Startups, flue temp and creosote.

[Bigsby]

I think I read somewhere on this forum that you guys/gals like to get your flue pretty hot sometimes on cold startups to burn of any condensation that may have accumulated after the previous fire snuffed out. I guess this helps to prevent creosote buildup which concerns me since I'm letting the stove go cold at least twice a day prior to starting a new fire. Is this something I should be doing and if so what temp would you recommend getting the stove pipe up to? I have a bypass damper on my stove (Myriad) and it doesn't take much of a kindling fire when opened to get the flue shooting up to 450 and beyond but I can control it by closing the bypass, door and main damper so not afraid of it getting away from me. I suspect my firewood is a little high on moisture too so thinking this would help to to prevent creosote buildup. Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[begreen]

It depends on the connector pipe and thermometer. 500-700F flue temps on startup are pretty normal if measuring with a probe thermometer on double-wall pipe. Single-wall temps are surface temps where the actual flue gases in the pipe are 1.5 to 2x hotter. If you are reading 450F on single wall with a magnetic surface thermometer then the flue is getting pretty hot. Try not to go higher than that if single-wall. Once the fire has started and is burning the stove door should be closed. As the flames build the bypass should be closed. Then start taking down the air control in steps.

Do you also have a stove top thermometer? If yes, what is the stove typically running at?

 

[Bigsby]

It depends on the connector pipe and thermometer. 500-700F flue temps on startup are pretty normal if measuring with a probe thermometer on double-wall pipe. Single-wall temps are surface temps where the actual flue gases in the pipe are 1.5 to 2x hotter. If you are reading 450F on single wall with a magnetic surface thermometer then the flue is getting pretty hot. Try not to go higher than that if single-wall. Once the fire has started and is burning the stove door should be closed. As the flames build the bypass should be closed. Then start taking down the air control in steps.

Do you also have a stove top thermometer? If yes, what is the stove typically running at?

Begreen, sorry yes it's single wall pipe and am using a Condar magnetic thermometer on it and the stovetop too. Typically I let the pipe get to about 300 before closing the bypass and door. This takes very little time after the kindling takes so the stovetop is normally no more than 150 to 200 at this point but the temps climb nicely thereafter. If I leave the bypass/door open after 300 it only takes a few minutes more to get to 450 but the stove is still around 200 or so. My chimney is 15' straight up from the stove thru the attic and above my roof peak so I'm guessing I'm set up for quickly getting a good draft, especially with the help of the bypass. Like I said I can manage the pipe temp fine but just thought it might not hurt to let it cruise a little higher now and then to burn off any minor creosote that might have formed from the cool downs or from burning wood that's a little high in moisture. Didn't know that about gases being 1.5 to 2x higher than single-pipe surface temps-thanks for the info.

 

[Bigsby]

Left out that the stovetop temp runs on average around 450 to no more than 550 depending on what specie of wood I'm burning.