New Wood Stove/ Too much draft?

[Seasoned Oak]

Just out of curiosity how is your stove set up?

My stove is in a 600SF apartment that i am remodeling. I have it vented into a Huge 12" flue that used to service an enormous building coal furnace. This is far from a typical setup as venting into such a large flue usually results in poor draft, but it actuall works very well. Draft is fine. I also have an NC-30 connected to the same flue in the floor below but the 2 stoves are rarely run at the same time, but when they are they perform just as well.
My only issue with the stove is i cant get that much wood in it ,but thats the drawback of a small stove.
I burn mostly old wall studs and floor jousts that i tear out during the re-hab. I assume its pine.

 

[Smoked]

This one still baffles me a little. I still have to think the wood is still a little wet. You'll have another good cold weekend coming up. Buy a couple of cheep framing 2x4s from Lowe's. Cut them to 18 in. split a couple of them to get things started and then put 2 or 3 on top diagonally. Run wide open for a few minuted to get the firebox full of flames and then start gradually dialing it back and see if the secondaries will hold for a little while.

What I am not getting is the upper firebox being hot enough to glow the tubes but no secondaries. Is the baffle in that stove brick, metal, or fiber board? Maybe take a picture from the lower front looking up at the tubes and baffle.

 

[manooti]

This one still baffles me a little. I still have to think the wood is still a little wet. You'll have another good cold weekend coming up. Buy a couple of cheep framing 2x4s from Lowe's. Cut them to 18 in. split a couple of them to get things started and then put 2 or 3 on top diagonally. Run wide open for a few minuted to get the firebox full of flames and then start gradually dialing it back and see if the secondaries will hold for a little while.

What I am not getting is the upper firebox being hot enough to glow the tubes but no secondaries. Is the baffle in that stove brick, metal, or fiber board? Maybe take a picture from the lower front looking up at the tubes and baffle.

Ill try this weekend. I have a few 2x4 that are crooked that I can use for this. Ill give it a shot and see what happens and also post the firebox pics. The outside is still a mess. Have to redo the tile on the hearth, then finish the heat shield on one side and tile it. Waiting for summer on that so I can remove the stove. Rushed it during winter.

Saturday night will be cold enough to run it good.

When the fire is first starting I get creosote build up on the tubes, then about 30 minutes in everything is nice and clear. Does that indicate anything?

 

[kennyp2339]

I believe the us stoves us a single fiber board that simply rests on the burn tubes as the baffle, the board should be pushed as far back in the stove as possible, leaving a 4" gap in the front, also if looking at the tubes make sure the air holes in the tubes are facing forward at a slight down pitch

 

[begreen]

Ill try this weekend. I have a few 2x4 that are crooked that I can use for this. Ill give it a shot and see what happens and also post the firebox pics. The outside is still a mess. Have to redo the tile on the hearth, then finish the heat shield on one side and tile it. Waiting for summer on that so I can remove the stove. Rushed it during winter.

Saturday night will be cold enough to run it good.

When the fire is first starting I get creosote build up on the tubes, then about 30 minutes in everything is nice and clear. Does that indicate anything?

If you can resplit some of the larger pieces of wood in half and bring them in the house for a day or two to dry out that may also help.

 

[manooti]

This one still baffles me a little. I still have to think the wood is still a little wet. You'll have another good cold weekend coming up. Buy a couple of cheep framing 2x4s from Lowe's. Cut them to 18 in. split a couple of them to get things started and then put 2 or 3 on top diagonally. Run wide open for a few minuted to get the firebox full of flames and then start gradually dialing it back and see if the secondaries will hold for a little while.

What I am not getting is the upper firebox being hot enough to glow the tubes but no secondaries. Is the baffle in that stove brick, metal, or fiber board? Maybe take a picture from the lower front looking up at the tubes and baffle.

I tried the 2x4.. didnt work out well at all. Added some big chunks of kindling and then 2 more pieces of 2x4. Same effect. Ill add some videos and pictures. Temps never exceeded 400 degrees with the 2x4.
I hope I didnt over do it. You can see where the air control was fully open and then closed.

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[Smoked]

The look you have in the last videos looks pretty good. Mine would not be producing smoke with a look like that and with a larger load of dry wood, would build plenty of heat. If there is a setting between the partial and closed, then you may be able to build heat a little faster without a total inferno. For mine, once the load it burning, half open may as well be wide open. Once the draft is driving it, very fine adjustments between 1/4 and all the way closed it where it is for me depending on the weather.

 

[kennyp2339]

You have secondary's going, sometimes depending on draft, fuel, burn rate you'll have that or a full fledge burn (like a gas stove out of those burn tubes) You will also find that the entire burn is better once you get about an inch of ash build on the bottom of the stove. I would say all is good, and once you get a stove thermometer, chimney pipe thermometer and moisture meter you'll be one of us (a wood burning freak)

*also once you get a good base fire load that sucker up, grab a drink and sit back, relax and watch the fruits of your labor

 

[manooti]

I'm actually going to pick up a infrared thermometer and a moisture meter lol. I keep hoping for more cold days to run this thing. Winter can't be further away.

Wife tells me to relax but this makes me want to move to Alaska. Went there for honeymoon, almost didn't come back.

I guess I'm paranoid after running a wood/coal stove and almost blocking the chimney after a couple of weeks.

Next to buy a log splitter and start using the saw

 

[Seasoned Oak]

All those burns look good,but i noticed you dont have much wood in the stove. Also you will not get secondaries anymore after the wood has out gassed
about halfway or more through the burn cycle. This stove is hard to pack full of wood while its running so i try to get as much in before i light it as i can. Thats always one of the drawbacks of a small stove.

 

[begreen]

Agreed. Partial looks fine. All the way closed looks great too. If you want the stove hotter it's going to need more fuel. That's a small load. There is room for at least 2-3 times that amount of wood.

 

[manooti]

Oh yeah I know. I usually fill it up by top of bricks but wasn't sure with the 2x4.

So when the wood is gassed out and no secondaries it's safe to smolder and have flue temp drop below 300?

 

[Seasoned Oak]

Oh yeah I know. I usually fill it up by top of bricks but wasn't sure with the 2x4.

So when the wood is gassed out and no secondaries it's safe to smolder and have flue temp drop below 300?

Even when you have secondary flame you should be able to run on the lowest air setting and burn clean. Its just when you add wood and startup that you run wide open for a certain amount of time. I tend to increase the air as i get into the coaling stage to burn down those coals enough for a reload.

 

[saskwoodburner]

I like video #3 myself.

 

[manooti]

I just picked up a moisture meter from harbor freight. It works good. Have to test more wood. One piece of wood I had measured at 0%? Its been inside on a rack. Is that right?

 

[Smoked]

You have to slit it and measure in the center of the fresh cut face.

 

[begreen]

Test split at room temp on a freshly exposed face of wood (not end grain). Press the probes firmly into the wood.