Osburn 1600 LOVES to run

[weee123]

So I’ve been dealing with this ornery stove that breathes extremely well given my installation in my home. 21’ chimney 2 45s and a 90 which one would think wouldn’t draft to crazy but, with the high wind gusts that happen quite a bit at my location around this time of year it really pulls when it’s hot.

No matter how low I let the coals get or how I load it or how fast I bring the air down (if I go to fast it’ll choke out then I have to open it back up a smidge and baboom she goes) it will eventually run away with the secondaries. The only way I’ve been able to run it without it getting out of hand is at max, a half load.

Last night I did an experiment with sticking a magnet over 50% of the secondary inlet which definitely made a difference with the controllability of the stove. So today I installed a key damper and removed the magnet to see how it runs with just the damper. Hopefully that’s all I’ll need and not the magnets as well. I’ll post back here with the results.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Excellent! Let us know how it runs!

 

[weee123]

Well I can definitely say I’m pleased with how it’s running with the pipe damper installed. 3 big black walnut splits put on last night equaled a 7 hour burn! First time ever! Had coals in the morning to relight the stove before work.
Here’s the splits in question


And here’s the coals I woke up to!

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Nice!

 

[weee123]

So just a quick update.

The key damper was definitely the way to go. I’ve got way more control over the stove and I’m able to get actual burn times now which is really nice. Haven’t come close to another overfire yet which I’m extremely happy about. Now I can actually fill the stove full without worry of an eventual overfire.

I’m still going to go with a larger stove next year just to be able to keep it running longer while I’m away at work though.

 

[BrownT10]

So just a quick update.

The key damper was definitely the way to go. I’ve got way more control over the stove and I’m able to get actual burn times now which is really nice. Haven’t come close to another overfire yet which I’m extremely happy about. Now I can actually fill the stove full without worry of an eventual overfire.

I’m still going to go with a larger stove next year just to be able to keep it running longer while I’m away at work though.

What are your methods for using the key damper? Are you closing it all the way and at what point in your burn? Would be helpful for other and myself perhaps.

 

[weee123]

It really depends on the temperature outside. Since yesterday it was in the 50s I didn’t have a strong enough draft to really need it. When it gets colder out I will begin to close it, starting at half way (45 angle) and then moving to closed depending on how fierce the fire is burning making sure I don’t snuff it out. I don’t begin moving it until the stoves air control is around 15-25% closed.

Of course this is how I run it on my stove with my setup and conditions. Your experience may be different due to varying weather and setup conditions.

 

[Caw]

My 1600 insert loves to run on my 24' chimney too. I'm usually cruising between 650-725 STT but I can get good overnight burns. I reload around 10:30 pm and have coals at 7:30 am. For me it's all about turning down the air as early as possible and it stays in control. If I wait too long it'll run away too 750-800.

 

[weee123]

My 1600 insert loves to run on my 24' chimney too. I'm usually cruising between 650-725 STT but I can get good overnight burns. I reload around 10:30 pm and have coals at 7:30 am. For me it's all about turning down the air as early as possible and it stays in control. If I wait too long it'll run away too 750-800.

Howre you loading your wood? Are you loading it e/w or cutting it short to n/s? My problem was even if I turned it down fast enough an hour later it would still run away and churn through wood, which I thought was bizarre. And by runaway I mean RAPIDLY run the STT up with no slowing in sight. Not sure if the newer Osburns changed anything at all on the 1600 but mine was at least 30 years old.

 

[Caw]

Howre you loading your wood? Are you loading it e/w or cutting it short to n/s? My problem was even if I turned it down fast enough an hour later it would still run away and churn through wood, which I thought was bizarre. And by runaway I mean RAPIDLY run the STT up with no slowing in sight. Not sure if the newer Osburns changed anything at all on the 1600 but mine was at least 30 years old.

I reloaded at 10:30 pm last night with I'd say an 85% full load and at 7:30 am this is what I have for coals. 7:45 the door is closed and I'll shut the air down the first time in another 5-10 min or so then once more after that A very easy reload.

I load EW. I put my biggest splits in the back/bottom and build up and out from there. Id say with a full load I get 4 to 6 hours of meaningful heat then it'll relax and have good coals for up to 10 hours. After that I can often still reload it but it may take some reviving with kindling first. I like N/S loading convenience but cutting the wood that short is a chore. I just save up accidental shorties I come across and once in a while do a N/S for fun. It definitely runs hotter N/S so I wouldn't recommend that for you. It's clearly designed for E/W.

Have you checked your door and/or glass seals? I had a problem with my glass seal one year because I was cleaning it too vigorously. Moved it around and it failed. The stove would run away constantly but it was an easy fix once I figured it out.

This stove was purchased in 2019 which was the last year before the updated it to the 1700 so I got a good deal on it right before the EPA guidelines changes.

 

[Caw]

Cruising away with a medium load in since it's mild outside. It's 35outside now with a high of 47 so this load will carry us through the day. A nice comfy 70 in here! It will likely get up to 72 or 73. The wife likes it toasty.

 

[weee123]

Hell I’m lucky if I’d have coals after 6 hours let alone meaningful heat for that long. I did replace the door seal. How did you test the glass seal? I ran a lighter around it to test with the door shut to see if the flame moved at all, and I couldn’t really tell if it moved at all. Now with the door it was very obvious with the flame and dollar bill test that it was bad

 

[Caw]

Hell I’m lucky if I’d have coals after 6 hours let alone meaningful heat for that long. I did replace the door seal. How did you test the glass seal? I ran a lighter around it to test with the door shut to see if the flame moved at all, and I couldn’t really tell if it moved at all. Now with the door it was very obvious with the flame and dollar bill test that it was bad

Similar test with the lighter. I could also tell it was just getting too much air up front it couldn't have been air wash. You could always just replace the seal to see if it helps. For my model it was a quick job no sealer or downtime required. It can't hurt to try.

FWIW I forget if I mentioned it by my chimney is a 24' external chimney with an uninsulated liner. I also live in a fairly windy area but have the woods only 20 ft away on that side helping cut that wind. When it gets down below 15 degrees it loves to get hot but it's still manageable with diligent air control.

 

[weee123]

I replaced the glass seal last year when I redid the stove when I got it from marketplace. I already replaced the stove itself with a 32NC Englander.

I never really had a noticeable issue of getting too much primary air getting in after I replaced the door seal again. It was more an issue of the secondaries would go nuclear after an hour of burning with the primary shut all the way off if I fully stuffed it N/S. Longest I could achieve burn time wise (having coals to relight) was 7 hours, and this was after the addition of a flue damper which was shut all the way off.

 

[begreen]

Sounds like this story has closed with the Englander opening to a new chapter.

How big of a firebox should I upgrade to?

Looks great on the break-in, can't wait to hear how you luv da' heat!

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