Newbie first proper burn last night-WOW!

[brider]

I followed the advice of the seasoned experts here on a previous thread of mine, and got my Harmon Oakwood singin' like a canary last night. after about 2 hours of burning with bypass open and full air, the coal bed got about 2" deep, and I filled the firebox about 3/4 with good hardwood. After about 5 min again with open bypass and full air, I closed the bypass and ran on just full air. Temp climbed to about 500, then I closed down the air about 1/4, and the temp kept rising! You may recall, previously, when I did not allow enough time for a good bed of coals, I couldn't get my temp to exceed 450.

I closed the air down to just under 1/2, and the temp began to hover between 450 and 500. Outside air temp was maybe 40 deg. I closed it down farther to get the temp to around 400.

The room the stove is in is about 16' x 17', with a 5/12 vaulted ceiling. the temp in that room exceeded 85 deg, and the air by my head when standing was almost too hot. I had a pedestal fan plowing air out of that room into the rest of the house, and the thermostat at the end of the hall (ranch) was reading 70! It never read that hot when we burned oil! I had to open the kids bedroom doors to try to draw heat in, their rooms were also warmer than they ever were on oil heat.

I just have to get used to wearing boxers and t-shirt in the room with the stove.

WAY more effective heating my home than I ever expected. I will LAUGH at the oilman this winter!

Thanks to everyone who helped me do this, I owe you all a beer!

 

[njtomatoguy]

NIce job.

Wait til you start standing at the mailbox waiting for the mailman to deliver the bill so you can
see how much you saved.

Welcome to the club.

 

[woodheat]

sorry replied to the wrong post. that is the problem with these tabbed browsers

 

[North of 60]

Brider. Was just wondering why you had the bypass open for two hrs and the air wide open for that long. Was that just with a small amount of wood for a coal bed with that hardwood you guys burn? Me not understand. Iam also hardwood illiterate.
N of 60

 

[begreen]

Nice going Brider. With colder temps the stove will be a lot easier to run. By the end of the season you will be a pro.

 

[woodconvert]

The room the stove is in is about 16' x 17', with a 5/12 vaulted ceiling. the temp in that room exceeded 85 deg, and the air by my head when standing was almost too hot. I had a pedestal fan plowing air out of that room into the rest of the house, and the thermostat at the end of the hall (ranch) was reading 70! It never read that hot when we burned oil! I had to open the kids bedroom doors to try to draw heat in, their rooms were also warmer than they ever were on oil heat.

I just have to get used to wearing boxers and t-shirt in the room with the stove.

Tis a great thang aint it????...now never mention yourself in boxers again....wife pics in such gear manditory

 

[Kansasplains]

"I had a pedestal fan plowing air out of that room into the rest of the house..."

Hey, you might try putting your fan at the other end of the house and blowing the "cold" air back toward the stove room. Sometimes this helps move heat better throughout your house. You'll just have to experiment to see which works best for you.
Brian

 

[stanleyjohn]

Good going Brider!!These downdrafts do work very well when you get the hang of it.I just put my last load in for the night a little while ago and the afterburner has been purring all night so far.Thumbs up to u

 

[PS3696]

I just did my first burn last night in my oakwood nothing big just some small splits.
I have a question about the secondary burn? How do you know when the secondary burn kicks in? Should there still be flames when you shut the damper?

Thanks from a newbie :red:

 

[stanleyjohn]

I just noticed that the oakwood doesnt have a viewing window to see into the back secondary chamber like the harman insert or the tl3oo.I can see the flames in the back chamber to see that the secondary burn is working.In the oakwoods case i guess the only way to tell is listen for the rumble (air rushing) toward the back chamber and there should verry little or no smoke visable exiting the chimney pipe.There may still be some flame coming out of the logs but for a good long slow burn the airflow shoud be adjusted for smallest amount of flaming from the wood with the secondary still activated and working.It takes time to find the best airflow setting when your new at it but it will pay off in a nice long hot burn.

 

[North of 60]

Brider. Was just wondering why you had the bypass open for two hrs and the air wide open for that long. Was that just with a small amount of wood for a coal bed with that hardwood you guys burn? Me not understand. Iam also hardwood illiterate.
N of 60

BUMP... Can anyone answer this for me?

 

[NitroBobby]

i can't answer it for you, but being a new Oakwood owner myself, i'd like to know the answer as well.

kgb

 

[stanleyjohn]

Im guessing that if the stove is cold on startup he may be establishing a good coal bed before dampering down and activating the secondary burn.I would think two hours is too long!My first load i burn to hot coals with damper open and air flow mostly open then i put a larger batch of wood in then damper down around 5 min later to activate the secondary burn.

 

[BJ64]

I think the two hour start up thing came from a video on this forum by tradergordo. Trader was showing how to get secondary burn results (Everburn) with a Vermont Castings Dutch West. For the benefit of other readers the VC Dutch West is a downdraft stove similar to the Harmon 300 and Lopi Leyden.

Anyhow, in the video there was a two hour time period where the Dutch West stove was allowed to build a 2-to-3-inch coal bed before the bypass was closed. The video was a cold start up exactly as Stan described above.

I did a similar stunt with the Leyden stove only I took about an hour and 15 min to close the bypass from a cold start up. I was burning Pecan wood and was wanting to get a good secondary burn started. It worked great.

 

[Dill]

I just did my first burn last night in my oakwood nothing big just some small splits.
I have a question about the secondary burn? How do you know when the secondary burn kicks in? Should there still be flames when you shut the damper?

Thanks from a newbie :red:

Not really. I get some secondary gas flames if its really cooking. But usually just a glow of coals.

 

[North of 60]

Thanx for the replies Stanley and BJ.

 

[branchburner]

I just did my first burn last night in my oakwood nothing big just some small splits.
I have a question about the secondary burn? How do you know when the secondary burn kicks in? Should there still be flames when you shut the damper?

Thanks from a newbie :red:

Not really. I get some secondary gas flames if its really cooking. But usually just a glow of coals.

I've just been doing smaller fires, but it was cool enough today to crank the Oakwood up. I use hardwood pallet scraps to jack the stove top to 600+, then add a few splits. I leave the bypass open w/ full air for a few minutes, then close the bypass but still w/ full air for a few minutes. Sometime I will hear the secondary right away, if not I may open the bypass back up, or just wait a few minutes for the fire to build.
When I close down the primary air, I know the secondary is going because I can hear the rush of air at the back of the stove. If it's cranking, I will get a nice show of rolling "ghost" flames that appear out of nowhere and typically move across the top of the front window. As the temps drop back down to cruising speed after a few minutes, in the 500 range, the light show ends. (My use of "a few minutes" might mean anything from two to ten.)

Dill, did you resolve your smoking problem?

 

[brider]

Thanks for all the feedback, guys. I'll weigh in to clarify for my Oakwood newbie brethren:

The two-hour time I mentioned is an exageration(sp?), but it did take over an hour with a small load to get a good coal bed. The following day I tried it again with a cold stove, and got too exited and closed the bypass too early (no real established coal bed, but a roaring fire nonetheless), and the secondary just didn't want to light up, even on full air. The stovetop temps just kept falling...

So I learned that the coal bed is CRUCIAL, and it doesn't take 2 hrs, but I do what the manual says and get the coal bed, load the box, leave bypass open with full air, then after a few minutes close the bypass, then a few more minutes, close the main air way down. I know it's working when I can hold a steady temp, and see occasional flames flickering deep in the bowels, and a low glow in the coal bed.

Just this morning when I added a load of wood to last night's coal bed, I later heard that rush of air going thru the secondary. Very cool.

I'm still learning how to regulate the temp, which I find to be a great way to monitor output. For my house in the current outside ambient temps (30 deg last night), it puts out great heat when it hovers between 350 and 400. I am again amazed at how well it heats my 1700 sq ft ranch. I feared that the hallway and bedrooms would freeze, but that's just not the case; the oil burner has so far NOT kicked on, and the bedrooms and hallway, even master bath, are no colder than they ever were burning oil.

I'm keeping the fan-blowing-cold-air-back-to-the-stove idea at the back of my mind, but right now I can't find anywhere that a floor or box fan would sit without the kids sticking their fingers or other things into it. The room the stove is in has 8 sliding windows, so I usually open a couple behind the stove to mix cold air with the nuclear heat coming off the stove, and to provide fresh combustion air. Works pretty well.

We'll see when it's 5 deg outside. But so far I'm driving my wife nuts bragging about all the $$ we're saving.

 

[Dill]

Dill, did you resolve your smoking problem?

Nope, I was really hoping it was a draft issue and once it got cold out the probelm would go away. So it got cold this weekend. Down to the 20s I think. But its still smoking. I can't see any smoke coming out. But the odor is strong.
I'm going to call down to hampton again this morning. And probably take it apart this evening. I just hate to let the fire die when its this cold. I've been running it with the damper open and the air down. But its just not the same.
And I think your "ghost flames" is an excellant way to describe it.

 

[branchburner]

Dill, did you resolve your smoking problem?

Nope, I was really hoping it was a draft issue and once it got cold out the probelm would go away. So it got cold this weekend. Down to the 20s I think. But its still smoking. I can't see any smoke coming out. But the odor is strong.

Let us know what you find out. Good luck!

 

[scotsman]

Could y'all Oakwood owners send some photos of your stoves and installs? Sure would appreciate it. We are 98% sure we've settled on an Oakwood and want to learn all we can about it. This thread is valuable to us even before we get one. We've scoured all the brochures and "official" literature we can find, but that isn't much, or near enough.

Also, if any of you know where I can get one, please let me know. Now that we've decided, we can't wait to get one. Someone told me that the factory was out of stock and way behind, so our prospects look pretty dim, unless the Good Lord or the folks here can shine a light on a source.

From what all y'all say, it sounds really good. Any Oakwood cooking experience you might have would also be welcome.

-No stove . . . yet
-No saw
-No maul
-But LOTS of wood and more coming!!

Thanks!

TB

 

[branchburner]

Could y'all Oakwood owners send some photos of your stoves and installs? Sure would appreciate it. We are 98% sure we've settled on an Oakwood and want to learn all we can about it. This thread is valuable to us even before we get one.

Still looking for the camera! But gimme a few days...
I'm picking up the grill tomorrow - can't wait for the first steak.

Keep on top of the Google search - it's how I found a line on my used Oakwood. This summer I noticed used ones in Vt and Colorado - but Oct is gonna be tough on ya.

 

[PS3696]

Thanks for all the feedback, guys. I'll weigh in to clarify for my Oakwood newbie brethren:

The two-hour time I mentioned is an exageration(sp?), but it did take over an hour with a small load to get a good coal bed. The following day I tried it again with a cold stove, and got too exited and closed the bypass too early (no real established coal bed, but a roaring fire nonetheless), and the secondary just didn't want to light up, even on full air. The stovetop temps just kept falling...

So I learned that the coal bed is CRUCIAL, and it doesn't take 2 hrs, but I do what the manual says and get the coal bed, load the box, leave bypass open with full air, then after a few minutes close the bypass, then a few more minutes, close the main air way down. I know it's working when I can hold a steady temp, and see occasional flames flickering deep in the bowels, and a low glow in the coal bed.

Just this morning when I added a load of wood to last night's coal bed, I later heard that rush of air going thru the secondary. Very cool.

I'm still learning how to regulate the temp, which I find to be a great way to monitor output. For my house in the current outside ambient temps (30 deg last night), it puts out great heat when it hovers between 350 and 400. I am again amazed at how well it heats my 1700 sq ft ranch. I feared that the hallway and bedrooms would freeze, but that's just not the case; the oil burner has so far NOT kicked on, and the bedrooms and hallway, even master bath, are no colder than they ever were burning oil.

I'm keeping the fan-blowing-cold-air-back-to-the-stove idea at the back of my mind, but right now I can't find anywhere that a floor or box fan would sit without the kids sticking their fingers or other things into it. The room the stove is in has 8 sliding windows, so I usually open a couple behind the stove to mix cold air with the nuclear heat coming off the stove, and to provide fresh combustion air. Works pretty well.

We'll see when it's 5 deg outside. But so far I'm driving my wife nuts bragging about all the $$ we're saving.

Thanks Brider,Dill, and Branchburner Us Oakwood newbie owners need help these stoves are a bit tricky.

How long have you been burrning with the Oakwood? I've got a wopping 3days!

I was thinking that when I close the damper I still needed to see flames coming off the wood so I would panic and think I was creating creosote so I would turn up the primary air. 8-/
Most of the time I have secondary(Ghost Flames) for about 15 min or so then just the glowing hot embers. is this ok? should I always have flames coming off the wood?

That rush of air going thru the secondary How loud is it? is it something you will hear real well or do you really need to listen for it?

Thanks from the Newbie Oakwood owner :red:

 

[Dill]

Most of the time I have secondary(Ghost Flames) for about 15 min or so then just the glowing hot embers. is this ok? should I always have flames coming off the wood?


Thats fine. The ghost flames are a hit a miss thing with my stove.
This is my 3rd heating season with the Oakwood. Overall I like it. One other thing to watch is the gasket on the ash pan door. Mine got loose and partly fell off last winter and the fire almost got away from me. I was thinking I had really really good wood but then I saw it hanging down. And check the ash pan at least every other day. When it overfills it can be a pia to pull out, plus ashes will fall down after the pan comes out. I've found the easiest way to get them is to put the empty pan under the stove and "rake" the ashes out with a fireplace broom. And that ash pan gets really really hot. Make sure you have a good oven mitt or thick gloves and your path to the dumping point is clear.

 

[MishMouse]

On my TL-300 which has a similar combustion package as the Oakwood.
After the chamber is engaged I only see a flame once in a while and they are coming from the chamber.
When I do get flames, I normally get them when I just engage the chamber and it is about 2 inches above the wood.
This is the main reason why I get around 10-12 hour burn times on a load of wood.

There are 2 ways to determine if your chamber is still engaged and working properly.
1) If your temps start to drop below 400
2) If you see smoke

Either way, fire up the stove back to around 500 (+ or -), then put it back into afterburn normally if you have a good bed built up it "should" stay enganged.