Mansfield Running Away From Me!

[michiganwinters]

Hi there,

Been burning seriously since 07. Last stove was PE Summit...great stove went so soap for even heating. Anyway wood is always 3 year season oak.

The setup: Temp set up in a polebarn while we are building the house. Chimney setup is absolute crap with barely any draft. Singlewall up 3.5' 90 back 6' 90 up 6ft. I know this is a horrible horrible setup and it is TEMP the proper setup will be in the house (double wall with inline damper, up to class A total of 24ft.

Anyway,.....I load the stove up at night, get it charred up and cut air back in 3rds. Nice slow rolling secondaries going like it should be. Stove top about 400. Well 2-3 hrs later the flames are just rolling, temps climb up to 600 WAY too much action in the firebox So we know there is barely a draft so no over drafting issues. This thing is sucking air fom somewhere! I would hate to hook it up to 23ft

I need help to figure out where its sucking air and how to fix. Bought new this fall. Burning with grate closed, all doors closed, air fully closed and temps climb on me. I would say thats running.

Please help this gal out! Thanks!

 

[pen]

Sure you didn't have a small chimney fire? When one of them starts, you'll have exceptional draft.

 

[michiganwinters]

No, it runs like this consistantly. Im not comfortable with a stove that rises 200+ degress when its 100% shut down.

 

[KaptJaq]

Has it been burning like this since day one? Have you done the basic checks? Door gaskets? All assembled corners? Done the dollar bill test? Have you checked when it is running hot to see if it sucks in incense smoke anywhere?

KaptJaq

 

[michiganwinters]

Yes, its been like this since day 1. I will try the dollar test and incense test. If I find and area I'm not sure how to fix. thanks!

 

[begreen]

The Mansfield is no more 100% shut down with the air closed than the Summit was. Sounds like an airleak. Check every gasket seal carefully, then inspect carefully for cracks and seam leaks. Sometimes a bright light in the stove in a darkened room can help spot these.

 

[BrowningBAR]

Nothing wrong with a Mansfield hitting 600 degrees.

 

[Highbeam]

The hearthstones use 100% unregulated secondary air and lots of it. If your fuel is outgassing then it will be burnt and the temps will rise. You can't stop it. Modern non-cat EPA awesomeness. You never actually have control of a non-cat and that is on purpose to prevent you from polluting too much.

My heritage would "run away" to about 500 degrees and stop. This with the air shut down to zero and my minimum spec chimney using low btu wood in WA.

Check the gasket for sure but don't be surpised if this is how the thing runs.

 

[Dairyman]

No, it runs like this consistantly. Im not comfortable with a stove that rises 200+ degress when its 100% shut down.

It's perfectly normal for the temps to rise with the primary closed, highbeams post summed it up well. I normally have the primary air closed before the stove hits 325 on reloads starting around 250.

I would check your primary intakes to be sure there not bent so that there fully closing.

Also pick up a second thermometer or an IR thermometer to check flue temps and compare readings with your current one.

 

[JonOfSunderland]

Sounds like the way mine burns. Are you loading north/south or east/west? How big are your splits?

 

[corey21]

To me that is normal fire in a non cat stove.

 

[Dakotas Dad]

Nothing wrong with a Mansfield hitting 600 degrees.

Absolutely.

You may very well have a better draft than you think once the stove gets warmed up. I have my Manny hooked up to 24' of triple wall in a warm(ish) chase.. I bent up a couple little sliders and attached them to the bottom of the stove with neodymium magnets. I then slid them back and forth over the 2ndary inlets until I felt I had a good burn time.

If it's in the teens out, and we fully load the stove, stove top at 200-250F we will usually see 450F on the top stone in 20 minutes or so, probe in the offset box around 600-700F. We start airing down there, and after 30 minutes or so, our probe will still be around 600F and so will the top stone. It will cruise there for quite some time, and we will not reload for 8-10 hours. We will have relightable coals at 12 hours with oak. Little less with other hardwoods we burn.

 

[michiganwinters]

Hmm...ok maybe it just take getting use to. But to me it seems like the wood is burning up way too fast! After 3 hrs the wood is pretty much clear all the way through (like a log that looks like a coal). By morning after loading at 9:30 I might have a few small coals nothing more. My summit was never like that in the box with the air shut down so thats all I know. At night we burn NS and usually fit 5 splits in there. I just dont like the feeling of shutting the air all the down and it climbing to 600+. How do I have any control?? I will still double check for air leaks. thanks!

 

[rdust]

How do I have any control??

You don't, one of the big reasons I own a cat stove an no longer a non-cat. My non cat on a full load was up then down with little to no control. Biggest way to control output on a non cat is fuel load.

 

[DonT]

600 degrees is not bad, but the short burn time is. My Mansfield would hold coal for ever, 10-14 hours or more. Look at the door and ash pan. I installed a key damper and made a sliding plate to close off the air intake. With my stove I had to be careful with charring on a hot bed of coals and to not let stove pipe temps get much over 400 degrees or it would run away. I think north south may burn faster then east west as will small spits. Good luck, it is a very nice looking stove.

I purchased and installed a 2012 Mansfield (new door style) in november 2012. This stove would go to 650-700 degrees (@center stone) with pipe temps @ 475-500 with air on low. This was on a low draft flue, 0.05"wc. The door castings where bad, I was on my third door, the last door was cherry picked by Hearthstone. Ash pan was found not to seal, even after adjustment it was not the best. Damper and air restrictor plate help some. I never could get control of the burn. Hearthstone would not help.

 

[Rich L]

Hmm...ok maybe it just take getting use to. But to me it seems like the wood is burning up way too fast! After 3 hrs the wood is pretty much clear all the way through (like a log that looks like a coal). By morning after loading at 9:30 I might have a few small coals nothing more. My summit was never like that in the box with the air shut down so thats all I know. At night we burn NS and usually fit 5 splits in there. I just dont like the feeling of shutting the air all the down and it climbing to 600+. How do I have any control?? I will still double check for air leaks. thanks!

My Mansfield would burn up the wood in 5 or 6 hours.Since I have 40 feet of pipe the draft is like a freight train.I put in a pipe damper and I'm now getting 12 hour burns with an additional 2 or 3 hours of heat from the rock.