Can't Get Avalon Arbor up to temp.

[woodburn]

I got my new Arbor about a week and a half ago. I will be posting pictures of the stove and my custom hearth soon. I've been burning and finally, the smell of burning paint seems to over with. I seem to have a problem though. No matter what I do I can't get the stove surface temp. above 550... and that was only once. It likes to stay around 460.

Here's what I do. I light the fire with kindling and a few small-medium splits with air control and bypass damper all the way open. After about 25 minutes, kindling is gone, and splits are well-burnt. I load up the box with wood, leave air/bypass all the way open for about 25 more minutes to burn of the volitile gasses. By this time the stove is about 400-425. I shut the bypass damper and leave the air control all the way open. The stove usually peaks around 465, and rarely gets higher. I have cut the air down, and I notive longer burns, but not much difference in temp.

What can I do? Wood is not the problem- all oak, very dry, some has been split for three years. I have a condor thermometer on stovetop. I was expecting to run the stove between 600-700. I am pretty disappointed.

Please help!

 

[woodzilla]

I had exact same temp using same method. Another post here recommended tryimg new thermometers. Did that and 1 reads almost 40 degrees cooler.

 

[Todd]

There has been alot of discussion about these down draft stoves, and it seems you need a good established coal bed to get them to burn properly. Also can be real finicky and are in need of constant attention. Do a search for "everburn" it may give you some tips.

 

[Jfk4th]

I got my new Arbor about a week and a half ago. I will be posting pictures of the stove and my custom hearth soon. I've been burning and finally, the smell of burning paint seems to over with. I seem to have a problem though. No matter what I do I can't get the stove surface temp. above 550... and that was only once. It likes to stay around 460.

Here's what I do. I light the fire with kindling and a few small-medium splits with air control and bypass damper all the way open. After about 25 minutes, kindling is gone, and splits are well-burnt. I load up the box with wood, leave air/bypass all the way open for about 25 more minutes to burn of the volitile gasses. By this time the stove is about 400-425. I shut the bypass damper and leave the air control all the way open. The stove usually peaks around 465, and rarely gets higher. I have cut the air down, and I notive longer burns, but not much difference in temp.

What can I do? Wood is not the problem- all oak, very dry, some has been split for three years. I have a condor thermometer on stovetop. I was expecting to run the stove between 600-700. I am pretty disappointed.

Please help!

How many feet of chimney pipe do you have from stovetop to chimney cap?

 

[webbie]

Look at the videos from tradergordo recent post. Also, there is a wiki entry on downdraft type stoves with some hints:
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/wiki/Downdraft_Stove_Operation/

 

[woodburn]

I am about to check out that video right now. I have only about 13 feet of pipe, but the pipe is double wall and runs inside the house for about 9 feet of that. It goes straight up- no turns. It seems to draft great. I will try a new thermometer, but I am not sure that's it. I hope I can do something to solve this problem.

 

[woodburn]

Wow. I just read that article. That is pretty much what I do, less the whole pocket idea and without damping down the air control in so many intervals. This seems like a tremendous amount of work to run this stove. I am assuming from Todd's post that most stoves are a lot less work. Is this true?