Fisher Grandmabear 3 question

[JetDoc]

Hello, I've tried to search to no avail for an answer to my question. We were given(yes, given) a GrandmaBear 3 stove a couple of years ago. It was made by Century Industries and has the UL tag. It is pre EPA. I have two stove thermometers, one on top of the stove, the other on the stack approx 6 inches up from the outlet of the stove. My question is: What is the ideal temp to run the stove? As I type this my stove temp is 450F and stack temp is 150F. I try to keep it within the "yellow" safe burn range(275-575F) BUT it seems to me that I'm losing effieciency running it too cool. Should I worry more on keeping my stack temp down or just continue the way I am. Thanks in advance!!

Duncan

 

[coaly]

My pipe thermometer has 250 - 475 in the normal range.

Your question "What is the ideal temp to run the stove" can be answered many ways.

Ideal to heat your house; cool chimney, less loss, more efficient.

Ideal to form creosote; green wood with lots of moisture and cool chimney allowing condensation to occur.

Ideal to keep chimney clean; dry seasoned wood, hot fire, hot chimney.

Cool, meaning any temperature that allows condensation and creosote to form. An insulated chimney staying warmer inside would create less, and you wouldn't need to allow so much heat up the stack. Too many variables for an exact temperature for anyone to tell you what to strive for.
Keeping track of the rate of creosote formation should give you a good idea.
By running different temps and checking the chimney frequently you should be able to find a good balance. Variables like moisture content in the wood will change this drastically, and change the way it needs to be burned. 300* to the top of the stack will eliminate condensation, keep Stihl in business, and add to global warming. (at least directly above your house)

 

[hareball]

Please give some more details about your chimney setup.

I run a Granda Bear and when it's below 30 °F outside I keep the upper level of the steptop around 650°F and the temp on the single wall @ 18" above stove reads around 450°F.

When it's warmer outside I can get by on a small reload with a big bed of coals and get up to 6 hours of heat.