ideal operating temperatures

[steven schultz]

Hello -
first, apologies if this has been covered, and thanks in advance for pointers to any threads I've missed.
Three questions related to my VC Winterwarm (small) catalytic insert:
1) what temperature should the stove reach before engaging the cat?
2) what is the max operating temp for the stove?
3) I recently obtained an infrared thermometer - where would be a good place to take readings? The top plate on the outside? Or, inside the stove on the iron side wall? (my temp gun goes to 950-degrees F)
Thank you!

 

[BrowningBAR]

Not many Winerwarm owners here.

With good dry wood you can engage the cat at lower temps. The Encore I engage the cat at higher temps as it seems to work better that way. The Defiant I engage the cat as low as 300.

Hard to say what the operating temp are for your insert as I have never owned one and insert temps are different than stove temps.

 

[Ashful]

The Encore I engage the cat at higher temps as it seems to work better that way. The Defiant I engage the cat as low as 300.

To add to the confusion... I needed to get my stovetop temp up to 550F before engaging, when I kept my thermometer on the top-load door. Now that I have a pot of water sitting there, I moved my thermometer to the front right corner if the stovetop. I find I need to engage when that spot reads 275 - 300F.

 

[steven schultz]

Thank you very much. I have a question in to the folks at VC and will report the results if I hear back.
The temperatures you cite - are those the actual surface metal temperatures as opposed to the adjusted reading that some stick-on thermometers give (to simulate the inside temp)?
Thanks again.

 

[BrotherBart]

as opposed to the adjusted reading that some stick-on thermometers give (to simulate the inside temp)?

I would like to see one of those. Got a link?

 

[BrotherBart]

To add to the confusion... I needed to get my stovetop temp up to 550F before engaging, when I kept my thermometer on the top-load door. Now that I have a pot of water sitting there, I moved my thermometer to the front right corner if the stovetop. I find I need to engage when that spot reads 275 - 300F.

If more insert owners realized that we would see fewer posts about cracked inserts.

 

[HotCoals]

Thank you very much. I have a question in to the folks at VC and will report the results if I hear back.
The temperatures you cite - are those the actual surface metal temperatures as opposed to the adjusted reading that some stick-on thermometers give (to simulate the inside temp)?
Thanks again.

Its my understanding that any surface mount thermometer only gives you about half of what the temp is inside.
Others might know diff..I dunno.

 

[Ashful]

The inside and surface temps will never track by any standard offset or ratio. They are decoupled by time and by what is happening outside the stove. You can find a range of temperatures of more than 200F on various surfaces of your stove, and any of them can be drastically altered by circulating a little air around the stove, all while not really affecting internal temps much.

Maybe one could find some steady-state offset, for a given install under "normal" conditions, whatever they may be. However, with a wood fire being very dynamic (no continuous addition of fuel), it's tough to even find a steady-state condition.

 

[BrotherBart]

The temperatures you cite - are those the actual surface metal temperatures as opposed to the adjusted reading that some stick-on thermometers give (to simulate the inside temp)?

Is what he said. Nothing about inside temps or half anything. Mag thermos show surface metal temp. I wanna see one of those with "adjusted reading".