Shoulder Season heating with a non-cat stove

[begreen]

A lot of people ask how to keep a stove from overheating the house with a non-cat stove in milder weather. This will depend on the stove, but the basics start with less fuel. Here's what I did this morning.

With a morning temperature of 44ºF at 7am I was on the fence about starting a fire. It's a sunny day and I knew that temps will be rising and the sun will be warming the house in a few hours. Interior temp was still at 65º sleep setting on the heat pump. I had some gnarly pieces of wood that I wanted to burn up so I decided to start a fire. The question is how large. If I filled the T6 the house would be up to 80+ by noontime. Instead I loaded 6 medium-sized (3-4") splits N/S with a decent gap between them to fit some newspaper balls and a little kindling. The wood is wild cherry. 6 medium splits is about 1/3d the capacity of the firebox. The fire caught quickly and by 300º probe flue temp I was able to reduce the air by 50%. Stove top temp at that time was around 190º. I let the fire regain strength and in about 7 more minutes the flue temp had risen to 375º, stovetop temp was approaching 300º. With secondary combustion started I set the air to 75% closed and left the stove to do it's thing for the rest of the morning. The fire will burn out to ashes at some point in the afternoon.

At 10:30am the outside temp had risen to 51º, indoor temp is at 69º and sun is streaming now through the windows. The stovetop temp is 430º, flue temp is 300º and the fire is in the coaling stage. As outdoor temps in crease the stove temp will decline. This keeps the house at a comfortable temperature with a clean burning morning fire.

 

[begreen]

At 1pm there still are large glowing chunks toward the back of the stove. The stove top is 270º and flue temp is 200º. Outside temp is 54º, indoor temp is 71º. Perfect. Time to get out and mow the lawn.

 

[xman23]

Yes, a smaller load, since it's a cold stove you need to get it well lit. Depending on inside / outside temperature, maybe reloads. But no smoldering fires. Let it burn out. I do morning and evening fires.

 

[Woody Stover]

medium-sized (3-4") splits N/S with a decent gap between them to fit some newspaper balls and a little kindling. The wood is wild cherry.

Yep, ya gotta have some medium-output wood on hand for between seasons, and also for kicking off a load of dense wood like White Oak or Black Locust, if you don't have enough coals. Black Cherry and Red Maple are a couple of my favorites.
This "WIld Cherry," was that a yard tree from somewhere or does it grow 'wild' there?

 

[begreen]

It's called bitter cherry and native.

 

[Ctwoodtick]

300º probe flue temp I was able to reduce the air by 50%

,
How long does it usually take you to reach 300 probe temp? I don’t have an auber thermometer on my liner so I can only guess.

 

[Rickb]

Was raining and 50F here today. Threw 4 splits in and a super cedar. Once cat was at temp turned it to low.

But this is pretty much what I do year round. The difference is I load twice a day when its cold out, and I will drop to once every 2 days when its 50 - 65 out depending on if its sunny or raining.

We also only use the stove for supplemental heating.

 

[jetsam]

I load 'er full and set the thermostat based on the day's forecast.

In shoulder season that means 12-24 hour reloads (more like 12 right now, it was in the 20s again last night). It will be 24 hour reloads soon when the overnights warm up. Stove never goes out until it's 70 outside.

I have a BK Princess Insert doing solo heat for the house.

 

[begreen]

,
How long does it usually take you to reach 300 probe temp? I don’t have an auber thermometer on my liner so I can only guess.

It varies with the wood and how I load it. Hardwood starts a little slower. Doug fir can take off quickly. Usually it's 10-15 minutes but has been in as little as 7 minutes with dry doug fir if there are some smaller pieces in there.

 

[Ashful]

We're seeing highs in the 50's and 60's this week, but still lows in the 20's and 30's overnight. So, while I have two BK's, I'm not running 'em like jetsam. I load each evening, and set the thermostat at a rate that will release those BTU's over about 15 hours, which puts out pretty even heat until about noon the following day. That seems to keep this joint just about right, as I don't need much afternoon heat when it's 60F outside. Temp inside is holding right around 70 - 72F, using this scheme.

Truth be told, I let the stove in the newer wing of the house go cold a month ago. Ambition runs low, late in the season. I've plowed thru 9 cords this year.

 

[Woody Stover]

Started another fire tonight, just a few small White Ash rounds with bark that were outside uncovered so they are a bit sluggish. Just right for a slow fire.

I've plowed thru 9 cords this year.

All told, I need to get about seven cords a year, give or take, to feed my stove plus three in-law stoves. I'm ahead several years, but I need to get them ahead as well so I can start taking dead Oaks when they first die, before the sapwood punks, and feeding them into the rotation. I'm scrounging ready-to-burn wood for them now, Red Elm, Red Mulberry, and some branches from long-dead Oaks with sapwood rotted off. But I'll be hackin' and crackin' Oak all summer. At least they handle some of the splitting and stacking...

 

[begreen]

I load 'er full and set the thermostat based on the day's forecast.

In shoulder season that means 12-24 hour reloads (more like 12 right now, it was in the 20s again last night). It will be 24 hour reloads soon when the overnights warm up. Stove never goes out until it's 70 outside.

I have a BK Princess Insert doing solo heat for the house.

We're getting by well with just morning fires, so 24 hr loading here too.

 

[jetsam]

We're getting by well with just morning fires, so 24 hr loading here too.

Been there, done that, got the T-shirt, not going back voluntarily.

Still looking for a manufacturer to make me a stove that uses electric heat to hold the cat at 500+ in late shoulder season, and dispense ice cream all year. 10+cf firebox a must.

 

[Woody Stover]

Been there, done that, got the T-shirt, not going back voluntarily.

Never been or done non-cat, thinking KISS is where it's at.

 

[lsucet]

Running only one for awhile. Possibly about a month or more. Temperatures are sometimes 20s and 30s thru the night but picking up during the day quick into the 60s low 70s some days. I hope the snow storm last Sunday, to be the last one. Expecting temperatures into the 80s next week.

Just burning cottonwood at this time. Half a load of big chunks, give me enough coals to restart around 24 hrs later. Keeping a good bed of ash is making that possible. Coals hiding in the ashes. The loose fibers of the cottonwood works like kindly.

 

[Highbeam]

Yikes, I refuse to run a stove with flue PROBE temperatures that low. At 300 you are well into the too cold range on the meter creating tar creosote. 300 internal means approximately 150 surface temp which is way below the condensation point in the chimney. I burn much longer than most folks into the warm season but you have to do it responsibly and safely.

 

[begreen]

Yikes, I refuse to run a stove with flue PROBE temperatures that low. At 300 you are well into the too cold range on the meter creating tar creosote. 300 internal means approximately 150 surface temp which is way below the condensation point in the chimney. I burn much longer than most folks into the warm season but you have to do it responsibly and safely.

Read again. The air was closed down to 75% at 375º and climbing. The flue temp eventually peaked around 470º. As I said, it was a small fire and the 300º flue temp was at the coaling stage. Creosote is a non-issue then. Nothing irresponsible was posted, we've been getting less than a cup of creosote with annual cleanings.

 

[Highbeam]

Read again. The air was closed down to 75% at 375º and climbing. The flue temp eventually peaked around 470º. As I said, it was a small fire and the 300º flue temp was at the coaling stage. Creosote is a non-issue then. Nothing irresponsible was posted, we've been getting less than a cup of creosote with annual cleanings.

I worry that even peaking at 475 is too cool since that is still dangerously close to condensation temperatures and is the hottest part of the chimney. Sounds like a recipe for a gooey tar mess.

The shoulder seasons encourage such behaviors and that’s why it’s even more important to burn short, hot, fires to minimize creosote buildup.

If you can’t run hot enough to get the flue safely above condensation temperatures then perhaps you’re better off running your furnace.

 

[begreen]

You worry too much. This is an insulated straight up chimney on a non-cat stove. No gooey tar mess has shown up in years. All we get is some brown powder and a little black soot. The only time I had creosote buildup in the past 24 years was several years ago when I started off the season with a load of maple that had gotten wet under the tarps. Now all the wood we burn does its final seasoning in the shed.


This is after about 2.5 cords burned.

 

[kennyp2339]

This is after about 2.5 cords burned.

cute

 

[Dix]

Coming into definite shoulder season here.

1/2 of the house heated with dino juice (accessory apartment, the 13 resides there, but tenant does not use)

I running the PE at night, on 1/2 a load, night time temps here in the Hollow at 25F - 35F. Running through my uglies, if I need them.

When it 30F at 5 AM, I'll throw 2 splits on, and let it run. temps going up to the 50's to 60 F during the day, no need for a daytime fire.

Restarting a coal bed every night, and using my Super Cedars for a quick, trusted start.

Good thread, BG !!

 

[KJamesJR]

Didn’t think I'd be firing up the stove again this season as we’ve been running the furnace cause the nights haven't been getting too cold. We also ran out of stove wood about a month ago.

Well it’s 33 and snowing currently (the nights have actually been colder than this but it’s SNOWING IN APRIL) so I dipped into the maple syrup wood. Threw a few small splits and kindling in the Oslo, and she’s cranking away. Inside temp went from 63 to 71 in about an hour and rising. Heating with wood is just different. Can’t imagine what the PO must have paid for the new propane furnace and ducting a few years ago. My little wood burning setup blows it away though.

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

A lot of people ask how to keep a stove from overheating the house with a non-cat stove in milder weather. This will depend on the stove, but the basics start with less fuel. Here's what I did this morning.

With a morning temperature of 44ºF at 7am I was on the fence about starting a fire. It's a sunny day and I knew that temps will be rising and the sun will be warming the house in a few hours. Interior temp was still at 65º sleep setting on the heat pump. I had some gnarly pieces of wood that I wanted to burn up so I decided to start a fire. The question is how large. If I filled the T6 the house would be up to 80+ by noontime. Instead I loaded 6 medium-sized (3-4") splits N/S with a decent gap between them to fit some newspaper balls and a little kindling. The wood is wild cherry. 6 medium splits is about 1/3d the capacity of the firebox. The fire caught quickly and by 300º probe flue temp I was able to reduce the air by 50%. Stove top temp at that time was around 190º. I let the fire regain strength and in about 7 more minutes the flue temp had risen to 375º, stovetop temp was approaching 300º. With secondary combustion started I set the air to 75% closed and left the stove to do it's thing for the rest of the morning. The fire will burn out to ashes at some point in the afternoon.

At 10:30am the outside temp had risen to 51º, indoor temp is at 69º and sun is streaming now through the windows. The stovetop temp is 430º, flue temp is 300º and the fire is in the coaling stage. As outdoor temps in crease the stove temp will decline. This keeps the house at a comfortable temperature with a clean burning morning fire.

I have an easier way- have 18" thick rubblestone walls, poorly insulated attic, leaky doors and windows. Then, burn full tilt all the way through shoulder season, never gets too hot. Just no more 3 am reloads to keep warm. It's wonderful sleeping through the night!

 

[weatherguy]

Coming into definite shoulder season here.

1/2 of the house heated with dino juice (accessory apartment, the 13 resides there, but tenant does not use)

I running the PE at night, on 1/2 a load, night time temps here in the Hollow at 25F - 35F. Running through my uglies, if I need them.

When it 30F at 5 AM, I'll throw 2 splits on, and let it run. temps going up to the 50's to 60 F during the day, no need for a daytime fire.

Restarting a coal bed every night, and using my Super Cedars for a quick, trusted start.

Good thread, BG !!

I know mines a hybrid with a cat but I'm doing the same as you. Had some snow tonight so its cranking.

 

[Sawset]

Oslo
Keeps up at -40deg, or like today:
5 smaller 2-4" splits.
Morning fires here.
45deg outside, 62 nightime temp inside.
Need just a little heat.
Get the stack up to 450
Stovetop 200-300.
Fire starter and dry wood, catches quick.
Close it up and sit back.
5am, fire is out by noon.
Saturday, 65 sunny today, so probably open up some doors later this afternoon and finally get some April in the place.