Poele Invicta

[Paul240480]

Hi all, newby 1st post . I have an Invicta Wood burning stove, which has been in use for about 5 or 6 years. Very very like this one: (broken image removed)
Just a different pattern on the glass of mine.

The flue pipe gos from the rear through 90 and up an exposed black pipe, which inside the chimney connects to a flexi-pipe on top of which sits a 'chappeau-chinnoise' - chinese hat type rain cover.
In the early days we had a small but worrying fire in the flue. Learnt quickly that the issue was my burning the left over pine floorboarding as kindling & the sap stuff igniting in the pipe. Or at least that was what we were told....

So since have made my own kindling from the oak/chestnut logs I burn. no problems since on that score.

We do get quite a lot of soot and stuff tumbling down the flue though. Every 2 - 3 days I remove the baffle & clear about, say 4 or 5 tablespoons in quantity.

More recently I saw on Amazon a Stove Thermometer, the ones that magnetically stick onto the flue & tell you if it is at 'optimum' temperarture. 200-300 .

Well mine arrived and I have used it. Last night a great fire, a cosy 22.5 in the room, but the thermometer read 150 and gradually got cooler as I let the fire die back. According to the thermometer at that temp I am creating 'creosote' - so not good. However I reckon that if I could get my stove upto 200+ the room temp would be in the 30's .

I have seen friends with more expensive stoves, Villagers for example & these really roar and draw hard, I've seen some even glow red-hot - 'single skin type'. Mine is the type with a double which draws cool air underneath, then 'sucks' it through a series of chambers ( like a car silencer) but heats the air which is then 'blown' out of vents on the top. It draws gently.

So, just wondering if am I running my stove incorrectly, or is my stove not compatible with one of these thermometers?

Sorry for the long post.... all suggestions welcomed

 

[raybonz]

Interesting stove but hard to find info about it that makes any sense to me. It seems unlike what we use here in USA which are regulated by the EPA and burn clean. I suspect your stove is similar to what we used to use and you're getting creosote build up from what you're describing. With any stove it is important that your wood is dry and keep a lively flame on the wood to reduce creosote in your chimney. Hope someone else can respond to this post as we have some UK people here that may know more about your stove. In USA most stoves employ a catalytic combustor or secondary burn chamber which reburns the smoke so you use 50% less wood and your chimney stays cleaner with little to no smoke from your chimney as long as you burn dry wood. If your wood is too wet then all bets are off and your stove will produce too little heat, too much smoke and too much creosote..In what country are you located and welcome to the forum!

Ray

 

[Pallet Pete]

Welcome to Hearth.com

Are you in France ? I Have never heard of that stove before !

Learnt quickly that the issue was my burning the left over pine floorboarding as kindling & the sap stuff igniting in the pipe. Or at least that was what we were told....

Your first step is dry wood ( cut split stacked ) in the wind for 2 years if possible. Pine is honestly one of my favorite woods to burn as long as it is dry. You can burn really any wood cleanly as long as you dry the 2 years. We have lots of softwoods around us and burn them all fall and spring. Oak and Cherry are also very good however Oak needs to dry at least 2-3 years cut split stacked in the wind or it will still be wet and sappy. It will burn but not very well and wont put out much heat till dry. It does not sound as though the stove is the issue to me just wet wood. A stove glowing red hot would scare the daylights out of me that is very very dangerous it is a meltdown. The inside of the stove glowing however is fairly common as it gets much hotter inside than outside.

Pete

 

[Paul240480]

Thanks, Yes I live in France. Invicta stoves are very common here. Though mine is one of there 'older' ones . Nowadays they supply those modern 'odd' shaped ones that seem to be 'the rage'. I am aware of the newer style that burn more efficiently.
I have always got my wood from the same local supplier, always 'weathered' Oak and/or Chestnut. I do stack it outside on pallets & under a cover. Humidity must get to it though. Knocking two bits together they sound very hollow mind.
Yes I wouldn't fancy mine glowing either..... The outer layer on mine doesn't get real hot due to its design. I tried a kettle on it years back and left on for hours and it only got luke warm . Even so it heats a large-ish room and the bedrooms if doors open well.

 

[raybonz]

Thanks, Yes I live in France. Invicta stoves are very common here. Though mine is one of there 'older' ones . Nowadays they supply those modern 'odd' shaped ones that seem to be 'the rage'. I am aware of the newer style that burn more efficiently.
I have always got my wood from the same local supplier, always 'weathered' Oak and/or Chestnut. I do stack it outside on pallets & under a cover. Humidity must get to it though. Knocking two bits together they sound very hollow mind.
Yes I wouldn't fancy mine glowing either..... The outer layer on mine doesn't get real hot due to its design. I tried a kettle on it years back and left on for hours and it only got luke warm . Even so it heats a large-ish room and the bedrooms if doors open well.

Paul it's good that you stack your wood on pallets but be sure to only top cover the wood and leave the sides open so the air can keep drying the wood or it will become wetter if fully covered.

Ray

 

[Pallet Pete]

Paul it's good that you stack your wood on pallets but be sure to only top cover the wood and leave the sides open so the air can keep drying the wood or it will become wetter if fully covered.

Ray

Right on Ray I would add that humidity is going to get to anyway. You should never have to worry about wood being to dry because of relative humidity. It would be a good idea to find out how long your wood was weathered and if that means stacked split or log form. In log form wood will take a long time to dry if it dries before it rots an example of what I mean is over here the dealer says 1 year dry. That means that it stayed in log form and not split until a few days before you get it. Another example is when they say 6 months dry split most people think that is dry for burning but it is not even close. I would put that on a pellet for at least 1.5 years if you can before burning it. The nice part is you get some surprises in a few years like yesterday I found some really dry apple tree man I love that wood.

Pete

 

[raybonz]

I suspect you meant to say stayed instead of payed?

That means that it payed in log form and not split until a few days before you get it.

 

[Pallet Pete]

I suspect you meant to say stayed instead of payed?

Ok fixed it Ray sheesh make my OCD kick in why don't ya !

Pete

 

[raybonz]

Ok fixed it Ray sheesh make my OCD kick in why don't ya !

Pete

Thanx I feel much better now

Ray

 

[Paul240480]

So, my wood is at present covered over fully. I shall correct this tomorrow. I moved my stack this year and bought a new cover, before the sides were 'open' but I hadn't done that 'with knowledge' so thanks.

I buy it in 1 metre lengths in a bundles of 1 stere each. I then chainsaw it at home and stack it.

Here it is, been going for about 45 minutes:
(broken image removed)
^^Taken with 'flash'.
(broken image removed)
^^ Here without.

 

[begreen]

It looks like you are measuring flue temperatures, not stove temperatures. The flue temps might be a bit lower. The flue thermometer should be placed bit higher on the pipe for a more accurate reading. But over 150 is still ok unless this is a very long cold chimney.

From Condar: Pour un rendement idéal, placer le thermomètre sur le conduit de fumée au niveau .3 mètre (12 pouces) au-dessus du poêle.

I suspect that the stove is a bit oversized, especially when the outdoor temps are mild. It looks like Nivillac is reporting temperatures between 54(12C) and 44F(7C) at night. If so, this could be a matter of getting more heat around the house and out of the stove area. How warm is the rest of house? If the whole house is fine, then try burning shorter, hotter fires in mild weather and let the stove go out in between.

 

[Paul240480]

Yes the instructions said 12" was the best height for the thermometer. However I put it at 12", but as the flue warmed up it just slid down! It only stays where it is due to a lip where the pipe joins the 90 degree bend.
I think the output of the stove is 11Kw. The room is about 85m2 with open plan stairs off and normally 1 bedroom open.
It is quite mild right now as you have seen . when real cold I have a bottled gas fire at the top of the stairs. Otherwise the house has electric radiators, these are set very low due to costs.
If it is of relevance, I have never been able to get the fire to 'stay in' overnight . Not even if I load it and close the dampers, by the morning it will either have burnt all the fuel or will have simply 'gone out'.

 

[begreen]

Your mild climate is similar to ours. During these warmer maritime temperatures I don't try for an overnight burn. It has to be below 45F(7C) before I start burning around the clock. Instead we burn a short fire in the morning and in the evening. Your home sounds perfect for a high efficiency mini-split heat pump instead of the electric radiators. They are ideal for your climate.

http://www.yack.fr/
http://www.daikin.fr/

 

[Paul240480]

Thanks begreen, they do look interesting.
I have been playing around with the stove a little. This evening have loaded it more than I usually do.

I've found that it has a max output of 12kw btw, it has a little plaque ob the rear of the ash pan.

The thermometer is reading 160 degrees and it is now staying in place about 12" above the stove.

I lit it at 1730, room temp was 19.1 now at 1950 room temp is 22.6 and rising .

Thanks.