you may be right, but I think if it's that bad the stove is the last thing on my mind. but who knows.
how do you guy's cool the stove with overfire?
- Thread starter altmartion
- Start date
-
Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.
We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.
We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil. -
Super Cedar firestarters 30% discount Use code Hearth2024 Click here
- Status
It's a steel stove I'm sure it's fine. It's not like it sucks the heat right out of the stove. I'm sure most people wouldn't hesitate to boil water on a steel stove when it's 650. The stove had a cook top so as far as I was concerned it was made for boiling water.
My last words on the subject. Fireplace insert. 
No access to the secondary air inlet and no place to sit Aunt Hilda's stock pot.
Stay safe and warm my friends.
No access to the secondary air inlet and no place to sit Aunt Hilda's stock pot.Stay safe and warm my friends.
Thats exactly what i do when my stove gets over 500 just to disperse the heat better, but i would do the same for an overheat situation. Normally i can control the heat output just by closing down the air.
i don't know them that well, they are just customers. i have only met them 3 or 4 times since they became a customer in march of 06. they usually request zeke. he is an employee. they are very nice people. so nice i considered blowing off the $300 balance until he offered the stove for payment. i am sure i could call them for info if it comes down to it but it is a different install and i don't really know what kind of draft or even wood they had. i know they loved it and it didn't seem like they had any issues. i think my main problem is my old stove was a tiny leaky pot belly type stove and now i have this modern monstrosity. it may just take time. now last night i loaded it as i usually do before bed. only this time i closed it down at 425 or so. all was good for over an hour. at 12:30 i ventured for my midnight junk foos fix. the stove was at 750. the flame was not indicating any fresh oxygen, like a leak or something left opened. 750 doesn't bother me now that i have seen it at over 900 a few times. i did the dollar bill test about a half an hour ago and it was good. i really had to pull to get it to move. i did it on all sides of the door. the bottom was a little easier than the rest but still didn't raise any flags to me.
I may get the courage one day to open the door when a 800 degree nuclear secondary is going off.....for practice, but we'll see.
Something tells me the stove will cool off but I'll have flames traveling 10' up the flue. Kind of like leaving the door cracked and forgetting about it no? Still trying to wrap my brain around this one.
Something tells me the stove will cool off but I'll have flames traveling 10' up the flue. Kind of like leaving the door cracked and forgetting about it no? Still trying to wrap my brain around this one.
yea, it doesn't feel right to open the door with crazy secondary flames and 1200 degrees but i will try it. maybe later on. i have to go move more f'ng snow.
Don't just open the door. You have to gradually open it. Crack it open first, let some air in. Then slowly open it all the way.
I get that....but what is the difference between what you are saying and if I just left my door cracked the whole time? If I left it cracked on a reload at 250F and walked away I'd eventually have flames shooting out the cap.
What is the difference between having a 900F stove in which the door was never shut, or opening the door when the stove is at 900F? Seems like either way I would be changing my underwear.
I believe if the door was just cracked the velocity(may not be the right term) through the stove is different than if the door is wide open. Similar to loading, if you leave the door wide open after reloading it doesn't help the new load get started as fast as if the door is just cracked. You can test that by watching how active the flames are with the door open all the way and the door cracked on reload.
Sprinter
Minister of Fire
Berner
Feeling the Heat
I think one thing maybe your missing is lowering the air in stages? I start shutting down at about 400 (also looking at the fire so no absolutes). 1/4 or so at a time. Depending on the fire I'm at my final set position by 500 or so. That peaks me at 650ish and I ride along that way. Each setup is so different though. Not just different stoves but locations in the house, chimney setups etc etc.[/quote]
Why is it necessary to lower the air in stages? I have been successful lately with running it fully open with the reload. Then when I have a good visual char I drop it all the way down. Depending on the how it looks I might crack it a hair. I usually leave it like that and monitor it for 30 mins or so. If it struggles I open it up (maybe 1/8 open) for 5 mins or so then cut down to down to repeat the monitoring stage. Is this wrong? What would lowering it in stages help with?
Why is it necessary to lower the air in stages? I have been successful lately with running it fully open with the reload. Then when I have a good visual char I drop it all the way down. Depending on the how it looks I might crack it a hair. I usually leave it like that and monitor it for 30 mins or so. If it struggles I open it up (maybe 1/8 open) for 5 mins or so then cut down to down to repeat the monitoring stage. Is this wrong? What would lowering it in stages help with?
Why is it necessary to lower the air in stages? I have been successful lately with running it fully open with the reload. Then when I have a good visual char I drop it all the way down. Depending on the how it looks I might crack it a hair. I usually leave it like that and monitor it for 30 mins or so. If it struggles I open it up (maybe 1/8 open) for 5 mins or so then cut down to down to repeat the monitoring stage. Is this wrong? What would lowering it in stages help with?[/quote]
I have been just closing it all at once and usually without issue. but I want to eliminate any problem. I don't like the surprise of a pegged thermo. I just loaded it up for the night and am trying to shut the air in stages. I am doing it in 1/3 increments tonight. I started at 400 degrees. hopefully I will be awake in another hour to check on it unless the meds kick in first. lol
I also do mine in stages....rough process I follow:
Oh and to answer what I've done on the few occasions where I had a rather hot insert/run away? Cut all air, sat back, puckered up, grabbed a beer and kept a close eye on the insert.
- Load it up, keep the door cracked for about 5 minutes.
- Close door and keep start up air and main air wide open for 5 minutes
- Close start up, pull main air back 1/2 run 10-12 minutes or until temps get close to 450-500.
- Pull completely back and enjoy the light show
Oh and to answer what I've done on the few occasions where I had a rather hot insert/run away? Cut all air, sat back, puckered up, grabbed a beer and kept a close eye on the insert.
Last edited:
jatoxico
Minister of Fire
[/quote]Why is it necessary to lower the air in stages? I have been successful lately with running it fully open with the reload. Then when I have a good visual char I drop it all the way down. Depending on the how it looks I might crack it a hair. I usually leave it like that and monitor it for 30 mins or so. If it struggles I open it up (maybe 1/8 open) for 5 mins or so then cut down to down to repeat the monitoring stage. Is this wrong? What would lowering it in stages help with?[/quote]
Every ones stove, wood, loading, draft, weather and on and on is different so do what works for you but, the issue at hand is that this stove took off and was tough to get under control. Once the stove starts rolling and the wood starts out gassing it can spiral out of control. Lowering the air stages is one way to help prevent this and promotes a controlled burn.
On a big load if you run wide open too long you may not be able to slow it down and it can difficult to predict when its not your night. By your own method you are shutting it down all at once then sometimes find you need to open it back up. By lowering in stages you are doing the same thing only with control.
As I said no absolutes, sometimes on a hot reload I shut down real fast. Stages doesn't necessarily mean waiting 20 min at each step every time, watch the fire. But if you've ever had one get away it's a bit scary and this may help prevent it. Good luck.
Doing it in stages lets the air balance and the burn adjust. With an EPA stove you have three air sources pulling from the draft. Any movement of that primary control shifts the balance between primary and the other two. Best to let the burn adjust to the change and keep burning. Otherwise you stall the burn and have to get the fire back right. And while you are doing that those gases haven't stopped coming off the load waiting for you. They are going up the pipe unburned.
I haven't seen any other control but the draft control. I thought it was a bypass but after reading here, I am not sure.
The only control you have is the primary air control. The other two are unrestricted and the only person that controls those is the person that designed the stove. But somewhere there is an opening for secondary air and an opening for the air that comes in low in front of the fire. You can't control those.
I wish somebody hadn't started calling the primary air control the "draft". The only thing controlling draft is that chimney.
I wish somebody hadn't started calling the primary air control the "draft". The only thing controlling draft is that chimney.
Huntindog1
Minister of Fire
Keep on hand a roll of that Aluminum metal tape. You can then close off the primary air control which you do have control then stick aluminum metal tape over the secondary air inlets and the doghouse air in lets. Plus I have a flue pipe damper I shut completely off. It calms down pretty quick using this technique.
For me when it gets to high I shut down the primary air and turn on a fan.
Throwing cold water on the stove, may end badly (break the glass, crack the stove, cause steam burns), either of which I would not want to happen.
Throwing cold water on the stove, may end badly (break the glass, crack the stove, cause steam burns), either of which I would not want to happen.
yes, I have 2 levers. one on the bottom for air and one on top for bypass, so I assume. doesn't this control the draft over fire? when it's pushed all the way in the stack temp stay's steady for a while. if I pull the lever out the stack temp will rise, slowly, and not all the time. this bothers me because obviously stack temp is important. I struggle a lot to maintain a good stack temp. the stove can be 600 and the stack will be 300. if I open the top lever it will rise but very very slowly. I assumed it did this because it was dirty but draft readings tell me different.
Please put what stove you have in your sig line so we know what one you are talking about when you post.
mikey
Burning Hunk
- Status
Similar threads
