I think I found her sweet spot/NO I haven't and it going back !!!!!

[They Call Me Pete]

Well I think I finally found the right setting for my stove to give me most heat/burn time. About a 1/2 to an 1" in from full choke down. Outside is 28 degree's and house is 66-68. That works for me. Still wish I had bought a soapstone but oil man hasn't been here in over two months and tank at a 1/2. Hasn't been to to cold though but still saving money on oil.

 

[begreen]

It might help to mention the stove. Can you add it to your signature in your control panel?

 

[They Call Me Pete]

Good idea. It almost sounds like I described a car . Atleast this has a flame job.LOL

 

[gpcollen1]

It is always nice to hit that sweet spot when you need it! Glad to see things working out...is that stove new?

I love my Olympic but I am really perfecting the burn in this third year of operation (bought used). Some of the best wood I have had yet and I am really experimenting with the size of the load for extended burns.

 

[carpniels]

Hi Pete,

Why is your oil tank at 1/2 when the oil guy has not been there for 2.5 months> The Avalon Rainier is a really good stove so you should not have to use any oil heat ever. Also, 66-68 while it is 28 out is not that great. Are you sure you are running the stove OK? Looks like you are going for long burns and not max BTUs, with the way you describe the air setting. I am worried what you are going to do with this cold front with temps in the 10s and lower. Are you going to freeze???

Let us know how you run your stove and why so we have a better idea of your situation.

Thanks

Carpniels

 

[They Call Me Pete]

Yes I'm going for the long run. At the setting above it puts out a lot of heat and burns quick. Need to load it every 3-5 hours. I'm starting to think I have an overdraft problem or something else wrong with the air intake. I've already gone through a cord of oak since second week of Dec. and not running it all that hard either. My heat kicks on in the morning for about an hour because stove will NOT go overnight when loaded (I mean packed full) up and shut down.

The stove shop I got it from was horrible and never told me how to run it or ask if I was trying to heat my house or supplement. So how should I be running it ? Med burn or high ? At high it seems too much heat goes up chimney and where do you guys have your stove thermometer ? Mines on the side ? Should it be closer to the front or on top ?? HHHHHHHHHELP ME !

 

[They Call Me Pete]

Well I'm not freezing but furnace is kicking in. Temp outside is about 8 w/a 10-15 mph wind. Stove is maintaining room it's in and one next to it but kitchen in the back of the house is cool. It's running just under a freight train too. I just can't see how this stove will heat a "real world" 1500 sq ft house if it won't go over night. I packed that little SOB last night about 9:30 with oak and at 4:30 had just enough coals to get kindling going. Contacted stove shop about overdraft and they told me to check the door gasket with a piece of paper closed in it and try to pull out. That checked out ok so I'll have to call them back. Yippie . Starting to think I should have gotten the Olympic. It's got a bigger firebox and would have suited my needs better.

 

[Jfk4th]

The Rainer is a great stove, but not for people that want it for long burns to heat a home. In my book it is a good looking, hot burning stove. I have experience with this, the Olympic, and the Pendelton from Avalon. These stoves are awesome when it comes to getting a good and hot burn. It will heat a home quickly but the downside is only the Olympic will give you the much needed overnight burn. I still love these stoves don't get me wrong, especially the Olympic, but if you are looking for a good long burn the PE is the choice. The Pacific Energy does not have that classy look, unless you get it with the enamel finish, but it is a beast when it comes to long burns.
But back to you, I passed on the Rainer because of the smaller firebox. To compete with the size you must cut smaller pieces and include some rounds when you load up the box. For the size of your house the Olympic would have been the better choice. Many people, including myself, got burned when they listened to the salesman say "Oh yes, the mid sized stove will be plenty for your house size" But they don't take in account the windows, the age of the house for energy efficiency, and how warm you like it. They just want the buck from you. I am not saying all salespeople are like this, just many.

So try using smaller pieces after you have good coals and put some rounds in. Char the wood and then close the stove just about all the way down and see how it goes. Check your total pipe length from the top of the stove to the cap, amke sure you have plenty. If you have way too much then you can make adjustments. Check what the manual says, I think it might be around 14 feet from top of stove to chimney cap.

Good luck with this stove I think you can get the longer burns you need with some tinkering, plus make sure you have good seasoned wood.

If you still want the Olympic many stores will take your used stove if you purchase a new one from them. They will just make yours a display model.

 

[They Call Me Pete]

JFK, You hit the nail on the head. Salesman/brochure were both wrong and now they WILL being taking it back. The part that's stinks is I've had nothing but trouble with this store and they don't give you your money back only a store credit. So I've done a lot of research and I'm going to trade up to a Hearthstone. Don't know what model yet but going with a soapstone.

 

[Jfk4th]

Good for you, my Uncle has a Hearthstone and he loves. But you still might to consider the Olympic, it is a great stove. My father in Law has this and if it would have fit the specs for clearance in my house (where my Avalon Pedleton used to be) I would have chosen that and not the PE Summit. Either way I would have had a nice stove. The large firebox of the Olympic gives you the freedom to burn splits and rounds (big sized) and have plenty for an overnight burn. Soapstones may take a little while longer to heat up but even after the stove is just about out many people still get decent heat for about 10 hours. This is a big plus if you plan on keeping it going 24/7. My uncle uses his hearthstone to heat his house (about the same size as yours). He cut his splits about 14 inches I believe and then packs it in tightly. His house stays around 70-75 all winter long.

You can't go wrong either choice, my motto is bigger is usually a better choice. You can simply shut the stove down a little more if it gets too hot in your crib. With a smaller stove the frustration is not only with the shorter burn time but having to cut smaller logs and not enough room in the firebox.

Good Luck and post some pics when you are up and running.

 

[They Call Me Pete]

I talked to the stove shop and he thinks is an overdraft problem. I told him that I think it's a firebox to small problem. He said install a damper and see what happens. I told him I still want to upgrade and if I do have an overdraft problem I'll deal with it later. He also told me that a soapstone DOESN'T work as well as my current stove. I said then how do you explain the stove giving off heat after it's out. Silence was his explanation. Now he has to talk to owner about how much they'll give us for it. I said what I payed. He didn't like that. I'm sure he'll argue the overdraft problem. I still say it's not a big enough stove.

 

[JimWalshin845]

Good for you Pete and I think it is only fair that they only offer you store credit on their part. From what I am reading in the forums very few dealers seem reputable these days and that is a crime. I bet there are tons of good dealers out there too, but I think they resolve their problems before they arise, like good sizing of product to application along with a good install.

Caveat Emptor!

 

[jgoodnow]

I'm just a newbie but if it were me I would be trying to diagnose and solve a possible overdraft problem rather than planning for an upgrade. I wouldn't necessarily install a damper and "see what happens," but I would try to figure out a way to measure the draft. Is there some sort of instrument that you can put into a flue that measures flow rate in cubic feet per minute? You would also need to know what a normal vs. excessively high flow rate is.

 

[gpcollen1]

I talked to the stove shop and he thinks is an overdraft problem. I told him that I think it's a firebox to small problem. He said install a damper and see what happens. I told him I still want to upgrade and if I do have an overdraft problem I'll deal with it later. He also told me that a soapstone DOESN'T work as well as my current stove. I said then how do you explain the stove giving off heat after it's out. Silence was his explanation. Now he has to talk to owner about how much they'll give us for it. I said what I payed. He didn't like that. I'm sure he'll argue the overdraft problem. I still say it's not a big enough stove.

did you get those in Western CT - New Milford perhaps. I just ask b/c I know that store - and like them. Sometimes the problem with the salesmen is that they are new. The businesses seem to turnover some of the help every year - so If you are looking for help and get the new guy - well you are SOL.

The other side is when a store is just trying to sell what is in stick as opposed to what you really need/want. I had that happen with a pellet stove - that I want to heat some of the upstairs in the colder months. I have still not purchased one yet but at least that pushed me on to an Englander - which i will purchase sometime this month.