Someone please calm my nerves attn Soapstone burners

[jbjshark]

Ok This is my 3rd season with a Hearthstone Phoenix, This Year I've upgraded my chimney setup to 14 supervent through the ceiling kit. Last Night it was a tad bit breezy, I loaded the stove up with 2 splits of 0ak and one of seasoned gum, I let her burn for 5 minutes and then choked it back to half:
the temps on the stove still rising 400f+ . Then I cut it back all the way; 5 minutes later the center stone is right near 500 this is the max for my Phoenix, It looks like the depths of hell inside the stove the wife is nervous, Do I need a damper? This Only seems to happen on a packed firebox, I can do good just adding a split or 2 here and there. Does any othe soapstone user experience this. I Replaced the door and glass gasket last year, not the ash drawer, could this be the culprit? I'm trying to heat with wood 90% of the time this year, but you know how it goes if the wife ain't happy , you're not happy! Please Help

 

[struggle]

Ether your wood is split to small or you need a dampener.

The dampener is a great tool to have to fine tune the stove and I also highly recommend a flue probe thermometer installed while you put that dampener in.

 

[RedOak]

I agree with Struggle 100% on this, installing a damper and probe thermometer made all the difference in the world on my stove. The probe tells you how much heat is going up the stack and more importantly the damper allows you to slow it down to where you are comfortable enough to leave the house or go to bed.

 

[pumiglk]

Have noticed if I load mine up with small splits I get a similar phenomenom. Most of the time this stove very predictably throttles back but if there are several smaller splits (1.5-2.5''), particularly if these are in the middle, occasionally the stove gets ripping. I have a probe and a stovetop, so I have seen it coming all but the first time. But ebven without the thermoter, it does start looking like the gates of hell and even when shut down it climbs, never above 500 though and it doesn't stay there(this stove usualy cruises at about 350-375); stacks also have only gotten over 800 once and only for a few minutes, it is very weird to see these climb when I reduce the air as this reading is very responsive and typoically would go down withi9n a minute or so - that is when I get a bit nervous as you feel like you are now not in control anymore. Thought about damper as additional control point but: 1) I have read about this as a potential creosote accumulation point; and 2) it seems they could be a hassle to remove when cleaning (right?). For now I have decided to error on the side of watchful loading.

 

[jbjshark]

Thanks for the responses everyone, I used to have a damper with my old stove, however dealer said I wouldn't need one. I believe the steady winds also helped put me in that situation. The winds were at least 15 to 20 mph . The stove was much more predictable last night, little wind, temps in the 30s, I was able to keep her happy at 325 to 350. I may still put the damper in just to give me a little more control!

 

[Catskill]

Check the ash drawer for leaks as the other said. You need to cover all your bases before considering other things. I've run my up to 500 before without feeling that I'm doing anything wrong. My preferred running temp is 400. You may want to consider drilling your air intake door so that it closes all the way. In stock form the air intake closes only about 90%. Keep us in the loop.

 

[charlesj]

Hello all....We just installed a Hearthstone Phoenix 2 weeks ago. Have never heated with wood before. I used Excel SS pipe outside & in I used the close clearance double wall pipe. I was told I didn't need a dampener by the people who sold it to me. I had to use a fixed 36" piece & a 12" slip piece. Because of the odd length. Can I put a dampener in with this pipe ? We like the stove so far. Only have had it to 300 a few times mostly stays at 200. Seems to through out good heat but hasn't been that cold here. What is a good temp to keep it at.

 

[Jfigliuolo]

SNIPPED! You may want to consider drilling your air intake door so that it closes all the way. In stock form the air intake closes only about 90%. Keep us in the loop.

I modded by air intake so I can COMPLETLY shut down primary. Sometimes it gets crazy otherwise. Good call on tightening the ashpan also.

 

[gpcollen1]

I am still struggling with the CAUSE here. Is 500 really a no-no or is it getting any hotter that is bad? Is the issue small splits when you really need some bigger ones to fill the firebox?

 

[Catskill]

SNIPPED!

Ha! As soon as I saw this thread I thought of you! LOL!

 

[Catskill]

I am still struggling with the CAUSE here. Is 500 really a no-no or is it getting any hotter that is bad? Is the issue small splits when you really need some bigger ones to fill the firebox?

The cause is most likely excessive draft caused by a leaky ash drawer or his particular installation just having a strong draft. The wood itself is a contributing factor one way or the other. His stove hitting 500 is not so much a problem he just doesn't want to maintain or exceed that for to long.

Here are some excepts from the manual:

MONITORING STOVE TEMPERATURES
Monitor the stove temperatures with a stove
thermometer (available from your dealer) placed on
the top center stone of the stove. The thermometer
could read as high as 500°F (260°C) on High Burn
and 200°F (95°C) on low burn. Maintaining
temperatures in excess of 500°F (260°C) will cause
the stones to crack and cause other damage to the
stove.


OVER-FIRE CAUTION
Over-firing means the stove is operating at
temperatures above the recommended temperatures
outlined above in the BURN RATE section. Carefully
avoid over-firing since it will cause damage to the
stove. Symptoms of over-firing include short burn
times, a roaring sound in the stove or stovepipe, and
discoloration of the stovepipe.
Over-firing can be caused by excessive draft,
inappropriate fuel, and operator error. Correct an
over-fire situation as follows:
EXCESSIVE DRAFT: Contact your dealer to
have a draft reading taken. Any draft in excess of 0.1
inch water column requires a damper in the
stovepipe. Some installations may require more than
one damper.
INAPPROPRIATE FUEL: Do not burn coal;
green wood, kiln dried lumber, wax logs or anything
other than natural, seasoned cordwood.
OPERATOR ERROR: Make sure all the
gaskets are in good condition. Replace worn out or
compressed gaskets. Do not burn the stove with the
front, and ash door, as well as the ash grate in the
open position.

 

[gpcollen1]

Thanks Catskill. Trying to get an edumacation on some of these other stoves in case I find a good deal on a used on down the line.

 

[Chettt]

Could you visually see where the air was coming from? If my ash drawer brick is ajar I see a clear jet of flame from that area. I don't have your stove but it sounds like you are getting too much oxygen going into the firebox.

 

[Todd]

Hearthstone ash pans are notorious for leaking. Mine did on several accessions. Check the gasket, get a tight fit, fill it up with ash, and shovel the ash out of the firebox.

 

[JeffW]

what is real safe burn temp for soapstone? with stack temp around 400-415, i'll run stove between 500-550 most nights, never higher than 550. anyone actually crack soapstone at those temps?

hearthstone phoenix

Hearthstone ash pans are notorious for leaking. Mine did on several accessions. Check the gasket, get a tight fit, fill it up with ash, and shovel the ash out of the firebox. Also I wouldn't worry about a 500 degree soapstone temp, if it gets over 700 worry!

 

[Andy99]

I run my stove around 350-400 but have had it up to 525. My Hearthstone manual said not to go over 600 degrees.

 

[Todd]

According to the Phoenix manual over 500 is considered overfire and can crack stones. But I don't understand why the Phoenix is 100 degrees less than the other Hearthstone soapstone stoves? Woodstock has a 700 overfire, but they have 2 layers of soapstone with a air space in between to even out the heat. ddown had a stone crack on a Homestead as well as another forum member with a Tribute. If I owned a Hearthstone I'd be very carefull to monitor temps.

 

[wellbuilt home]

My EQ get real hot real fast with little control . I have a hard time getting my secondary to lite off . When the secondaries do lite it seems to burn out of control. My stove will only lite off if the fire box is full of coals and i add a full load of wood . I have to close the air and the damper tight to stay below 600 .The problem I'm having is that at 400o I'm not getting enough heat in the house . This morning it was - 8 o out side and 53 inside . Bummer It took me all day to get up to 67 . John

 

[wellbuilt home]

I was just thinking , My stove dealer wanted to sell me a heat shield and blower unit . I'm thinking that the heat shield and blower mite make the stove run cooler with less chance of over fire . I just cant seem to get good heat out of my EQ. The stove was running at 500 all day today and the house was cold (60s) I had the second floor bed rooms closed off and my office . I was trying to heat about 1400 feet. It was -8 in the morning and warmed up to 12 o at lunch time . If the stove gets up to 600 it throws much more heat . I'm thinking a fan mite keep the stove running hot wile cooling the stove enough to stay out of danger of over heating . I don't want to have to watch it burn for the next 20 years . I think that the fan mite cool the stove buy 150 o +. Any one use the fan heat shield? It seems funny that the stoves are running so hot . John

 

[struggle]

My Mansfield is very much gets to a certain temp and then it will really climb on the heat. Once I get to say 525 it can in a matter of minutes go to 600 on crazy secondary burn.

What I do is have a tower fan that I will put about three feet from the stove and set it on medium speed and set the timer on the fan for two hours and it will keep the stove top temp at 450-500 and blows a lot of heat off the stove.

I heard on tis site I think that some people were having issues with the factory fan with it being noisy or wearing out prematurely.

Tower fans can be had for a lot less than $150 at home repair centers.

It gives me piece of mind that I can set a fan to run for the next two hours after I check out for the night and not have to worry about the stove going over 600.

I do have a heat shield on mine as well for the fact that I thought the brick and block wall behind the stove was acting as a heat sink.

 

[jeffman3]

sorry for double post.

 

[jeffman3]

what is real safe burn temp for soapstone? with stack temp around 400-415, i'll run stove between 500-550 most nights, never higher than 550. anyone actually crack soapstone at those temps?

hearthstone phoenix

Hearthstone ash pans are notorious for leaking. Mine did on several accessions. Check the gasket, get a tight fit, fill it up with ash, and shovel the ash out of the firebox. Also I wouldn't worry about a 500 degree soapstone temp, if it gets over 700 worry!

I burn a Hearthstone Tribute that had total break down, (top casting break in two places, warped door and broken stone) @ surface temps of 500-550. Be very cautious of these temps. You just can't trust the manual limits to protect your stove from damage. I won't have mine over 400 again on purpose. (I can't afford to replace my main source of heat.) If I am right the Phoenix has a lower over-fire temp then the Tribute. I wouldn't burn that hot if I had any choice in the matter. You're stove's health is the consequence.

According to the Hearthstone Technical Bulletin #21 Sept 1 2006 rev. The Phoenix high burn rate is 350*-375* Over that and you are playing with over-fire according to the bulletin.! You really need to get the stove under control or you will face the same as I did in regards to your stove. (See cracked stone on Tribute, thread) The Hearthstone stoves (at least the Tribute, but I doubt that they only over-rated the Tribute) just will not hold up to the manual limits in regards to surface temps!

 

[Todd]

My EQ get real hot real fast with little control . I have a hard time getting my secondary to lite off . When the secondaries do lite it seems to burn out of control. My stove will only lite off if the fire box is full of coals and i add a full load of wood . I have to close the air and the damper tight to stay below 600 .The problem I'm having is that at 400o I'm not getting enough heat in the house . This morning it was - 8 o out side and 53 inside . Bummer It took me all day to get up to 67 . John

Pipe damper?

 

[Todd]

Hearthstone ash pans are notorious for leaking. Mine did on several accessions. Check the gasket, get a tight fit, fill it up with ash, and shovel the ash out of the firebox. Also I wouldn't worry about a 500 degree soapstone temp, if it gets over 700 worry!

[/quote]

I burn a Hearthstone Tribute that had total break down, (top casting break in two places, warped door and broken stone) @ surface temps of 500-550. Be very cautious of these temps. You just can't trust the manual limits to protect your stove from damage. I won't have mine over 400 again on purpose. (I can't afford to replace my main source of heat.) If I am right the Phoenix has a lower over-fire temp then the Tribute. I wouldn't burn that hot if I had any choice in the matter. You're stove's health is the consequence.

According to the Hearthstone Technical Bulletin #21 Sept 1 2006 rev. The Phoenix high burn rate is 350*-375* Over that and you are playing with over-fire according to the bulletin.! You really need to get the stove under control or you will face the same as I did in regards to your stove. (See cracked stone on Tribute, thread) The Hearthstone stoves (at least the Tribute, but I doubt that they only over-rated the Tribute) just will not hold up to the manual limits in regards to surface temps![/quote]

I renig on that quote. I was thinking of comparing Hearthstone and Woodstock's overfire temps thinking Hearthstone was holding back, but they are really two different animals construction wise. Go by your manual!

 

[wellbuilt home]

My EQ get real hot real fast with little control . I have a hard time getting my secondary to lite off . When the secondaries do lite it seems to burn out of control. My stove will only lite off if the fire box is full of coals and i add a full load of wood . I have to close the air and the damper tight to stay below 600 .The problem I'm having is that at 400o I'm not getting enough heat in the house . This morning it was - 8 o out side and 53 inside . Bummer It took me all day to get up to 67 . John

Pipe damper?

Yes i have a 8" flue damper . I just cant get enough heat out of the stone @ 425o . John