Ready to rip?

[Calef]

I hooked up my Hearthstone Heritage yesterday. It is a used stove originally purchased in 2007, but apparently was not burned once last year. Last night I did the first fire, got it up to around 200 (perhaps a bit hot... whoops!) and let it die, I did a second fire this morning up to about 250.

This stove is no virgin and the manual says you only need one season opener... So am I ready to go WFO (wide f*@king open) or do I still proceed with caution?

Do I bring it up to 350 and let it go out again? Or perhaps bring it up to 350 for the evening, bank it before bed then go hotter tomorrow? Or can I release the hounds and begin the hunt?! I am ready to be napping on the couch wearing shorts and a t-shirt... sweating! I don't need to get into the high 500s or anything like that... but it would be nice to see what she has got.

Besides, from what I read, really high temps may not be possible with my wood. In the basement I have about 1/2 cord of 14 month old Sugar Maple and Yellow Birch, small stuff unsplit, I am burning that first before I get into the 3-4 cords of Sugar Maple and Yellow Birch I cut down in March, split and stacked through June- July and put in the basement a few weeks ago. (I know, I am just now getting my act together. My goal is by the spring to be 2 years ahead). If I run through that I have 3 cords of the same outside of the same stuff. So perhaps I won't be able to get it REALLY ripping this year. But I had no trouble getting the house uncomfortably hot with the old stove (a small Elmira Stoveworks) so the Heritage should be even better, right?


Any thoughts? THANKS!

 

[shawneyboy]

I hooked up my Hearthstone Heritage yesterday. It is a used stove originally purchased in 2007, but apparently was not burned once last year. Last night I did the first fire, got it up to around 200 (perhaps a bit hot... whoops!) and let it die, I did a second fire this morning up to about 250.

This stove is no virgin and the manual says you only need one season opener... So am I ready to go WFO (wide f*@king open) or do I still proceed with caution?

Do I bring it up to 350 and let it go out again? Or perhaps bring it up to 350 for the evening, bank it before bed then go hotter tomorrow? Or can I release the hounds and begin the hunt?! I am ready to be napping on the couch wearing shorts and a t-shirt... sweating! I don't need to get into the high 500s or anything like that... but it would be nice to see what she has got.

Besides, from what I read, really high temps may not be possible with my wood. In the basement I have about 1/2 cord of 14 month old Sugar Maple and Yellow Birch, small stuff unsplit, I am burning that first before I get into the 3-4 cords of Sugar Maple and Yellow Birch I cut down in March, split and stacked through June- July and put in the basement a few weeks ago. (I know, I am just now getting my act together. My goal is by the spring to be 2 years ahead). If I run through that I have 3 cords of the same outside of the same stuff. So perhaps I won't be able to get it REALLY ripping this year. But I had no trouble getting the house uncomfortably hot with the old stove (a small Elmira Stoveworks) so the Heritage should be even better, right?


Any thoughts? THANKS!

One a year to drive the moisture out. But it certainly wouldn't hurt, and might be a good idea, to do a 3 burn cycle to be safe.

Sounds like you got some not so seasoned wood, which this stove will not like so much. If you are gonna burn that wet stuff please check and clean your chimney often. You are going to be making some creo for sure.

 

[NH_Wood]

I always do 3 smaller fires before the full season hits - usually in mid-October. One very small fire that barely warms the stones, one that gets the stones to about 200* and then to about 300*. After that, as hot as I like. It's likely overkill, but......it's an expensive stove! Good luck with the latter season's wood. Cheers!

 

[Calef]

Thanks for the prompt responses. I will do one more gentle one. I think my first fire was a little too hot... but no cracks so I think I am ok, right?


Yeah, the wood situation is less than ideal. Fortunately I have a straight shot out the top of the stove, no bends, so I don't think I will have creosote problems. I plan on getting it hot once a day just to be sure. This is only my second year owning the home and doing the harvesting + curing game... I will get better. And I am not THAT bad! My co-worker cuts trees down on Sunday so he has enough wood to burn for the week!

I think I will have to set a fan in the basement blowing on the wood stack to further dry it.

 

[WoodpileOCD]

Thanks for the prompt responses. I will do one more gentle one. I think my first fire was a little too hot... but no cracks so I think I am ok, right?


Yeah, the wood situation is less than ideal. Fortunately I have a straight shot out the top of the stove, no bends, so I don't think I will have creosote problems. I plan on getting it hot once a day just to be sure. This is only my second year owning the home and doing the harvesting + curing game... I will get better. And I am not THAT bad! My co-worker cuts trees down on Sunday so he has enough wood to burn for the week!

I think I will have to set a fan in the basement blowing on the wood stack to further dry it.

Now that's a funny line.. :coolsmile:

Welcome to the hearth. You'll fit right in here.

 

[ozzy73]

:lol: That co-worker is pretty pro-active. Not bad to be a week ahead with your wood pile.

 

[Calef]

Ya, when he told me that I asked him in earnest... "you are going to burn the same amount of wood and do the same amount of work or less if it's dry... Why don't you just do it a few months ahead?" he looked at me like I asked the most asinine question he had ever heard.

I'm just letting the 3rd fire die. She was up at 300 for 4 hours. Boy, she really is easy to hold a steady temp, my old stove was all over the place. AND she is easy on the eyes

I can't wait to open her up tomorrow. I think I'll start her on the morning and try to keep her around 400. By evening I'll be full throttle.

 

[Shari]

Two things bother me a bit about your posts:

1. You said you would have a 'hot' burn once a day to control creosote. Creosote is not 'controlled' by a hot fire. Creosote is 'removed' by cleaning the chimney - which you should REALLY keep an eye on considering your wood is not fully seasoned. 'Seasoned wood' is wood that has been cut, split and stacked outside for around 12 months. Standing dead trees don't count toward seasoned wood; wood cut in rounds and stored in rounds for a year don't count as seasoned wood either.

2. You also said you are going to let 'er rip. When you do that make sure you do not exceed your stove manual's maximum temp of 600 °F.

Welcome to the wood burning world!

 

[Calef]

I hear ya, but I made my comment because the manual, the good folks at Hearthstone tech support, and pretty much everyone else all say if you get it over 400 once a day the exhaust will burn off existing Creosote in the pipe before it builds up enough to catch fire. They also say with a straight shot pipe like mine, Creosote will never accumulate.

Indeed, last year I was burning 3 month old unsplit wood and my pipes were clean as a whistle. Granted, this is a different stove and I will monitor it.

I appreciate your concern, but rest assured I have no intension of going anywhere near 600. I clearly stated that in my original post when I said "I don't need to get into the high 500s or anything like that"... By let her rip I was thinking of exploring the land of t-shirts and shorts... Perhaps between 400-525.

Besides, from what I understand you need a flue damper (which I do not have) and DRY wood (also don't have) in order to make a run for 600. I Read many posts about people unable to get their heritage hot enough. Not a single post about a run away stove that went over on its own. Indeed Hearthstone claims it is only likely if you leave a door open after you really fill it.


Also, my wood really is not that wet. If I remember correctly, the manual defines wet as anything less than 6 months old. My wood does not hiss, bubble or boil and it lights pretty easy... Sure it can and will be better, but I'm not doing ThaT bad (see earlier comments about coworker!) Last years wood hissed and bubbled, but still never made creosote... Straight shot pipe

That said I will monitor closely.

Thx again,

 

[CTYank]

I hear ya, but I made my comment because the manual, the good folks at Hearthstone tech support, and pretty much everyone else all say if you get it over 400 once a day the exhaust will burn off existing Creosote in the pipe before it builds up enough to catch fire. They also say with a straight shot pipe like mine, Creosote will never accumulate.

Indeed, last year I was burning 3 month old unsplit wood and my pipes were clean as a whistle. Granted, this is a different stove and I will monitor it.

I appreciate your concern, but rest assured I have no intension of going anywhere near 600. I clearly stated that in my original post when I said "I don't need to get into the high 500s or anything like that"... By let her rip I was thinking of exploring the land of t-shirts and shorts... Perhaps between 400-525.

Besides, from what I understand you need a flue damper (which I do not have) and DRY wood (also don't have) in order to make a run for 600. I Read many posts about people unable to get their heritage hot enough. Not a single post about a run away stove that went over on its own. Indeed Hearthstone claims it is only likely if you leave a door open after you really fill it.


Also, my wood really is not that wet. If I remember correctly, the manual defines wet as anything less than 6 months old. My wood does not hiss, bubble or boil and it lights pretty easy... Sure it can and will be better, but I'm not doing ThaT bad (see earlier comments about coworker!) Last years wood hissed and bubbled, but still never made creosote... Straight shot pipe

That said I will monitor closely.

Thx again,

I've heard same from various reliable sources, and seen it to be true, especially with some pre-EPA stoves back in the '70s. While repairing the base of the masonry chimney, I added a cleanout door. You could then easily see the recent droppings of black creosote shaken free by the hot startup phase of a fire in the stove. No doubt about it.

When you get things settled down with wood supply, this sort of flue-roasting will become more optional. Straight pipe does not deter creosote.

Wetness/dryness/seasoning of wood cannot be quantified by time. Actually, a silly concept. Not to mention that "seasoned" is a scam-enabler. Get a decent cheap moisture-meter, and use it to calibrate your sensors of fuel-wood quality. Think: moisture bad.

 

[logger]

I have to disagree with you Shari. No matter how seasoned your wood is, every stovepipe gets at least a little creasote through a season or two. Burning at very high temps once daily (but not pushing the envelope) does burn off a decent amount of creasote that may have formed from the previous fire or two. In no way is this a substitute for running a brush through, but plenty of people I know (and from this forum) practice this method.

As for your wood, you are a little behind the game, but luckily maple dries pretty fast and I think you're not in too bad a shape. Good luck.

 

[Calef]

Do you guys think having a fan on it in the basement (with a dehumidifier set to 40%) will help dry? Or am I just waisting electricity?

 

[Shari]

I have to disagree with you Shari. No matter how seasoned your wood is, every stovepipe gets at least a little creasote through a season or two. Burning at very high temps once daily (but not pushing the envelope) does burn off a decent amount of creasote that may have formed from the previous fire or two. In no way is this a substitute for running a brush through, but plenty of people I know (and from this forum) practice this method.

As for your wood, you are a little behind the game, but luckily maple dries pretty fast and I think you're not in too bad a shape. Good luck.

Ah... I think your comments were meant to be posed to Calef, the original poster.

 

[Calef]

Really?

Cause you said

Creosote is not 'controlled' by a hot fire.

and he said "Burning at very high temps once daily (but not pushing the envelope) does burn off a decent amount of creosote"

 

[Shari]

They also say with a straight shot pipe like mine, Creosote will never accumulate.

Really? You believe that to be true? Not what I've learned here on hearth.com.

Depends on how you are burning (temps/air control/damping down too early, etc), amount of chimney draft and seasoned or partially seasoned wood.

Due to the variables I just listed it would seem your blanket statement (straight shot pipe = no creosote) is not a 'one size fits all' comment.

Good luck and happy burning.

Welcome to hearth.com.

 

[Calef]

Perhaps 'never' was a bit strong... I think it was more like "shouldn't" ... ether way, I think we can all agree that bends are likely to collect creosote. The more bends, the more likely and inversely less bends means less likely.

Ether way, I will certainly keep an eye on it.

 

[firefighterjake]

Gotta defend Shari here . . . but there is a valid point being made by others . . . actually several valid points.

First . . . a straight shot does not mean there will be less creosote since there are fewer bends in the pipe . . . if this was the case we wouldn't have folks reporting that the majority of their creosote build up is near the top of the chimney where it is cooler . . . and folks with the up and out chimney set ups would no doubt be reporting very little creosote and folks like Backwoods Savage who has an out and up exterior chimney with more bends (and myself) would be reporting a lot more creosote build up . . . and anyone who has read Dennis' reports know he has very little creosote.

I also respectfully disagree with having a hot fire to "burn" off the creosote . . . running the stove up to a hot temp to burn off the creosote is old school thinking . . . but that said . . . running the stove and chimney at the proper temps is wise and would in effect lessen the amount of creosote build up and perhaps in some cases might ignite the small bit of creosote build up . . . but rather than saying it is a good idea to have one hot fire every day I would stand by my own practice of 1) burning seasoned wood, 2) running the stove and chimney at the proper temps and 3) checking and cleaning the chimney often -- or at least inspecting often and cleaning when necessary as the safer and best practice.

 

[Shari]

Gotta defend Shari here . . .

Thanks, FFJ for the backup... I thought I said that but blame it on the meds I'm on for semi-seasonal bronchitis/sinus/ear infections. I might have made my statements a little short & terse - I meant no offense, rather, was just trying to clarify the OP's train of thought with my comments.

Happy burning, everyone!

 

[Calef]

FFJ, Thanks for your perspective and sharing your experience.

Of course good wood and checking are best practice and one should not rely only on the burn off theory. But I subscribe to the burn off theory (in addition to using good wood and regular inspection + cleaning) because I learned about it from the Hearthstone owners manual. The owners manual for the Heritage (found online at (broken link removed to http://www.hearthstonestoves.com/assets/files/document_library/Heritage8021Manual.pdf)) says "A high burn rate is recommended once or twice a day to fully heat the stovepipe and chimney, which will help minimize creosote accumulation." and on page 23 it says "Burn the stove with the primary air control fully open for 35 - 45 minutes daily to burn out creosote deposits from within the stove and the venting system." Venting system = chimney.

To me it seems Hearthstone not only believes it, they included it in their manual (at least) twice to ensure owners believe it too.

 

[firefighterjake]

FFJ, Thanks for your perspective and sharing your experience.

Of course good wood and checking are best practice and one should not rely only on the burn off theory. But I subscribe to the burn off theory (in addition to using good wood and regular inspection + cleaning) because I learned about it from the Hearthstone owners manual. The owners manual for the Heritage (found online at (broken link removed to http://www.hearthstonestoves.com/assets/files/document_library/Heritage8021Manual.pdf)) says "A high burn rate is recommended once or twice a day to fully heat the stovepipe and chimney, which will help minimize creosote accumulation." and on page 23 it says "Burn the stove with the primary air control fully open for 35 - 45 minutes daily to burn out creosote deposits from within the stove and the venting system." Venting system = chimney.

To me it seems Hearthstone not only believes it, they included it in their manual (at least) twice to ensure owners believe it too.

Kind of hard to argue with that if it's right in the manual . . . very odd though.

 

[ansehnlich1]

I run my oslo up to 600 every day, and some times up to 650 and near 700. If high heat burns creosote off the glass it burns creosote elsewhere too. I have a sweep. He refuses to charge me to sweep yearly as it's a waste of my money. He sweeps every other year.

Burning cool, smokey fires and/or wet/unseasoned wood causes creosote. If you do that for a period of time, THEN burn hot, you risk a chimney fire.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Burn green wood, burn hot once a day, clean chimney once a month. Sorry, but if your wood is not dry you will get creosote. Some of those theories presented are filled with baloney.

 

[Calef]

I'm happy to report the stove is plugging along in the low 400s and my house temp is 81. Granted its only 30 out... But I'm Wearing shorts and a tshirt

 

[shood]

Calef,
I had to give the same advice to my wife just last night. We live in South Hero VT and this is the first season with the Heritage. Had the down stairs of house at about 78F and she compained that it was too hot. With the old Jotul 8 we had been heating with it was a chore to get the house up to 72F. I don't mind needingto wear a tshirt in December. I've been experimenting with the damper to dial in the burn and it is much easier to get higher temps much faster.
Scott