How to run my Morsoe 1412 stove properly

[john81]

Hi all,

I already have one topic at this forum about smoke leaking into my room while refilling. I've managed to have less smoke getting in my room by getting longer runs so temperature of the stove and flue is high enough before refilling. It also helps when only burning when there is enough wind (3 Bft and up is my new rule which seems an acceptable common rule found online although some use 2 Bft and up).

I started with a bottom-up method, but after a while I switched to the top down method which took some practice. I still use news papers and some alcohol to quickly make as much heat as possible. I use small pine wood on top (<1 inch diameter), about 4 pieces, and below I use 2 medium sized (still small) pieces of birch. Below I have two 'bigger' birch pieces, but still not that big as my stove box is small.

Using this method I managed to reach a burn time of 2:15 hours which is a big improvement on my previous burn time of around 1 hour. (back then I used more pine wood to start the fire and less birch wood). The only problem is temperature of the top of the stove: I'm aware I should monitor flue temp as well, but right now I have only been monitoring top of the stove temperature using a simple magnetic thermometer. It has three areas:

creosote: 0 - 270 F
best operation: 270 - 460 F
too hot: 460 - 900 F

I always try to keep stove-top temperature in the best operation region. But last time when I managed to get 2:15 hours of burning time temperature raised above 460 F. Not too much, it was around 480 F. The stove manual doesn't mention specific maximum temperatures, but after reading this interesting post about starting a fire with an EPA stove (https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/starting-a-fire-and-running-an-epa-stove.179714/) I read about a stove-top temperature of 625 F: "The stove has been cruising for 20 minutes and is almost up to temperature. The stove top settled at 625º. The analog probe thermometer is finally catching up to the digital probe."

Is this temperature way too high - something I would think because of my thermometer (too hot)? Or is it fine for my stove (and flue)?

My burning practice:

* light fire => I get a lot of flames and heat to start the fire
* after about 5 minutes I close the door
* after about 10 minutes I close primary vent / air intake
* after about 15-20 minutes (not exactly sure about timing) I reduce secondary vent / air intake, stove top thermometer reads 270 F
* after about 20-30 minutes (not exactly sure about timing) temperature gets in the 460 F area. I reduce secondary air vent about 90%, but never close it 100% as the stove manual advices to always let some air in. But temperature keeps raising into the "too hot" area (> 460 F)

Always when temperature gets in the highest region of the best operation area, around 460 F, I start smelling stove paint. I used my stove about 15-20 times now (average of 1,5 hours per time), but I'm still smelling a distinctive smell - I guess it must be stove paint. As I'm a bit sensitive to fumes, I don't really like it (although it's not too bad). But I tend to open the window a bit more to get fresh air inside.

So is it okay to get a stove temperature of > 460 F?

 

[EbS-P]

I don’t worry at all until the hottest part of my stove reads 800F. I can keep the the hottest part at about 700 with a normal fire. The spot where Jotul tells you to measure is 550 degrees. They like to see between 400-600.

I wish I had secondary air control. Use the thermometer as a reference. Now I can just look at the fire and tell with in 100 degrees how hot it is.

Here is my process. I lay two small pieces front to back on each side of the primary air inlet 2-3 medium pieces across those the. Stack my kindling all the way to the baffle. I light it and leave the air Wide open. Once the kindling burns down I have some rooms for another split or two so I quickly load it. Air still wide open. Once I get the new splits bring I cut the air back. Half way then once it’s all going I go to 90% closed. Usually at this point I have full burning secondary combustion. My goal is to keep the air setting just open enough to to always keep the secondaries burning well. I don’t have much primary combustion or flames in the box.

It’s just going to take practice to find the perfect air settings. With two air controls it would take me twice as long. My experiment would go something like this. Set secondary air to 75 % open and leave it and try to control the fire with just the primary air. Then try 50%. Then I would get a fire going and set the primary air to say 30% and secondary to 90% and adjust it down from there ever 5-10 minutes or so. Once you know what you want to achieve by looking At the fire and how each control affects the burn you will be much happier and more confident in the stove. I didn’t put down my IR thermometer for the first couple weeks of burning my stove for the first time. I know have digital thermocouples on each stove. They allow me to set a high temp alarm which is great. I’m breaking in a second stove and I don’t like the feeling of not knowing how it will react to the the fuel load and air setting. My first stove I have no issues stacking, lighting and immediately closing the door and setting 10 minute timer and waking away. Come back add a small split or two, close the air a bit come back in another 10 minutes and set the air for the final burn. New stove I don’t trust at all.

Now I say all this the reality is I fiddle with it a lot because im trying not to over heat is this time of year. I choose the lowest air setting that keeps a clean fire burning but sometimes I go to low and I lose my secondary combustion.

Keep at it it sounds like you are in the right track. Try removing the cap, the. Try that extra piece you have coming. Things will improve it just takes time.

Evan

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Your magnetic thermometer is probably inaccurate, but even if its dead on accurate, you can get the stove hotter than 460F.

I light my stove and then turn it down when it tells me it's ready. When the flames start licking the secondaries, its time to turn it down so I can start trapping heat and burning smoke.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

As an aside, once you figure out how to best operate your stove, you'll really improve your burn times.

 

[begreen]

If the thermometer is saying >460º is in the red, Too Hot zone, then it's a flue thermometer and not a stovetop thermometer. Too hot on that stove doesn't start until 700º.

This picture shows both types. The left one (Chimgard) is for a single-wall stove pipe. The center and right ones are stovetop thermometers. Note the difference in the colored ranges with the Inferno a bit more conservative than the Rutland.

 

[Squirrel]

When it's cold here (-20c) my squirrel runs at a steady 700f stove top for several weeks at a time and has done so for several years. You are still smelling paint because it has not been HOT yet. Cast iron will not glow red until 900f so you have a long, long way to go before over heating.

 

[john81]

Hi, thanks for all your (extensive) replies! I wasn't aware of my thermometer being a flue rather than stove thermometer. This explains the still not disappeared paint smell.

I will keep playing / experimenting with fuel reload options and air intake settings / combinations. At least I have the feeling I'm improving while experimenting and reading this forum. By the way - even though it sometimes can be frustrating (especially in the beginning - lots of dying fires and smoke) the more experience one gets, the faster and more stable the burning proces goes - which is a reward I do miss with more "convenient" systems like my wall heating system. Same goes for understanding wood (drying, cleaving, stacking etc.). There is a lot to tell about the whole wood preparing and burning process which makes it an interesting thing.