So I did a reload with Ash and Oak around 12:45. It I was taking a while to get going as the temp was down to below 200. Got a work call and forgot to close the damper. Around 3 I noticed a smell and went down to the insert. It was Roaring. (I did not have the cat engaged or the fan on. Closed the damper, engaged the cat and turned on the fan. Probe temp was almost 1200 Degrees. Secondaries were glowing, but nothing else that I could see. It is down to below 600 now.. Did I overfire this thing? How hot does it need to be to affect the steel?
How Hot is an overfire?
- Thread starter Garbanzo62
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Above 1300 is time to stress over it. Good cat temp for me is around 900f. Unless your STT was over 600 and cat was over 1300 don't think you over fired anything.
A catalyst probe temp of up to 1500º is tolerable. Is this what you are referring to? That temperature is entirely different from stovetop temp (STT). For the stovetop, keep it under 750º.
And then there is the flue probe temperature if the stovepipe is double-wall and so equipped.
And then there is the flue probe temperature if the stovepipe is double-wall and so equipped.
Smell was probably the paint burning off of the pipe. You say cat probe was 1200 but you said you didn't have the cat engaged. Was the 1200 after you flipped the bypass damper and engaged cat? As I type this my cat is tickling 1500 after a reload.
So the first thing I did was to shut down the Damper. I hit the probe temp. It read about 1140, engaged the cat and it jumped a bit to 1180 or so. Then it started to come down.. I think the smell may have been the paint from the Insert surround. IR thermometer had it reading about 350. I don't recall that ever being that hot. Took a look at it this morning and nothing seems warped. Not sure if this is a Cat probe or a flue probe. It came with the stove. All I know is I should not engage the cat until it reads at least 500
buc74
Burning Hunk
What stove, a hybrid? (You can put that in your signature as well, as another source of info for users who might want to reply.)
It's harder to get stove temp on an insert, but you can put a thermo on the door or shoot around on the stove in various spots with an infrared thermometer. On the Buck 91, I had a surface meter on the front, about where the actual firebox top intersected the front of the box.
Or you can just rely on remembering every time. You might get lucky and not destroy your stove or burn down your house... 😯
![[Hearth.com] How Hot is an overfire?](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/305/305684-8347373298f6a6cab522dd2a5ca24e92.jpg?hash=T7wJqufmdA "[Hearth.com] How Hot is an overfire?")
It's harder to get stove temp on an insert, but you can put a thermo on the door or shoot around on the stove in various spots with an infrared thermometer. On the Buck 91, I had a surface meter on the front, about where the actual firebox top intersected the front of the box.
Yep, timer every time. Lots of things can happen to distract you...and sooner or later you will get distracted, trust me.
Or you can just rely on remembering every time. You might get lucky and not destroy your stove or burn down your house... 😯
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