dialing in a Buck Stove 28000

[ryjen]

My burns have been erratic at best. Understandably some of it has been my own fault, using wood that isn't properly seasoned, and not sitting in front of the stove while it gets going to make small adjustments. However I now have a stack of VERY dry wood and I'm ready to hunker down and figure her out.
Here is where I'm at:

She seems to burn 4-5 hours with the damper on the fourth notch out, and the draft controls open halfway. I loaded her last night at 8pm. I fell asleep on the couch and woke up at 1. She was still going, but mostly coals. I put 2 splits on and went to bed. Woke up at 6, and put on 2 more splits, but the coals were not as glowing as they were at 1am. Being that I have heard the 28000 is a wood hog, I would think 4-5 hours on 2 logs is pretty darn good. Granted, they are coals at that point, but the blower is still going and once loaded she seems to fire up pretty good with the damper opened fully for about 5 minutes.

Thoughts, Suggestions, or can I claim victory?

 

[gzecc]

Its mostly about the fuel and the draft. Pine, Ash, Oak, Locust will all give different outcomes especially is they are not <25%mc.
I find it best to load at least 1/2 full during cool evening, completely full for overnights. I never put one or two splits in. Remember you need to get the steel box hot and maintain it hot to really get some heat. I also shut my lower air intakes all the way after reaching minimum cruising temperature.

 

[ryjen]

I currently do not have a way to measure the temp of the stove. What do you use, and what temp do you shoot for?

 

[gzecc]

I use the rutland magnetic. Mine's an insert so I put it on the upper front door. Depending on the conditions I shoot for between 350-450.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...02954&ef_id=Uw9blAAABJYH0QSt:20140227153652:s

 

[ryjen]

Purchased. Thank you, sir. Plow and Hearth had one In stock. $21.50.

 

[ryjen]

I placed my magnetic thermometer on the door, and fired her up. It took about an hour to get up to 350. I ran it up to 400, closed the doors, shut down the damper to my settings mentioned above and she settled in right at 300 and ran there for about 5 hours on a full load. Burning oak.

That seemed ok, but I want to try where you set yours to see what she does.

You mentioned that you close your lower air intakes completely....do you leave your damper full open?

 

[gzecc]

I placed my magnetic thermometer on the door, and fired her up. It took about an hour to get up to 350. I ran it up to 400, closed the doors, shut down the damper to my settings mentioned above and she settled in right at 300 and ran there for about 5 hours on a full load. Burning oak.

That seemed ok, but I want to try where you set yours to see what she does.

You mentioned that you close your lower air intakes completely....do you leave your damper full open?

Damper fully closed. The purpose is to keep as much heat in the box.

 

[gzecc]

Damper fully closed. The purpose is to keep as much heat in the box.

Page 54 of the manual
(broken link removed to http://www.buckstove.com/manuals/rmanuals/260027002800.pdf)

 

[ryjen]

Well, it seems to like 350-400. I can leave the doors cracked open about an inch and run the temp up to 400-450, Shut everything down and she will settle in at 400. If I do not run her to 400 with the doors cracked, she stays right where you shut her down at.

 

[valley ranch]

Sounds good ryjen, Do you have to keep the door cracked open, won't it reach 400-500 with the two intakes full open?

Richard

 

[ryjen]

with the doors closed and intakes open, the temp climbs very slowly. I was cracking the door to speed up the process. Aside from being impatient, I have a toddler and a 8 year old to chase around the house while my wife studies (Going back to school for her MBA). SO play time with the stove is limited. The next few days are supposed to be pretty cold here in NC.
When I get in this evening, I'll stoke the coals, feed the dragon, close her up and open the draft controls and see how fast she climbs.

 

[gzecc]

with the doors closed and intakes open, the temp climbs very slowly. I was cracking the door to speed up the process. Aside from being impatient, I have a toddler and a 8 year old to chase around the house while my wife studies (Going back to school for her MBA). SO play time with the stove is limited. The next few days are supposed to be pretty cold here in NC.
When I get in this evening, I'll stoke the coals, feed the dragon, close her up and open the draft controls and see how fast she climbs.

It all depends on your draft and your fuel supply. I have a partial liner and need to crack the doors (with the air in takes open) on startup. The longer I leave them open the hotter it will get.

 

[ryjen]

I've tried to use all red oak for these posts, so the fuel source will be the same.
I do know that I ,too, have to crack the door for just a bit on a cold start, otherwise she will not go above 200. I have seen that on cold start I can fire her up, close the doors and start dinner. Come back after 20 or 30 minutes and crack the doors and she will climb in heat faster than leaving the door cracked the whole time.
My thought on that is it's a draft issue with cold pipe. The stove is in the basement playroom with 32 ft of liner to warm up.

 

[gzecc]

I've tried to use all red oak for these posts, so the fuel source will be the same.
I do know that I ,too, have to crack the door for just a bit on a cold start, otherwise she will not go above 200. I have seen that on cold start I can fire her up, close the doors and start dinner. Come back after 20 or 30 minutes and crack the doors and she will climb in heat faster than leaving the door cracked the whole time.
My thought on that is it's a draft issue with cold pipe. The stove is in the basement playroom with 32 ft of liner to warm up.

What is the moisture content of that red oak?

 

[ryjen]

15 %

 

[Osagebndr]

Hi ryjen I'm burning the same fuel in a buck27000 freestanding setup. Been trying to figure it out myself. Sounds like good advice I'm going to try it out when I get home tonight . Have been having some problems with the oak not wanting to maintain the fire for very long tho

 

[gzecc]

15 %

Wow.

 

[gzecc]

Hi ryjen I'm burning the same fuel in a buck27000 freestanding setup. Been trying to figure it out myself. Sounds like good advice I'm going to try it out when I get home tonight . Have been having some problems with the oak not wanting to maintain the fire for very long tho

How long as your oak been split and stacked in rows?

 

[ryjen]

Standing dead, cut, split, and stacked in May of '13

 

[gzecc]

Standing dead, cut, split, and stacked in May of '13

 

[Osagebndr]

2yrs gzecc I think not Enuff 02 gettin too it.

 

[gzecc]

2yrs gzecc I think not Enuff 02 gettin too it.

Two years is not enough for some red oak I've had. I stay away from it like the plague. Mine took 3 yrs.

 

[bsruther]

I never have to open the door on my Buck, even with less than desirable wood, and my liner is only 13ft.
With properly seasoned wood, I have to be careful or that thing will rage out of control.
I usually mix 1 year Ash with the really dry stuff, to keep it under control, but still, when I mix the woods, that stove chugs like a freight train with just the 2 door vents open.

Perhaps the MM is broken or something.

 

[Osagebndr]

I hear ya on that. I put some well seasoned beech in mine and it took off like an inferno. Had the whole place 85 deg. I usually burn small hot fires and get 3.5 hour burns. So not to run us out. 2600 sqft open floor plan

 

[ryjen]

Maybe I'm missing some sort of science behind it, but I was under the impression that the purpose for splitting, and stacking wood was so that the moisture could evaporate from it? If I take a fresh split, and use a moisture meter for a reading and get 15%, what difference does it make how long it's been in a stack, pile, shed, etc? To me, it's below the coveted 20% threshold, and therefore fair game for optimum burning. No? The moisture meter COULD be defective, but it's also brand new and seems to work fine. I got a reading of 85% on a stack of poplar that was cut, split, and laying in a pile for only a couple of weeks.

My wife is on break this week and gave me the evening to play with the stove. She (Stove, not wife) wasn't cold as she had been running for 24 hours, but my thermometer was reading 225 when I got home from work. I piled in some of the smaller, thinner splits but didn't leave the door cracked this time. I closed it all up, and opened the draft controls to full. Over the next hour and a half it climbed up to 450 and held steady there for about an hour before it started to slowly drop back as the wood was burning up. So I repeated the process, watched it climb to 450 (only took 30 minutes this time since the stove was hot), then shut the draft controls to full closed. She dropped to 400 and held there for 3 hours. By then it was time to load her up for the overnight. She was still sitting at 300 this morning when I got up after a 7 hour burn on rounds overnight.

I'm happy with the results, and I'm starting to think it isn't the type of wood, or the draft, but the size of the splits that I'm using that are throwing things off in the beginning. It seems to like the 300-400 range, and does that with ease. I'm also of the opinion that it could also be how, when, and at what temperature I'm reloading. I've been stacking the wood in, but not leaving much space between the logs. There are just so many variables, and I have only had about a month to learn what little I have learned.