Let's All Play......OVERFIRE THAT STOVE!!

[DavidV]

woke up this morning and ti was pretty chilly low 40's I'm guessin so I lit a fire. Reloaded and went out to the shop around 845. Didn't have the cat engaged yet. Came in about 20 minutes ago and the flippin stove ewas over 600 degrees surface temp. engaged the cat and damped it down as far as it goes for air supply. Bought new gaskets yesterday for the door and the ashpan. I'm gonna let this thing go out and when it finally does I'm changing out the gaskets before I burn it again. IT's down to 500 surface temp now. the increase in draft from the liner is flippin scarey. Just thought I would post to encourage all out there to do any maintenance that they might have been putting off. It isn't worth burning down the place over.

 

[begreen]

Good to be cautious and keep the stove in good repair, but 600 doesn't sound like overfiring, just a bit hot. Most Jotuls we've owned will jump right up to 600+ with good wood if not dampered down.

 

[BrotherBart]

This opens up a question I have always had and never got around to asking. If you fire the cat at 500 degrees and it (at least as I understand it) then produces a burn of over a thousand degrees when burning gases, how the hell does the stove top temp stay around 500-600? I know it is in a chamber that reclaims the heat from the burning gases to keep the heat in the stove. That chamber has to be transferring a hell of a lot of heat to the stove body.

 

[elkimmeg]

BB that's a good question In the VC setups I have that combustion takes place in a cermanice insulated type fire package. It protects the Cast from over heating the fire box temps stay the same the cat is in its own secondary combustion chamber insulated to take 1200 plus degreees but still allow a positive heat gain

 

[BrotherBart]

BB that's a good question In the VC setups I have that combustion takes place in a cermanice insulated type fire package. It protects the Cast from over heating the fire box temps stay the same the cat is in its own secondary combustion chamber insulated to take 1200 plus degreees but still allow a positive heat gain

OK. That makes sense. The cat is contributing to the stove's heat but primarily burning the gases for emissions sake. But that also tells me that it is kicking over a thousand degree air into the flue. One big old reason for those eight inch flue requirements with the cats. Heat dissipation of the pipe.

Also more reason for me not to be too concerned about seven hundred degree exhaust on the ole Sierra since I lined the chimney.

 

[Mike Wilson]

Pal, if you think 600 is overfiring it, then I overfire my Jotul 24/7, all winter long... the damned thing runs like a top at 650.

Call me when it glows orange, then we'll talk!

-- Mike

 

[AKFireMan]

I'm with Mike on this one, My VC Encore normally hums along with the cat engaged and air turned all the way down at around 600 all winter long.

Ron

 

[VT-Woodburner]

We keep the stove at 500 to 600 all winter too. According to the thermometer that's the normal operating temperature.
I remember when I bought my first stove (Avalon Ranier) in the early 90s and asked the installer when can I tell if I'm overfiring it. He said: "When it starts to glow".

 

[DavidV]

Keep in mind I have a magnet thermometer on the front of the stove next to the damper handle. I have burned at 600 much of last winter. Waht concerned me was how fast I got to 600 this time and the fact that the flames inside the stove were whipping around like there was way to much air coming in. Not qhite a blast furnace but enough that I was concerned for the stove rising in temp beyond it's ability to cope....especiallyif I wasn't around. I r3egasketed the door last night. What a pain. Makes it hard to close the door....very hard. Still need to gasket the ashpan door. I'll get to that this week.

It's almost like learning to operate a new stove.

 

[elkimmeg]

David it is a new learning curb That stove may poreform in way you never experienced its now up to you the harness them.
Could mean an in line damper. That liner exposed what you though was the norm. so much air leaked by your gaskets to promote draft and taking heat with it.

I am willing to bet that once you learn to controll that beast, you will burn less, hotter and longer.
You and bb are in the same boat in this situation

 

[BrotherBart]

David it is a new learning curb That stove may poreform in way you never experienced its now up to you the harness them.
Could mean an in line damper. That liner exposed what you though was the norm. so much air leaked by your gaskets to promote draft and taking heat with it.

I am willing to bet that once you learn to controll that beast, you will burn less, hotter and longer.
You and bb are in the same boat in this situation

Yep winter's here and this is like trying to put a saddle on a running horse.