Over Heating

[Treemoss]

Last night I had a problem. I had a fire going for the last few days now and late last night before I went to bed I loaded up the stove. I put about six splits in the back of the stove and some on top of the coals. I had the air open full for about five minutes with it going good charring all the wood on top. I shut the air down halfway and the secondaries were blazing with in 10 minutes it was at 600° From 400°. Now I shut the air all the way down and the secondaries with blazing like crazy. It was getting hotter and hotter it was up to 675° five minutes after it was at 600°. I noticed one log particular in front seems like it was oozing oil and it was highly flammable the other logs were chard smoking slowly this log was a full flame not stopping getting hotter like burning oil was coming out of the wood. My stove manual says do not go over 700° so I started to panic because I knew it was up to 700 within two minutes so what I had to do was put some vent pipe tape over the holes underneath the stove to smother the fire out. It worked and I got the stove back down to 600°. Why do you think the stove was getting so hot and not stopping and that one particular log was a full fireball when I just loaded it and the others were just smoldering and it was just getting hotter and hotter like it was losing a flammable liquid.

 

[webbie]

The manual (maker) knows full well you can't always keep your stove under that temp - it's quite normal for single wall steel stoves to get up to as much as 900 or above (using the condar-type magnetic gauges). In fact, I don't think I've ever burned a stove which didn't regular exceed 700 at some times in the fire.

First advice - don't panic! The stove is getting hot because it is burning efficiently.

In effect, the logs do put off flammable liquids - which then turn to gas and are burned up by the secondaries. So this is operating as it should.

I think what the manual is trying to tell you if not to open the air up full once that thing exceeds 700 and tempt fate! There is certainly no way to constantly keep the stove temps on a single wall surface below that temp at all times.

 

[Jags]

I agree with Webbie. 700 ain't a bit scary. Sure - it should put you into action, but no reason to panic. Mine hit 800F last night, and all I did was adjust the air, turn the fan on (stove fan) and walk into the kitchen.

 

[Sprinter]

Why do you think the stove was getting so hot and not stopping and that one particular log was a full fireball when I just loaded it and the others were just smoldering and it was just getting hotter and hotter like it was losing a flammable liquid.

When you put a lot of fresh fuel on top of a hot coal bed, many times all the fuel off-gasses and burns faster than the stove can dissipate the heat. If that happens a lot, you need to burn the coals down further before reloading. Or put less fuel in. Turning a fan onto the stove will help a lot to cool the stove down.

That one split may have had a lot of resins in it and being in front, it may have been getting the lion's share of air.

 

[Treemoss]

I was worried. You guys make me feel a lot better. I am new to burning and that was my second time having a filled fire box. When that baby was cranking and going to 700 and getting stronger and the air was off I said oh sh#t. That piece of wood was crazy. It was oozing for 10 min with moltin lava. I would hate to have a filled up fire box with that wood. I thought that I might have to grab that piece of wood with my tongs and run through the kitchen to the back yard with it on fire.lol

 

[Slow1]

Hmm... although I've heard of folks tossing burning logs into snowbanks from their stove this is generally because the log was too long and caught fire before the runner realized it just wasn't going to fit. I don't think running through the house with oozing fire is a good idea in any case.

I wonder if that piece had a lot of pitch (was it a sappy wood per chance?). My advice when loading up full is to consider shutting air down a bit sooner - many have reported that the peak temps are tightly related to the temps when the stove air was reduced.

 

[Swedishchef]

Everyone has provided great advice.

With time you will get to know your stove. I have been burning for 4 winters and I am still learning my stove. And I remember one time living through a situation like yourself: saying OH SH*T as I saw the temps climbing...I pictures trying to throw a log or two out the basement window!

Andrew

 

[molly1414]

What type of wood were you burning? We burn a lot of pine and at least once a week I run into a big split that is full of pitch in it. You can tell because they feel a lot heavier then other splits. They burn like they are full of gasoline. I do the same thing just cover the rear air intake to get it under control. I try not to put those on a hot bed of coals.

 

[Treemoss]

I am not sure what type of wood I had in there because it was late and I was just putting pieces in but I do have sugar maple, hickory,walnut cherry,Oak and mulberry. None of my wood really have any sap coming out of it. That piece of wood it was coming from the inside out. Slow, I think I will try to turn the air down sooner and burn down the coals a little more before I load it up. The stove was at 400 to 450° Maybe I should reload when it is at 300 hundred to 350°. Last night's fire was much better. I burned the coals down more and I had everything going good. loaded it up around 10 o'clock never went over 550° Morning had a nice bed of coals 11 hours later. Like you said swed I'm still going to be learning my stove for awhile. I guess there will always be trial and Era I just hope more trial with no era.