DROLET Escape 1500 users; What is your flue length?

[Woodcutter Tom]

I have a DROLET Escape 1500. I am not getting the heat I feel I should out of it. I have yet to have the stove top temp above 600 degrees. I have had 550 ish on reloads with some heat already in the top. My stove top thermometer is right in the middle of the stove an inch or so in front of the top sheild/air vent. My house furnace thermostat is 20 feet away from the stove and I can get that thermometer to increase about 1 degree every 1 1/2 hours. If I start at 61 degrees in the morning I might get to 67 - 68 by late afternoon.

My current total flue height is 15 feet (Stove top to top of cap). Double wall stove pipe inside. I think my draft is good. I do not have any trouble starting a cold stove. Use Begreen's top down method.

Wood: Walnut (9.5 - 11.5 %) and Ash (11- 13%) (Walnut feels like balsa wood). On a cold start, I run N-S with about 25 -28 pieces in the firebox. They are 1 x 3; 2 x 2; 1 x 1 inches in size. About 9 -10 inches long. They were cut this way for my previous 1.2 cubic foot stove. (New wood for years down the road is cut at 4 x 4 type size.)

My flue thermometer is a K style probe; 2 inches long attached to a PID. I have it installed 9 1/2 inches above the stove top. I chose to put it there instead of at 20 inches as I decided not to drill through the overlapping sections of double stove pipe. I believe this gives me hotter stove pipe temperatures than if it was placed at 20 inches. And I have seen hot temperatures here but none that exceed the stove pipe specifications.

I do not get the 'flames shooting out of the secondary tube holes' burn that I experienced on my older stove. I get some that comes from the holes but not the intense 'flame-thrower' type. I have secondary burns across the top of the wood and also the blue flame that dances in the air. But not the flame thrower. Is this what causes the stove top to get hot?

The air control seems to work really well. Small adjustments make noticeable effects on the primary flames. But I don't really see an increase in secondary as I turn down the primary air. And I don't get the flame thrower. I am sure I have made mistakes and turned it down too quickly at times. And other times I have let it run hotter.

I have a outside air kit installed. It is 5 inch diameter as specified by DROLET. The length is about 8 feet from stove to outside. All horizontal. I can feel the air being sucked into it.

When I changed out stoves, I took two feet of outside chimney pipe off. I can add that back on if that will help. (pending the snow coming off my roof.)

But I am curious what other users of this stove have for flue length. And are you getting the heat you expect from this stove? Do you get the intense secondary burns?

 

[Das Jugghead]

Out of curiosity how did you seal the flue pipe to the stove collar?

When you say the air intake draws air from outside is this outside of the building or from the garage? I seem to recall that previously with the other stove your outside air intake drew air from the garage.

I wonder if you live in an area where the barometric pressure or wind direction is working against you.

 

[Woodcutter Tom]

Hey Toby. Hope you are well. Good to hear from you.

I made some changes from the setup I had for my old WS2417. I installed a telescoping double wall stove pipe from the stove top to the ceiling/chimney adapter. The inner section fits snugly inside my stove collar and the outer section covers the collar. There is a good seal there. And all along the stove pipe as it is now one piece.

I feel that I have good draft based on 1.) The primary air controls are very sensitive. Small movement results in noticeable reaction to the primary flames. 2.) I can see primary flames getting sucked up into the front gap that leads to the stove pipe and chimney. 3.) I can feel air being sucked into the outside air vent when I place my hand close to the opening. The wind has been non-existent recently.

I can get the stove pipe plenty hot. It has gone as high as 1080 degrees. I only got it into the 950 range this morning. Only got stove top temp to 500. This afternoon when I reload I will try to go hotter. Still I have not gotten the streaming flame thrower secondary burn had seen on my old stove. I get 5 -6 holes that show some form of streaming flames at times but it is more of the heavy dancing in air type.

I disassembled and inspected everything this morning and all looks good.

The old stove was 1.2 cubic foot. It had three secondary tubes. The one closest to the glass had larger holes and more of them than the one in the middle. The one in the middle had larger holes and more of them than the one in the rear.

This stove is 1.9 cubic foot. It has four secondary tubes. All have the same amount of holes and all the holes are the same size. To me that would mean that more air could be pulled easier through the secondary tubes.

I just want more heat. That is the purpose of having the stove. Hopefully I will hear from other Escape 1500 owners.

 

[moresnow]

It has gone as high as 1080 degrees. I only got it into the 950 range this morning.

Sounds like your sending the majority of your heat up the pipe? Have you experimented with covering half the outside air intake to slow down the overall process? Perhaps.

 

[gthomas785]

I have not used this particular stove but it sounds like you need less draft, not more. 1080 is real hot for a flue temp, that's where all your heat is going..

 

[Woodcutter Tom]

Sounds like your sending the majority of your heat up the pipe? Have you experimented with covering half the outside air intake to slow down the overall process? Perhaps.

I have not used this particular stove but it sounds like you need less draft, not more. 1080 is real hot for a flue temp, that's where all your heat is going..

I have worked my way up to that 1080 with many fires. I would close the primary when I felt the pipe temp was hot enough and the fire looked good enough to support secondary burning. I tried gradual shutdowns. I tried major movement in closing the primary air. I just could not get the strong secondary burning. And I did not get the STT to get near the 600 -625 range. That is my goal. To get the STT in that range so I heat the room.
Throughout the process I would expect the secondary burn to kick in when I slowly close the primary air. And thus heat the stove top.
I kept working my way up the temperature ladder hoping for more 'pull' on the secondary tubes.

I have the ability to close off the outside air in any increment I want. I have gate valves installed.

Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[Das Jugghead]

Hey Tom how about a flue damper like this?

https://www.menards.com/main/heating-cooling/fireplaces-stoves/fireplace-wood-stove-tools-accessories/wood-stove-accessories/vogelzang-6-cast-iron-damper/d-6/p-1444445447200.htm

Or the oft-cursed "heat reclaimer"

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200620033_200620033?cm_mmc=Google-pla&utm_source=Google_PLA&utm_medium=Heaters%20%26%20Stoves%20%2B%20Fireplaces%20%3E%20Heater%20%26%20Stove%20%2B%20Fireplace%20Accessories&utm_campaign=US%20Stove%20Company&utm_content=43601&&ds_e_ad_type=pla&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIyMyy2fuI7gIVoQiICR2Uyw41EAQYBiABEgIRIPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[gthomas785]

How are you measuring your wood moisture?

 

[Woodcutter Tom]

Hey Tom how about a flue damper like this?

https://www.menards.com/main/heating-cooling/fireplaces-stoves/fireplace-wood-stove-tools-accessories/wood-stove-accessories/vogelzang-6-cast-iron-damper/d-6/p-1444445447200.htm

Or the oft-cursed "heat reclaimer"

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200620033_200620033?cm_mmc=Google-pla&utm_source=Google_PLA&utm_medium=Heaters%20%26%20Stoves%20%2B%20Fireplaces%20%3E%20Heater%20%26%20Stove%20%2B%20Fireplace%20Accessories&utm_campaign=US%20Stove%20Company&utm_content=43601&&ds_e_ad_type=pla&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIyMyy2fuI7gIVoQiICR2Uyw41EAQYBiABEgIRIPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

I can control the flue temp. Today I started to shut down in small increments around 700. I would slow the flue temp increase, then it would stop, maybe fall a bit, then start to rise again. I made a couple of small adjustments as the temp would climb. I settled it in around 775 - 850. The SST slowly got up to 475. An hour and 1/2 in the SST was 490 and the flue temp 770. It never got higher than 490.

How are you measuring your wood moisture?

The right way. Warm, split, measure. Meter has built in tester pad for verification.
I am going to try using some shagbark hickory. I used a bit yesterday and seemed to have more intense secondary burn. The hickory is 15 -16 % MC. That is a bit more than my walnut and ash. I'll see how the hickory works over the next few days.

Can wood be too dry???

 

[gthomas785]

The right way.

Ok good just had to ask.

Can wood be too dry???

I've heard that it can be, but in my neck of the woods it's almost impossible to get below 15-18% sitting outdoors so I've never experienced it. At 10% moisture though I bet you're close. What kind of burn times are you seeing?

 

[gthomas785]

I can control the flue temp. Today I started to shut down in small increments around 700. I would slow the flue temp increase, then it would stop, maybe fall a bit, then start to rise again. I made a couple of small adjustments as the temp would climb. I settled it in around 775 - 850. The SST slowly got up to 475. An hour and 1/2 in the SST was 490 and the flue temp 770. It never got higher than 490.

Sorry to double post. When you turn down the air, do you get any smoke from your chimney or is it 100% clear? If it smokes then I'd be suspicious that your secondary air is restricted. If not, then I'll stick with my original theory that it's burning too fast and you need to cut it down more.