HT3000 question

[Rockhound007]

Good morning!
I installed a new HT3000 this year, upgraded to a bigger stove with the price of propane constantly rising.
I have a bungalow with the stove on the main floor, chimney/venting is a straight shot up, maybe 18ft total.
My old stove was an Osburn 1600 that worked well, but on the really cold nights would go out because of smaller loads of wood I could get in.
In the house I used double wall stove pipe with an insertion thermometer.
On the old stove I used to keep the fire around 500-600F, with the air damper only open slightly, with the new HT3000, it seems I need to leave the air damper open more, and I am not getting as much heat, stove isn’t sooting up, but now and then I see smoke outside from it and open the air more.
Still early in the season, but I am putting about 6 mid sized pieces in.
The wood I am burning is also well seasoned.
I am just looking for ideas, suggestions or other stories.
Is this normal?
Do they run a bit cooler?

Thanks in advance.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

What is the moisture content of your wood?

 

[Rockhound007]

17-19%

 

[Rockhound007]

I’m also wondering about the “secondary” burn, is that the tubes above the fire, and when it appears the flames are coming out of the tubes?

 

[EatenByLimestone]

How did you measure the moisture content? Room temp split, recently split, with the grain?

It also possible that your fuel load wasn’t large enough for a 3.5 cu ft firebox.

Yes, secondary burn is flame caused by hot air being injected into the smoke at the top of the firebox.

 

[Todd]

What are your outside temps like, could be weather related draft issues. Also is chimney been cleaned, check cap.

 

[begreen]

Make sure that the baffle panel didn't get cracked in shipping and is all the way to the rear of the firebox so as to not allow any of the flue gases to escape up the flue in the back.

 

[Rockhound007]

Temperature was cooler, 34-36F, I wondered about that too, I’m thinking I didn’t load enough also.
My old stove 4 pieces would fill it, a couple times it would get really hot in the flue 1000F+, then slowly come back to a good burn temp of 500-600, I’ve heard stories of stoves getting away on people and it is nerve racking when it get that hot.
Chimney is clean, will double check baffle.

I’ve seen various videos about loading these bigger stoves, it appears you have to fill it right up, is that a fair statement?

 

[begreen]

The load is not too small. That would be normal for our stove in shoulder season weather. You don't need to load the stove full up. It could be the wood is a little high in moisture content which is slowing down the fire. Next fire, try adding a couple more splits to see if that helps.

The key to avoiding a runaway fire is to watch the flue temps in order to know when to turn down the air. Doing so will become routine as the stove operation becomes familiar.

Have you read this thread?

Starting a fire and running an EPA stove

Questions about starting a fire and avoiding a runaway stove come up so frequently I decided to document starting our stove. This is a Pacific Energy Alderlea T6 with about a 3 cu ft firebox. The stove is connected to a straight-up, 20' interior flue. The outside ambient temperature is 34ºF. The...

www.hearth.com

 

[Rockhound007]

I have not read the fire, and yes I know that’s usually when a fire gets away, my old stove I used for 12yrs and it happened now and then, (now and then=my wife watching it while I did something else..lol)
Thank you for the article, I will read it!

I have never heard the term “splits”, what is this referring to?

 

[begreen]

Split = split firewood as opposed to a log which is unsplit and still round.

 

[Rockhound007]

LOL!!
Ok, I thought it was a term for something else.
Thank you everyone

 

[Rockhound007]

I also found my baffle about a 1/2” forward, have put back in place,
Once again, thank you everyone!

 

[begreen]

I also found my baffle about a 1/2” forward, have put back in place,
Once again, thank you everyone!

Good for checking. That can make a notable difference.

 

[j7art2]

I've got an Osburn 3500 -- Essentially a Drolet HT3000. Same firebox and mostly similar controls, both made by SBI.

This is my first year heating with it (Installed this spring) and while so far I've only had about 6 fires under my belt on it, I've noticed the following:

On your first fire of the morning from a completely cold unit, expect little to no heat for at minimum an hour, realistically more. The operators manual claims a 1 hour warm up time. I'm finding it to be more like two, even using well seasoned soft wood to establish a quick bed of coals. This guy doesn't start rolling major heat until it's got a bed of coals an inch deep or so. I was worried something was wrong with my stove when building small fires since I was getting so little heat from them, but my buddy whos more familiar with the newer EPA specific units insisted it was normal. He informed me in his Pleasant Hearth manual in fact says something along the lines of "This unit has not reached maximum efficiency until 1-2" of coals have been established along the bottom of the stove" or something to that effect. Once you've established a bed of coals, it starts pumping out warmth and then you just keep adding to it. I'm actually kind of surprised how much this unit doesn't like small fires so far from what I've seen.

 

[Rockhound007]

I've got an Osburn 3500 -- Essentially a Drolet HT3000. Same firebox and mostly similar controls, both made by SBI.

This is my first year heating with it (Installed this spring) and while so far I've only had about 6 fires under my belt on it, I've noticed the following:

On your first fire of the morning from a completely cold unit, expect little to no heat for at minimum an hour, realistically more. The operators manual claims a 1 hour warm up time. I'm finding it to be more like two, even using well seasoned soft wood to establish a quick bed of coals. This guy doesn't start rolling major heat until it's got a bed of coals an inch deep or so. I was worried something was wrong with my stove when building small fires since I was getting so little heat from them, but my buddy whos more familiar with the newer EPA specific units insisted it was normal. He informed me in his Pleasant Hearth manual in fact says something along the lines of "This unit has not reached maximum efficiency until 1-2" of coals have been established along the bottom of the stove" or something to that effect. Once you've established a bed of coals, it starts pumping out warmth and then you just keep adding to it. I'm actually kind of surprised how much this unit doesn't like small fires so far from what I've seen.

You hit the nail on the head with this, this is exactly what I am expieriencing!
But as one of the previous comments stated, it’s much bigger mass that needs to be heated, and makes sense.
My imd

I've got an Osburn 3500 -- Essentially a Drolet HT3000. Same firebox and mostly similar controls, both made by SBI.

This is my first year heating with it (Installed this spring) and while so far I've only had about 6 fires under my belt on it, I've noticed the following:

On your first fire of the morning from a completely cold unit, expect little to no heat for at minimum an hour, realistically more. The operators manual claims a 1 hour warm up time. I'm finding it to be more like two, even using well seasoned soft wood to establish a quick bed of coals. This guy doesn't start rolling major heat until it's got a bed of coals an inch deep or so. I was worried something was wrong with my stove when building small fires since I was getting so little heat from them, but my buddy whos more familiar with the newer EPA specific units insisted it was normal. He informed me in his Pleasant Hearth manual in fact says something along the lines of "This unit has not reached maximum efficiency until 1-2" of coals have been established along the bottom of the stove" or something to that effect. Once you've established a bed of coals, it starts pumping out warmth and then you just keep adding to it. I'm actually kind of surprised how much this unit doesn't like small fires so far from what I've seen.

This is exactly what I have seen, like others have said the bigger stove equals bigger mass, which takes much longer .

I've got an Osburn 3500 -- Essentially a Drolet HT3000. Same firebox and mostly similar controls, both made by SBI.

This is my first year heating with it (Installed this spring) and while so far I've only had about 6 fires under my belt on it, I've noticed the following:

On your first fire of the morning from a completely cold unit, expect little to no heat for at minimum an hour, realistically more. The operators manual claims a 1 hour warm up time. I'm finding it to be more like two, even using well seasoned soft wood to establish a quick bed of coals. This guy doesn't start rolling major heat until it's got a bed of coals an inch deep or so. I was worried something was wrong with my stove when building small fires since I was getting so little heat from them, but my buddy whos more familiar with the newer EPA specific units insisted it was normal. He informed me in his Pleasant Hearth manual in fact says something along the lines of "This unit has not reached maximum efficiency until 1-2" of coals have been established along the bottom of the stove" or something to that effect. Once you've established a bed of coals, it starts pumping out warmth and then you just keep adding to it. I'm actually kind of surprised how much this unit doesn't like small fires so far from what I've seen

I’m the same as yourself, I’ve seen these same scenarios also.
Going from the smaller stove to the bigger, was kind of expecting the same thing, but starting to get my head around this one!!
Thanks for sharing

 

[Rockhound007]

You hit the nail on the head with this, this is exactly what I am expieriencing!
But as one of the previous comments stated, it’s much bigger mass that needs to be heated, and makes sense.
My imd

This is exactly what I have seen, like others have said the bigger stove equals bigger mass, which takes much longer .



I’m the same as yourself, I’ve seen these same scenarios also.
Going from the smaller stove to the bigger, was kind of expecting the same thing, but starting to get my head around this one!!
Thanks for sharing

I am replying on my phone, that’s why so many I think….lol

 

[EatenByLimestone]

You can compensate for the small fire/big stove a bit by physically making the firebox smaller with ash or firebrick. If the fire is higher in the box the top of the stove heats the baffle/tubes and the secondaries light off. It’s like a top down start.

 

[begreen]

I've got an Osburn 3500 -- Essentially a Drolet HT3000. Same firebox and mostly similar controls, both made by SBI.

This is my first year heating with it (Installed this spring) and while so far I've only had about 6 fires under my belt on it, I've noticed the following:

On your first fire of the morning from a completely cold unit, expect little to no heat for at minimum an hour, realistically more. The operators manual claims a 1 hour warm up time. I'm finding it to be more like two, even using well seasoned soft wood to establish a quick bed of coals. This guy doesn't start rolling major heat until it's got a bed of coals an inch deep or so. I was worried something was wrong with my stove when building small fires since I was getting so little heat from them, but my buddy whos more familiar with the newer EPA specific units insisted it was normal. He informed me in his Pleasant Hearth manual in fact says something along the lines of "This unit has not reached maximum efficiency until 1-2" of coals have been established along the bottom of the stove" or something to that effect. Once you've established a bed of coals, it starts pumping out warmth and then you just keep adding to it. I'm actually kind of surprised how much this unit doesn't like small fires so far from what I've seen.

Possibly excess heat is going up the flue on startup. How soon before a secondary burn is visible? How quickly is the air being turned down?

NOTE: Moving thread to the new SBI forum.

 

[j7art2]

Possibly excess heat is going up the flue on startup. How soon before a secondary burn is visible? How quickly is the air being turned down?

NOTE: Moving thread to the new SBI forum.

I guess I haven't exactly timed it. I don't turn the air down too much until I start getting some good heat output. I assume I need maximum air for maximum heat on a stone cold unit, even if more of that is going up the flue while warming up. Probably close to an hour when cold, then for about 10 minutes or so after I add new wood until it's lit unless I'm already secondary burning at the time. I assume by choking off the air before I establish my bed of coals, I'm also choking off potential heat. This is my first unit with no flue control and only passive air control, so maybe I'm doing it wrong.

 

[j7art2]

You can compensate for the small fire/big stove a bit by physically making the firebox smaller with ash or firebrick. If the fire is higher in the box the top of the stove heats the baffle/tubes and the secondaries light off. It’s like a top down start.

I almost wonder if adding the dreaded "fireplace grate" wouldn't help during milder weather. Likely more air exposure too under the fire, which would result in quicker, but also hotter burn in theory. Hmm.

 

[bholler]

I guess I haven't exactly timed it. I don't turn the air down too much until I start getting some good heat output. I assume I need maximum air for maximum heat on a stone cold unit, even if more of that is going up the flue while warming up. Probably close to an hour when cold, then for about 10 minutes or so after I add new wood until it's lit unless I'm already secondary burning at the time. I assume by choking off the air before I establish my bed of coals, I'm also choking off potential heat. This is my first unit with no flue control and only passive air control, so maybe I'm doing it wrong.

Are you using a pipe thermometer? That is how you should be determining when to start shutting back the air. You won't get much heat from the stove until you start shutting the air

 

[bholler]

I almost wonder if adding the dreaded "fireplace grate" wouldn't help during milder weather. Likely more air exposure too under the fire, which would result in quicker, but also hotter burn in theory. Hmm.

No

 

[j7art2]

Are you using a pipe thermometer? That is how you should be determining when to start shutting back the air. You won't get much heat from the stove until you start shutting the air

Not yet on my new unit. I have a magnetic flue thermometer, but it's not reading correctly no matter where I put it since I can't put it on the flue and I'm rapidly realizing that. That's actually one of the problems I'm trying to solve currently. The other day the unit was so warm on my bed of coals when I opened the door I almost couldn't add more wood, and obviously choked the air way down after. It didn't appear to be overheating, but I realized then that I need to solve this problem ASAP.

I've been trying to figure out exactly the best way to install a probe thermometer since I've got a double wall uninsulated telescoping stove pipe in the house.

I've got a link here on it, but it's been a pretty quiet thread. I'm going to try and grab some pics so I can better explain my question about this. I just want to make sure it's not interfering with my ability to clean it in the future, and that I'm not causing myself problems.

Where do I put a magnetic thermometer when I have an insulated flue?

I've always kept a magnetic thermometer on single wall flue to gauge my temperature. With my new wood stove, my stove pipe is double wall, so this won't give me the correct temperature reading. I tried it on the side of the stove, but because of the air pocket created between layers of steel...

www.hearth.com

 

[kborndale]

I almost wonder if adding the dreaded "fireplace grate" wouldn't help during milder weather. Likely more air exposure too under the fire, which would result in quicker, but also hotter burn in theory. Hmm.

Instead of a grate, just put a few small splits on the bottom in the opposite direction and load the rest of the load normally on top. I believe some people call them sleepers. This will get you air under the fire.