PE Alderlea T5 operating tips?

[thunderhead]

First off I'd like to say thanks to members of this board, especially begreen, for answering my questions. We just got our stove installed a few days ago, and right now it's cranking along on its first real fire after a few warmup fires... now its got a nice set of secondarys on almost-low some 45 mins after startup! And I love how it looks!


So now a few more questions if you don't mind.

What is the max height I want to stack the wood? A few inches below the top? How far from the glass should they stay?

After browsing some other threads it looks like the stovetop temp can hit 700F with no problem? But the stove top is kindof hidden... what about a temperature guage at the base of the flue? Would that work? What do you guys recommend for thermometer brand and location?

Do you folks ever use the ashpan or do you generally not bother with it?

Thanks!

 

[RBrad]

I have no experience operating that stove but its a really nice setup! Good luck with it!

 

[begreen]

That's a nice addition to the room. It fits in great there. I usually take the wood to within about an inch of the baffle, but sometimes it touches it in some spots. Keep at least an inch or two away from the glass.

The stove top can hit 700F, but it doesn't have to. The stovetop thermometer should sit on the stove top. I have ours under the left trivet and view it between the slots, but most of the time I am going by stove pipe temps, not stovetop, with a probe thermometer in our double-wall stove pipe.

I don't use the ashpan, but some do. It's a personal choice.

 

[thunderhead]

Thanks! How long after reloads do you usually start cutting back the air?

 

[Woody Stover]

Thanks! How long after reloads do you usually start cutting back the air?

We have a surface meter flue meter on my SIL's T5, single-wall connector pipe, so that reads about half of what you would see on a probe. We start cutting air at about 230 or so on the flue meter, or when we see signs of the secondary starting to fire from the baffle. Cut the air in increments, making sure that the secondary burn continues.

 

[mar13]

Curious, is this an LE or older series D model?

 

[mar13]

Nice set-up!

I'm in my first season with the T5 (series D=linked secondary air, not EBT2). I pretty much follow Begreen's fire approach for a full load on a cold stove start, but now I'm learning to run my temperatures hotter (in an attempt to char more wood) on the flue probe before shutting down. That may be because I have been using hardwoods (eucalyptus & tanoak) instead of doug fir, and milder temperatures outside. In regards to the temperatures, you may find the following link helpful, especially the note from Samsquanch: https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/non-cat-air-setting-for-mild-weather.179597/#post-2412786

With outside temps in the upper 40s (and damp) and the flames still going strong, my stove has been happiest running (zero visible smoke coming from the stack) with the flue probe reading (Condar, installed same time stove was installed) at about 600 and the stove top (under the trivet) at 600-650 (on the edge of the "red zone"). As coals replace the burning wood, both stove and flu temps understandably decline.

For Christmas, I asked and received a coal rake (Amazon product ASIN B001XRJSMU). This has been very nice to have for hot reloads.

Oh, this weekend a stove-owning friend was admiring the stove and thought I had the door open because the glass was so clean - he was amazed. Changing from an old stove, it's nice how well the window air wash can work. I do try to keep my lengths 16" or less (or angled if longer) to keep them a few inches from the glass. In some of my first fires, I did slightly haze my lowerwindow corners by turning down the air too fast, as I was being too cautionary of getting a run away fire.

Upon reading other reviews, I have not tried to use the ash pan. It's simple enough to use a shovel. If trying for a long burn, I do stack it to just below where I'd otherwise be touching the baffle.

If you have an LE version of the stove, I'd be curious to hear your own experience.

By the way, it looks like your stove corners are almost touching the brick walls. (Nice to have the option of such tight clearances.) My installer did the same, though it'll require some stove shifting if I ever want to install a fan.

And one last question, how well do your trivets swing close? Here's a thread telling you why I'd like to know: https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/alderlea-owners-do-your-trivets-line-up-well.175639/

Ok, enough rambling from me.

En joy your new stove!

 

[Samsquanch]

Sounds like you’ve got it figured out pretty well already! I almost exclusively monitor flue temperature via a Condar probe through the double wall with our T5. If I have the top swung open, I will occasionally glance at the magnetic gauge I have on top, but it’s not my go-to for monitoring what’s going on. Running hard, the flue temp normally seems happiest around 600 or so, and around 450 for smaller loads in the shoulder season. I keep a couple inches between the wood and the glass, and an inch or two from the baffle on a full load. Never bothered with the ash bin - shovelling is easy in this stove, but it’s up to you. I actually cut a brick to block the ash dump hole.

I can pretty much echo what everyone else has been indicating for temperatures and operation. I normally start shutting down when I start seeing secondaries or around 250-300f on the flue probe, and will continue to adjust another 2 or three times until it settles, keeping an eye on not killing the secondaries too much. The first increment might only be to just above the “H” in low or normal draft conditions, but in high draft (low outside temps, high winds), and on a warm reload, I can be a lot more aggressive and pretty much dial right down to cruising around the “L” without making smoke.

A good little trick someone pointed out on here a while back is to put a little tinfoil ball (pea size) in front of your stovetop temp gauge needle so that you have a way to read the max temp it hits when you aren’t staring at it. As the stove cools, the needle will fall, but the ball stays wherever it got pushed to on the gauge. Works great! Enjoy your new stove.

 

[begreen]

Thanks! How long after reloads do you usually start cutting back the air?

Depends on several factors, but as soon as the wood starts burning well turn it down until the flames get lazy. Let the fire regain strength then close it down again.

 

[raiderfan]

Used to LOVE that stove. Had one in my old place and left it with the sale of the house. New owners wanted no part of it and we decided to sell it. Miss it badly, compared to the thing I inherited in the new house..

I used to start shutting the air down incrementally based on the stove top temps my thermometer showed. Placement was right where BeGreen mentioned (as he is the one that helped me with that, years ago). I used to have my splits cut at 16" length and loaded it N/S. NEVER used the ash pan. I was always afraid of some small piece of something getting caught in the way, and not allowing it to close all of the way, allowing air to leak in. I just shoveled it out as needed (however, I was more of a night/weekend burner, so not using the ash pan wasn't that much of a hassle).

Great stove and looks fantastic with your setup. Totally jealous.

 

[Woody5506]

Love my T5. I use the ash pan only for wiping down the ash lip of the stove. I remember a while back someone here wondered what the hole was for on that lip. Well, when you pull the pan forward, you just wipe the wood crumbs from the lip of the stove into there and thats that. That's about the only time I use the ash pan though, i don't use it for cleaning out the actual stove.

I use a condar stove top thermometer and a flue probe thermometer (based on BeGreen's recommendation) and I think the flue temp is way more important. As Begreen has said numerous times, the stove top temps just don't react quickly compared to flue.

The manual states to not load wood above the firebrick. I think this seems a bit overly cautious...I routinely pack the thing full every night before bed. I don't stuff wood against the baffle but I'm pretty much always over the brick. I think 16" long splits are ideal but you can get away with 18. I'll put ones even longer in if I'm doing a very partial load, and just on a diagonal.

 

[mar13]

The manual states to not load wood above the firebrick. I think this seems a bit overly cautious...I routinely pack the thing full every night before bed. I don't stuff wood against the baffle but I'm pretty much always over the brick.

I've looked and I can't find where in the manual it says you shouldn't load above the firebrick. I only see, "Do not load fuel to a height or in such a manner that would be hazardous when opening the door."

A good little trick someone pointed out on here a while back is to put a little tinfoil ball (pea size) in front of your stovetop temp gauge needle so that you have a way to read the max temp it hits when you aren’t staring at it. As the stove cools, the needle will fall, but the ball stays wherever it got pushed to on the gauge.

I'll give that trick a try. Sounds a bit like a poor man's Auber.

I actually cut a brick to block the ash dump hole.

Can you tell us more about that. Before I got the stove, I thought I could just replace the two small ones with a single 9"x4.5" brick, but there's a lip sticking up for the ash drop hole. Did you find a thin brick to cut and place over the ash drop? Or cut one that fit inside the ash drop?

 

[Woody Stover]

NEVER used the ash pan. I was always afraid of some small piece of something getting caught in the way, and not allowing it to close all of the way, allowing air to leak in.

As far as I can see, there's no chance of that happening on ours; The door slides back under spring pressure, into a slot that locks the door closed. If you have anything on the ash door, it won't close all the way and slip into the lock slot.

I have not tried to use the ash pan. It's simple enough to use a shovel

I haven't been removing ashes, my SIL has, so I don't know how well the small ash dump works. I did cut a small piece of wood that she can put under the lever, to hold the ash door open while she sweeps the ash to the dump opening.
But yeah, I'll take a shallow pan over there and shovel it out to assess how well it contains any airborne ash dust, etc.
I think that with the big front door, I'll have plenty of room to get the pan into the box and still have room to shovel from next to it. Should contain the ash pretty well if I'm shoveling inside the box..

 

[Samsquanch]

Can you tell us more about that. Before I got the stove, I thought I could just replace the two small ones with a single 9"x4.5" brick, but there's a lip sticking up for the ash drop hole. Did you find a thin brick to cut and place over the ash drop? Or cut one that fit inside the ash drop?

I just cut down the spare brick that came with the stove so that it fit between the others and that little lip. If I recall, that left a 1/2" gap between the bricks where the lip is at the edge of the dump chute. Not perfect, but close, and way more flat for shoveling on. I'd take a picture, but it's a little hot in there at the moment.

 

[Woody Stover]

little trick someone pointed out on here a while back is to put a little tinfoil ball (pea size) in front of your stovetop temp gauge needle so that you have a way to read the max temp it hits when you aren’t staring at it. As the stove cools, the needle will fall, but the ball stays wherever it got pushed to

Huh, I'll give that a try; I've been using a paper clip that I bent.

 

[thunderhead]

Thanks all for the for the feedback! Still learning but overall I am quite pleased with the stove! Its interesting how cutting the air back a few minutes different makes a huge difference on fire behavior. Last night I think I cut back a little too late and the stove nuked through a full load in a few hours, STT reaching 725. Today I think I cut back a minute or 2 too early and its settled into a much slower burning state with STT around 650 after I opened it back up and allowed it to recover from me closing it off too fast. I think I got it in the end though. I think this one would be great for a long term burn. A little too weak for warming up the house fast this morning but a great speed I think for overnight burns.

I placed a ST thermometer where begreen suggested.

How hard are those condar probe thermometers to install? Would love to see what my stove is doing without having to get up from the couch Or maybe I should just learn to read the flames...

And one last question, how well do your trivets swing close?

They swing and close pretty cleanly on ours. Don't know if that will continue... I suspect we won't use them much either way. Even if the power goes off we have a gas stovetop.

 

[mar13]

How hard are those condar probe thermometers to install?

Easy. You can preview the instructions from the Condar website, and maybe even from Amazon.

 

[begreen]

How hard are those condar probe thermometers to install? Would love to see what my stove is doing without having to get up from the couch Or maybe I should just learn to read the flames...

They are easy to install. You drill a 3/16" hole for the probe through both jackets, then drill out the outer jacket to 1/4" to accommodate the eyelet. Insert the eyelet then insert the probe.

 

[Samsquanch]

Turns out mine is an SBI probe, but same idea. Hole, magnetic donut, small steel collar, and slide it in. (and don't forget to take it out when you sweep!)

 

[thunderhead]

Is it OK to hit 750 STT on a reload? Like briefly? Its back down to just over 700. I turned it down ASAP keeping the air just open enough to avoid smoking... thought I did a good job this time. Is that temperature too high? I hope not because the fired appeared relatively benign... mostly secondarys.

Also do you folks ever have smoke leak out from those probe installs?

Thanks!

 

[Woody Stover]

Last night I think I cut back a little too late and the stove nuked through a full load in a few hours, STT reaching 725. Today I think I cut back a minute or 2 too early and its settled into a much slower burning state with STT around 650....They swing and close pretty cleanly on ours. Don't know if that will continue... I suspect we won't use them much either way.

Yeah, I'm still trying to get better at assessing the burn visually, and timing when cutting the air back. She has been running her stove, I haven't had many opportunities to light big loads and watch them progress.
The flue probe will give you another tool, besides just using your eyes and the stove top meter. We just have a surface meter on the single-wall connector pipe, about 15" up from the stove top.

Is it OK to hit 750 STT on a reload? Like briefly? Its back down to just over 700. I turned it down ASAP keeping the air just open enough to avoid smoking... thought I did a good job this time. Is that temperature too high?...do you folks ever have smoke leak out from those probe installs?

I don't think 750 is a problem but I'd rather see that 650-700 burn, for less wear and tear on the stove over the long haul. Even if it does go 750, it doesn't stay there for too long, and I haven't really seen it go much higher at that point, even though the draft is strong, even with the air closed, two flue dampers inline and only 15' of stack.
Smoke doesn't come out the tiny gap between the probe and the pipe; Draft is always pulling air from outside the pipe, into the flue through that gap.

 

[Woody5506]

I've looked and I can't find where in the manual it says you shouldn't load above the firebrick. I only see, "Do not load fuel to a height or in such a manner that would be hazardous when opening the door."

Mar, you got me second guessing myself now, I'll have to check out my manual sometime as I could've sworn it said this somewhere in there and I also remember someone else bringing it up either here or on the FHC board. Either way, packing full is no issue.

 

[thunderhead]

Just got a 7 hour burn from a fairly, though not completely, full softwood load! Exterior temperatures were warmish... 7 degrees F above the winter average, so the flue was probably pulling pretty gently, but still with softwoods and me not really packing it to the brim, I was quite pleased.

 

[thunderhead]

I just reloaded on a small bed of coals and it took a long time to get back up and the secondary to reestablish. I thought STT wasnt that cold... it was still at 350 or so.

If i rake them all into one spot first does that help the temps get back up faster? I didnt do that this time.

 

[begreen]

Try raking them forward and center next time.