New to wood stove, had this installed little above a month. It works great until last night. When I engaged the cat with a full load of the wood in the box. Obvious fire shown. After a while I realized the temp went down and when I opened the box, smoke comes out and the wood turn black not charcoal. So, I started the fire again, this time also wait for it reach to the active temp, air vent all the way opened, turn the cat on, this time, again the temp went down and the large fire went away. No idea why, nothing has changed that might cause it. Please help
New Hearthstone Shelbume operation
- Thread starter starbuck7290
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3 things to check:
1. Your cat may be plugged with ash. Inspect it and maybe gently clean it.
2. Your chimney and cap may need to be cleaned. Sometimes caps get clogged with ash and or creosote. Since you’re a month in and learning to run a new stove, take a look at all of it just to be sure.
3. Your wood is too wet. Pick up a cheap moisture meter and check the moisture content. Warm a split to room temperature, split it in half, and then press the pins in with the grain. You’re looking for 20% or less.
1. Your cat may be plugged with ash. Inspect it and maybe gently clean it.
2. Your chimney and cap may need to be cleaned. Sometimes caps get clogged with ash and or creosote. Since you’re a month in and learning to run a new stove, take a look at all of it just to be sure.
3. Your wood is too wet. Pick up a cheap moisture meter and check the moisture content. Warm a split to room temperature, split it in half, and then press the pins in with the grain. You’re looking for 20% or less.
I agree the above three points are good to look at but would be surprised if you only have had it for a month the catalytic is plugged up. Possible but I think it may be something else.
As for point #3, what type of wood are you burning and did you buy it or did you cut it down and buck & split? There are a lot of firewood sellers selling green wood as demand shot through the roof a while back and they are selling unseasoned stuff and/or cutting like last week.
Also a catalytic stove can be a bit more finicky IMHO and that is why I have not been a fan. Now I am going back home one, I need to review how to property use one.
As for point #3, what type of wood are you burning and did you buy it or did you cut it down and buck & split? There are a lot of firewood sellers selling green wood as demand shot through the roof a while back and they are selling unseasoned stuff and/or cutting like last week.
Also a catalytic stove can be a bit more finicky IMHO and that is why I have not been a fan. Now I am going back home one, I need to review how to property use one.
Thanks for your reply. I didn't check the wood and it is about 8-9%. I think that is pretty dry.
When I first start using the stove, I did use some wax to start the fire. Will it cost the issue?
Caw
Minister of Fire
Did you buy the wood at the supermarket or is it old lumber scraps? Did you measure a fresh split face going with the grain, middle of the face? That number is quite low. Wood stored outside around here usually equilibrates around 15-17%.
I brought the wood from tree services around here. It is seasoned and it seems like it. I do have some fresh cut from them, and it does feel different, and the meter shows the difference too. I did test it on the fresh spilled face, about the middle of it. It is a pretty cheap meter that I got from amazon. It might not be that low, however, I do believe it is pretty dry. And I live in Boston.
Caw
Minister of Fire
Yeah I live about an hour from you. Wood stored outside around here doesn't really get below 15% without help from a kiln. That's why I asked about supermarket wood.
I'm not saying what you have isn't seasoned more than fresh wood, just that the 8-9% number is likely misleading. I bet the real number is significantly higher and could possibly be causing your issues.
Easiest way to test it is to get some biobricks and burn those in the stove. If they burn fine then it's the wood. You could also get a 2x4 you've had inside a while and measure the moisture in that to test the meter.
I'm not saying what you have isn't seasoned more than fresh wood, just that the 8-9% number is likely misleading. I bet the real number is significantly higher and could possibly be causing your issues.
Easiest way to test it is to get some biobricks and burn those in the stove. If they burn fine then it's the wood. You could also get a 2x4 you've had inside a while and measure the moisture in that to test the meter.
mdocod
Burning Hunk
8-9% is about where my wood levels off too after many years in Colorado, where 2/3rds of days are sunny and dry. Technically the front range is considered a semi-arid desert.
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There's a learning curve to these stoves. It sounds to me like your cats are plugged. We've plugged ours twice. It's no big deal. Finish the burn cycle in bypass mode. When the stove has cooled, lift up the stove pipe or remove the rear flue cover to have a look, or remove the baffle in the stove and reach in from the front, either way.
I use my ash vac to clean them out, reinstall, then back to burning and everything is fine.
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It's important to burn hot clean fires in these stoves to keep the combustors clean. Full loads of dry wood burned at a steady pace that brings the stove to high temps for many hours are good, small loads or slow feeding or wet wood at lazy burn rates are not. The manual on these stoves suggests 35-45 minutes once or twice per day of burning with the cats engaged and air control in the full-open position for a rigorous hot fire that will not only help keep the cats clean, but also keeps the chimney clean.
My normal startup routine includes leaving that air control open, cat engaged, until the EGT's are around 800F for several minutes before choking down, most large loads of my soft dry wood will continue to drive 800F EGT's for 30-60+ minutes after that startup before settling down so in my mind that's my "cleaning cycle." If you're burning harder wetter woods choking down that early will probably just pull the burn rate down and the EGT's down rapidly. Leave it wide-open for the recommended 35-45 minutes or until the stove temps are hot. Don't be afraid of 700-900F EGT's during startup/cleaning, that's the ticket to keeping things clean. Most stove pipe and chimney systems are rated for continuous operation at 1000F, and will easily handle temporary spurts to 1200F from an accidental overshoot once and awhile. Low EGT's will cause you more problems than high EGT's in most cases.
If you prefer not to perform this clean cycle burn on a full load of wood (there is a risk of runaway if your draft is too strong), a small load of dry thinner splits (or branch pieces) piled up at the front of the firebox over a bed of coals in an already warm stove can be burned through in the full open position, like a dedicated "cleaning cycle" for the stove. This rapid burn off of a small load of fast burning thin splits should last about 35-45 minutes of intense flaming, driving the temp gauge on the stove to near the maximum "active" range, leaving your cats looking like they are brand new.
---------------
There's a learning curve to these stoves. It sounds to me like your cats are plugged. We've plugged ours twice. It's no big deal. Finish the burn cycle in bypass mode. When the stove has cooled, lift up the stove pipe or remove the rear flue cover to have a look, or remove the baffle in the stove and reach in from the front, either way.
I use my ash vac to clean them out, reinstall, then back to burning and everything is fine.
---------------
It's important to burn hot clean fires in these stoves to keep the combustors clean. Full loads of dry wood burned at a steady pace that brings the stove to high temps for many hours are good, small loads or slow feeding or wet wood at lazy burn rates are not. The manual on these stoves suggests 35-45 minutes once or twice per day of burning with the cats engaged and air control in the full-open position for a rigorous hot fire that will not only help keep the cats clean, but also keeps the chimney clean.
My normal startup routine includes leaving that air control open, cat engaged, until the EGT's are around 800F for several minutes before choking down, most large loads of my soft dry wood will continue to drive 800F EGT's for 30-60+ minutes after that startup before settling down so in my mind that's my "cleaning cycle." If you're burning harder wetter woods choking down that early will probably just pull the burn rate down and the EGT's down rapidly. Leave it wide-open for the recommended 35-45 minutes or until the stove temps are hot. Don't be afraid of 700-900F EGT's during startup/cleaning, that's the ticket to keeping things clean. Most stove pipe and chimney systems are rated for continuous operation at 1000F, and will easily handle temporary spurts to 1200F from an accidental overshoot once and awhile. Low EGT's will cause you more problems than high EGT's in most cases.
If you prefer not to perform this clean cycle burn on a full load of wood (there is a risk of runaway if your draft is too strong), a small load of dry thinner splits (or branch pieces) piled up at the front of the firebox over a bed of coals in an already warm stove can be burned through in the full open position, like a dedicated "cleaning cycle" for the stove. This rapid burn off of a small load of fast burning thin splits should last about 35-45 minutes of intense flaming, driving the temp gauge on the stove to near the maximum "active" range, leaving your cats looking like they are brand new.
Wow, thanks a lot. Just one question, for the clean cycle you mentioned earlier. You engaged the cat? Meaning not going through the bypass, right? So with the high temp, it will help to clean the mask of the cat. I assumed. And yes, the wood we put outside is around 15, but my practice is, I would put the wood in 1-2 day before I burn it. Therefore the, reading is around 10. I have out pictures down there, the one with higher reading is right after I took it from outside.
Friday is pretty warm here. Plan to do so then. Right now, just keeping the cat off.
You need to split the wood and read on the fresh split face after it comes up to room temperature
Caw
Minister of Fire
Caw
Minister of Fire
Todd
Minister of Fire
What are EGT’s? I’m assuming it’s flue temps but are they internal or external temps? Makes a big difference.
I'm reading this thread with great interest, I'm 1 month into a Hearthstone Shelburne 8372 and NOT loving it. Seems to be extremely finicky about draft (barely adequate with 15' chimney), wood(slightest variation in dryness causes poor burning), and sends smoke into the room even with bypass open and s-l-o-w-l-y opening door.
So - in addition to EGT question, I'd like to know: should be operating stove based on the flue temp, or the temp range gauge (built into the stove) for the catalytic converter?
This is my first stove w catalytic (out of concern for emissions) but I'm seriously considering whether it should be my last.
Previous stoves: VC Acclaim c. 1992 (quirky but loveable), Napoleon S20 (loved it, left behind at previous home)
Caw
Minister of Fire
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