I added a grate to my stove

[Chippy Chaser]

Ok, before the naysayers step in and tell me that I'm an idiot for doing so, & how the owners manual says not to use a grate....I wanted to share my experience.

First things first, my stove is a Astria catalytic with a fire brick floor. No grate, no ash pan.
It seemed that no matter what wood I feed the stove It was struggling to keep above 500 degrees (according to the factory installed temp gauge) After 24 hrs of burning the coals would be 3-4 inches deep, and above the door lip.
I tried moving the coals towards the front and either side of the box as others suggest, but still every morning I had to shovel out a full 4 gallon bucket of black coals.

I was getting frustrated and finally decided to I purchase a cheap grate from Tractor Supply. (yes I know It probably won't last very long, but I'm experimenting at this point)
After the first three days of burning 24/7 here is what I have found.

Once I get a good coal bed on the grate my stove will eat up any wood I toss in. Temps are more steady and stay between 600-800 degrees F. ( factory temp gage reading the chimney inlet inner wall)
Room temp has gone up 4-5 degrees.
No more shoveling out coals every morning. Three days burning and nothing but a small amount of ash under the grate.
Wood is being burned completely and I'm waking up to a warm stove with glowing red coals on the grate instead of a cold stove and a pile of black coals.

Before the grate I would have to run my outside air wide open to maintain a visible flame. After the grate I'm able to throttle back the air and still maintain some nice slow ghost flames while still holding heat.

Thoughts?

 

[bholler]

Ok, before the naysayers step in and tell me that I'm an idiot for doing so, & how the owners manual says not to use a grate....I wanted to share my experience.

First things first, my stove is a Astria catalytic with a fire brick floor. No grate, no ash pan.
It seemed that no matter what wood I feed the stove It was struggling to keep above 500 degrees (according to the factory installed temp gauge) After 24 hrs of burning the coals would be 3-4 inches deep, and above the door lip.
I tried moving the coals towards the front and either side of the box as others suggest, but still every morning I had to shovel out a full 4 gallon bucket of black coals.

I was getting frustrated and finally decided to I purchase a cheap grate from Tractor Supply. (yes I know It probably won't last very long, but I'm experimenting at this point)
After the first three days of burning 24/7 here is what I have found.

Once I get a good coal bed on the grate my stove will eat up any wood I toss in. Temps are more steady and stay between 600-800 degrees F. ( factory temp gage reading the chimney inlet inner wall)
Room temp has gone up 4-5 degrees.
No more shoveling out coals every morning. Three days burning and nothing but a small amount of ash under the grate.
Wood is being burned completely and I'm waking up to a warm stove with glowing red coals on the grate instead of a cold stove and a pile of black coals.

Before the grate I would have to run my outside air wide open to maintain a visible flame. After the grate I'm able to throttle back the air and still maintain some nice slow ghost flames while still holding heat.

Thoughts?

It sounds like wet wood to me. A grate has no place in a woodstove there are other things going on.

 

[Rearscreen]

Well, you might be playing with fire as the manufacturer stated not to use a grate. There may be other reasons for your problems.

 

[webby3650]

My thought is that your wood isn’t properly seasoned. All the grate is doing is allowing air to flow under the wood, which really reduces burn times and could potentially overfire the stove if you put some seasoned wood in there.

 

[jatoxico]

Wet wood was my thought too. Excessive coaling, cool temps. You could get a similar effect as a grate by cribbing the wood. First course N/S next E/W, don't pack splits too close to allow max air.

 

[Chippy Chaser]

Thanks for the insight guys. I have a mix of seasoned wood and standing dead that I cut last spring/summer.
Before trying the grate I tried cribbing the seasoned wood with the sad same results.

I'm new to burning and learning as I go. I appreciate your wisdom.

 

[lsucet]

Thanks for the insight guys. I have a mix of seasoned wood and standing dead that cut last spring/summer.
Before trying the grate I tried cribbing the seasoned wood with the sad same results.

I'm new to burning and learning as I go. I appreciate your wisdom.

What is the method used to know it is seasoned?

 

[bholler]

Thanks for the insight guys. I have a mix of seasoned wood and standing dead that cut last spring/summer.
Before trying the grate I tried cribbing the seasoned wood with the sad same results.

I'm new to burning and learning as I go. I appreciate your wisdom.

Do you have a moisture meter if so what percentage is your wood at?

 

[Chippy Chaser]

Do you have a moisture meter if so what percentage is your wood at?

Yes, I have a moisture meter. Most of my wood is 18-20 %.
Two weeks ago I fired up the splitter and split a good portion into smaller splits. Anything over 30% inside moisture went into the unseasoned pile for next season.
Plus I have a huge pile of hardwood pallet cuts that I'm using for starters.

 

[Woody Stover]

Yes, I have a moisture meter. Most of my wood is 18-20 %

To test wood, it needs to be a room temp, then re-split and tested by jabbing the pins into the freshly-exposed face. If you test cold wood, it will read low.

 

[Chippy Chaser]

I just checked a bunch of pieces that I brought inside this morning. 14-22% is what I'm seeing.
That's with the probes dug in deep. I did not re split.
I'm most likely dealing with wet wood

 

[kennyp2339]

I'm most likely dealing with wet wood

recognizing this is your first step to recovery

 

[jatoxico]

Very few new burners, myself included have good enough wood the first year. I thought I was in good shape w/ 18 mo seasoned locust. Wrong, had to split smaller, crib, feed scraps etc etc all while giving plenty of air to get by.

How long have you been burning, what's your cap looking like?

 

[lsucet]

I just checked a bunch of pieces that I brought inside this morning. 14-22% is what I'm seeing.
That's with the probes dug in deep. I did not re split.
I'm most likely dealing with wet wood

The good thing is you acknowledged it and now you know the cause of the condition plus now you know what needs to be improved.

 

[Chippy Chaser]

Very few new burners, myself included have good enough wood the first year. I thought I was in good shape w/ 18 mo seasoned locust. Wrong, had to split smaller, crib, feed scraps etc etc all while giving plenty of air to get by.

How long have you been burning, what's your cap looking like?

Been burning just over a month. I checked the cap last weekend while cleaning the gutters. It had some flakey creosote on it so I removed it and shined a good light down the chimney. It looked clean, sooty, but nothing flakey.

The good thing is you acknowledged it and now you know the cause of the condition plus now you know what needs to be improved.

All of my wood including the seasoned wood I bought this summer has been out in the weather. Next season I'm going in with a plan. I have all the wood I need to build a wood shed.
I'll have 3-4 cords of seasoned wood delivered, keep it dry, and the standing dead I have will be cut & split for the 2019-20 winter.
Then I can burn without the grate & hopefully my blood pressure will go down.

Between the new stove & install, 35 ton splitter, new chain saw, & all of the weekends I spent cutting, splitting, & stacking. It's quite an investment, and quite the learning experience.

 

[jatoxico]

Keep the air up, don't chase burn times and keep your eye on the cap. Once the cold weather comes that's your canary.

 

[jetsam]

recognizing this is your first step to recovery

I can stop any time I want to

 

[bholler]

Been burning just over a month. I checked the cap last weekend while cleaning the gutters. It had some flakey creosote on it so I removed it and shined a good light down the chimney. It looked clean, sooty, but nothing flakey.

All of my wood including the seasoned wood I bought this summer has been out in the weather. Next season I'm going in with a plan. I have all the wood I need to build a wood shed.
I'll have 3-4 cords of seasoned wood delivered, keep it dry, and the standing dead I have will be cut & split for the 2019-20 winter.
Then I can burn without the grate & hopefully my blood pressure will go down.

Between the new stove & install, 35 ton splitter, new chain saw, & all of the weekends I spent cutting, splitting, & stacking. It's quite an investment, and quite the learning experience.

Just be aware that wood that you buy that is sold as seasoned most likely is not at all.

 

[xman23]

I doesn't sound all that bad. It's not like your adding additional air. Piles of unburned coals sounds like wet wood, that puts itself out. My primary air comes from a few small holes at the front, floor of the stove. I try to keep it clear so the air flows under the wood.

 

[Chippy Chaser]

I doesn't sound all that bad. It's not like your adding additional air. Piles of unburned coals sounds like wet wood, that puts itself out. My primary air comes from a few small holes at the front, floor of the stove. I try to keep it clear so the air flows under the wood.

From what I can see my primary air come in from one hole in the front center floor. The coals were building up to fast. I tried parting the coals down the center like Moses, but I'm not getting enough to burn off the wet coals.
With the grate I get a consistent flow of air under the wood helping to cook it to ash.
I guess it's the method I'll have to use until I can get some proper wood.

 

[begreen]

Wet wood is a real challenge and for all the work the heat can be disappointing. Workarounds deal with the symptoms, and not the real problem. Check the chimney monthly this season.

 

[Chippy Chaser]

Wet wood is a real challenge and for all the work the heat can be disappointing. Workarounds deal with the symptoms, and not the real problem. Check the chimney monthly this season.

What exactly am I looking for that should be a red flag?

 

[begreen]

There is bound to be some buildup in the chimney. If it is brown or black and flakey then it will clean out. If it is black and shiny or tarry that is a bad sign. Much harder to clean out. With frequent cleanings hopefully you will avoid the latter.

 

[CeeDee]

What should the moisture meter be reading for wood that's good for burning? Does it differ for the species or hardness?

 

[blacktail]

What should the moisture meter be reading for wood that's good for burning? Does it differ for the species or hardness?

Under 20%.