New Buck 81, checking temperature, video included

[Washxc]

Hey All,

The wife and I bought our first wood stove this fall, a Buck 81. We love it so far and have been using it as our sole source of heat in our 2,400 sq ft. home.

My question is related to stove temperature and efficient burning. Our stove installers gave us a Rutland stove pipe thermometer and it seems to spend a lot of time in the creosote zone.

But the fire seems hot, I'm seeing secondary burns, and the house is staying warm. Check it out on the video below.

http://youtu.be/odFLLTgkNnw

I gave a call to Buck and they said that the Rutland stove pipe thermometers are a bit outdated and aren't the best indicators for new, efficient stoves.

What do you guys think?

And also, thanks for an awesome forum. I've been lurking for a while!

 

[Washxc]

OK, it's heating up a little... But just barely into the burn zone.

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[begreen]

These fires seem modest in size. How long had the fire been burning? Is that single or double-wall pipe connector?

Oh, and welcome!

 

[Washxc]

These fires seem modest in size. How long had the fire been burning? Is that single or double-wall pipe connector?

Single wall pipe, the fire has been burning about an hour and a half.

 

[begreen]

Could be the thermometer, but perhaps the fire is just too small?

Can you take the thermometer off the flue collar and put it temporarily on the stove top, a few inches in front of the collar? Note,the normal location for the flue thermometer is 12-18" above the flue collar.

 

[Washxc]

Thanks begreen. The temps around here were in the mid 40's today so I didn't build as big of a fire as I typically do. Even with a big fire I'll get a good burn zone needle for about an hour, and then the rest of the time the needle hovers just around the burn zone creosote zone, unless I've got the air going full tilt.

I put the thermometer on the stove top and the temp went down a bit.

I'm thinking about purchasing an IR thermometer, if I do what type of temps should I be looking for for the stove, stove top, flue pipe?

 

[PLAYS WITH FIRE]

The stove top is not a good place because it jacketed. On the front or side is best. I run my 74 to 500-600+. This pic is not mine it's a friends and shows a better place for the thermo. Those thermos can be quite inaccurate. By the laser and find the hottest spot. This is an insert install:
[ATTACH88747[/ATTACH]

 

[corey21]

OK, it's heating up a little... But just barely into the burn zone.

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Welcome. That fire looks kind of small to me that may explain your flue temp..

 

[Washxc]

The stove top is not a good place because it jacketed. On the front or side is best. I run my 74 to 500-600+. This pic is not mine it's a friends and shows a better place for the thermo. Those thermos can be quite inaccurate. By the laser and find the hottest spot. This is an insert install:View attachment 88747

Thanks for the tip on placing the thermometer on the door. The needle went right up to the creosote/burn junction. I just put some more wood in and we're right across into the burn zone for the moment. It seems like a tough line as far as how big to build the fire when the house is warm and you don't need much to keep it that way.

I'm not too far from you down in Pittsburgh, just up I-79 towards Meadville and Cambridge Springs.

 

[PLAYS WITH FIRE]

I am down 79s in Washington, pa. I leaned here that the internal temp of single wall is 1.5 to 2 times higher, potentially. A probe type thermo is much better for your application. You can check the thermo you have accuracy by boiling water and dipping it. Don't set it in, dip tongs or something. I verified that with a laser thermo.

If house is warm, then make small hot fires not big smoldering ones! You may find adding a piece at a time or loading full and burning till coals works best. But you get that baby up to 650ish, you will sweat or open a window!

 

[Washxc]

I've got the thermometer on the front of the unit above the door, I've got close clearance shields on the sides... With the fan turned off the needle is solidly in the burn zone, which makes me happy. It's running around 350 on the upper number and now I'll know that when the fans on it'll knock the temp down a bit.

Thanks all for the help.

If I do get a IR thermometer (since the stovetop doesn't seem like it'll work on account of the close clearance shields, double paned top, etc.), what temps should I be looking at as ideal?

 

[PLAYS WITH FIRE]

It's a mix of no smoke out the stack and being comfortable, there is no exact temperature....that does not mean you leave the damper wide open. You will get no smoke but the stack temps will be enormous and you make no heat in the house. Smoke means creosote but properly seasoned( cut, split and stack for 1+ years for most oak is longer) wood is the key!

When you get the secondaries raging, you are making some heat and little to no smoke. It will take some foolin with..

 

[PLAYS WITH FIRE]

Pic of mine in the secondary stage I get much better than that:

 

[Lowell]

I have the Buck 81 also and have been really been happy with it. I was just wondering how long your wood has been seasoned. I had this problem first year with what I thought was fully seasoned.Just couldn't get temps up. No problem since then. Been 5 years and happy temps !
LM





The wife and I bought our first wood stove this fall, a Buck 81. We love it so far and have been using it as our sole source of heat in our 2,400 sq ft. home.

My question is related to stove temperature and efficient burning. Our stove installers gave us a Rutland stove pipe thermometer and it seems to spend a lot of time in the creosote zone.

But the fire seems hot, I'm seeing secondary burns, and the house is staying warm. Check it out on the video below.

http://youtu.be/odFLLTgkNnw

I gave a call to Buck and they said that the Rutland stove pipe thermometers are a bit outdated and aren't the best indicators for new, efficient stoves.

What do you guys think?

And also, thanks for an awesome forum. I've been lurking for a while!
[/quote]

 

[Washxc]

I've been really happy with the stove so far. Our wood is seasoned well, the suggestion to put the thermometer on the front door instead of the stack did the trick.

Last night I loaded it up and turned the blower off, just to see how hot it'd get. To my surprise it got into the overburn area and I could smell HOT before I turned it down.

Does having the blower on keep the temps from getting that high? Because I had the air control at what I usually do, about half an inch, and I've never had it get that high before. But, I'm always running the blower pretty good (medium or better, it's been cold).

My typical day is to rake the coals forward in the morning, load the stove up, blow with the bellows and get things going, leave the air all the way open for about 15-20 minutes, turn down, go to work. Come home in the afternoon and repeat the morning steps, then since I'm home I might add a few pieces throughout the evening, before bed I load it up, let it get going, and then turn the air down to 1/4 inch-1/2 inch. No black on the glass (except those pesky side windows), everything seems good. Sound right?

 

[PLAYS WITH FIRE]

The side windows will never be clean! Leaving it wide open for 15-20 mins on mine would be tooooooooo long and mine is an insert. I back it down in stages, probably every 5-7 mins depending how much time I have. If I let mine go wide open for that long my stack temp would probably be a thousand, maybe? I let the fire get going good, then back it down a thrid, then let it get going good again and back it a third. Then the last third I close to about .25" before its completely closed. Each time the flames are very fast and I pull the damper till they slow.
The way you do it probably gives some crazy secondaries!

 

[Huntindog1]

Hey All,

The wife and I bought our first wood stove this fall, a Buck 81. We love it so far and have been using it as our sole source of heat in our 2,400 sq ft. home.

My question is related to stove temperature and efficient burning. Our stove installers gave us a Rutland stove pipe thermometer and it seems to spend a lot of time in the creosote zone.

But the fire seems hot, I'm seeing secondary burns, and the house is staying warm. Check it out on the video below.

http://youtu.be/odFLLTgkNnw

I gave a call to Buck and they said that the Rutland stove pipe thermometers are a bit outdated and aren't the best indicators for new, efficient stoves.

What do you guys think?

And also, thanks for an awesome forum. I've been lurking for a while!

You have a small fire in there and if your your wood moisture maybe a little to high this will be an issue. Get you a wood moisture meter at Lowes.

Load the stove up with more wood as in the stove is more full and start a top down fire like this video:

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