Cool down at night vs keep it going -> creosote?

[Jotel me this]

is it ok to let the fire die down at night? im not worried about running the fire at night, but want to conserve wood as i am low this year. the house is well insulated and if the fire dies with the house temp at 80F, ill wake up with it around 68F 8-hours later.

are there more 'dangers' of creosote forming when constantly having to start new fires in the morning vs just adding more wood to already created coals?

 

[Ctwoodtick]

I suspect that if you are burning correctly overall, more frequent startups will cause a bit more buildup but not enough to be of concern.

 

[Dug8498]

is it ok to let the fire die down at night? im not worried about running the fire at night, but want to conserve wood as i am low this year. the house is well insulated and if the fire dies with the house temp at 80F, ill wake up with it around 68F 8-hours later.

are there more 'dangers' of creosote forming when constantly having to start new fires in the morning vs just adding more wood to already created coals?

I think you might be overthinking this! Who knows, I could be wrong, but I can’t imagine there is any substantial difference.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Hogwildz]

I'm with tick on this one. If you're burning habits are good, the difference most likely will be minimal. I do think cold starts may add more than 24/7 burning only for the fact that you are keeping the flue warmer/hotter, and a cold flue can be a culprit of build up. I think wet wood would be much worse, and more of a concern. It wouldn't hurt to inspect the stack periodically to get a feel of how much added build up if any that you experience.

 

[prezes13]

I totally agree with @Hogwildz my stove has a shallow firebox so on week days I might have a fire at night but I burn around the clock on weekends. My last sweep was a cup of powdery stuff which most of probably was a fly ash.

 

[jetsam]

Creosote condenses wherever it hits a surface cooler than 250°F.

However, cool temperatures at the end of a burn do not cause creosote accumulation because all the volatiles have already burned off, and there is nothing in the exhaust gas to condense.

I think burning straight though is probably cleaner overall (if nothing else, your flue is warm at reload time and the new load starts with a roar).

 

[Jotel me this]

I think you might be overthinking this! Who knows, I could be wrong, but I can’t imagine there is any substantial difference.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

correct. i do overthink things. my kindergarten teacher told me to stop overthinking which color crayon to use to write my name on the paper apple.

 

[Jotel me this]

I'm with tick on this one. If you're burning habits are good, the difference most likely will be minimal. I do think cold starts may add more than 24/7 burning only for the fact that you are keeping the flue warmer/hotter, and a cold flue can be a culprit of build up. I think wet wood would be much worse, and more of a concern. It wouldn't hurt to inspect the stack periodically to get a feel of how much added build up if any that you experience.

So one last question before my next question..

Im about to reload for the day. Should I look at the stovetop temp or flue temp to know when to start lowering the air? i have a digital 'gun' style thermometer that you aim with a laser to get a reading. with double wall chimney am i looking for 250F before turning down?

 

[MAD MARK]

Your IR gun can not measure temp on double wall correctly.

If that's your only means, IR gun, then use it on the stove.

 

[nola mike]

To elaborate, you need a thermometer with a probe that penetrates the pipe to measure flue temp with double wall pipe

 

[Jotel me this]

Your IR gun can not measure temp on double wall correctly.

If that's your only means, IR gun, then use it on the stove.

really? hmmmmm. thanks. i wonder if theres some conversion somewhere that says X temp outside pipe = Y temp inside pipe

To elaborate, you need a thermometer with a probe that penetrates the pipe to measure flue temp with double wall pipe

..how does one make a hole in the flue safely????? without carbon monoxide coming out?

 

[jetsam]

really? hmmmmm. thanks. i wonder if theres some conversion somewhere that says X temp outside pipe = Y temp inside pipe

Yes, I've seen multiple people post conversions in threads, but I wouldn't use any of them. Air movement in the house (especially from ceiling fans and stove fans) is going to effect the outer wall temperature a lot and the inner gas temperature not at all. Unless your formula has a place to plug in windspeeds from fans, pipe surface area, and incoming air temps, I don't think it has a shot at being useful.

..how does one make a hole in the flue safely????? without carbon monoxide coming out?

Two drillbits.

The probe almost completely fills the inner hole, and the outer hole is gasketed by the thermometer which is held tight with a magnet.

 

[Jotel me this]

Yes, I've seen multiple people post conversions in threads, but I wouldn't use any of them. Air movement in the house (especially from ceiling fans and stove fans) is going to effect the outer wall temperature a lot and the inner gas temperature not at all. Unless your formula has a place to plug in windspeeds from fans, pipe surface area, and incoming air temps, I don't think it has a shot at being useful.



Two drillbits.

The probe almost completely fills the inner hole, and the outer hole is gasketed by the thermometer which is held tight with a magnet.


View attachment 233936

thanks. but when you drill... there is no gasket on the inside pipe which would allow heat to go between the two layers, no?

 

[jetsam]

thanks. but when you drill... there is no gasket on the inside pipe which would allow heat to go between the two layers, no?

It's only a 3/16" hole, and it will have a ~3/16" metal rod (the probe) jammed in it unless you're sweeping the flue.

 

[xman23]

I'm guessing the stove temp police will want to flame me for saying this. But you may be overthinking this temp stuff. Yes it's important, but it's a the result of running the stove correctly.
Load the stove, reload a number of times, get the stove and chimney hot, and a bed of coals. Turn down the air to get a nice looking burn. Confirm what you see through the glass by a checking the stove top temp gauge. Most important is to run the stove to produce the right amount of heat. Don't smolder.

 

[vwmike]

thanks. but when you drill... there is no gasket on the inside pipe which would allow heat to go between the two layers, no?

Chimney above the stove is also under a vacuum when the stove is running, so if anything would suck a little bit of cooler room air in, not leak hot air out.

 

[Hogwildz]

So one last question before my next question..

Im about to reload for the day. Should I look at the stovetop temp or flue temp to know when to start lowering the air? i have a digital 'gun' style thermometer that you aim with a laser to get a reading. with double wall chimney am i looking for 250F before turning down?

I concentrate mainly on the combustion of the fire itself, more visual, then use the thermo as a reference. I have replaced one of two thermos this year, and one reads differently as the other by as much as a couple hundred degrees. I look at visual cues of the load burning itself, then look at the thermos, and have a reference point of when I want to cut the air back. Visual is your most telling factor, at least for me it is. The thermo just reinforces I am in the area I wan to be to cut the air back. I also set the oven timer at usually 15-20 minutes depending on what kind of coal bed I am reloading on, what wood species, how dry, etc. Not to mention I get preoccupied with other things, and my mind ain't what it used to be, so the timer helps a lot, at least to not forget I have a load firing up in there. Thermos are merely a reference, not gospel.

 

[Jotel me this]

I concentrate mainly on the combustion of the fire itself, more visual, then use the thermo as a reference. I have replaced one of two thermos this year, and one reads differently as the other by as much as a couple hundred degrees. I look at visual cues of the load burning itself, then look at the thermos, and have a reference point of when I want to cut the air back. Visual is your most telling factor, at least for me it is. The thermo just reinforces I am in the area I wan to be to cut the air back. I also set the oven timer at usually 15-20 minutes depending on what kind of coal bed I am reloading on, what wood species, how dry, etc. Not to mention I get preoccupied with other things, and my mind ain't what it used to be, so the timer helps a lot, at least to not forget I have a load firing up in there. Thermos are merely a reference, not gospel.

yes yes. this makes sense. thanks!
say.. i was reading a thread in here from 2012. someone said secondary burns are only for a short period of time until the volatiles/smoke burn off, then youre just running on hot coals. is this true? so you dont see secondaries for hours and hours?
if true, are you supposed to then NOT see flames the entire 10+ hour burn?.. just hot coals?

 

[Hogwildz]

yes yes. this makes sense. thanks!
say.. i was reading a thread in here from 2012. someone said secondary burns are only for a short period of time until the volatiles/smoke burn off, then youre just running on hot coals. is this true? so you dont see secondaries for hours and hours?
if true, are you supposed to then NOT see flames the entire 10+ hour burn?.. just hot coals?

Secondaries can last from an hour or two, to several hours. The PE is designed to burn from the top down, so even if there are not heavy secondaries, the ports still stream hot air into the splits. Even in coaling stage, there is heat to be had. I don't think you'll get 10 hrs on secondaries, but several hours is possible. Remember, heat is not only from visible flame.

Not sure how your stove is set up, but if you have secondaries, I would image you can expect similar.

 

[Jotel me this]

Secondaries can last from an hour or two, to several hours. .

Thanks!