Cleaned Out the Drolet Baltic ...

[WriteNoob]

Cleaned up the Baltic, for the second time, tonight, since first firing up the stove. Cleaned the glass, also. So the schedule seems to be about once every two weeks, for clean outs, although in a pinch I could certainly go a month, before I would reach the level of the front lip, on this stove. If heard horror stories about using ash pans, but with this stove, using a mix of pine and Eco Bricks, I don't seem to have any trouble with floating or spilled ash or dust. And the ultra low tech cast iron plug doesn't seem to leak any air, either. Glass took a few spritzes of glass cleaner only, since after approximately a month of burning, the only deposits were a dusty, light colored haze. Any dark reposts that did appear, even burning damp wood, never survived the hot part of the burn cycle.

One month in, and not a single black mark on the Baltic's record. It even started right up, with a damp, foggy 47*F outside temp. As long as I've used the bypass, I've never experienced even minor smoke spillage, with an open door.

I've decided to burn for a full season, before writing my review in the reviews section. But, unless I find some pretty major issues, between now and then, it looks to be a pretty positive showing. Put succinctly, this is a simply but very well designed unit. It's easy to run, can go 6-8 hours on dry pine, 10+ hours on bricked fuel, and heats my 1500 sq. ft. poorly insulated house to whatever temperature I want, even in below zero (Fahrenheit) temperatures. If it were any simpler a design, or easier to learn, IMHO, it would have to be a smoke dragon. As you may have surmised, I'm pretty enamored.

Here's a pic of the first fire, after cleaning. Keep in mind that this wood has been out in the rain, until about 30 minutes before it went into the stove. I really like how easy the pine takes off, even under those conditions.

(broken image removed)

 

[Huntindog1]

Here is a quick video of my stove burning last night and my primary air lever setting.
My stove is the Drolet Myriad same fire box but different exterior notice the different ash lips.
The light ghost flames in the firebox is the secondary gases burning.
Click the Full Screen mode and you can see the ghost flames better.
In Writenoob's pic of his stove notice how heavy the weld is under the top plate and the thickness of the top plate as these stoves are heavy duty.

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[farmboy05]

Just started burning with a Drolet Escape here. So far, I have the same reaction. Great startup even on a foggy mid 40s day, and learned about not loading a stove up too far on warm days. The wife is very happy except for said warm days when I get the living room up to 90 deg per the thermometer next to the couch . Any issues so far has been user error/learning curve, but when it's going, boy does it cruise.

 

[WriteNoob]

Figure I'd share one, too. Stovetop at 600*, primary about a half inch open, marginal pine due to wet weather and stupidity (not covered). Hard to see the secondaries, tonight, as they are nearly clear. Just an occasional blue edge, with the naked eye.

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All the best,
Mike

 

[realstihl]

Drolet makes fine stoves.

 

[KindredSpiritzz]

doesnt look like you guys get any better secondaries than i do, so maybe my stove is running normal which makes me feel better. Im really liking my new stove this year and im using about 40% less wood than in my furnace.

 

[Huntindog1]

My wood could be drier and if I load on a hotter bed of coals and stuff the stove full as I can get it secondaries are much more robust even at the lower input air settings.

 

[WriteNoob]

Those monster secondaries are an impressive sight, but I'm finding that those firestorm fires don't last me near as long as the kind I'm burning right now. It's burning, but nothing to post for shock value. Drier wood, today, so the primary is shut way down. Maybe an eighth inch from closed. Lazy in front, and nothing but clear blue secondaries, from there, back. I'll get 4-6 hours from a 2/3rds full box. Have to leave for a night shift at 2:30, so that's just right.

As an aside, I'm finding that pine is an extremely pleasant wood to burn, in these stoves. Light, pleasant smelling (both raw and burning), predictable, and leaving just enough quick burning coals to start the next load. Even wet, it dries out with about 15 minutes of burning with the door cracked. Checking my chimney after this first month, there's black stuff, but not shiny. More like lamp black looking. I'm guessing that a <1/8 inch layer of this is O.K., at least, if not great, after month.

 

[marty319]

Drolet makes fine stoves.

Compared to what? Sold them for 2 years lots better out there, just my 2 cents

 

[realstihl]

For the money,I think not.

 

[farmboy05]

Compared to what? Sold them for 2 years lots better out there, just my 2 cents

For the price point. I'm sure there are some a lot nicer. But they usually cost a lot more.

Writenoob, I'm still figuring things out, but if i get to nice blue flames with secondarys, it's not long till the fire goes out and I'm smoldering. I have to have orange flames to keep going. The wood is dry but it's soft maple so maybe that has something to do with it.

 

[Huntindog1]

Heavy Duty 5/16ths Steel, Heavy duty Stainless Baffle, Heavy Duty Robo Welds. Good latch system . 5 Year Warranty.
Exceptionally easy to operate and easy to control. Radiates heat Exceptionally Well.
The Side Shields are a nice option as my Myriad same firebox but doesnt have the side heat shields.
I would get the Shields if your putting this stove a small room.

Pretty Much says it All.

 

[WriteNoob]

Compared to what? Sold them for 2 years lots better out there, just my 2 cents

Compared to last year, when I had no stove, my furnace died, I had to run electric, froze my giblets off (do a search for the post 'Stove-less Wonder'), and used about $5-600 per month, in juice, January through March. This stove cost me a grand, has given me zero issues, and is super-simple to get good results with, or, as a certain member here once told me, "A big steel box with fire in it!"

It doesn't need to be NASA approved, or built like a Bentley. I'm a simple guy, with simple needs. It needs to heat my home, not break down, and not start my house on fire. So far, it's thumbs up, in all three categories. If that condition changes, I'll be the first to gripe (using motel wi-fi, in the case of the third requirement). ;-)

If I stay with pine, I may, eventually, look at something like a Sirocco, by Blaze King. If that happens, however, I have a feeling that I'll remember this Drolet fondly. Just my opinion, but one backed up by a 72* house and a warm and happy wife. ;-)

Take care, everybody.
Mike (The Noob)

 

[Huntindog1]

For the price point. I'm sure there are some a lot nicer. But they usually cost a lot more.

Writenoob, I'm still figuring things out, but if i get to nice blue flames with secondarys, it's not long till the fire goes out and I'm smoldering. I have to have orange flames to keep going. The wood is dry but it's soft maple so maybe that has something to do with it.

Hey Farm Boy,

I am with you there my wood seems dry. I ought to check it. But these stoves are designed to radiate heat. Thats a trade off. Presents a different way to look at these stoves and the heat cycle.

I usually think of trying to get the stove to a lower slow operating level but still have secondaries. Well secondaries in the these stoves are not concentrated as in my tube stove I had previously. The stainless baffle has holes drilled all over the place so air in coming in more spread out fashion. So it makes it a little harder to see them as they are like lite ghost flames.

But I am not so worried about getting the low slow burn as this stove is bigger I can still get easy 8 to 9 hour burns even if I leave the input primary air open a little farther to get more ghost flames. Well the aspect of this stove is its a radiating beast means this larger stove having a larger amount of coals with the larger loads of wood is still radiating a surprising amount of heat at coal stage. Alot of people focus on how long they have flames but not an issue with this stove radiating like it does at coal stage. And all that heat is getting out into my house so in the end my house is warmer and thats the only thing that matters.

I think some people who have the stove installed in smaller areas are needing to lower the input air setting as its throwing off too much heat.

For that case you can load smaller amounts of wood but with a less full firebox ghost secondary flames will be harder to get.