Great Start to a Cold Day

[WriteNoob]

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8* F outside. Going to be in and out, doing various chores, all day. So, filled her up with 2 packs of Eco Bricks (12 bricks/40 pounds), pushed the air all the way in/off, and let her cruise. 500 stovetop/485-ish on the stack probe. Bit of an extravagance, but hey, pretty sure that's what Black Friday is all about: blowing money.

Be safe, if you're going out in the madness, folks.

Mike

 

[realstihl]

You got that thing a cookin". What's the top temp?

 

[WriteNoob]

You got that thing a cookin". What's the top temp?

One hour in, and stovetop is just a hair over 600* F. Fan is on lowest, and the pipe is matching at 600, also.

Question - At what point does a guy start to worry, temp-wise, on this type of stove? 650 is about as far as I've gone, and things are starting to look a bit wild in there.

EDIT - Even with the wild light show, this stove just seems to sit at 600-650. Plenty hot, for me. Will this change, when I've installed the insulated liner? I kind of like the way it acts, right now.

 

[Chuck the Canuck]

Hey Noob, nice looking stove ya got there! Generally I've been getting up to 600 - 650 F stove top on reload. Back when I was getting a handle on running the stove (learning how to run it) I had it climb over 700F a few times; I found that I could turn on the blower and that would take a bit of the heat off of the stove top, so that it peaked around 750F before it started to slowly drop down again (I just had to be patient and wait it out a bit).... The nice thing about these stoves is that you can actually shut down the air and practically snuff out an unruly fire, so once I learned how to start shutting the air down early (around 250 - 300F stove top) I've been able to keep my reloads peaking out at around 600 - 650F.... I love the my drolet.

Now having said all this, I should qualify myself by adding that I've never burned any compressed bricks or anything like that; I've heard that the bricks burn pretty hot... but I'd keep the blower on to take some of the heat off the stove top if you're getting nervous and see how that goes.....

Good luck and Happy Thanksgiving!

 

[Chuck the Canuck]

So in that video you have at the start of this thread, is the stove running with the air completely 100% shut down? If so, all I can say is WOW! that puppy is cooking!

 

[WriteNoob]

Hey Noob, nice looking stove ya got there! Generally I've been getting up to 600 - 650 F stove top on reload. Back when I was getting a handle on running the stove (learning how to run it) I had it climb over 700F a few times; I found that I could turn on the blower and that would take a bit of the heat off of the stove top, so that it peaked around 750F before it started to slowly drop down again (I just had to be patient and wait it out a bit).... The nice thing about these stoves is that you can actually shut down the air and practically snuff out an unruly fire, so once I learned how to start shutting the air down early (around 250 - 300F stove top) I've been able to keep my reloads peaking out at around 600 - 650F.... I love the my drolet.

I've been shutting down around 300-350, and have had to leave the air at least 1/4 inch or more open. My uncovered (I know, I know. Lesson learned on covering.) pine got deluged upon, for three days, then frozen for the year. My normal temp, on the damp pine is anywhere frm 400-500.

And yes, the air is 100% shut down. Now 2 hours in, and still rockin along at 550*.

 

[Chuck the Canuck]

I've been shutting does around 300-350, and have had to leave the air at least 1/4 inch or more open. My uncovered (I know, I know. Lesson learned on covering.) pine got deluged upon, for three days, then frozen for the year. My normal temp, on the damp pine is anywhere frm 400-500.

That's a bummer about the pine... If it was already seasoned, or close to it, prior to the deluge and freeze up, perhaps you could bring some of it inside and dry it out a bit (mostly just surface moisture to be dealt with?) so that you can still use it for burning this season? I keep about 1/3 of a cord down in the basement, which is where my stove is located (but it's also already seasoned and stored in my shop before I haul it down here...).

 

[Chuck the Canuck]

And yes, the air is 100% shut down. Now 2 hours in, and still rockin along at 550*.

That's just plain sweet! Roll with it....

 

[WriteNoob]

That's a bummer about the pine... If it was already seasoned, or close to it, prior to the deluge and freeze up, perhaps you could bring some of it inside and dry it out a bit (mostly just surface moisture to be dealt with?) so that you can still use it for burning this season? I keep about 1/3 of a cord down in the basement, which is where my stove is located (but it's also already seasoned and stored in my shop before I haul it down here...).

That's what I'm doing. I've got a two stage process worked out, wherein I bring a 4x4 racks worth into the utility room, and in a few days, into a 40" hoop rack, next to the stove. More work, but it dries enough to give me decent 5-7 hour burns, at up to 500 stove top.

Next year it all goes into the shop, starting in October. No more, "Oh, it'll be fine, out there." Hope for the best. Prepare for the worst. It'll be much nicer, bringing in wood, that way, as well.

My emergency pager just went off, so I'll sign off, to go fix someone's day. Have a good one, guys.

 

[Chuck the Canuck]

Yep, it's hard to beat the feeling of satisfaction that comes from being prepared to face winter with a full season's worth of seasoned wood and a killer Drolet!

Cheers

 

[WriteNoob]

So, who's having a bad day, other than the owner of this door. Warm fire waiting, when I get home. (broken image removed)
(broken image removed)

 

[WriteNoob]

O.K. Back to the stove. Just got home, to find that: one, my wife has decided that with me out from underfoot, she would rearrange the two living rooms, and I now have a random jumble of furniture, and two, the Baltic is now six hours into its burn, and is cruising nicely, with the air about 1/2 inch open, and a stovetop at around 400*. So, I have a random assortment of furniture to get back into some semblance of a home, but I'll be sweating, while I do so. Not a bad deal, all things considered.

Here's what she looks like.

 

[WriteNoob]

Coming up on ten hours. Stovetop at 250, and a respectable amount of coals left. House is actually a bit too warm, as the outside temp has climbed to 23*F. Looks like it'll climb to 25*, by morning. Tomorrow looks to be pretty warm. Gotta work all day, but hey, Ya take what you can get, right?

Here's the rub. Looking at the included pic, where would you guys go, from here. What is the best time/stove temp to reload? Is there a procedure to keep it from shooting up, in temp, on startup? Stuff like that. Just fishin' for tips-n-tricks, here, if you have any to offer. I'm doing O.K., but I've reached the limit of my pre-stove studies.

Unless the house cools a good bit, it's going to be some time, anyway, before I pour more heat into it, but I thought I'd ask. I'll be going back to pine, now that this little experiment is done, but it looks like the bricks will bring a 9-10 hour burn, with a warm house for around 11-12, under my conditions. At least in clement weather. I'll have to try the same thing, down around 0*F, and see how much things differ.

 

[ozzy73]

Nice to see another Happy Drolet Customer....

 

[ckitch]

Another happy drolet owner here 20s outside and the austral is holding its ground very well 650- 700 stove top loaded at 8 and that load will be good till 530am reload before work

 

[WriteNoob]

Another happy drolet owner here 20s outside and the austral is holding its ground very well 650- 700 stove top loaded at 8 and that load will be good till 530am reload before work

Like your install. Very nice. Just loaded 6 medium sized, fairly dry, pine splits, at 11 1/2 hours. Not a full load, just over the bricks. Should get six hours of moderate heat, with it closed down to about 1/4" open. Mild night, here. Really liking this stove.

 

[ckitch]

Thanks I am using mostly ash right now it burns very well, I have some pine that I thought was ready but that stuff seems like a sponge if not covered (mine isn't) it takes on allot of water with rain. That was pretty good burn time with the bricks might have to pick some up for backup