start I usually pack that thing to my secondary burn tubes and do a top down fire. Usually takes about 25/35 minutes to get my insert to temperature, once temperatures are reached I throttle back my air and my secondary burn kicks in usually get about 6-10 hour burn times ( outside weather dependent etc wind outside temperatures).

That sounds like one mistake I have made. I never load the firebox more than one row full (whether it be EW or NW). Was always nervous loading it all the way would damage it

 

[Mattman079]

How and where are you measuring temps? I really like my Auber AT200. I have two.

Manual says the digital temperature probe is at the catalytic heater. From the installation photos it looks like it is at the adapter between the stove and the liner.

 

[Mattman079]

IR thermometer is your friend, you want to find the hot spot on the stove (outside the firebox) and go from there, sometimes in the manual of the insert there is advice of where to mount a stove top thermometer.
Typically with epa re-burn tube stoves, you want between 450-650 deg f cruising temps, there is no set of formal steps to get there since everyone's wood & draft are different but the key is to get a good coal base, load and turn the air down in increments until you learn your stove, leaving the air control wide open actually takes away from the top end of the burn, some people say that once some of the wood starts catching they will close the air down a quarter, wait 20min and return again to either check the fire (visual and temp) or turn the air control down some more.

Ok, that cruising temperature is more along the lines that I thought but was having trouble keeping it there. Another member mentioned they fill the stove up to the secondary burners which explains why I don't keep those temperatures for long as I only have been loading one row of wood rather than filling the box

 

[Mattman079]

Agreed, I find that's perfect for me too. As far as safety, you can go higher but I find those higher temps wasteful with my flush insert since I can't seem to extract all that heat. The very max I want to see is 750 but it could be different with an insert that extends onto the hearth or of course, a free standing stove. No glowing though, if you see parts of the stove turning dull red you're over doing it.

Another important thing is sending enough heat up the flue to maintain the temp of the gases so you don't create excess creosote. Gases need to be above about 250 or they'll condense. Assuming dry wood and a vigorously burning fire, reducing air will increase the stove temp and burn time but will also reduce the amount heat going up the stack which can lead to smoldering. Wet wood and chasing burn times can cause problems.

What would you do regarding an overnight burn then? Maybe its because I am not using the insert correctly, but keeping the temperature above 250 for the whole night seems unlikely. Is it a big deal if it has coals burning below 250 when running it overnight?

 

[jatoxico]

What would you do regarding an overnight burn then? Maybe its because I am not using the insert correctly, but keeping the temperature above 250 for the whole night seems unlikely. Is it a big deal if it has coals burning below 250 when running it overnight?

Once you get down into coaling you can't keep temps up but fortunately not much creosote can be formed from the mostly burnt wood. If I'm around though, I turn up the air on the coals to keep it as clean as possible. It's a balancing act. You can't avoid making some creosote, but you want to use good practices.

There's a lot that affects each individual install. Exterior vs interior chimney, total length of the flue, atmospheric conditions wood quality... Good on you that you're trying to figure it out. If you're aware of what's happening and pay attention you'll get it right.