New Oslo. Is my burn ok?

[Burner]

Hi,

I am new to burning non-cat EPA stoves. I have an Oslo and, after reading many threads, I am starting to wonder if I am burning the stove correctly. The main concern are my secondaries. They show up when the temp is brought up to about 550 - 650 (sometimes 700), and then when I throttle the primary all the way down, in increments, to the closed position. If I don't let the stove get to 600, the secondaries don't appear and the wood just burns (it's clean though). Should I be worried about the primaries? Am I burning correctly? The concern is the way the secondaries are burning. They shoot out at very high velocities, and blow down the glass. I have never seen lazy secondaries ever. It's either very strong secondaries or just coals. Can't seem to burn slowly. I have a 20' stack, SS insulated lined external stone chimney and wonder if the draft is it too strong. I am posting a video of the secondaries in action. Are they ok? This is with the primary completely shut down and outside temps in the mid 40's and I am also at sea level. Thanks.

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[begreen]

By the description it sounds like the draft is ok, but the wood may be borderline. What species wood are you burning? When was it split and stacked?

Just a check, how is the stove vented? Can you describe the flue system?

 

[Burner]

By the description it sounds like the draft is ok, but the wood may be borderline. What species wood are you burning? When was it split and stacked?

Just a check, how is the stove vented? Can you describe the flue system?

Hi. The wood is kiln dried bought by the cord since I don't have the room to build up three years of wood. It's mainly oak with a bit of ash. I measured the MC at around 10%. The stove is vented from the rear to a tee and then straight up 20'. The stove sits just outside of a pre-existing chimney. Thanks!

 

[begreen]

How did you measure moisture content?Did you resplit it? The MC should be measured on a freshly split face of the wood.

 

[Burner]

How did you measure moisture content?Did you resplit it? The MC should be measured on a freshly split face of the wood.

The wood was delivered fresh from the kiln. I didn't resplit since I don't have the tools. When the wood burns there isn't any sizzling, just crackling so I assume it's less than 20% overall. The wood starts up like kindling even with the door closed. It actually starts raging within minutes, with temps rising to 650 in 10 mins. That's when I shut down the primary for fear of over firing. Thanks again!

 

[begreen]

I wouldn't worry too much about the secondary light show. If there is no smoke, you can start closing down the air on a reload at 400F stove top temp. By 500F you should be able to close the air off fully. The secondaries are still burning unburnt gases, but the outgassing of the wood is slower. That is a good thing for a longer burn.

One thing to check, make sure the tee cap is tightly on.

 

[Burner]

Thanks for the advise Begreen. It makes sense to try and keep the stove cruising at a lower temp if possible. From the beginning, the stove wants to cruise at 550-600 for a couple of hours, then it starts to drop and the secondaries stop. The stove is still clean though. On the next reload, I'll try to keep it at 400-450 and see if I can get a clean burn with moderate temperatures. I just checked the T and the cap is definitely snug. Again thanks! I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[JA600L]

Sometimes you don't see the secondaries until you begin to close down the primary. Atleast thats how my Quad is.

 

[begreen]

Thanks for the advise Begreen. It makes sense to try and keep the stove cruising at a lower temp if possible. From the beginning, the stove wants to cruise at 550-600 for a couple of hours, then it starts to drop and the secondaries stop. The stove is still clean though. On the next reload, I'll try to keep it at 400-450 and see if I can get a clean burn with moderate temperatures. I just checked the T and the cap is definitely snug. Again thanks! I'll let you know how it goes.

The temps you are seeing are pretty normal. Maybe try packing the wood more tightly on a reload. Slip in some smaller splits in between large ones.