I am burning a Keystone and my stove top temps usually linger around 500 after I engage the cat and set the air control to around 1 or less. What is the best way to get temps in 600 range?
getting temps above 500 in Woodstock stoves
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I have no problem getting up to 600. It takes good seasoned hardwood on top of a good bed of coals. If you have a good bed of coals, reload with a full load, get it going on the 2-4 setting for about 10-20 minutes or when the wood is good and charred, bring the air down to 1 and engage the cat, leave it there for about 10 minutes and watch the temp rise, then bring the air down to your lowest setting to maintain a flame. If you get down and look up at the cat you should see it glow orange.
Dont worry about it. If its giving the right amount of heat you want than thats all ya gotta worry about. Its A Cat. They dont require that temp after its been lit.
If ya want more heat, just turn up the stat. After the cat has lit you can run your stove on low safely and keep a cleen stack. Hope this is what youve been
concerned with. If not I got more typing practice in.
If ya want more heat, just turn up the stat. After the cat has lit you can run your stove on low safely and keep a cleen stack. Hope this is what youve been
concerned with. If not I got more typing practice in.
Maybe some smaller splits would increase the surface area burning and get your temp up a little. I had my ol stove up to 640F last night burning up some sticks, leaves, and a few scraps of pine pallet wood. I didn't keep it there long - half an hour of that was enough to keep the house warm through the night. It's just not very cold here yet!
What you describe is pretty much my standard routine. Sometimes I don't leave the cat disengaged for quite as long, as I haven't had any trouble getting it to glow sooner. With the procedure you describe, however, I seem to get to around 500. My wood is oak that has been seasoned for 2 years.
Todd said:
I have a keystone too, As Todd said, I think the secret is to reload on a really cookin bed of coals, a good mix of split sizes, since the firebox is fairly small in the Keystone, don't be afraid to pack it. Smaller splits fill the spaces between big ones. Let her crank up with pretty open air, setting 2-3 for 8-10 minutes til things are starting to char pretty well. Engage the cat, and shut down the air until you are nearing the point where you extinquish the flames. If you get your combustor glowing orange, you hit 650 and hold there for an hour or so. The stove will be putting out some serious heat at that temp. Again the main thing is a really hot bed of coals and a good full load. The air settings Todd mentions depend on your particular chimney draft. Mine's slightly oversized so its just a bit lazy, so my settings are often just a little more open than Todd's. But my highest surface temps are when the cat is really under a load and firing really hot.
Guess I should probably chime in here too... (BTW, where is Colin?)
I also have a Keystone, and I have also not been able to get surface temps past 500... however, I know it's because I'm currently burning my shoulder season wood (punky oak, pine, birch, and small branches). Todd's instructions are good, but as for the final damper setting, you really have to watch your flames and set your damper at the lowest setting where you are still getting flames (lifting off the logs, lazy orange color) and of course, a glowing cat. That damper setting may even fluctuate as the outdoor temps change. When it's 10 degrees outside, your draft will be better, and your damper setting may be lower. Right now, my ideal setting is right at 1. The flames may go out from time to time, but as long as that cat is glowing, you're in business. If the entire cat is lit up, and your surface temps are still at or under 500, I would next look to the quality of your wood. Do you have a moisture meter? If you're burning oak with a moisture content at or under 25%, and your cat is glowing, you should be over 500 no problem.
I also have a Keystone, and I have also not been able to get surface temps past 500... however, I know it's because I'm currently burning my shoulder season wood (punky oak, pine, birch, and small branches). Todd's instructions are good, but as for the final damper setting, you really have to watch your flames and set your damper at the lowest setting where you are still getting flames (lifting off the logs, lazy orange color) and of course, a glowing cat. That damper setting may even fluctuate as the outdoor temps change. When it's 10 degrees outside, your draft will be better, and your damper setting may be lower. Right now, my ideal setting is right at 1. The flames may go out from time to time, but as long as that cat is glowing, you're in business. If the entire cat is lit up, and your surface temps are still at or under 500, I would next look to the quality of your wood. Do you have a moisture meter? If you're burning oak with a moisture content at or under 25%, and your cat is glowing, you should be over 500 no problem.
I find when I'm going back and forth between flames and no flames, I'm subject to back puffing as gasses build up in the stove and then ignite. Its cool to watch but gets smoke in my house. I either keep the damper open just a hair more than that point, or at this time of year, Once the stove is good and hot, shut it down even further, so it stops reigniting and let it smolder its way through a long burn. The cat is happily glowing away chewing up the smolderings and I have no smoke from my chimney. Its not pretty to watch but effective when you need some heat but not too much. My stove top will then stay in the 400-500 range for quite a while though this time of year I too am burning old elm, hemlock, small red maple, poplar. I throw the stove a small bone of oak, hickory, mixed in here or there, especially if a need coals 8-9 hours down the road.
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