New Osburn 2000 insert burn times

[Renjilj]

Ok, starting a new thread on the burn experience since install. Will continue to update.

So far we have been using when it was chilly. For the last week, it's been pretty cool so running more. 1900 sq ft, 14' height from top of stove to exit from chimney. Insulated smooth walled liner. Exterior chimney. Good draft, never had a puff back at all so far. Did fully insulate the FP with roxul and durock. This seems like it makes a huge difference in how much heat is retained in stove. Good advice Hearth!

Here's the stats so far-

Several 8 hr and 10 hr re-lights with smaller fires. No big deal..

Temps last couple nights in the upper 20's and day times in the 40's. A mix of hardwood and Oak, some really dry, some so-so... Lit around 6:30 pm. House 67. 1 hr later main house 78 and bedrooms 72. 2 hrs main 83 and beds 73! This thing puts out HEAT

Got up this morning at 6am blower still running and top temp 178. Maybe 1/3 gallon worth of coals left at 11.5 hrs! Raked forward and opened air and door for 5 mins and the coals got cherry red. Added full load and it re-lit in about 6-7 mins. 10 mins cut air by 1/3 450 temp. 10 more mins 2/3 and 550. 5 mins more 600 and shut down. Came home at 5:30PM blower still running and house at 77. Raked coals forward and left until 8 since house very warm... Added load and away we went. Almost 14 hrs on relight. This is the 2nd time at 14 hrs!

So strategic fan placement and I am heating whole house. Impressed with this stove!
Do need to pay attention to cuts and splits. I still have a lot of "I don't care" fireplace lengths and it is tricky to get a full, tight box. Most is split on the small side as well. With 16-17" and 'square' it's easier to get a full box. Loads N-S easier, and with 14 hr reloads, I'm good.

Dog 2 LOVES it! Wife starting to love it. She's even done a couple cold starts now. Doesn't stare at it for an hour after relight like the dog and I, and could give a s*** about secondaries, but more than I ever expected.... Have ordered her some super cedars based on Begreen's rec. She will be all gity when she can abandon the paper..

Thanks all for your help getting here. Haven't burned a drop of oil yet. Waiting for some real cold to test

 

[etiger2007]

I have the 2000 and the best im getting is 4-6 hours of good heat. I never totally shut the air off all the way , i guess i leave it about an 1/8 to a 1/4 open throughout the burn. I like to burn hot n clean. I think I will experiment with shutting the air down all the way and see how it does. How many splits and size are u loading up with, and are you using the rake the coals forward method?

 

[Swedishchef]

Those are great burn times!
Osburn make a pretty good product.

Just remember: if you turn DOWN your stove all the way, you'll get SOME heat but not that much. In the cold snaps, you'll have to do like etiger and load more often.

Andrew

 

[Renjilj]

I have the 2000 and the best im getting is 4-6 hours of good heat. I never totally shut the air off all the way , i guess i leave it about an 1/8 to a 1/4 open throughout the burn. I like to burn hot n clean. I think I will experiment with shutting the air down all the way and see how it does. How many splits and size are u loading up with, and are you using the rake the coals forward method?

Hey Etiger, sorry for the delay, was doing an overnight hike/camp in NY- it was COLD and glad to be back!!

on a full load I can keep temps 330-500 for a good 6-7 hrs (today reloaded at 2:30 and it's almost 9 and stove about 330) with blower on low. The house temps are 80 main and 72 beds. Not crazy cold here still, but consistently in 20's at night and 35-45 days. As far as burning hot, I'm with you but the stove seems to keep itself pretty hot even when closed off. If I'm not careful with it open, wants to run up to 700-800. If I start to close off at the 450 mark, then again 550, close at 600 it seems to be happy. Doesn't drop for a while, mellows some, but then once it stabalizes with the shut down just kinda cruises along. Now, I still have only about 20 burns with it, so far from an expert yet.. I'm sure there will be some discoveries and changes with the real cold.

I think the combo of a pretty tight, well insulated house and the well insulated FP behind the insert makes the heat go a long way. I don't have a 'before and after' to compare, and it hasn't gotten to 0 yet, but so far loading 2-3 times a day and temps in house haven't dropped below 76. On the hot reloads, I am doing the rake forward method you all talked about here. I bring it forward and open up the damper, sometimes cracking door as well but don't really need to. After about 5-10 mins the pile is cherry with some blue flame whisps. If the house is hot I leave for another 1-2 hr (with door closed).

When ready, I put a larger split E-W in the back to level off with ashes, then first course N-S. Next course is easier NS as well, but it depends on the load I brought in... Being a long term FP burner, I did not get as scientific as I should have on the lengths... Kinda just make it fit best as possible! Started cutting to 16-17" and splitting more square for next 2 years. As others have mentioned, the 20" max is deceiving.... It will fit once in stove, but you gotta get it in there first... The door is a lot smaller and if any wood in there already you can't really contort it to fit. Oh, and those gasification tubes seem to always be right there!

Splits are smaller than most here prob like at 3-4" with and occasional 5", but all hardwood and mostly OAk. Needed them small to season faster and so wife could handle easier.. Will increase a little next round of splitting and hope she doesn't notice! That said, takes 8-10 pcs on a stuffed reload.

Need to check liner next weekend to see if any creosote starting. Not all the wood is perfect.. So far have taken out about 2 gallons worth of ash for the 20 fires. Go about 3-4 days before shoveling.

Let me know how this compares to your scenario and any advice you have?

 

[Renjilj]

Those are great burn times!
Osburn make a pretty good product.

Just remember: if you turn DOWN your stove all the way, you'll get SOME heat but not that much. In the cold snaps, you'll have to do like etiger and load more often.

Andrew

Yeah, never thought I would utter the words "I can't wait till it gets cold" but can't wait to really test this stove!

I do like the quality. My early observations - issues with the way they want you to adjust the handle (roll pins are not intended to be pulled in and out, especially after being baked..) already damaged the small one removing to get the Nickel faceplate on.. the single bolt stud for the surround leaves it pretty floppy and pulls away from the brick on sides when hot. And the ash dust seems to be readily sucked into blower at stove joint !

You have any of these issues? Maybe just the way mines installed

 

[Swedishchef]

Yeah, never thought I would utter the words "I can't wait till it gets cold" but can't wait to really test this stove!

I do like the quality. My early observations - issues with the way they want you to adjust the handle (roll pins are not intended to be pulled in and out, especially after being baked..) already damaged the small one removing to get the Nickel faceplate on.. the single bolt stud for the surround leaves it pretty floppy and pulls away from the brick on sides when hot. And the ash dust seems to be readily sucked into blower at stove joint !

You have any of these issues? Maybe just the way mines installed

Mine is a freestanding stove.. And is not the same model whatsoever. I don't have any of those issues.
Sorry!

Andrew

 

[PaulCT]

I'm having issues getting my 2000 insert to fire that hot, the most I can manage is about 500, mostly around 450 though. Unfortunately, some of my wood is marginal at best, maybe 23%, with some of it in the mid to upper teens. I load mostly east west due to the wood delivered being fireplace length.

 

[Renjilj]

I'm having issues getting my 2000 insert to fire that hot, the most I can manage is about 500, mostly around 450 though. Unfortunately, some of my wood is marginal at best, maybe 23%, with some of it in the mid to upper teens. I load mostly east west due to the wood delivered being fireplace length.

PaulCT - Less is more but if 23% is your bad stuff, (assuming your testing a fresh face, not the outside) then I think its pretty good. I have some that is 23-28% and it goes up. Also have lots of 10-18% I mix it with. I pack the stove pretty tight and full (as possible) after doing the rake coals forward method. If I leave air open full for too long, temps will easily get into 700+. Having a shorter chimney, once I close air down it will bring it back and wont continue to run away. Mostly loading N-S as it is easier. When I load E-W it does take considerably longer to get hot, but it gets there. Has to do with how air is introduced to the load )from front). How tall is your chimney? What kind of wood you burning? How/where are you measuring temps? I use a Condar on the face for a quick visual, but go to the laser therm on the top about 4-5 inches back - a lot.. Still a noob with this stove so I check temps often

 

[PaulCT]

Chimney is 15 feet from the top of the stove. Internal chimney, insulated liner. The draft so far seems ok, although yesterday I was getting tons of smoke when I opened the door. The wood is a mix of red oak with some maple and some occasional unidentified species. I'm using a condar medallion on the front of the stove upper right corner above the door.

 

[Renjilj]

Mine is a freestanding stove.. And is not the same model whatsoever. I don't have any of those issues.
Sorry!

Andrew

Freestanding is a nice unit! Certainly not show-stoppers and dont regret my decision, just some thoughts for improvement if they listen!! Stay warm and Happy Holidays- thanks again for your help along the way

 

[Renjilj]

Chimney is 15 feet from the top of the stove. Internal chimney, insulated liner. The draft so far seems ok, although yesterday I was getting tons of smoke when I opened the door. The wood is a mix of red oak with some maple and some occasional unidentified species. I'm using a condar medallion on the front of the stove upper right corner above the door.

Smoke = draft (or lack of) in my experience. Thats the exact same length liner I have, smooth walled and insulated but exterior. It is on the short side, but have never had even a puff of smoke come back. Do you have appliances that create a negative pressure situation, like bathroom vans or stove vent etc? Also, my experience with the magnetic temp is it is off as much as 150+ degrees (cooler) for the first hour or so. Once the entire stove has heated up the difference between it and the laser gets less. By 2 1/2 hrs they are only about +/-25-50 and close enough for a quick reference. You may actually be hotter then you think if its your only method of measuring. Im sure others will offer some thoughts as well.

 

[PaulCT]

Smoke = draft (or lack of) in my experience. Thats the exact same length liner I have, smooth walled and insulated but exterior. It is on the short side, but have never had even a puff of smoke come back. Do you have appliances that create a negative pressure situation, like bathroom vans or stove vent etc? Also, my experience with the magnetic temp is it is off as much as 150+ degrees (cooler) for the first hour or so. Once the entire stove has heated up the difference between it and the laser gets less. By 2 1/2 hrs they are only about +/-25-50 and close enough for a quick reference. You may actually be hotter then you think if its your only method of measuring. Im sure others will offer some thoughts as well.

I was thinking the same thing about the negative pressure. Bathroom fans were off... didn't think anything else was running. Mine's flex liner.

 

[Swedishchef]

Smoke = draft (or lack of) in my experience. Thats the exact same length liner I have, smooth walled and insulated but exterior. It is on the short side, but have never had even a puff of smoke come back. Do you have appliances that create a negative pressure situation, like bathroom vans or stove vent etc? Also, my experience with the magnetic temp is it is off as much as 150+ degrees (cooler) for the first hour or so. Once the entire stove has heated up the difference between it and the laser gets less. By 2 1/2 hrs they are only about +/-25-50 and close enough for a quick reference. You may actually be hotter then you think if its your only method of measuring. Im sure others will offer some thoughts as well.

IJust my thoughts: t is very possible that the magnetic thermometer is off by 100-150 degrees. In order to check mine, I put it in our oven at different temps and tested it out (I used an analytical thermometer to make sure the oven's thermo wasn't off too much...but I think it is a decent suggestion, ovens may be off 25 degrees but rarely 150!!).

Regarding negative pressure: Remember this: if your house is tight and you turned on a fan in the day, you have created a negative pressure. This negative pressure will remain until their is an equilibrium. The fan doesn't have to be running to create a negative pressure: it has to HAVE run at one point or another (within a decent time buffer).

Andrew

 

[PaulCT]

OK, So I tried to start it up tonight when I got home and it seems to be worse then before. Had a hard time getting the fire started, and after 30 minutes or so, it went out. No vents / exhaust fans running in the house. I even opened up the sliding doors in the stove room and several windows and waited 30 minutes. Had huge amounts of back draft / smoke pouring into the room whenever I opened the door. What's odd is that this has only occurred in the past 2 days. I installed this a month ago and have not had issues before.

Some additional info on the home layout. The stove is on a first floor extension of a 2 story colonial, the chimney is only 1 story, but is about 15 feet from the rest of the house (2nd floor outside wall). The liner extends about 5 inches above the clay tile, and the entire chimney is capped with a 2 x 3' piece of slate perhaps 8 inches above the top of the liner. The liner has a peice of expanded steel covering the opening. Is it possible that the grating got that clogged in only a month of burning, maybe 20 fires? I checked tonight, and smoke was coming out of the chimney from my failed fire attempt.

 

[Bagelboy]

To me it sounds like some blockage. If it was working fine, than some blockage sounds logical. You should check!

 

[Swedishchef]

To me it sounds like some blockage. If it was working fine, than some blockage sounds logical. You should check!

Agreed. If this is a situation that occurred within 2 days, something is blocking somewhere. Birds in the chimney/liner? Blocked cap?

Let us know..

Andrew

 

[Swedishchef]

The liner has a peice of expanded steel covering the opening. Is it possible that the grating got that clogged in only a month of burning, maybe 20 fires?

Absolutely! If you were not burning hot, if pieces of paper or ash, etc got into it. I have seen pictures from forum members which easily show that their spark screen is clogged tight.

Keep us updated!

Andrew

 

[PaulCT]

So the answer is, yes, it can become clogged in a month. Went up there this morning and took the cap off. The slate covering the chimney is covered, and was almost driping. You can see in that shot of my liner where it enters the chimney vs exposed to the air.

 

[Bagelboy]

That almost looks like tar. Are you sure your wood is seasoned? When you say it's 23%, is that after you split it. Or from the outside? There's a big difference! You need to split it and then measure the moisture. If it's good, then perhaps your burning at too low a temperature( although you stated you burn in the 500's. But I would guess it's the wood!

 

[Bagelboy]

That may be the reason you say you can only get the stove to around 450! Please check the wood!

 

[PaulCT]

checked on a freshly split face. The deposits on the slate were pretty tar like. I'm going to try loading a bit less wood with more spaces. I was only getting to 500 occassionally. For the first few weeks, I was only hitting 400-450.


Next question, what's the best way to clean that stuff up?

 

[Renjilj]

So the answer is, yes, it can become clogged in a month. Went up there this morning and took the cap off. The slate covering the chimney is covered, and was almost driping. You can see in that shot of my liner where it enters the chimney vs exposed to the air.


View attachment 144744 View attachment 144745 View attachment 144746

Paul - Sounds like your wood- what kind and how long you had it seasoning? Also sounds like your measuring the outside or the meter is bad. I have been burning stuff that is 23-28% mixed in with 10-15% and have little to no accumulation so far, minimal ashes, and easily get temps to 700+ if Im not on the air as its coming up. You may also want to consider a screen that has more surface area to it. The flat version you are using has only the diameter of the pipe for vent area and will collect faster. One that stands above it (like a top heat) would give 4-5x that. Looks like some clearance issues with the slate, but you could still bring up some?

 

[PaulCT]

Paul - Sounds like your wood- what kind and how long you had it seasoning? Also sounds like your measuring the outside or the meter is bad. I have been burning stuff that is 23-28% mixed in with 10-15% and have little to no accumulation so far, minimal ashes, and easily get temps to 700+ if Im not on the air as its coming up. You may also want to consider a screen that has more surface area to it. The flat version you are using has only the diameter of the pipe for vent area and will collect faster. One that stands above it (like a top heat) would give 4-5x that. Looks like some clearance issues with the slate, but you could still bring up some?

I actually have two meters, and both come back with the same reading from a fresh split face. Unfortunately, I had to have the wood delivered this year. I have a ton available from Sandy, but didn't get it split until recently, and it's not ready yet. I'd have to add some height to the brick pillars to raise up the slate.

 

[Renjilj]

The cold def makes the draft stronger. It will really rev up now if I dont back it down as the temps come up. Was in the 700's last night in about 25 mins when I hit it with the laser!

Latest times -

Loaded last night at 10 PM with 8-9 splits (did my 10, 10, 5 choke down routine). Upper 20's outside. At 11PM, 81 inside main and 72 far bed. Got up 6 AM and raked coals forward and opened air but did not reload right away. Stove temp 211 with blower still running, main 77 far bed 70! Finally loaded at 7:30, house temps unchanged. 9.5 hrs of heat and still hot reload. Pinch me..

Forecast for 30's outside today and 20's again tonight.

 

[Huntindog1]

I have the 2000 and the best im getting is 4-6 hours of good heat. I never totally shut the air off all the way , i guess i leave it about an 1/8 to a 1/4 open throughout the burn. I like to burn hot n clean. I think I will experiment with shutting the air down all the way and see how it does. How many splits and size are u loading up with, and are you using the rake the coals forward method?

That stove is listed as a 2.4 cubic foot fire box so 8 to 10 burn cycles should be easy with that stove.

I used to use a 2.1 cubic foot fire box stove and could also get 8 to 10 burn cycle consistantly.

A burn cycle is complete if you have just enough coals left to restart a new load.