First few fires in the stove outside the house?

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Dajolu

Member
Nov 27, 2023
107
Long Island, NY
I have on order a Hearthstone GM60 that I am picking up next week. The stove is going into a newly renovated dining room and kitchen area, which will not be completed until mid to late February. This kitchen/dining room renovation is my wife's dream come true. I am afraid of installing the new stove and stinking up the place, maybe even smoking out the area from lack of experience with this new stove during the first few break in fires. . I have read that it has been done but what do people think about my hooking up a pipe section and doing 2-3 burns in the stove outside the house? It took some convincing to put the stove in this newly renovated area to begin with and the last thing I want to happen is to have a really bad first few burns with this thing. . .
 
This stove likes strong draft so it may not get up to a high enough temperature to bake in the paint with just 6' of pipe. But the first couple break-in fires could be done outside. The first should just be a kindling fire with the stove not getting over about 250º. The next fire can be a bit larger, taking the stove up to 350º. This is still too cool for baking in the paint, but it will burn off most oils present. The first hot burn will need to be done with at least 16' flue system. Maybe do this while something else stinky is happening or use the stove to help dry out sheetrock mud. Open a window and put a fan blowing out any smoke. Once the stove has been fired up to 500-600º the paint will be mostly baked in.
 
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Definitely do it outside, why not? I've done this just to burn the paint on new single wall pipe. Might not get it all but it always seems like the initial burn is the worst. When you get to the inside don't just open windows, put a box fan in the woodstove room window to suck the air out.