Flue temps wont go above 400ish

[farmwithjunk]

I have a Condar FlueGard installed 18" above the stove on my Regency F5200 and I can't see to get it above 400 regardless of air setting. It takes a while to hit 300 and settles around 400 once stove is up to temp at 650 STT.

I expected to see more varying on temp swings with bypass open, ect. Read others their temps will hit 600+ easily. I realize 400 may be pretty ideal but I'm just worried my gauge isn't accurate or are these hybrid cat stove just that consistent with a slow to react probe? The cat temp prob nearly pegs, even with a half a load and air almost completely closed and glows brightly. I have to monitor it closely or the stainless shield and secondary air tubes will glow.

 

[Eman85]

Is it single wall pipe? Put the thermometer next to the STT thermometer and see how they compare or use an IR gun to check.

 

[farmwithjunk]

Is it single wall pipe? Put the thermometer next to the STT thermometer and see how they compare or use an IR gun to check.

DVL 8" so double wall. I'm using the probe thermo 18" above the stove so its internal temp.

 

[NickW]

Odd... I hit 800 flue temp before the stt is 400... But it's a tube stove.

 

[Eman85]

If you look in the stoves by brand form in Vermont Castings thread 2022/2023 VC owners there's a post where the person graphed the 3 temperatures of stove top flue with a probe and catalyst. His flue is hotter than stove top

 

[begreen]

What is the catalyst thermometer reading? That's what's important with this stove.

FWIW, my Fluegard reads low and slow as compared to the digital thermometer. I barely use it anymore.

 

[Highbeam]

Pretty hard to verify the calibration other than another flue probe. Do you bbq? Do you have an electronic thermocouple based meat probe thermometer? Sticking that in the hole would be a good check.

I have a similarly efficient cat stove and flue temps sit at 400 only during low cruise. Easily hit 800 during warm up. Measured with a condar mechanical meter which was checked against an auber digital flue thermometer that I use above my other stove.

The condar is like 15 years old and was dead matched to the digital gauge.

 

[farmwithjunk]

What is the catalyst thermometer reading? That's what's important with this stove.

FWIW, my Fluegard reads low and slow as compared to the digital thermometer. I barely use it anymore.

It only has inactive/active markings. Flue gauge goes up and down a little with swings in cat temp. I suspect my FlueGard is bad as its not been above 450.

 

[farmwithjunk]

Pretty hard to verify the calibration other than another flue probe. Do you bbq? Do you have an electronic thermocouple based meat probe thermometer? Sticking that in the hole would be a good check.

I have a similarly efficient cat stove and flue temps sit at 400 only during low cruise. Easily hit 800 during warm up. Measured with a condar mechanical meter which was checked against an auber digital flue thermometer that I use above my other stove.

The condar is like 15 years old and was dead matched to the digital gauge.

I'm not sure I have any that go that high but probably cheap enough to find one. I'm thinking mines bad.

 

[farmwithjunk]

One thing to note is I can hold my hand on the outside of the DVL when its running at just under 400 on the internal probe.

 

[farmwithjunk]

Gauge was bad. Cruises at 5-600 running hard, 400 after it settles down.