Picked up a second thermometer for the stove top, todays fire...

[pault123]

Evening guys,

So as recommended on here a lot, picked up a second stove thermometer, hows it looking? This is typically how i'd run the existing flue pipe thermometer...

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[MikeP]

What temps do you get in the center top of the stove? On my stove, Englander 30, if I had a 450* pipe temp the stove top would be pushing 750-800.

 

[pault123]

I'll move the thermo and try this spot later

 

[MikeP]

Out of curiosity, I moved my thermo from the middle of the stove just on the step, pretty much the known hottest spot on the 30. It was reading around 525, and only 375 in the back corner, so similar to your reading, only difference was my flue was around 275 at the time.

 

[begreen]

Stove top looks too cool, flue pipe a bit too hot. I'd prefer to see the opposite with the stove top about 500F and the flue pipe about 350. Otherwise too much heat is heading up the flue. Try closing down the airwash a bit more.

 

[pen]

What temps do you get in the center top of the stove? On my stove, Englander 30, if I had a 450* pipe temp the stove top would be pushing 750-800.

I agree. Move that stove thermometer in front of the stove pipe and see what sort of a reading you get.

 

[BradleyW]

It has gotten so much easier for me to run the stove since I got a thermometer for both the stove top and stove pipe. Knowing those two temps lets me know exactly what to do with the stove. A little while ago I saw a discussion on here about whether or not you could run a stove properly without a glass door. I'd run a stove much better that had two thermometers and no glass door than no thermometers with a glass door. Of course, it would suck not to see the fire.

 

[Nick Mystic]

Keep in mind when you first start a fire with a fair amount of kindling and active flames inside the firebox you can get some pretty high stove pipe temperatures that will soon settle down as the flames die back. As for taking temperature readings off your stove top be sure to read your owners manual to find out where the manufacturer recommends placing your thermometer. On my Jotul F600 the manual calls for the thermometer to be placed on one of the top corners. Readings from the center of my stove will be 200F hotter, so a 650F reading on a corner would likely convert to over 850F - 900F on the center of the top, which would indicate an over firing situation.

 

[FionaD]

Just out of curiosity Paul, I understand your air wash reading and your closed primary air, but what was the 'secondary air' control that seemed to be beneath the stove, that your video said was also set at 50%? Have you partially blocked your secondary air intake or does your stove offer the ability to control secondary air flow in some way? Never heard of that before...

That aside, I agree with what others have said; it looks like, in keeping your air wash control half open, you are sending quite a bit of heat up the flue. If you close it down a tad more, you might get stronger secondary burn and therefore keep the temp inside the stove a bit more, whilst also increasing your burn times a little (how long a burn do you get on a full load before you need to reload, by the way?)

My only caveat to that is that there seems to be a third air control on your stove which might change the usual 'rules'.... I'd love to hear some more about that third air control.

Your hearth looks great.. I am always smiling at the way we folk here love to sit in front of our stoves whilst watching videos of other people's stoves! Are there therapies for this addiction, I wonder..?

 

[pault123]

I agree. Move that stove thermometer in front of the stove pipe and see what sort of a reading you get.

So moved the stove top thermo to the centre, middle of the lip and flue pipe, and temps were similar to OP video. Going to try the front left and right corners next and perhaps shutting down the airwash further to keep more heat in the stove?

 

[pault123]

Keep in mind when you first start a fire with a fair amount of kindling and active flames inside the firebox you can get some pretty high stove pipe temperatures that will soon settle down as the flames die back. As for taking temperature readings off your stove top be sure to read your owners manual to find out where the manufacturer recommends placing your thermometer. On my Jotul F600 the manual calls for the thermometer to be placed on one of the top corners. Readings from the center of my stove will be 200F hotter, so a 650F reading on a corner would likely convert to over 850F - 900F on the center of the top, which would indicate an over firing situation.

Scoured the manual but can't find any mention of where to put the stove top thermo

http://www.stovax.com/download/Tech...Stockton Installation & User Instructions.pdf

 

[pault123]

Just out of curiosity Paul, I understand your air wash reading and your closed primary air, but what was the 'secondary air' control that seemed to be beneath the stove, that your video said was also set at 50%? Have you partially blocked your secondary air intake or does your stove offer the ability to control secondary air flow in some way? Never heard of that before...

That aside, I agree with what others have said; it looks like, in keeping your air wash control half open, you are sending quite a bit of heat up the flue. If you close it down a tad more, you might get stronger secondary burn and therefore keep the temp inside the stove a bit more, whilst also increasing your burn times a little (how long a burn do you get on a full load before you need to reload, by the way?)

My only caveat to that is that there seems to be a third air control on your stove which might change the usual 'rules'.... I'd love to hear some more about that third air control.

Your hearth looks great.. I am always smiling at the way we folk here love to sit in front of our stoves whilst watching videos of other people's stoves! Are there therapies for this addiction, I wonder..?

Secondary air is the third slider I can control, I notice more flames coming out of a row of holes in the back of the stove when I open this lever up further, so I think its igniting unburnt gasses for extra free heat?

Heres what the manual says

"Triple Air Systems Several Stovax appliances have triple air systems providing cleaner burning, and greater efficiency and control, See Diagram 2.
1) Airwash - air drawn over the window cleans the glass. The source of Primary Combustion air when burning wood.
2) Primary Air - for use initially when establishing fires and the main air supply when burning solid fuels.
3) Cleanburn - Secondary air is preheated through a heat exchanger to combust unburned hydrocarbons, providing a cleaner and more efficient burn
"

and

"The Secondary Air Control is located below the appliance door, under the ashlip. This control is used to adjust the amount of 'Cleanburn' combustion air injected into the burning flames. Push air control in to reduce and pull to increase the flow of air"

Still don't properly understand it though


I'll certainly be trying to shut down the airwash some more to extend the burn, at 50% I normally go through logs every 30-45 minutes.

ps. I do love watching others stoves in the inglenook and in action :D

 

[FionaD]

I'm green with envy to hear that your stove has control over the level of secondary burn intake! Mine - and almost all, I think - do not, which is why there is so much talk on this forum about home-grown modifications, such as magnets, tin foil, etc., to partially cover the secondary burn intake and tone it down when needed.

I'm not sure how it would benefit your set up because every set up is different, but for mine, the benefit would be that I would have less of a wild fire on windy days and very cold days if I had that third form of air control. So, if you feel your fire sometimes draws too well, you could start by almost fully closing the air wash and then try to incrementally close off the secondary burn and the fire should burn more slowly. You wouldn't want to close off the secondaries too much though, or, as the name implies, you will lose your clean burn.

Sounds like a great wee stove, Paul!

ETA - re burn times, I read somewhere recently that we should be able to realistically aim for a burn rate of one log per hour. For me that's pretty realistic. If I load three 9" logs of decent thickness into my F3 and shut down the air intake once the wood's well charred, I pretty much know I won't need to reload for almost three hours - unless the weather/house is particularly cold. Depends on insulation and other factors of course, but I found that a useful guide in terms of how long I can burn a load before am able to reload without the help of kindling.

 

[pault123]

Tried the stove top thermo in pretty much all locations now its always around 400*F.

Shutting the airwash down some more has dropped the flue temps to 300*F, whilst maintaining the stove top at 400*F. So more heat locked in the stove, which it then takes a lot longer to cool down, even after the flue has dropped right off.