Osburn Runaway Part 2

[ADDvanced]

Okay, so I've been running my 1800 insert for a month now, almost every day and it's doing most of the heating for my place. I have a 15' chimney, and I'm running an uninsulated liner since the chimney is not exterior one but is central to the house. You can see a video of my install here for further questions about my setup: https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads...1800-chimney-liner-and-blockoff-plate.183133/

One thing I have noticed is that due to my install, my air control lever is bent at a 90 degree angle straight up. It actually came bent like this, probably for the exact same reason that I have it bent: When you install an 1800 into a typical chimney, if you want to line up the output duct with the damper, it will LIKELY be inset into the fireplace opening, so there is not enough lateral room for a horizontal lever.

One thing I think is weird, is that if I damp the lever all the way down, the fire still just does whatever. I don't feel like I have the ability to put the brakes on a fire, in anyway, it just does whatever. If I open the air control lever up all the way, I can get it to run faster, but it just seems like it is chewing through wood and is not very efficient.

Then I found this thread, and this guy is describing a LOT of what I am experiencing:

Osburn runaway?

Had my 2400 insert running with the stovetop running around 400 degrees yesterday. Threw in about 4 or 5 pieces of wood and the top went to 600 degrees. This made my poor wife a wreck. Air control was all the way in. It's hard to believe there's no way to shut it down any further. My question to...

www.hearth.com

I was hoping to find photos of what he was talking about, somehow limiting the air inlet so that the air control lever DOES something. What compounds my issue is that I am not sure about the travel of my air control lever because I don't know if the bent portion is in the right place. Hard to explain but here:

I have no idea where the actual opening is, so I have no idea if my plate on my air valve lever is fully closing this opening, or not, but it does seem like a very loose fit. I can remove the air lever and rebend it in a different location, I'm just not sure where it SHOULD be bent. I realize this is a compromise.

Also, I have never seen above 450 on the magnetic thermometer, which is located right above the door on the front face of the stove, so I'm not really worried about it getting too hot.

What I have now works... but it seems like I am unable to get a slow, lazy flame, even with the air valve closed all the way.

 

[begreen]

and I'm running an uninsulated liner since the chimney is not exterior one but is central to the house.

That is not the only reason for an insulated liner. Clearance from the chimney to combustibles it the main reason. As already noted, this is 2" for an interior chimney and 1" for an exterior chimney.

The insert is improperly installed as noted in part 1:

Video Install of my Osburn 1800, Chimney Liner, and Blockoff Plate

Figured this deserved it's own thread, after all my questions getting to this point. Huge thanks to everyone who helped answer all my dumb questions! I also put a link to this forum in the video description so people can learn more. Couple things so far: 1. LOVE IT! Gets the coldest...

www.hearth.com

 

[ABMax24]

Nothing in any of your videos leads me to believe you need to slow down the rate of burn. If anything you need more air and need to increase heat output, as indicated by the black secondary tubes in your first video, and the lack of secondary flames in your second one.

These Osburns don't really get the lazy flame you're looking for, they are more violent looking in the firebox, they run with an excess of air to ensure complete combustion and to reduce particulate and CO emissions.

This is what mine looks like on low:

 

[begreen]

I agree that the videos don't show a serious issue. The burn is going to vary with the draft intensity, the fuel charge, air supplied, and the operator. They don't all burn intensely. Here are a couple more videos.

 

[ADDvanced]

Thanks! I guess what I have is pretty good then. It's just weird when you google about improving efficiency and they tell you to choke it off so the flames get lazy. My flames don't really get lazy.

That said it's like 15 degrees outside and 77 in here so.... it's working? lol.

 

[begreen]

Thanks! I guess what I have is pretty good then. It's just weird when you google about improving efficiency and they tell you to choke it off so the flames get lazy. My flames don't really get lazy.

That said it's like 15 degrees outside and 77 in here so.... it's working? lol.

If the draft is strong because it is very cold outside then the flames may not get lazy, just lazier. A digital flue thermometer shows this better than the eye sometimes, especially if the fire is burning hottest in the back of the stove.

 

[ADDvanced]

so I just read I should be getting 5 hours of burn time from a 1.5-2.0 cubic foot stove, and I'm not even getting half that. I've stated I get maybe 2 hours of heat, MAYBE 3 if the stars align, but that's it.

When I choke my stove all the way off, it still burns fairly intensely.... should I try to rebend the air lever in a different spot to see if I can choke it off more?

I have never been able to 'stop' my insert... even with the air valve as shut as I can make it, it still burns great. I was told this was because the air is coming through the secondaries.... I'm wondering if I should try to limit that somehow?

 

[begreen]

Have you tried burning thicker splits, packed tightly, and turning down the air sooner?

 

[bholler]

Also did you ever confirm that your air intake is actually closing all the way? If it is bent at a 90 to close to the stove there is no way it would close. You were asked this the first time around.

 

[ADDvanced]

I don't know how I'm supposed to check that. It's inside the stove, above the lower skin. You can't see it. This is what my initial post was trying to describe. The red thing is my air control valve, and I don't know how you'res upposed to use this as an insert, because it would run into the wall of whatever you put this in. I could try rotating my stove, removing the air control valve, and rebending the 90 in a different location, but I'm not sure what I'm really aiming for here.

 

[bholler]

I don't know how I'm supposed to check that. It's inside the stove, above the lower skin. You can't see it. This is what my initial post was trying to describe. The red thing is my air control valve, and I don't know how you'res upposed to use this as an insert, because it would run into the wall of whatever you put this in. I could try rotating my stove, removing the air control valve, and rebending the 90 in a different location, but I'm not sure what I'm really aiming for here.

Install an elbow and clearance what ever you have to to get the stove forward where it should be. Then straighten out the control lever and see what happens. I have installed lots of inserts including the one in question and have never had to have one shoved back into the firebox like that. Worst case scenario you can use an offset box.

 

[ADDvanced]

It's too shallow, thing would fall out. Maybe I can install a universal joint or something so it can flex? Maybe a couple of htem and a socket extension.

 

[bholler]

It's too shallow, thing would fall out. Maybe I can install a universal joint or something so it can flex? Maybe a couple of htem and a socket extension.

Then you need an extension as well so it can be installed properly