How hot should I run my stove?

[rosencra38]

OK, now that I got all of my issues resolved from last week (smoke & carbon monoxide in the house due to rain cap plugged with creosote) how hot should I be running my stove at all times? I have a magnetic thermometor sitting on top of the stove and it shows the proper burn temp as between 300-575ish. I have no problems maintaining this temp but my issues is that my 2000 sq ft house gets so stinking hot if I leave it in that range for long periods of time. Today it is 22 degrees F outside and right now it is 81 in the living room and I don't even have a rip roaring fire going. We've had many days where the house sits at around 85 in the living room and the bedrooms farthest from the stove sit in the high 70's. I love that it is nice and warm inside and the furnace isn't running but I hate sweating in my house in the winter (well not exactly winter yet). Anyway, how hot should I run the stove to maintain comfortable temps in the house and not run a risk of building up creosote in the flue?

 

[woodconvert]

I have a magnetic thermometor sitting on top of the stove and it shows the proper burn temp as between 300-575ish. I have no problems maintaining this temp but my issues is that my 2000 sq ft house gets so stinking hot if I leave it in that range for long periods of time. Today it is 22 degrees F outside and right now it is 81 in the living room and I don't even have a rip roaring fire going. We've had many days where the house sits at around 85 in the living room and the bedrooms farthest from the stove sit in the high 70's. I love that it is nice and warm inside and the furnace isn't running but I hate sweating in my house in the winter (well not exactly winter yet). Anyway, how hot should I run the stove to maintain comfortable temps in the house and not run a risk of building up creosote in the flue?

Yeah, well, thems the drawbacks of woodburning. If your fuel is good you can probably run it 350F ish and up (350F being the low low side). It's hard to do especially in the fall but the hotter the better.

Can you circulate some of that "extra" heat with your furnace blower?. If no, have you got storm doors you can crack open a little bit to make it more tollerable?.

 

[Molson]

try burning smaller, shorter fires.

 

[Hanko]

I have a magnetic thermometor sitting on top of the stove and it shows the proper burn temp as between 300-575ish. I have no problems maintaining this temp but my issues is that my 2000 sq ft house gets so stinking hot if I leave it in that range for long periods of time. Today it is 22 degrees F outside and right now it is 81 in the living room and I don't even have a rip roaring fire going. We've had many days where the house sits at around 85 in the living room and the bedrooms farthest from the stove sit in the high 70's. I love that it is nice and warm inside and the furnace isn't running but I hate sweating in my house in the winter (well not exactly winter yet). Anyway, how hot should I run the stove to maintain comfortable temps in the house and not run a risk of building up creosote in the flue?

Yeah, well, thems the drawbacks of woodburning. If your fuel is good you can probably run it 350F ish and up (350F being the low low side). It's hard to do especially in the fall but the hotter the better.

Can you circulate some of that "extra" heat with your furnace blower?. If no, have you got storm doors you can crack open a little bit to make it more tollerable?.

Ive had my doorwall open more this fall than in the summer. even had it open last night. When the dog starts complaining it time for some fresh air.

 

[oconnor]

What type of stove are you running?

I burn my Jotul Kennebec @ 700F, but that is very high for most stoves, but consistent from what I read on here for this Jotul insert.

In the end, burn short hot fires in the shoulder season.

 

[M1sterM]

Try reading some of the posts in the "Boiler Room" forum, especially on the concept of storage. Maybe it would help to think of the air mass in your house as your "heat storage" or tank, and utilize the stove only as much as you need to keep your stored air in your house at your desired temp. The variables you can control include how much you load your stove, how you light it (e.g. top-down), air settings, how frequently you fill the stove, and your demand for heat (not much you can do about the weather, but as you indicate, you can open and close windows/doors). If I were you (wish I had the problem of too much heat!), I'd keep a log, with fields for weather outside (temp and wind), and how you burn the stove (items listed above). Use the scientific method (question, consider, hypothesize, experiment, observe/analyze, and communicate) and you'll get it figured out.

 

[SlyFerret]

I my Englander 30 usually cruises between 500 and 600 degrees.

I have the same problem you have. If I reload while I still have coals left, I end up with the house well into the 80's. If I try to keep the house comfortable, I end up lighting a cold stove a couple times a day.

It's the curse of a good stove a fairly well insulated house, and an Ohio winter (sure, it gets cold, but not COLD)

You're far enough north that you might get a little more cold than we get here.

-SF

 

[rosencra38]

I'm running a Quadrafire 4300.

The winters here average in the teens & 20's in Jan/Feb with normal dips below 0 many times a month.

Thanks for all the replies, I'll definitely take it all into consideration.

 

[jpl1nh]

Perhps you are one of the few, the proud, the oversized. .

 

[branchburner]

Try reading some of the posts in the "Boiler Room" forum, especially on the concept of storage. Maybe it would help to think of the air mass in your house as your "heat storage" or tank, and utilize the stove only as much as you need to keep your stored air in your house at your desired temp.

A good concept to keep in mind. Air mass is not the best mass for storage, but is typically the only one we think of in warming our houses. I told my wife to buy some big potted plants to store some stove heat - she though I went off the deep end because I actually told her to buy something she likes instead of not to buy!
Talk to guys with greenhouses, passive solar houses, or masonry heaters and you can really get a lesson on storage.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Just a word of caution to the new burners. You do not have to run the stove hot at all times. After the moisture has evaporated out of the wood you won't get so much creosote. Therefore, it is the early part of the burn that needs the hot fire, not the entire burning time.