Hi all,
First of all let me wish everyone a very happy and healthy New Year! All in all we can't complain here, although I would like some serious snow so I can try out my new Troy-Bilt............Murphy's Law notwithstanding, of course;-)
In any case..............I have not posted here since some time in 2006, but I've looked in from time to time, and it's still one of the best forums for rational, well-thought-out information. You should check out the acoustic guitar forums if you want to see chaos!
We bought this house in 1994 and it already had a 16' x 24' atrium on the west side with an Earth Stove 1500HT. There's 4.5' from the top of the stove to the ceiling (low side of a half-cathedral) with black pipe and a flue damper.
On the roof there are 2 sections of Metalbestos (or whatever those stainless steel interlocking pipes are called). The distance from there to the back of the existing split-level house is 12'. There is a wind-driven SS 'turbine' at the top (that needs an oiling or the noise is going to drive me crazy).
This is my first wood stove and I've had a love-hate relationship with it from the start.
It certainly is way large enough for this room, and to that end I put in a thermostatically controlled blower system to take the excess heat up to the main floor living room/dining room area.
I clean the flue and stove interior at the beginning of the season without fail.
So my question to all of you is why does it take so much effort to get this thing going? I have to keep the door open for at leat the first 20 minutes to really get a good fire going. My wood is generally about 12-18 month old, split red oak. It's stored on a pair of Woodhaven Fireracks with the top covers, so it 'breathes', supposedly.
I get quite a bit of 'spillage' when adding wood if I don't get the stack thermometer to at least 300......
It just seems like I'm either too impatient, or something could be better.
Any questions or comments, I'm all ears!
Thanks in advance.
Best regards,
Howard
http://www.howardemerson.com/
First of all let me wish everyone a very happy and healthy New Year! All in all we can't complain here, although I would like some serious snow so I can try out my new Troy-Bilt............Murphy's Law notwithstanding, of course;-)
In any case..............I have not posted here since some time in 2006, but I've looked in from time to time, and it's still one of the best forums for rational, well-thought-out information. You should check out the acoustic guitar forums if you want to see chaos!
We bought this house in 1994 and it already had a 16' x 24' atrium on the west side with an Earth Stove 1500HT. There's 4.5' from the top of the stove to the ceiling (low side of a half-cathedral) with black pipe and a flue damper.
On the roof there are 2 sections of Metalbestos (or whatever those stainless steel interlocking pipes are called). The distance from there to the back of the existing split-level house is 12'. There is a wind-driven SS 'turbine' at the top (that needs an oiling or the noise is going to drive me crazy).
This is my first wood stove and I've had a love-hate relationship with it from the start.
It certainly is way large enough for this room, and to that end I put in a thermostatically controlled blower system to take the excess heat up to the main floor living room/dining room area.
I clean the flue and stove interior at the beginning of the season without fail.
So my question to all of you is why does it take so much effort to get this thing going? I have to keep the door open for at leat the first 20 minutes to really get a good fire going. My wood is generally about 12-18 month old, split red oak. It's stored on a pair of Woodhaven Fireracks with the top covers, so it 'breathes', supposedly.
I get quite a bit of 'spillage' when adding wood if I don't get the stack thermometer to at least 300......
It just seems like I'm either too impatient, or something could be better.
Any questions or comments, I'm all ears!
Thanks in advance.
Best regards,
Howard
http://www.howardemerson.com/