Can't see the wood burning

[T@LFarms]

I have a Harmon oakwood stove and wondered if there was a secret to keeping the vglass clean?

 

[snowtime]

I do not have your stove but there are some basic ways to keep or at least limit dirty glass. Keep splits away from glass. You will find a correlation between distance and dirty glass. Start with a small fire and do not add to it until you have a good bed of coals! Do not shut the air down to fast.
All these things are relative to the stove. You have to learn to what extreme you need to go to for clean glass. I now only clean glass 3 or 4 times a winter but i load ns and cut my wood 2" shorter than the stove will accept.

The primary offender is wet wood. Be sure your wood is dry.

 

[Rudyjr]

I have a Harmon oakwood stove and wondered if there was a secret to keeping the vglass clean?

Use only dry seasoned firewood.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

My harman TL300 will soot the glass on very low settings but burn it off on higher ones. Also weak draft,wood too close to the glass ,this is normal. If your draft is strong its less likely you will get dirty glass at any setting.

 

[branchburner]

Wondering if this ties in with any of your other problems. What kind of wood do you burn, and how long cut/split/stacked? How long do you leave the bypass damper open before shutting it, and where do you set the air intake before and after shutting the damper?

 

[T@LFarms]

Wondering if this ties in with any of your other problems. What kind of wood do you burn, and how long cut/split/stacked? How long do you leave the bypass damper open before shutting it, and where do you set the air intake before and after shutting the damper?

I burn mostly ash and maple and I cut live trees around November then cut and split them and leave them stacked outside for year and a half and then put them in a shed under cover for use. I leave the bypass damper open until the fire is burning good 5 to 10 minutes roughly. The air intake is wide open until it gets going and then is shut down to about half way or less depending on the wood.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Welcome to the forum T@LFarms.


5-10 minutes seems a bit short. You might try shutting the draft down a little to a time and do it 2-3 times before settling on where you want the final draft setting. My guess is you are not giving it enough time to become a really good established fire. The wood should be charred before dialing down the draft. By burning it a bit hotter at the start this might solve the black glass.

For cleaning that black glass, use a damp newspaper and dip it into the ash. You don't need much ash; just dip it. Rub this lightly on the glass and it will remove the black really easy. If it is a bit streaked you can always use some windex and paper towel to finish the job.

Also, are you cleaning out the ashes daily? The reason I ask is because we have several new wood burners who do empty the ashes, sometimes before each load of wood. That is not only not needed but your fire will do better with some ashes in the stove. This time of year we clean our ashes no more than once per week and never take all the ashes out. We leave a couple inches of ash in at all times.

 

[firefighterjake]

1. Do not burn unseasoned wood . . . although if I had to guess from the sounds of it your wood is good.

2. Do not allow the wood to rest against the glass . . . although this is generally something that just happens once in a while.

3. Make sure your gaskets are good . . . although if this is a new stove this probably is not an issue.

4. Burn at the proper temps . . . you need to burn in the Goldilocks Zone -- not too hot and not too cold. Using a thermometer on the stove and/or flue will help.

5. Do not shut down the air too early . . . this is where a thermometer will help . . . it will let you know when you can start closing off the air to avoid suffocating the fire.

 

[branchburner]

I burn mostly ash and maple and I cut live trees around November then cut and split them and leave them stacked outside for year and a half and then put them in a shed under cover for use. I leave the bypass damper open until the fire is burning good 5 to 10 minutes roughly. The air intake is wide open until it gets going and then is shut down to about half way or less depending on the wood.

Can't beat that for seasoning wood! I think five or ten minutes might be okay if you are reloading on a nice deep bed of hot coals, but not from a cold start. One thing I have noticed early in the fire is the secondary air, where it's injected at the back of the firebox, will burn up the coals in back very quickly. Then a partially-burned log can settle down and block the area. To fix this, or avoid it, I often lift up the log in back, and push coals underneath it from the front of the firebox.

I think the other fellows are onto something, too, with the idea of gradually stepping the air back. I usually go full open to 3/4 to 1/2 to 1/4, or something like that, over 10-15 minutes. But your glass should mostly be self-cleaning with hot burns. Is it very dirty all the time, or just sooty on occasion and then clean?

My other questions would be: do you ever see any visible smoke outside when the bypass is engaged, how many sq ft are you heating, and what is the flue setup that the stove is vented into?

 

[Jags]

Yeah, sounds like you are shutting it down too soon. Get a thermo for the top of that stove, bring the stove top to 500 before you start choking it down. I doubt that you are getting the stove up to the temps at which the reburner is active.

 

[madrone]

2 keys to running an EPA II stove:

Dry wood.
Hot stove.

 

[T@LFarms]

Welcome to the forum T@LFarms.


5-10 minutes seems a bit short. You might try shutting the draft down a little to a time and do it 2-3 times before settling on where you want the final draft setting. My guess is you are not giving it enough time to become a really good established fire. The wood should be charred before dialing down the draft. By burning it a bit hotter at the start this might solve the black glass.

For cleaning that black glass, use a damp newspaper and dip it into the ash. You don't need much ash; just dip it. Rub this lightly on the glass and it will remove the black really easy. If it is a bit streaked you can always use some windex and paper towel to finish the job.

Also, are you cleaning out the ashes daily? The reason I ask is because we have several new wood burners who do empty the ashes, sometimes before each load of wood. That is not only not needed but your fire will do better with some ashes in the stove. This time of year we clean our ashes no more than once per week and never take all the ashes out. We leave a couple inches of ash in at all times.

I am empting the ash pan daily. I will try your tip and let you know. Thanks

TC

 

[T@LFarms]

I burn mostly ash and maple and I cut live trees around November then cut and split them and leave them stacked outside for year and a half and then put them in a shed under cover for use. I leave the bypass damper open until the fire is burning good 5 to 10 minutes roughly. The air intake is wide open until it gets going and then is shut down to about half way or less depending on the wood.

Can't beat that for seasoning wood! I think five or ten minutes might be okay if you are reloading on a nice deep bed of hot coals, but not from a cold start. One thing I have noticed early in the fire is the secondary air, where it's injected at the back of the firebox, will burn up the coals in back very quickly. Then a partially-burned log can settle down and block the area. To fix this, or avoid it, I often lift up the log in back, and push coals underneath it from the front of the firebox.

I think the other fellows are onto something, too, with the idea of gradually stepping the air back. I usually go full open to 3/4 to 1/2 to 1/4, or something like that, over 10-15 minutes. But your glass should mostly be self-cleaning with hot burns. Is it very dirty all the time, or just sooty on occasion and then clean?

My other questions would be: do you ever see any visible smoke outside when the bypass is engaged, how many sq ft are you heating, and what is the flue setup that the stove is vented into?

I am not sure about visible smoke, should you see it? My house is about 1300 sq ft and I have a stainless steel triple wall chimney that goes straight out of the stove and through the upstairs and out the roof, no bends what so ever about 18 ft.

TC

 

[T@LFarms]

1. Do not burn unseasoned wood . . . although if I had to guess from the sounds of it your wood is good.

2. Do not allow the wood to rest against the glass . . . although this is generally something that just happens once in a while.

3. Make sure your gaskets are good . . . although if this is a new stove this probably is not an issue.

4. Burn at the proper temps . . . you need to burn in the Goldilocks Zone -- not too hot and not too cold. Using a thermometer on the stove and/or flue will help.

5. Do not shut down the air too early . . . this is where a thermometer will help . . . it will let you know when you can start closing off the air to avoid suffocating the fire.

What type of thermometer should be used and where should it be located?

TC

 

[firefighterjake]

Welcome to the forum T@LFarms.


5-10 minutes seems a bit short. You might try shutting the draft down a little to a time and do it 2-3 times before settling on where you want the final draft setting. My guess is you are not giving it enough time to become a really good established fire. The wood should be charred before dialing down the draft. By burning it a bit hotter at the start this might solve the black glass.

For cleaning that black glass, use a damp newspaper and dip it into the ash. You don't need much ash; just dip it. Rub this lightly on the glass and it will remove the black really easy. If it is a bit streaked you can always use some windex and paper towel to finish the job.

Also, are you cleaning out the ashes daily? The reason I ask is because we have several new wood burners who do empty the ashes, sometimes before each load of wood. That is not only not needed but your fire will do better with some ashes in the stove. This time of year we clean our ashes no more than once per week and never take all the ashes out. We leave a couple inches of ash in at all times.

I am empting the ash pan daily. I will try your tip and let you know. Thanks

TC

A very good tip . . . my own stove does pretty well with an inch or two in the firebox . . . helps preserve the coals.

 

[firefighterjake]

I burn mostly ash and maple and I cut live trees around November then cut and split them and leave them stacked outside for year and a half and then put them in a shed under cover for use. I leave the bypass damper open until the fire is burning good 5 to 10 minutes roughly. The air intake is wide open until it gets going and then is shut down to about half way or less depending on the wood.

Can't beat that for seasoning wood! I think five or ten minutes might be okay if you are reloading on a nice deep bed of hot coals, but not from a cold start. One thing I have noticed early in the fire is the secondary air, where it's injected at the back of the firebox, will burn up the coals in back very quickly. Then a partially-burned log can settle down and block the area. To fix this, or avoid it, I often lift up the log in back, and push coals underneath it from the front of the firebox.

I think the other fellows are onto something, too, with the idea of gradually stepping the air back. I usually go full open to 3/4 to 1/2 to 1/4, or something like that, over 10-15 minutes. But your glass should mostly be self-cleaning with hot burns. Is it very dirty all the time, or just sooty on occasion and then clean?

My other questions would be: do you ever see any visible smoke outside when the bypass is engaged, how many sq ft are you heating, and what is the flue setup that the stove is vented into?

I am not sure about visible smoke, should you see it? My house is about 1300 sq ft and I have a stainless steel triple wall chimney that goes straight out of the stove and through the upstairs and out the roof, no bends what so ever about 18 ft.

TC

If you're doing everything right -- seasoned wood, cutting the air back at the right time, adjusting the air properly and getting the stove up to temp -- the only time you will see smoke from your chimney is when you first start the stove or when you reload the stove. Some folks sometimes see some steam vapor though on very cold days.

 

[firefighterjake]

1. Do not burn unseasoned wood . . . although if I had to guess from the sounds of it your wood is good.

2. Do not allow the wood to rest against the glass . . . although this is generally something that just happens once in a while.

3. Make sure your gaskets are good . . . although if this is a new stove this probably is not an issue.

4. Burn at the proper temps . . . you need to burn in the Goldilocks Zone -- not too hot and not too cold. Using a thermometer on the stove and/or flue will help.

5. Do not shut down the air too early . . . this is where a thermometer will help . . . it will let you know when you can start closing off the air to avoid suffocating the fire.

What type of thermometer should be used and where should it be located?

TC

Magnetic thermometer on the stove . . . location depends on your set up and manufacturer -- for example Jotul recommends one of the four top corners on the Oslo when it comes to placement . . . folks with inserts may not be able to put it on their stove top . . . etc.

Probe style thermometer for double wall pipe or magnetic thermometer for single wall pipe: If you have double wall pipe that is accessible and visible you can go with a probe style thermometer . . . I have one I bought from www.northlineexpress.com from Condar that I like -- generally these are mounted 18 inches above the stove collar.

 

[T@LFarms]

Welcome to the forum T@LFarms.


5-10 minutes seems a bit short. You might try shutting the draft down a little to a time and do it 2-3 times before settling on where you want the final draft setting. My guess is you are not giving it enough time to become a really good established fire. The wood should be charred before dialing down the draft. By burning it a bit hotter at the start this might solve the black glass.

For cleaning that black glass, use a damp newspaper and dip it into the ash. You don't need much ash; just dip it. Rub this lightly on the glass and it will remove the black really easy. If it is a bit streaked you can always use some windex and paper towel to finish the job.

Also, are you cleaning out the ashes daily? The reason I ask is because we have several new wood burners who do empty the ashes, sometimes before each load of wood. That is not only not needed but your fire will do better with some ashes in the stove. This time of year we clean our ashes no more than once per week and never take all the ashes out. We leave a couple inches of ash in at all times.

I am empting the ash pan daily. I will try your tip and let you know. Thanks

TC

A very good tip . . . my own stove does pretty well with an inch or two in the firebox . . . helps preserve the coals.

I have noticed a big improvement in the glass since I have left the ashes build up. Thanks for the tip. The fire also seems to burn better.

TC

 

[T@LFarms]

Welcome to the forum T@LFarms.


5-10 minutes seems a bit short. You might try shutting the draft down a little to a time and do it 2-3 times before settling on where you want the final draft setting. My guess is you are not giving it enough time to become a really good established fire. The wood should be charred before dialing down the draft. By burning it a bit hotter at the start this might solve the black glass.

For cleaning that black glass, use a damp newspaper and dip it into the ash. You don't need much ash; just dip it. Rub this lightly on the glass and it will remove the black really easy. If it is a bit streaked you can always use some windex and paper towel to finish the job.

Also, are you cleaning out the ashes daily? The reason I ask is because we have several new wood burners who do empty the ashes, sometimes before each load of wood. That is not only not needed but your fire will do better with some ashes in the stove. This time of year we clean our ashes no more than once per week and never take all the ashes out. We leave a couple inches of ash in at all times.

I am empting the ash pan daily. I will try your tip and let you know. Thanks

TC

A very good tip . . . my own stove does pretty well with an inch or two in the firebox . . . helps preserve the coals.

I have noticed a big improvement in the glass since I have left the ashes build up. Thanks for the tip. The fire also seems to burn better.

TC

 

[T@LFarms]

Welcome to the forum T@LFarms.


5-10 minutes seems a bit short. You might try shutting the draft down a little to a time and do it 2-3 times before settling on where you want the final draft setting. My guess is you are not giving it enough time to become a really good established fire. The wood should be charred before dialing down the draft. By burning it a bit hotter at the start this might solve the black glass.

For cleaning that black glass, use a damp newspaper and dip it into the ash. You don't need much ash; just dip it. Rub this lightly on the glass and it will remove the black really easy. If it is a bit streaked you can always use some windex and paper towel to finish the job.

Also, are you cleaning out the ashes daily? The reason I ask is because we have several new wood burners who do empty the ashes, sometimes before each load of wood. That is not only not needed but your fire will do better with some ashes in the stove. This time of year we clean our ashes no more than once per week and never take all the ashes out. We leave a couple inches of ash in at all times.

I am empting the ash pan daily. I will try your tip and let you know. Thanks

TC

A very good tip . . . my own stove does pretty well with an inch or two in the firebox . . . helps preserve the coals.

I have noticed a big improvement in the glass since I have left the ashes build up. Thanks for the tip. The fire also seems to burn better.

TC

 

[Bigg_Redd]

I have a Harmon oakwood stove and wondered if there was a secret to keeping the vglass clean?

Keep your fires hotter

 

[citationdriver]

When/If you want to clean the glass Use the stuff you use on glass stove tops......Works incredibly well and makes the glass sparkle. I clean my fireview one every couple of weeks, no scratchs, and you would be amazed how dirty the "clean" glass really is.

 

[T@LFarms]

I have a Harmon oakwood stove and wondered if there was a secret to keeping the vglass clean?

Keep your fires hotter

My firebricks cracked and had to be replaced after 2 years and my dealer said I must be burning my stove too hot so I tried to not burn it as hot but my glass seems to get black. I guess I need to find a middle temp if that is possiblTC

 

[T@LFarms]

[quote author="citationdriver" date="1291710463"]When/If you want to clean the glass Use the stuff you use on glass stove tops......Works incredibly well and makes the glass sparkle. I clean my fireview one every couple of weeks, no scratchs, and you would be amazed how dirty the "clean" glass really is.[/quote

I will give that a try, Thanks.

TC]

 

[T@LFarms]

Welcome to the forum T@LFarms.


5-10 minutes seems a bit short. You might try shutting the draft down a little to a time and do it 2-3 times before settling on where you want the final draft setting. My guess is you are not giving it enough time to become a really good established fire. The wood should be charred before dialing down the draft. By burning it a bit hotter at the start this might solve the black glass.

For cleaning that black glass, use a damp newspaper and dip it into the ash. You don't need much ash; just dip it. Rub this lightly on the glass and it will remove the black really easy. If it is a bit streaked you can always use some windex and paper towel to finish the job.

Also, are you cleaning out the ashes daily? The reason I ask is because we have several new wood burners who do empty the ashes, sometimes before each load of wood. That is not only not needed but your fire will do better with some ashes in the stove. This time of year we clean our ashes no more than once per week and never take all the ashes out. We leave a couple inches of ash in at all times.

I am empting the ash pan daily. I will try your tip and let you know. Thanks

TC

Leaving the ashes in the stove really helped, Thanks for that tip.

TC