How hot do you run your stove?

[msherer]

I currently have a cast iron stove and normally run it between 500 and 600 degrees. I am waiting on my new unit to be delivered and it is steel. For those that have a steel stove, what temperature do you keep it an and what worries does one have with steel as opposed to cast iron?

Matt

 

[Highbeam]

Unless your stove has special instructions, the standard manual states that no part of your stove shall glow. That is not to say that the secondary air tubes can't glow but the actual stove body.

Monitor temps. 800 is a fairly well recognized max temp among steel stove manufacturers. I got Lopi to tell me that when pressed.

You are wasting quite a lot of heat above 650 or so. I limit my intentional hard burns to the 650-700 range on the non-cat.

The above assumes you are dealing with a non-cat stove and monitoring the temps on top at the hottest place.

 

[ddahlgren]

anything below 800 on stove and try to keep the probe in the cheflue between 550 to 700. I am heating a space according to temps outside not run a how cheap can I do it.

 

[Beardog]

Jealous of you guys that can run at those high temps. My Clydesdale has a limit of 600. I run it between 400-600.

 

[Beer Belly]

depending on outside/inside temps....but for the most part, we cruise at 450-500*F.....if need be 600*F

 

[dyerkutn]

You are wasting quite a lot of heat above 650 or so.

Could you explain that a bit more--how is the heat getting wasted.

I limit my intentional hard burns to the 650-700 range on the non-cat

How exactly to control that---less wood?, more air? With the cold weather, and reloading more often I am noticing a trend--When I reload a couple of large and a couple of medium splits on a bed of coals the stove goes up to 725 and stays there until they become more charcoal than wood.

 

[splitoak]

When its cold......as hot as I safely can...when its gets into the teens the heritage tries her best...

 

[Bluezx636]

400-600 depending on how cold it's going to drop down to overnight.

 

[Highbeam]

Could you explain that a bit more--how is the heat getting wasted.

How exactly to control that---less wood?, more air? With the cold weather, and reloading more often I am noticing a trend--When I reload a couple of large and a couple of medium splits on a bed of coals the stove goes up to 725 and stays there until they become more charcoal than wood.

Above 650 or so, near the top end, you are running the stove at high throttle settings and lots of heat is blowing up the chimney.Flue temps are usually close to or higher than stove top temps. Liken this to driving around with your engine near redline.

How do you control stove top temp? The only control you have is what you're stuck with. Turn it down. If your stove can't be kept below 700 with the air controls then you have a failed system or a very special circumstance. Usually it is a problem to keep the temp up at 700 since coals will accumulate. See the bulk of the energy escapes the log before the volume of the log has reduced by much. Those low energy coals build up.

 

[Chuck the Canuck]

Flue temps are usually close to or higher than flue temps.

 

[Chuck the Canuck]

With the cold weather, and reloading more often I am noticing a trend--When I reload a couple of large and a couple of medium splits on a bed of coals the stove goes up to 725 and stays there until they become more charcoal than wood.

Yeah, my stove runs pretty much the same with stove top temps getting into the low 700's and the flue temp riding around 300-350F. And I like it because it warms the house up some nice....

 

[begreen]

The temp we run the stove at depends on the temperature outside. During milder weather I burn lower heat softwood like soft maple and some alder, maybe poplar too. Stove top temps typically run about 450-500 during shoulder season. As it gets colder I try to have doug fir to burn with a stove top temp of around 600-650. When it gets very cold I break out the hardwoods like madrona or locust. With a good locust burn the stove will cruise between 650 and 700F for 2-3 hrs before gradually tapering down in temp. Flue temps generally track on our stove at about 100F below the stove top temp once the air control has been closed.

 

[ddahlgren]

My little Avalon Pendleton is really struggling the last few days no matter how hard I fire it. Have had many day close or below 0F. I need some good ideas on burning down coals as I have a bunch. I keep moving them to the front and going to light a small fire behind them to keep the draft up and burn them quicker and see if that works better.

 

[Chuck the Canuck]

I need some good ideas on burning down coals as I have a bunch.

Another member recommended using wood pellets to help burn down coals. I went and bought a bag a few weeks ago; when I'm into the last hour or so of a burn I open the damper full, open the stove and use my poker to spread and rake out the coals nice and even and then spread 3-4 cup fulls (well, I use an empty pea can, but whatever) of wood pellets all over the top of the glowing coals and shut the door. The pellets take off like nobodies business and burn real nice and hot for 5 or 10 minutes (heat up the stove top nice too) and then I just leave the air damper open wide until I'm ready to load er up all over again.... seems to work well as long as you're patient enough to wait a bit until the coals are burnt down before loading again....

 

[hman]

I run my Kuma from 300-650.I run the blower on low when it is real cold and windy.

 

[dyerkutn]

Yeah, my stove runs pretty much the same with stove top temps getting into the low 700's

When it gets very cold I break out the hardwoods like madrona or locust. With a good locust burn the stove will cruise between 650 and 700F for 2-3 hrs before gradually tapering down in temp

These sounds more like my experience. I wonder whether 700 can be considered OK on some stoves and too hot on others thereby making some stoves less efficient above 650?? BG, you have a somewhat similar stove to me and your experience also is similar (though I think yours is bigger and has some other moving parts). I have all hard wood so it is always like I am burning for extreme cold--except I just burn less often and smaller loads when it is not as cold.

 

[begreen]

I think you are supposed to be a bit more conservative with soapstone stoves from Hearthstone, but have never owned on. Different stoves do have different efficiencies. You are going to see different flue temps depending on the stove, flue config and draft. For example, I think the 30NC runs a bit cooler flue temps than the original Summit/T6. I'm not sure about the new models though. A pair of 90s in the stove pipe can lead to hotter temps before the elbow, but possibly cooler temps up top at the cap. There are lots of variables here.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Definitely the soapstone stoves don't like the really high temperatures. Hearthstone says 600 for theirs and Woodstock 700 for theirs. We typically get our stove well into the 600's daily but do not have the problem that Highbeam brought up. Flue temperatures are nowhere near stove top temperatures until late in the burn, like when it needs more fuel.

Still, the best thing to do when looking at high temperatures is to read the manual that should have came with the stove. It should tell in there the recommended high. If not, then pester the company to find out what they recommend.

 

[begreen]

The walls of the Hearthstone are built differently (single layer) than the Woodstock (double layer), correct?

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Yes, that is correct begreen.

 

[dyerkutn]

Definitely the soapstone stoves don't like the really high temperatures. Hearthstone says 600 for theirs and Woodstock 700 for theirs. We typically get our stove well into the 600's daily but do not have the problem that Highbeam brought up.

Flue temperatures are nowhere near stove top temperatures until late in the burn, like when it needs more fuel.

It seems like my stove and flue temps work in tandem--one goes down when the other goes up depending on how open the air is.
Also, I am finding that my flue temp is more like 200-250 degrees cooler once I close the air---stove at 650 and flue at 400-450. They seem to cool down in that same sort of ratio. Does that seem OK?

Still, the best thing to do when looking at high temperatures is to read the manual that should have came with the stove. It should tell in there the recommended high. If not, then pester the company to find out what they recommend.

My alderea T5 manual does not give maximum temps--just says the stove and pipe should not be glowing red (that is a scary image), so maybe I will contact them. However, it does say to make sure wood has charred before starting to close air down. However, my experience over the last few weeks is that if, on a reload, I wait till the wood is charred all over even on the ends, the flue gets awfully hot. I follow advice on this forum to close air down once flue reaches red zone (450-500 single wall magnetic therm) so I don't get the flue too hot and if I get too ambitious and it dies down, just give it a little more air.

oops--my original quotes and replies got a bit mixed up sorry.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

On the wood being charred, no, we don't wait until the entire piece is all charred or yes, the flue would get awfully hot. Another good reason to have a thermometer on both stove top and flue if possible. Sometimes we do have to give it a bit more air after closing it down but not often. Usually we'll close it down in 2 stages. On our stove, 0-4 are the markings for the draft. Our normal setting is about .75 but when we first turn it down, we'll usually go around 1.5 and a few minutes later, depending upon how the fire reacts, it goes to the normal setting and I go to bed.

 

[dyerkutn]

Another good reason to have a thermometer on both stove top and flue if possible.

yes I have been switching my thermometer back and forth--1st on the flue to monitor when to turn the air down, then leave it on the flue to make sure the temp there is holding steady or dropping, then to the stove top until the reload. Think I will spring for another thermometer. They are not very expensive. Thanks for the description of your reload process. Every piece of information makes me feel more reassured. Maybe someday I will be able to stop posting questions on everyone's different threads.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Forgive me but I'd like to make one more suggestion. When buying a thermometer, stick with condar. Over all, they seem to be the most accurate. We got one with our new wood stove and followed that up with buying another from Woodstock www.woodstove.com

Or another way to go is to buy an IR thermometer. You don't need to spend a lot but they tend to be the most accurate. In addition, you can use one to find leaks in your insulation or find out where all that heat is going. Maybe you could even find out how hot the wife is?! Or check out the sidewalk next July.

 

[dyerkutn]

Forgive me but I'd like to make one more suggestion. When buying a thermometer, stick with condar

Please make as many suggestions as you want!! I do have the condar chimguard--If they have a different one for the stove top I will get that.

Or another way to go is to buy an IR thermometer.

I thought the IR is only for double wall--I have a single wall.