Getting through the night -- Too Hot

[n1st]

This is my first year with our PE Spectrum Classic. Good stove, no complaints so far.

So last night I fill it nice and full around 10pm with large and small splits and crank it up so everything blackens. Everything blackens so I crank it all the way down and it's going pretty gentle but then about 15 minutes later it picks back up, all the splits are burning hot, and the stove gets very hot and puts out far more heat then I need. The bottom of the baffle is red hot. It's about 30 outside and breezy.

Couple of questions...

Does the baffle (I think its stainless steel) glowing red reduce it's life?

I think the mistake I made was stuffing it full of large and small splits. I think I should have just put 1 or 2 large splits or unsplits in. Am I correct?

 

[elkimmeg]

There was a few post a week or so back, where these baffles have a tendency to become warped. I let the PE experts chime in to instruct the best way to opperate the stove

It seems to be a weaker link in their design.

 

[Gunner]

You should not have to pack the stove full when it's 30deg outside.

Provided there are no leaks (dollar bill test, stove collar connection) use bigger splits 5-6" don't let is char quite so long and load less wood. Loading the stove full of smaller stuff is asking for trouble. Avoid hot reloads...if the stove is 400 deg and you fill it up before turning in, the temp is going to peak out before it settles in, that is the nature of the beast.

Get a stovetop thermometer if you don't have one already.

 

[BrotherBart]

You should not have to pack the stove full when it's 30deg outside.

Provided there are no leaks (dollar bill test, stove collar connection) use bigger splits 5-6" don't let is char quite so long and load less wood. Loading the stove full of smaller stuff is asking for trouble. Avoid hot reloads...if the stove is 400 deg and you fill it up before turning in, the temp is going to peak out before it settles in, that is the nature of the beast.

Get a stovetop thermometer if you don't have one already.

Gunner since Roo can't tear himself away from the welding groups this year and so many new PE owners are moving into the neighborhood how about you post a little primer on burning 101 for them? Start up, coal beds, load sizes, charring and the like.

The WIKI has general stuff but you could be more PE specific. I would hate to see all of those purdy stoves melted down.

 

[KeithO]

I find that if it is not too cold outside, the best way is to add 1 split at a time. The splits will initially offgas a lot, which is why if you do an entire load at 1 time you will get a high temperature. Once the offgassing backs off the temperature will drop. So to avoid too high a temperature, just add fuel gradually and the total amount in proportion to how much heat you really need.

 

[North of 60]

.

Gunner since Roo can't tear himself away from the welding groups this year and so many new PE owners are moving into the neighborhood how about you post a little primer on burning 101 for them? Start up, coal beds, load sizes, charring and the like.

The WIKI has general stuff but you could be more PE specific. I would hate to see all of those purdy stoves melted down.

BB your comments are priceless. Your Kramer of the hearth. :lol:

 

[thechimneysweep]

PE's baffle is a solid stainless steel box that weighs over 20 lbs. All seams are full-bead welded, and it is extremely durable. Although I've seen some slight warpage a time or two over the years, I've never seen one warp so badly that it would affect the burn. The plate Elk is referring to, mentioned in an earlier post, is not part of the baffle: it is a flat, thin gage stainless steel plate that is bolted to the underside of the stove's top plate, a couple of inches above the baffle, to help keep the paint on the top side of the top plate from burning. This plate can warp a bit when exposed to extreme temperatures, but the only way it could affect the burn would be if it warped downward so far that it partially blocked the flow of exhaust, which would tend to lower, not raise, the stove temperature.

It is not uncommon for the underside of the baffle box to reach glowing-red temperature: I have a Spectrum, and have observed a red glow many, many times, especially just after the secondary flame lights up on a fresh load and I turn the draft control down for the long burn.

Check your door seal, and re-gasket or adjust the catch if needed to make sure you're in control of the burn. Once you've determined that your seal is OK, don't worry about the baffle box. If it ever gets so bad it interferes with proper burning, PE will replace it for free.

 

[Gunner]

You should not have to pack the stove full when it's 30deg outside.

Provided there are no leaks (dollar bill test, stove collar connection) use bigger splits 5-6" don't let is char quite so long and load less wood. Loading the stove full of smaller stuff is asking for trouble. Avoid hot reloads...if the stove is 400 deg and you fill it up before turning in, the temp is going to peak out before it settles in, that is the nature of the beast.

Get a stovetop thermometer if you don't have one already.

Gunner since Roo can't tear himself away from the welding groups this year and so many new PE owners are moving into the neighborhood how about you post a little primer on burning 101 for them? Start up, coal beds, load sizes, charring and the like.

The WIKI has general stuff but you could be more PE specific. I would hate to see all of those purdy stoves melted down.

I may consider it....but only if you send me the 5 loonies you owe me. ;-P

 

[BrotherBart]

I may consider it....but only if you send me the 5 loonies you owe me. ;-P

Actually I don't care if they melt down or not. I was just being nice.

BUT, that did send me looking for the other thread. I missed the posts that followed mine. I have always thought of the insulation on the side of the PE baffles as the gaskets since they keep gases from by-passing the baffle. Just looked at the parts list and see that they call it baffle insulation and the other little piece the gasket.

I lose. Man enough to admit it. E-mail your mailing address to brotherbart at verizon dot net and I will cut the one I have embedded in acrylic from an award I got up there and buy four at the bank to go with it. Or just send it to your via Paypal. Which ever, eh?

 

[Gunner]

Just joking BB...didn't think you were serious, about the wiki or the wager.

I can't write worth a darn, usually only good for a paragraph or two so I don't know how good I'd be at the wiki thing. Plus I don't think the operation is really that different than any other non-cat.

 

[Jimbob]

I can't write worth a darn, usually only good for a paragraph or two so I don't know how good I'd be at the wiki thing.

I don't know.....Most of your posts seem to be pretty well written.... I do agree though, that the PE stoves do operate much the same as many other "Advanced Combustion" stoves.

BTW, the baffle on my Summit quite often glows red, as well as the flame rails and insulation.
Even that little pull-pin in the back of the firebox glows a bit once in a while. I've used it 4 full winters and the baffle still looks good.

 

[karl]

I have never had the baffle glowing on my Summit, just the side insulation glowing a little. I also don't have any flare ups during the burn after I have closed the air down. The only problem I'm having so far, is trying to judge how many hours before I go to bed, that I close the bedroom door so it doesn't get too hot to sleep. Since the night time lows here have only gotten down to the high 20s, I think thats a good problem to have.

 

[n1st]

Thanks, it's nice to know that it's common for the baffle to glow.

The stove is new this year, tested it and no problem with the door seal.

Ok, last night I took the opposite approach before bed. I put 1 log in that was split in half because I didn't have a whole log. I put the top on the bottom, so it looked like the original. ...about 10" diameter. Hardly any flames and I had to put a very small split on each side of the log to sustain a blue flame (gassing?) with the air all the way down.

Good news is that it burned all night and was 69 inside in the morning while 23 outside. Lots of coals left - in fact it still looked like a log but crumbled when touched. This worked well for a long gentle burn. My only concern is if I was smoking/ causing creosote because I had a flame only once every few seconds. What do y'all think?

I can see now that the skill of operating a stove is learning how to use the wood to get the fire you want. The air control is just the beginning.

 

[Lignums]

Hakuta Matata man you got it. The old cigar looking ash. Looks like the whole piece of wood until you touch it and then it breaks up and you have a whole bed of coals.

 

[Gunner]

I can see now that the skill of operating a stove is learning how to use the wood to get the fire you want. The air control is just the beginning.

Exactly... thats the "art" part of woodburning.

I always load at least 3 pieces, vary the size or species but never less than 3. Loading 1 or 2 pieces (large or small) just does not work well IMO for an efficient burn. It takes a few pieces together to reflect heat and sustain a good burn.

4-5 splits that fill the box would be darn near perfect overnight load for the spectrum.

Try a "Cave" burn for long, clean, lower temp burn.
2 splits on the bottom loaded straight in(N/S)
1 split on top straight in, keeping a cave or tunnel in the center of the trio for primary air coming in the front to circulate.

Vary the size of splits as needed, I get anywhere from 3-6hrs of heat,even overnight relights if I load large stuff. The top split will eventually collapse in between the bottom two and form a very tight coal pile that lasts a long time. Best of both worlds...the fire gets air circulation like it would if the splits where loosely crossed, but you also get the concentrated coal pile that lasts, and you will be left with almost no unburned coals this way.

 

[BrotherBart]

Vary the size of splits as needed, I get anywhere from 3-6hrs of heat,even overnight relights if I load large stuff. The top split will eventually collapse inbetween the bottom two and form a very tight coal pile that lasts a long time. Best of both worlds...the fire gets air circulation like it would if the splits where loosely crossed, but you also get the concentratred coal pile that lasts, and you will be left with almost no unburned coals this way.

That is where that little "doghouse" is a kicker. You guys have the "booster" air distribution low across the the front that does pretty much the same thing. But you stack the three splits with that .32 caliber air hole aimed through the middle and it is like a gasification unit. Just no rumble.

And in the daytime if you have a lot of coals from an early burn you can bank them in the middle of the stove and hold 300 degrees for hours with restart coals at the bottom of the pile for cranking back up. Also a great way to get rid of a coal bed and still be getting heat. The pile reduces the coals to the finest power imaginable.

 

[Gunner]

Vary the size of splits as needed, I get anywhere from 3-6hrs of heat,even overnight relights if I load large stuff. The top split will eventually collapse inbetween the bottom two and form a very tight coal pile that lasts a long time. Best of both worlds...the fire gets air circulation like it would if the splits where loosely crossed, but you also get the concentratred coal pile that lasts, and you will be left with almost no unburned coals this way.

That is where that little "doghouse" is a kicker. You guys have the "booster" air distribution low across the the front that does pretty much the same thing. But you stack the three splits with that .32 caliber air hole aimed through the middle and it is like a gasification unit. Just no rumble.

And in the daytime if you have a lot of coals from an early burn you can bank them in the middle of the stove and hold 300 degrees for hours with restart coals at the bottom of the pile for cranking back up. Also a great way to get rid of a coal bed and still be getting heat. The pile reduces the coals to the finest power imaginable.

Damn Straight BB, this stuff is woodburning 201 "beyond the basics" where you become one with the stove and split. :lol: No longer is the cave burn a closely gaurded secret of the master burner...it is out there for all N/S loaders to use. Learning "the cave" I can keep my house withing 2deg of where I want it even in the spring /fall. Opening windows is for rookies.