Great burn!

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Slow1

Minister of Fire
Nov 26, 2008
2,677
Eastern MA
Not complaining here, just trying to figure out how to repeat this performance...

Last night I had a great burn - it really stands out as it seems to have burned longer and hotter (more heat into the house, not higher stovetop temp) than I have noticed in the past. I don't know what the key was - i.e.. why this one was so unusual....

I loaded last night at about 8:30 on a relatively large bed of coals. Loaded 7 pieces of wood and that about filled the stove so the pieces were larger perhaps than 'normal' for me. The wood started burning before I had the door shut and as the stovetop was already about 250-300 I closed down the cat very shortly after a short time (10-15 mins?) I had the air all the way down and no flames in the box - stovetop rising.

2 hrs later stovetop was running 400ish and there was no flame still - I wanted to see the logs but couldn't as the glass was black.. .seems I was running the PH like a BK at that point. I gave it a little air and fire was in the box in to time - massive secondaries. I put the air back down all the way and the secondaries were massive. About an hour or so later stovetop was reading 450ish and the actual sides/front of the stove were MUCH warmer, glass was mostly clean (burned off) and secondaries still flying. Went to bed and left it go cook away :)

I woke this morning with the house much warmer than it has in a while and the stove had a nice bed of coals sitting there, stovetop reading 250ish and indicating a peak temp last night around 450-500. After 12hrs still had a nice pile of coals sitting there...

Outside temps were in the low 30's, nothing exciting there really.

Anyway, I do wish I could have checked for smoke during that first part (flame less) of the burn, but given the stovetop reading 400ish I am guessing the cat was doing its thing and burning all the smoke.

So think the larger pieces of wood are the key or was it that quick full shutdown early in the burn? Something else?
 
Well I hope you figure out what you did cause I sure cant figure out how to run my Summit with out high flue temps, thinking about adding 3 feet of chimney.
Slower draft allows higher flue temps?
Stove has good draft but needs a little more?
At this point with these below 0 temps I am guessing.
 
I still need to get a probe thermometer so I can measure flue temps. I have double wall pipe so the surface temp isn't likely a big help other than for relative temps. I generally see 150ish on the surface during the main burn. Last night it did go up after I got those secondaries going - probably reading 175-200 (checked with IR at various points).

I'm sure it wouldn't take a whole lot of time/effort to get the probe installed, just have to bother getting one (open to suggestions on which one btw)
 
Slow, I would guess it was the larger pieces of wood. Regardless, you were happy with the burn and no doubt the family was too and that is what we all aim for.
 
So true. I loaded up with 8 pcs of good size wood tonight (perhaps same size as last night) on a smallish bed of coals. Stove was about 225 when I started. I engaged the cat pretty soon, but left the air up for longer. I've kept flame in the box the whole time but did keep backing the air down until fully closed (where it is now) at one point flames looked like they might go out but they kept on.

It is now about an hour since load - I have good secondaries covering the top of the stove. Stovetop thermometer is reading just over 400 and I'm about to break into a sweat sitting in the chair off to the side. Just checked - glass is reading 5-600 with IR, sides are reading 350ish. Definitely putting out the heat now. Will see how much is left in the morning... Good cold night in the teens tonight so plenty of draft here (22*f now).

Unfortunately I have a lot of wood split smaller from what I prepped for the FV. I don't really think that the FV cared as much about split size if that is indeed what is driving my differences here.
 
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