Overfire - what to do?

[Tahoe]

Hello,

Hoping for some timely help here. My woodstock progress hybrid is sitting at 700 deg on the stove top thermometer.

Ive closed down the damper all the way. I opened the bypass to the cat hoping to decrease combustion/heat. Is that correct? Any other ideas?

We’ve been without power for 2 days after this storm and I over-loaded it when re-stoking.

Thanks!

 

[begreen]

It doesn't sound like an emergency yet. The stovetop should be able to take it if it doesn't get hotter. Opening the bypass is not good for the flue, but if it works for a short while then ok unless the flue collar starts glowing red (in a darkened room). If the stove doesn't get hotter, ride it out. You could point a fan directly at the stovetop to keep it a bit cooler. FWIW, it's not uncommon for the stovetop thermometer to be reading wrong.

Sorry about the power outage, but I'm glad you folks are seeing some moisture.

 

[Tahoe]

Thank you for the reply.

Crisis averted. The temp is already down to 650 deg.

Thank you again Begreen

 

[begreen]

Good deal. Hope the lights come on again soon.

 

[Tahoe]

Good deal. Hope the lights come on again soon.

Me too!!

 

[Hap Shaughnessy]

I open the door and squirt a little water on top of the wood to slow it down. Have had to do it twice

 

[moresnow]

I open the door and squirt a little water on top of the wood to slow it down. Have had to do it twice

OP. Do not do this.

 

[bholler]

I open the door and squirt a little water on top of the wood to slow it down. Have had to do it twice

No bad idea

 

[John B]

700 STT is fine, dont sweat it. Is it a new stove? If so, they will run very hot the first few fires and then settle down as time goes on.

 

[velvetfoot]

You could point a fan directly at the stovetop to keep it a bit cooler

No power.

On the other hand, I wish I had a free standing stove instead of an insert for outages.

 

[peakbagger]

My ancient Burnham wood boiler has a safety relief valve piped directly into the fire box. A novice operator managed to test that feature on the boiler a few weeks ago. I was not in front of it when it let off but it knocked the fire back quite a bit and covered the front of the boiler with damp soot and filled the ash dump under the grate with damp ash. No damage I could see. My guess is a little bit of water would expand rapidly into steam and overwhelm the capacity of the stack. I could envision poorly secured stack possible lifting at a seam. The water did not put the fire out on my boiler so there is a chance that the flue pipe could blow off and start burning again without the flue connected.

My novice has sworn off ever operating my boiler again.

 

[bholler]

My ancient Burnham wood boiler has a safety relief valve piped directly into the fire box. A novice operator managed to test that feature on the boiler a few weeks ago. I was not in front of it when it let off but it knocked the fire back quite a bit and covered the front of the boiler with damp soot and filled the ash dump under the grate with damp ash. No damage I could see. My guess is a little bit of water would expand rapidly into steam and overwhelm the capacity of the stack. I could envision poorly secured stack possible lifting at a seam. The water did not put the fire out on my boiler so there is a chance that the flue pipe could blow off and start burning again without the flue connected.

My novice has sworn off ever operating my boiler again.

Steam especially when someone is applying the water to the fire can cause very severe injuries. And I have seen chimneys blown off the side of the house by dumping water down a burning chimney.

 

[begreen]

No power.

On the other hand, I wish I had a free standing stove instead of an insert for outages.

I thought of that later and wondered if they had a generator running.

 

[Highbeam]

And I have seen chimneys blown off the side of the house by dumping water down a burning chimney.

Even if it didn't blow that stack of rocks apart it could have cracked all the clay liners right?

Many modern EPA stoves burn hot in order to burn clean so the operator has less control than in the past. Sometimes, especially with a fresh cat, this means that the stove can be burning hotter than you want it. The user has very limited ability to slow it down. Nature of the beast since the alternative is that the wood gas fuel will escape the flue unburned as pollution.

 

[Tahoe]

700 STT is fine, dont sweat it. Is it a new stove? If so, they will run very hot the first few fires and then settle down as time goes on.

No, not a new stove. New cat combustor though. I think that’s why it got hotter than usual.

Man, I’ve got to give another shout out to this stove. Our heat was out for 2 weeks earlier this year and we ran it 24/7.

Now the power has been out since Monday night and it’s keeping the house super cozy.

Thanks everyone for your help. I do have the chimfex sticks near the stove if things ever get out of hand.

- Adam

 

[Tahoe]

I thought of that later and wondered if they had a generator running.

I do

 

[begreen]

I would have too in this circumstance. Are you around south Lake Tahoe? That area got a lot of heavy snow.

 

[Tahoe]

I would have too in this circumstance. Are you around south Lake Tahoe? That area got a lot of heavy snow.

Yes, south lake tahoe

 

[Hap Shaughnessy]

No bad idea

Wondering why. We are talking two or three sprays with a small spray bottle directly on top of wood. Certainly not blindly dousing it or using a pop can amount of water and in process steering well clear of hot metal and firebrick which Im sure could crack if hit with the water.

 

[Rickb]

better to just throw a little old ash on top to smother it some.

 

[bholler]

Wondering why. We are talking two or three sprays with a small spray bottle directly on top of wood. Certainly not blindly dousing it or using a pop can amount of water and in process steering well clear of hot metal and firebrick which Im sure could crack if hit with the water.

For one this is a hybrid stove with a cat in it. That water vapor will thermal shock the cat.

Telling anyone that putting water in their stove to control an overfires is just irresponsible. There is way to much that can go really wrong really fast.

Just open the door for a short period of time. The temps will drop in seconds.

 

[PaulOinMA]

Steam explosion killed two at a VA medical center in West Haven, CT in late 2020.

 

[velvetfoot]

@Tahoe , I'm curious what your generator situation and strategy is. A 2 week outage is nothing to sneeze at.

 

[PaulOinMA]

Water : steam :: 1 : 1,700.

 

[fire_man]

Believe it or not, a cat stove getting too hot can often be cooled by simply increasing the air control to let in more air. Its counerintuitive but it works.

See this old thread (third post by Backwoods Savage) https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/scary-moment-with-the-new-firelight-12.99970/#post-1278357