Hi everyone i need some advice about how soon should i start reducing the air on my stove. What i mean is what temp.
Thank you.
Thank you.
How soon do you turn the air down
- Thread starter corey21
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Try watching the fire. If you leave the door cracked open during reload, after you close it watch what happens to the fire pattern. I like to start shutting the air when the fire looks like it can handle it. Then wait and see how the fire reacts. It's not an instant change, may take a min. You might be able to start closing it off in incriments before you think.
If you have strong draft I would turn the Mag down about a quarter after it gets to four hundred and then to half to three quarters at around five hundred. That would be with a full load on hot coals. Don't look for light shows. Look for a smooth run up to the temp you want to run it at with some flame on the wood and no smoke coming out of the chimney.
Adjust this by what you see going on in the firebox. You paid for that nice pane of glass. Use it.
Adjust this by what you see going on in the firebox. You paid for that nice pane of glass. Use it.
I too watch the fire. When the load is has caught and in full flame, I begin to turn the air down to about a quarter. Usually the temp is around 300* - sometimes more, sometimes less. As the fire continues to grow I lower the air a couple more times until I'm shut all or 95% of the way closed. As long as there are still flames after each adjustment, I keep on closing. By the time of the final adjustment, the stove is at least 400*, sometimes higher. It depends on the load size, coal bed size, wood species, split size, if it's a cold start, and outdoor temp. The only consistency is the stove and flue.
corey21 said:
Stove top temp. In the middle of the top of the stove. Unlike my brethren here I believe that if you take care of what is happening in the firebox, the flue will be just fine.
I see now what im doing wrong now. When the stove top hit 250 i start backing it down thats why i have trouble with it.
corey21 said:
To each his own (meant in a nice way, of course) but I run my Oslo up to around 450 before I start shutting down. The fire show can be looking like the bowels of h-e-l-l but the temp might only be 300-350 so I go by the thermometer.
My "Two Step" shut down is 50% on the first shut down; the second is around 15-20 minutes later when I cut down to around 10-20%. This is how I am burning the silver maple right now. Different wood species burn a little different. Hard maple I run it up to around 500-550 and then do the "Two Step".
All the above takes around 45 minutes in a cold stove - a little less time on a hot coal re-start.
Shari
Doin' the "Two Step" with my Oslo :coolsmile:
Makes a difference on what type of wood you are burning also, Oaks a slow rise and needs more air to burn, things happen a lot quicker with elm, green ash, or silver maple and they need less air to burn.
I see shari touched on that already.
I see shari touched on that already.
I go by the fire and not the temps. I have experimented so to get a feel for how quickly I can turn down the air. I have learned that how you build the fire makes a huge difference. Last year with less than well seasoned wood, I would have trouble turning down the air by more than 25-50% until the fire finished "seasoning" the wood. Also, I think I was using larger splits, 4-5", which exacerbated the problem.
So this year, I am using drier wood. I use top-down fires with smaller splits on top, 2-3". I also try to use lighter wood, maple or popular, a split or two, on top, as these catch faster than oak. Once I get a good hot fire rolling on top, sometimes 10 - 15 minutes, I can shut down the air to 50%, if the secondaries are strong, I go to 75% shut down within a few minutes. I can usually shut off the primary air completely within 5-10 minutes more.
Corner temps reading might only be 300 F at the first adjustment to 50%, but the center temp may be 450 or so. The temp that is important to the secondaries is the one under the baffle by the burn tubes and it is almost impossible to get a direct reading on that with the normal meters.
Also, the wood moisture content is very important to how the wood will sustain the temp with primary air control shut off. Lastly, the draft plays a large role as it dictates how much air is being sucked through the secondaries.
So this year, I am using drier wood. I use top-down fires with smaller splits on top, 2-3". I also try to use lighter wood, maple or popular, a split or two, on top, as these catch faster than oak. Once I get a good hot fire rolling on top, sometimes 10 - 15 minutes, I can shut down the air to 50%, if the secondaries are strong, I go to 75% shut down within a few minutes. I can usually shut off the primary air completely within 5-10 minutes more.
Corner temps reading might only be 300 F at the first adjustment to 50%, but the center temp may be 450 or so. The temp that is important to the secondaries is the one under the baffle by the burn tubes and it is almost impossible to get a direct reading on that with the normal meters.
Also, the wood moisture content is very important to how the wood will sustain the temp with primary air control shut off. Lastly, the draft plays a large role as it dictates how much air is being sucked through the secondaries.
corey21 said:
corey21 on a cold start I start adjusting the air when the flue temp hits 400 then on a reload I'll adjust the air when the flue temp hits 400 then again when the stove top hits 500 and thats when we're burning cherry, if it is hard maple then it will be sooner.
It's only our second year heating with wood so maybe sometime down the road I'll be able to do it by looking at the flame.
zap
I agree with Shari 100%. Sometimes I'll look at what the fire is doing (on start ups) and it will look like the fire is taking off like an inferno, but the stovetop temp is only 250-300*. I would shut the air down gradually from there, but the fire would go out eventually or i'd see smoke coming from my chimney.
I'm now reading threads where people are waiting until 400* to start to turn their air down, and thats what I will do on a more consistent basis. I was just always scared that waiting that long to start to turn it down, (and then even higher temps before I shut it down 95-100%), I'd end up overfiring my stove with temps at 800 or above.
I'm now reading threads where people are waiting until 400* to start to turn their air down, and thats what I will do on a more consistent basis. I was just always scared that waiting that long to start to turn it down, (and then even higher temps before I shut it down 95-100%), I'd end up overfiring my stove with temps at 800 or above.
The problem with using a temperature is that ... Stove top temps can be stove and species spedific..... I suppose you can use temps, the temps on your stove, but that does not mean that you should use other peoples numbers.
If you have a stove like mine.... STONE.... my stovetop heats up slower, If you have a stronger draft, your stovetop will heat up differently, if you have pine as opposed to Oak, your stove will heat up differently....
I use a combanation of temps (specific to me) and what the fire looks like and how it reacts when I begin the shut down process... that IMHO is the best way to go.
If you have a stove like mine.... STONE.... my stovetop heats up slower, If you have a stronger draft, your stovetop will heat up differently, if you have pine as opposed to Oak, your stove will heat up differently....
I use a combanation of temps (specific to me) and what the fire looks like and how it reacts when I begin the shut down process... that IMHO is the best way to go.
Hi all. Well last night it got cold started the stove got it going had the air closed down at 400. As soon as i closed the air the light show took off fast and lasted an hour and half. done the same thing this mornig.
I've held off on turning down 1/2 way until 450-500*. Stove may kick up to 600* which is fine for my crusing needs. Have asked wife and kids to wait to 500* also, helps reduce the chance of 2ndaries not kicking in . THis happend a few times when I cut the air too soon (around400*). Then I cut to 1/4 after about 20minutes. Same as Shari. Lots of variables to be sure, load size and wood species. But as a general rule of thumb I'm happy at 500* for most first step of shut downs.
I turn down the fire as soon as possible. Normally I don't look at the thermometers, I look at the fire and let that determine when and how far to close it down.
Do you all think i done things right.
The secondary burn was cool.
I seem to do better by not looking at the thermo.
The secondary burn was cool.
I seem to do better by not looking at the thermo.
If you're getting good performance and great satisfaction from the stove while running it safely, I'd say you've got it.
Yeah the living room hit 84.
But my condar probe was reading 450 during the secondary burn. I can take a surface one put it about 15 in above the stove and it read above 300.
But my condar probe was reading 450 during the secondary burn. I can take a surface one put it about 15 in above the stove and it read above 300.
This is off the topic but is the secondary burn a good thing to go for or am i on the wrong page. To me i think that's what the epa wants and its very cool to watch.
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