First good cold snap and...

[Slow1]

... and I am missing out on it!

Left town for a week and I'm watching the temps fall to single digits at night and not crossing freezing during the day. Left the oil on set to 50 to keep pipes etc from freezing, but I sure would rather be seeing how well the PH performs in these temps - finally a chance to let it stretch it's legs a bit. Humph. Timing is everything I suppose.

I expect that when we return the house will be cold (50) and I'll get to see how much heat I can pump out burning hot though! Unfortunately it will be evening and time to get kids in bed so will have to use the central heat to bring temps up to sleeping temps quickly so I can't use it as a pure stove test.

I wonder how many days it will take before we get the house (walls, furniture, etc) all back up to temp.

At least I'll have the weekend to tend the stove - I don't expect to be doing a 12 hr cycle likely much shorter to pump lots of heat out. In the FV I was able to run a 4hr cycle when pushing - I wonder how long a cycle the PH has when burning at close to max burn... Anyone tried?

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Slow, I hope you are where the weather is warm.

How many days to get the walls, funiture, etc, all back up to temerature? Less than one.

I do not think I could do a 4 hour cycle in the Fireview if I filled it. No way. I could probably do an 8 hour though.

 

[remkel]

Doesn't the PH have a 120 hour burn time? Shouldn't take too long to reheat the home.

 

[Waulie]

Ugh. I feel for you. Plently of cold still to come, I'm sure.

I've never run a full load at anything close to max heat. I'd be surprised if you could burn through it anything under 8 hours. Although, you do have a knack for tearing through some wood fast.

I'd say at least a day to get everything warmed up again. I was gone late fall and also set the thermo at 50. I had the air up to temp in no time, but everything felt cool until the next day and that was with temps in the 30s.

Enjoy that fireshow!

 

[Slow1]

BwS - a four hour burn in the FV is not all that hard, you just turn the air up a bit more and let it rip. I did it quite a bit in the January time period each of the last three years. I'm not sure I could burn a full load down in less than that though without hurting the stove and I'm sure that burning that hot/fast is far from the most efficient but it does throw the heat! Lots of flame in the firebox to get the sides and front hot as well as the top.

Remkel - I expect I'm going to need a lot of heat out of the stove in short order, going for 12+hr burns won't cut it I don't expect unless I let the oil burning central heat take the load to bring things back up to temp.

 

[rideau]

I was away for 9 days, had the electric heat set at 40 in the bathrooms and the basement only. Very cold out, colder than I expected, and I was concerned I might not have left enough heat on. Got here Saturday (you DON'T want to know the details of that adventure), to a, surprisingly, 50 degree home (14 degrees out and blowing a cold northwest wind off the lake). Lot's of excitement, fun and games, so didn't get around to lighting a fire until 7 PM. Rapidly getting colder out, but the PH brought the home to 60 in less than an hour....500 degree stove top, about 1/2 filled stove. Let the fire burn down to coals overnight, reloaded in the morning (still 60). Stovetop over 400, room temp went to 68. Added a few splits at 3PM, because my sister was visiting and had a cold....room went to 72 and has stayed between 70 and 72 since, with about half loads and a low burn, stove top between 350 and 400, really good draft last night because of strong wind off the lake; sunny today, but COLD. I'm about to reload the stove. Basically have been reloading every 12 hours or so, finishing up my uglies (maple and a little apple and ironwood, beech and hickory). Have a day or two more worth of uglies, then it is on to my main woodpiles.

BTW, the electric heat is off.

 

[HollowHill]

I've been struggling to keep the temps up in the house with this cold weather. Have had several days where I couldn't keep loading as often as I would like because I was out, and you do get behind. I've been putting in a full load and leaving the air at 25% open to get more heat out of the stove. Stove top temps (thermometer on the right hand side of the top vent oval cast iron near the soapstone) have been peaking at 520 - 540 range. I usually turn down the air from 25% when I get around 500, which I did again today. It usually will top out and then head back down. Until today, when it got up to 570. OMG, it looked like an inferno in there. The secondaries were shooting straight down for about 4 inches, no turbulence, just like a blowtorch Some small flames, but logs were just glowing red like embers, but still intact as logs. Guessing the cat was going like crazy too. It wasn't dark, but it looked to me like one of the andirons was glowing a dull red. I must have had the air at just the "right" (wrong) setting to really get the offgassing going. Turned up the air a bit and things started cooling down. I had talked to WS about what the overfire temp was with the new therm configuration and they said consistently at 650. But I'm wondering if this was an overfire with the andiron glowing like that. So, Slow1, just be aware that this can really turn up the heat, maybe more than it should...

 

[rideau]

I've been struggling to keep the temps up in the house with this cold weather. Have had several days where I couldn't keep loading as often as I would like because I was out, and you do get behind. I've been putting in a full load and leaving the air at 25% open to get more heat out of the stove. Stove top temps (thermometer on the right hand side of the top vent oval cast iron near the soapstone) have been peaking at 520 - 540 range. I usually turn down the air from 25% when I get around 500, which I did again today. It usually will top out and then head back down. Until today, when it got up to 570. OMG, it looked like an inferno in there. The secondaries were shooting straight down for about 4 inches, no turbulence, just like a blowtorch Some small flames, but logs were just glowing red like embers, but still intact as logs. Guessing the cat was going like crazy too. It wasn't dark, but it looked to me like one of the andirons was glowing a dull red. I must have had the air at just the "right" (wrong) setting to really get the offgassing going. Turned up the air a bit and things started cooling down. I had talked to WS about what the overfire temp was with the new therm configuration and they said consistently at 650. But I'm wondering if this was an overfire with the andiron glowing like that. So, Slow1, just be aware that this can really turn up the heat, maybe more than it should...

Yes, I really doubt you want any cast part of your stove glowing.

I'm a bit afraid to let my stove burn with a really roaring fire, after having my original cooktop crack very early on in a fire, when, although I had a good fire going, the stovetop temp and flue temp were both well within acceptable limits (stovetop around 300), cat about to be engaged.

I'm lucky that I can heat my home with a slow cat burn.

We'll see what happens when we hit the inevitable 30 below...

 

[Slow1]

Hmm... will have to be careful then I suppose. However, I imaging that you had a LOT of heat out of the front of that stove there HollowHill!

I wouldn't leave it burning on higher heat unless watching it closely, but so far I haven't burned it much over 350-400 surface temp, I would like to see it get up to 500+ and see what it is like.

 

[Cross Cut Saw]

I wonder how many days it will take before we get the house (walls, furniture, etc) all back up to temp.

At least I'll have the weekend to tend the stove - I don't expect to be doing a 12 hr cycle likely much shorter to pump lots of heat out. In the FV I was able to run a 4hr cycle when pushing - I wonder how long a cycle the PH has when burning at close to max burn... Anyone tried?

It usually takes us a good 12 hour HOT burn cycle to fully reheat our 150 year old poorly insulated home.

A short burn cycle with the PH would be about 6 hours really, load her up 1/2 to 2/3 and slowly work down to under 25% open on the air and you'll quickly cruise up to 600 degrees on the stove top and stay over 500 for about 3 hours.
I like to do this to get a lot of heat out of the front of the stove, it really blasts some serious heat that way.

I'm still very confused about where to put the thermometer, people talk about having it on the right corner of the collar but when I've spoken to them they still say put it on the stone above the catalyst. Maybe it's because I don't have the cooktop on it.

I'm going to call them again tomorrow just to be sure...

 

[Machria]

WOW! Cross cut your getting the Soapstone top up to 600 degrees? I have the cooktop, I guess the new one with the stainless heat shield under it (there is a thin SS metal shield with an air cushion attached to the bottom of the cast cooktop). I have never got my soapstone above 300. It's ussually about 250, but the soapstone sides will be 450 to 470.

Man, if I loaded 2/3's full and left air at or above 25%, I would heat my house to 100, and my neighbors houses and prolly neighborhood to 100 too!

 

[Cross Cut Saw]

WOW! Cross cut your getting the Soapstone top up to 600 degrees? I have the cooktop, I guess the new one with the stainless heat shield under it (there is a thin SS metal shield with an air cushion attached to the bottom of the cast cooktop). I have never got my soapstone above 300. It's ussually about 250, but the soapstone sides will be 450 to 470.

Man, if I loaded 2/3's full and left air at or above 25%, I would heat my house to 100, and my neighbors houses and prolly neighborhood to 100 too!

Yeah, there is really nothing between the soapstone and the stove but a thin piece of metal, and even that has a circular hole in it right about in the position of where that thermometer is.

How insulated is your house? Mine is 150 years old with NO insulation in the walls and a front door that might as well be cracked open. I'm working on these things but for the time being it is what it is.

The stove is in what used to be the formal dining room that is now the "parlor", it stays in the lower to mid 80's when the stove is humming and the rest of the house will be about 70 degrees.

250 is where they suggest firing off the cat, mine hasn't dipped below 250 in quite some time...

 

[charly]

It usually takes us a good 12 hour HOT burn cycle to fully reheat our 150 year old poorly insulated home.

A short burn cycle with the PH would be about 6 hours really, load her up 1/2 to 2/3 and slowly work down to under 25% open on the air and you'll quickly cruise up to 600 degrees on the stove top and stay over 500 for about 3 hours.
I like to do this to get a lot of heat out of the front of the stove, it really blasts some serious heat that way.

I'm still very confused about where to put the thermometer, people talk about having it on the right corner of the collar but when I've spoken to them they still say put it on the stone above the catalyst. Maybe it's because I don't have the cooktop on it.

I'm going to call them again tomorrow just to be sure...

View attachment 87480

I took an IR gun to my Fireview while it was up and cruising and just shot the stove top to find the hot spot. That was about centered on the stove top.

 

[HollowHill]

Hmm... will have to be careful then I suppose. However, I imaging that you had a LOT of heat out of the front of that stove there HollowHill!

I wouldn't leave it burning on higher heat unless watching it closely, but so far I haven't burned it much over 350-400 surface temp, I would like to see it get up to 500+ and see what it is like.

Well, looks like I may have overreacted (soooo unusual ), as I looked at the andiron last nite when the stove was at 425 and that same andiron was again lighter than the other. Upon closer examination, I think I'm just seeing the glowing embers reflecting in the glass and back onto the andiron, making it appear lighter in color and sort of reddish. So, maybe you don't have to worry, Slow1. Just keep an eye on it at first, it certainly was controllable the entire time even at 570. And, just maybe, if your not the Nervous Nellie that I am, everything will be fine

And it was throwing out a tremendous amount of heat! Wow

 

[Cross Cut Saw]

And it was throwing out a tremendous amount of heat! Wow

You should feel that bad boy when it's cranking at 600, you can't get your hand within 6 inches of the glass.

I don't do it all the time, just when it's 0 degrees outside.
I do however run above 500 almost all the time it is under 30 degrees outside but once it gets into the mid to upper 30's that gets too hot.

Not only do I have the factors I listed above working against me, but I have 9 1/2' ceilings downstairs as well, it takes quite a while to fill that space with warm air!

 

[katwillny]

its 18 degrees and very windy here in NY, both stoves were humming last night. I am now seeing the benefits of well seasoned wood. Makes all the difference in the world.

 

[thewoodlands]

It looks like tonight will be our coldest this heating season, -25 in some spots, thank you bogydave.

 

[thewoodlands]

It looks like tonight will be our coldest this heating season, -25 in some spots, thank you bogydave.

I just checked the temps for today and tomorrow morning, they are calling for -17 at 7am, that means we should be in the - 20's. Looks like a night we'll kick on the Yankee pellet stove with the Liberty (both are in the basement) so the floors and house will be nice and warm.

 

[charly]

It's going down to 4 degrees here tonight in Gallupville , NY tonight. The Esse and Fireview are cruising along.

 

[remkel]

Well, looking at -8 tonight in southwest NH. Unfortunately, this means I will hear the old furnace kicking on a bit. I find once I get below 15 degrees outside that the stove just cannot get the whole upstairs warm, especially when I am not there to tend to the fire all day.

All in all I am still thrilled with the performance of the stove.

 

[bag of hammers]

How many days to get the walls, funiture, etc, all back up to temerature? Less than one.

This is what kills me being a weekend burner right now. We get there Friday evening, the place is @ 5 deg c (from the propane furnace no-freeze setting), and we get the wood stove rolling. By Saturday evening the whole place is saturated with warmth, and then we shut it down Sunday to come home. Spending the past week and a half out there for the holidays was a real treat. Overnight temps hitting @ -18c with a good wind (not bone chilling, but chilly enough), and we stayed pretty toasty inside.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I've been struggling to keep the temps up in the house with this cold weather. Have had several days where I couldn't keep loading as often as I would like because I was out, and you do get behind. I've been putting in a full load and leaving the air at 25% open to get more heat out of the stove. Stove top temps (thermometer on the right hand side of the top vent oval cast iron near the soapstone) have been peaking at 520 - 540 range. I usually turn down the air from 25% when I get around 500, which I did again today. It usually will top out and then head back down. Until today, when it got up to 570. OMG, it looked like an inferno in there. The secondaries were shooting straight down for about 4 inches, no turbulence, just like a blowtorch Some small flames, but logs were just glowing red like embers, but still intact as logs. Guessing the cat was going like crazy too. It wasn't dark, but it looked to me like one of the andirons was glowing a dull red. I must have had the air at just the "right" (wrong) setting to really get the offgassing going. Turned up the air a bit and things started cooling down. I had talked to WS about what the overfire temp was with the new therm configuration and they said consistently at 650. But I'm wondering if this was an overfire with the andiron glowing like that. So, Slow1, just be aware that this can really turn up the heat, maybe more than it should...

All right! Now you have that thing cooking! Bet that felt really nice.

 

[ColdNH]

Well, looking at -8 tonight in southwest NH. Unfortunately, this means I will hear the old furnace kicking on a bit. I find once I get below 15 degrees outside that the stove just cannot get the whole upstairs warm, especially when I am not there to tend to the fire all day.

All in all I am still thrilled with the performance of the stove.

yah, it was -2 this morning, calling for -8 here as well tonight. stove managed to keep the house in the low- mid 60s this morning without the furance running, ironically the oil guy came today to top off my tank. i laughed to myself.

how big is your house, i would think an F600 could heat just about anything!

currently 17 degrees, feels like 4, at 4 pm!

 

[remkel]

House

yah, it was -2 this morning, calling for -8 here as well tonight. stove managed to keep the house in the low- mid 60s this morning without the furance running, ironically the oil guy came today to top off my tank. i laughed to myself.

how big is your house, i would think an F600 could heat just about anything!

currently 17 degrees, feels like 4, at 4 pm!

is 2400 ft sq not counting the basement, which is where the stove is. Most days I am just fine, it is only during really cold spells that I have trouble.

 

[jdp1152]

Well, looks like I may have overreacted (soooo unusual ), as I looked at the andiron last nite when the stove was at 425 and that same andiron was again lighter than the other. Upon closer examination, I think I'm just seeing the glowing embers reflecting in the glass and back onto the andiron, making it appear lighter in color and sort of reddish. So, maybe you don't have to worry, Slow1. Just keep an eye on it at first, it certainly was controllable the entire time even at 570. And, just maybe, if your not the Nervous Nellie that I am, everything will be fine

And it was throwing out a tremendous amount of heat! Wow

I get paranoid like that. Always better to be too cautious than too reckless.