First fire, water dripping from stove

[tabner]

Any thoughts on why I’d be getting water dripping out of this stove?
I had one little kindling break in fire a couple weeks ago and everything seemed ok. Going for a full size fire tonight, and I’m having a hard time getting it up to temp and getting water dripping out the bottom. Stove has always been indoors, I have a chimney cap, the stove is offset anyways off a 90 into the T, so I don’t think rain would make it down that far. Wood is super dry checked with a moisture meter (the correct way). This thing has been going for 30 mins, door cracked for the first 10, and I’ve barely got my flu probe up to 225. Fire is maintaining, but barely. The liquid dripping is discolored, smells very sooty, but it’s cool to the touch. Seems to be dripping from the four bolts that go up through the cast iron body of the stove. I believe they run internal to the stoves inner and outer wall, like the air intake passages or something.

 

[tabner]

I should also note stove was brand new when I bought it. And it’s 45 degrees outside right now. Stove top temp with an infrared gun is 325.

 

[gleblanc1783]

I had the same thing happen to me last year on our brand new Hearthstone Manchester. My current theory is no matter what they do to inside of the firebox to prepare it for use, there's always going to be moisture to force out when it comes up to temp.

Mine only came out of the back right of the stove but it stained our granite hearth a little bit. At least yours looks like it's on tile.

 

[tabner]

Thanks, I guess I won’t panic.
So 45 mins in, I have air full open, stove top at 400, I am getting some secondaries firing, but probe gauge is still showing 300 on the flu gases and won’t go higher. That sound normal?

 

[tabner]

IR gun on the outside of the double wall is giving me 175 about 16 inches up.

 

[gthomas785]

So 45 mins in, I have air full open, stove top at 400, I am getting some secondaries firing, but probe gauge is still showing 300 on the flu gases and won’t go higher. That sound normal?

How much wood did you put in?

 

[tabner]

How much wood did you put in?

Two full size oak splits, maybe 6 inch across, across the bottom on two little six inch 2x4 sleepers to let air under. Six small pine kindling splits, about 2in diameter. And then I took one maple log about 4in diameter, split in half over the top

 

[tabner]

I’m currently losing temp and the thing is slowly dying down. Flu probe is down to 225. Stove top is down to 300. I have not used the catalyst (because that really puts it out), I have a window nearby cracked to let air in the house. Not sure what I’m missing. At this point in the fire load, moisture shouldn’t be an issue? These two photos are taken at the same point, but ones with a flash and one isn’t, so they look quite different.

 

[tabner]

Cracked the door for a minute and we’re back to flames.

 

[gleblanc1783]

You said you only have 1 tiny break in fire? I did 4-5 over the course of a few days, getting bigger in smaller increments. After 6-7 fires I still had water leaking down. It took a while for it to all go away - at least in our stove.

There are a lot of variables at play here as far as the fire goes. Wood moisture content, flue/pipe height, airflow in the house, etc etc.

 

[tabner]

You said you only have 1 tiny break in fire? I did 4-5 over the course of a few days, getting bigger in smaller increments. After 6-7 fires I still had water leaking down. It took a while for it to all go away - at least in our stove.

There are a lot of variables at play here as far as the fire goes. Wood moisture content, flue/pipe height, airflow in the house, etc etc.

Thanks for the encouragement. Unfortunately I’ve done a huge amount of research on this forum so I feel like I’ve covered my bases, 27 foot lined interior chimney, super dry wood, cracked window, I’m afraid I am experiencing the same problem others have had with this model. I’m gonna call the stove shop tomorrow and see if they’ve been installing many others

 

[gleblanc1783]

Good luck! This is our second Hearthstone and I can't say enough good things about them. I've seen the other threads on the GM60 though, hope you get it figured out!

 

[gthomas785]

Two full size oak splits, maybe 6 inch across, across the bottom on two little six inch 2x4 sleepers to let air under. Six small pine kindling splits, about 2in diameter. And then I took one maple log about 4in diameter, split in half over the top

I would use more wood

 

[tabner]

I would use more wood

I think you may be right. It’s actually settled in and running slow but OK now. But losing flu temp, I’m wondering if my probe gauge is broken.
Also the water drip stopped a while ago, I should have mentioned.

 

[gthomas785]

You are losing flue temp because the fire is dying down, it is out of fuel

 

[tabner]

You are losing flue temp because the fire is dying down, it is out of fuel

Yeah, I will try adding another layer next time. It’s hard to fill this stove very full due to the shape of the firebox.
Even now tho, the IR gun is giving me 125 on the outside of double wall, isn’t the rule of thumb double the external temp for the internal temp on single wall?
So a flu probe reading 225 right now must be busted…

 

[Prof]

2 splits isn't enough to get a good fire going. I bet with 3 or more you'll be cooking!

 

[begreen]

The water drip on the first hot burns is not uncommon with Jotul and Hearthstone stoves. We had it with our Castine and it freaked me out at first, but it is just moisture bleeding off the refractory cement at the seams tinted with wood smoke. It will go away.

Yeah, I will try adding another layer next time. It’s hard to fill this stove very full due to the shape of the firebox.
Even now tho, the IR gun is giving me 125 on the outside of double wall, isn’t the rule of thumb double the external temp for the internal temp on single wall?
So a flu probe reading 225 right now must be busted…

Surface temps on double-wall stove pipe don't mean very much. There is no rule of thumb. The probe thermometer is a better indicator. With a small dying fire a reading of 225 is not unusual.

 

[vatmark]

My Jotul F500 had the water dripping as well the first few times we used it. It eventually stopped.

 

[gthomas785]

isn’t the rule of thumb double the external temp for the internal temp on single wall?

It's a rule of thumb but not a law of physics. It wouldn't surprise me if it was off from that by 100 degrees or more depending on the situation.
That's why people have flue probes instead of just shooting the external temp of their double wall. Don't ditch the flue probe unless another flue probe is giving you wildly different readings.

 

[tabner]

Alright, thank you all very much. Sorry for the panic.
Next cold snap I’ll give it another go!

 

[ChadMc]

Alright, thank you all very much. Sorry for the panic.
Next cold snap I’ll give it another go!

Like others mentioned. A few splits will get the fire going but it’s hard to cut back the air when the box isn’t full. The temp will spike but then come down really fast as the fire dies. In the end if you need heat this will never work. Only looks cools for an hour or so. If you need real heat. Practice loading it full! With good wood once it gets to temp you can pretty much cut the air and it will roll like that for hours and hours. Also oak is a great wood for btu output but if you don’t have another species in there fueling it sometimes it’s not very lively. On the bright side at least you had a fire. Haha. Down in PA and thought about it last night!

 

[gthomas785]

Kindling takes up a lot of space. I usually get the fire going with a few splits and a bunch of kindling, then load several more splits after the kindling has burned away.
Kind of depends on the stove and what kind of fire you're after too.

 

[tadmaz]

I’m currently losing temp and the thing is slowly dying down. Flu probe is down to 225. Stove top is down to 300. I have not used the catalyst (because that really puts it out), I have a window nearby cracked to let air in the house. Not sure what I’m missing. At this point in the fire load, moisture shouldn’t be an issue? These two photos are taken at the same point, but ones with a flash and one isn’t, so they look quite different.

View attachment 282519 View attachment 282520

Use the catalyst. Otherwise heat is going straight out.

 

[brenndatomu]

You may get water on the first load or two every year...the firebrick seems to absorb moisture over the summer...the first load or two don't always burn the best either...