Hi all. Two questions. First, I have a buck 27000 insert double layered stainless. I have been burning almost nonstop because I LOVE the heat and tending the fire. The last two days I have been burning pretty much nonstop and it's very cozy inside but I need to know if it's ok to burn for extended amounts of time with no break?? Also outside it kind of has a slight plastic smell coming from my chimney. I need some advise BADLY and would love and APPRECIATE any from anyone. Around my stove ( the hearth maybe?) is almost hot to touch only in the immediate area of the exit (damper ) area. Is this also ok?? Or no?? Thank you very much and I will be impatiently waiting a response. Lol. Thank you.
Novice seeking experienced help PLEASE!!!!
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First - do you have a thermometer on your stove? If not, I would stop burning until you get one. An experienced person can run a stove without a thermometer (for awhile) but if you are a newbie, I suspect you are burning way too hot. Plastic smell and everything too hot sound alarm bells to me. Your chimney is only able to handle so much heat safely, then it's just a matter of time before things get dangerous. Extended burns are not a problem. Lots of us keep a fire going for days or weeks.
My stove has a temperature controlled blower on it and it hasn't gone up to the third level. It said in the manual I got online that it shouldn't run on a regular basis on the third level. And it doesn't which led me to believe I was in a safe temperature range.
That's not a reliable enough indication for me.
"Around my stove ( the hearth maybe?) is almost hot to touch only in the immediate area of the exit (damper ) area. Is this also ok?? Or no??"
That tells me you have a problem.
With wood stoves, safety is the first concern. I'd always err on the side of safe operation and without a temp reading, i think you are too hot. Chimney are too expensive to risk overheating, let alone burning down your home. Just my 2 cents.
"Around my stove ( the hearth maybe?) is almost hot to touch only in the immediate area of the exit (damper ) area. Is this also ok?? Or no??"
That tells me you have a problem.
With wood stoves, safety is the first concern. I'd always err on the side of safe operation and without a temp reading, i think you are too hot. Chimney are too expensive to risk overheating, let alone burning down your home. Just my 2 cents.
eclecticcottage
Minister of Fire
We heat with wood, burning non-stop from November until April/May. A lot of folks here do the same. No problems there.
Can you post a pic and show what's hot? Was it installed by a professional? I have a free standing stove and am not familiar with inserts but I'm thinking maybe it's the surround that's hot?
Can you post a pic and show what's hot? Was it installed by a professional? I have a free standing stove and am not familiar with inserts but I'm thinking maybe it's the surround that's hot?
JA600L
Minister of Fire
Do you have an infrared heat gun? If so use that and get us some readings. Stove top, pipe, etc..
I never touch anything on my old Buck with my bare hands when there's fire in it. Get a stove top thermometer or an IR temp gun from harbor freight. If your stove top temp is below 700F, you're fine. These stoves get hot, really hot, as I'm sure any good stove does.
I'd be more concerned about the smell you're getting. Is the smell consistent, day after day?
I'd be more concerned about the smell you're getting. Is the smell consistent, day after day?
No. Was just a little while ago. Went back out and now it's gone. I'm posting a picture of the hot part.
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Yes it was installed professionally and I had my chimney swept and inspected a month ago. They may just get this hot and I'm just not used to it because I have never had one before and I just want to make SURE my family and I can enjoy it safely
Also I just replaced the door gaskets today and a friend said the smell may have been from that or something in a piece of wood that I bought.
Since your stove is enclosed, I would take a temp right above the hood and shoot for about 600F, tops.
On the brick? And I was going to get a magnetic thermometer tomorrow to out on the door. Don't really know what to buy. But the 600 degree above the hood is some VERY useful info for me. Thank you. Now where is Just above the hood exactly? Lol. Sorry.
Above the metal hood that's over the doors. That's the hottest spot on the front of my buck where I can fit a thermometer.
Nick Mystic
Minister of Fire
My big Jotul F600 sits right in front of my fireplace opening with the back six inches of the stove inside the firebox. I just shot the bottom rows of bricks on my chimney above the stove and got a 188 degree reading. Three rows up it's reading 160F. I used to have an insert similar to yours in this fireplace before I replaced it with this stove last February. I used to keep my magnetic thermometer on front of the insert in the area about where your little hood is sitting. On your insert I would put it just above the hood. I used to get readings sometimes as high as 800F, but that was hot and I tried to burn it more in the 400F - 500F range.
Oh thank you SOOO MUCH Nick. I can't thank you enough for that info. I too am eventually going to replace this one for a newer one. Just bought his house and it's my first time burning. But I absolutely LOVE IT!! All of it , the heat , tending to the stove, cutting the wood , everything. but I first must make sure that my family is safe in doing so. Your info has relieved me in a way that you have NO IDEA how much. Lol. Thank you very much for taking the time to help me. I am soooo relieved that this is somewhat normal and I will get that thermometer tomorrow. Thanks again and to everyone else who has helped me.
jdp1152
Minister of Fire
Burning non stop is not only fine, you'll use less wood per btu output. First load on a cold or light coal bed will chew through some wood. Maintaining thermal mass of a chimney also helps. When I'm home for extended periods I use less wood than doing cold starts...these newer stves are more efficient when you keep em hot. I rarely burn non stop other than weekends and holidays, and the difference is pretty noticeable both heat and efficiency wise.
No idea on the plastic smell...only odors out of ordinary were on break in fires which I suppose isn't really out of ordinary.
Good luck on burning. I love the heat and fire tending as well. I don't want it for my primary heat but it's nice to know its there. Processing wood was another joy, though family has prevented much of that of late
No idea on the plastic smell...only odors out of ordinary were on break in fires which I suppose isn't really out of ordinary.
Good luck on burning. I love the heat and fire tending as well. I don't want it for my primary heat but it's nice to know its there. Processing wood was another joy, though family has prevented much of that of late
Seanm
Minister of Fire
That smell you are noticing is something that many of us would call an industrial smell. Its a normal by product of clean burning, I would be more concerned if I constantly smelled a smokey smell. If you look at your chimney and see only heat vapors and notice that smell it means you are burning clean.... at least at that moment. Smokey smells or grey smoke should only be noticed during start ups or reloads.
Are you burning white birch? The bark on white birch can at times smell nothing like a wood fire, and more like a plastic sorta, off smell. Nothing wrong with burning it but it does really smell different so that's perhaps some of what you're smelling. I agree with others that long burns are what a stove and chimney are for. I often time burn for a month at a time or longer, usually being forced to let it our due to a warm spell of when I really need to clean things like the glass door, and vacuum out the top, etc.
Beer Belly
Minister of Fire
Bricks getting that hot would concern me....what are the clearance specs ?...may need a heatshield to protect any combustables.....plastic smell ?....I do get a chemical type smell, I figure it's gotta be the wood, and don't worry about it too much
Thanks everyone for responding. I'm sorry I didn't see the responses til today. I am burning mostly ash wood. I just got the magnetic thermometer and put it just above the lip of the stove. It's not running very hot at all at the moment but I am thinking either I overreacted to a normal type heat or the thermometer isn't working properly. I can put my finger on where I placed the thermometer for a couple seconds and it's reading around 100 degrees. Does this sound right? The fire is almost out at the moment.
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