Stopping an overfire

[KBCraig]

I have a Lopi Freedom insert (cooking surface, not flush), and after I overloaded it last week it kicked into reburn and started overfiring.

There's no way to shut down the intake completely (I had pulled it out all the way, but temps kept climbing).

I would hesitate to do this if I hadn't just cleaned the flue completely a few days earlier, but my solution was to take a deep breath and open the bypass. I hated to dump all the heat up the flue (again, freshly cleaned), but it worked. Temps dropped after a few minutes.

I know that I also could have opened the door to draw in more cool air and interrupt the reburn cycle, but that didn't occur to me at the time.

Any other suggestions, other than tossing in a few shovelfuls of ash?

 

[1kzwoman]

I have a Lopi Freedom insert (cooking surface, not flush), and after I overloaded it last week it kicked into reburn and started overfiring.

There's no way to shut down the intake completely (I had pulled it out all the way, but temps kept climbing).

I would hesitate to do this if I hadn't just cleaned the flue completely a few days earlier, but my solution was to take a deep breath and open the bypass. I hated to dump all the heat up the flue (again, freshly cleaned), but it worked. Temps dropped after a few minutes.

I know that I also could have opened the door to draw in more cool air and interrupt the reburn cycle, but that didn't occur to me at the time.

Any other suggestions, other than tossing in a few shovelfuls of ash?

Others have suggested a few shovelfuls of DRY sand

 

[DonTee]

Key damper. That was the only way I could control my old VC Encore when it would take off.

 

[neverstop]

opening the primary 100%, open the by-pass, open the door. seems like you did the right thing. opening the door would have just cooled things down quicker. you can buy a Chimfex Chimney Fire Suppressant for if things really get out of control or you think you may have a chimney fire. a key damper is also nice to have assuming the secondary air is not controllable.

 

[kennyp2339]

What were the overfire temps?

 

[KBCraig]

This is an insert. There is no way to have a key damper.

It's hard to know the temps because of lag, but the burner tubes were glowing, and the cooking surface was over 500F according to my IR.

 

[mikey]

s

 

[kennyp2339]

500 stove top isn’t in the over fire category, 750+ is when you need to start worrying. Stove parts do glow occasionally, certain setups will have glowing reburn tubes occasionally.

 

[DonTee]

Sorry I missed the part about it being an insert.

With any wood stove etc I see two ways to calm the fire down. Restrict the air intake or restrict the exhaust. Since you can’t put in a key damper, can you restrict the air coming into the insert? I know some people plug boost air holes etc.

I always thought about putting a flapper valve on the air coming into my stove in the oak pipe

 

[bholler]

This is an insert. There is no way to have a key damper.

It's hard to know the temps because of lag, but the burner tubes were glowing, and the cooking surface was over 500F according to my IR.

Well yes there is a way but it isn't that easy.

And 500 is nowhere near an overfire

 

[DonTee]

According to the Lopi manual for that insert, anything over 800 degrees Fahrenheit (measured on the stove top over the door) is overfiring.

 

[stoveliker]

Tubes do glow sometimes.

Next time try to decrease the primary air a bit sooner.

 

[KBCraig]

Well yes there is a way but it isn't that easy.

And 500 is nowhere near an overfire

It definitely wouldn't be easy with this 40 year old existing fireplace.

I noted the lag: the 500+ on the surface didn't reflect what I could see happening inside the stove.

Tubes do glow sometimes.

Next time try to decrease the primary air a bit sooner.

Primary was fully closed.

 

[bholler]

It definitely wouldn't be easy with this 40 year old existing fireplace.

It doesn't have much at all to do with the fireplace honestly. The hard part is building a linkage to operate the damper from outside the fireplace.

 

[stoveliker]

Primary was fully closed.

Yes but it can matter at what point after the reload was it closed. The burning characteristics of a stove can have a memory effect where burning behavior depends on what has happened previously. The timing of closing the air is one of those things.

 

[3650]

Keep a bucket of ash by the fireplace. Start scooping it in to snuff the fire down. It’s much easier to remove then sand.

 

[TradEddie]

500F stovetop is where my Lopi Freedom runs most of the time, I consider that almost minimum burn, nowhere remotely near overfire. I've had the front tube glowing, and that was still barely 800F. I pay no attention below 700F.

In answer to your question, to dump heat, put fan on max, open air fully, open bypass and open door. It's intimidating, but it will work - eventually. The downside is that once you do this, there's no going back until the fire has died down.

On mine, I made a modification to the limit stops on the air control, It allows me to stop at the normal position, but in when the season is over I can completely close the inlet to improve air sealing and eliminate smoke smells when weather systems pass through. I've checked that this will work to snuff an imminent overfire, but it'll do almost nothing to cool the stove if an overfire is occurring. I'm sure I posted details here many years ago, if you can't find it let me know.

TE

 

[BillBurns]

Im going to start keeping an ash bucket full. I never heard of that until on here...makes sense too. Hopefully I never need it tho!

 

[begreen]

This is an insert. There is no way to have a key damper.

It's hard to know the temps because of lag, but the burner tubes were glowing, and the cooking surface was over 500F according to my IR.

This sounds lively, but not damaging. If the flue collar was glowing, then it would have been more concerning. Burn tubes glowing is less of an issue. Things like this happen and you did the right thing. Opening the door might have been quicker, but it still takes a minute or so to settle down. I now have a digital alarm for flue temp and a remote thermometer for monitoring while I am here on H.com. A timer is a good thing to have and set when waiting to turn down the air, but the best thing is to stay with the fire until it has settled into a steady burn.

 

[KBCraig]

It doesn't have much at all to do with the fireplace honestly. The hard part is building a linkage to operate the damper from outside the fireplace.

I have a brick fireplace, 6'x3'. When my insert was installed, they put a stainless liner down the ceramic flue, which is right in the middle.

Trust me: on my installation, the linkage would be the easy part, compared to putting in a key damper.

Okay, I guess by the time we cut out enough brick to access the flue/liner and install a key damper, we could do whatever we wanted at that point so far as linkage goes.

 

[EbS-P]

I have a brick fireplace, 6'x3'. When my insert was installed, they put a stainless liner down the ceramic flue, which is right in the middle.

Trust me: on my installation, the linkage would be the easy part, compared to putting in a key damper.

Okay, I guess by the time we cut out enough brick to access the flue/liner and install a key damper, we could do whatever we wanted at that point so far as linkage goes.

The damper can be installed in the appliance adapter. It was easy as take out baffles, drill hole, hold damper with one hand while inserting damper rod/handle with the other.

 

[BillBurns]

I THINK it helps to open the door, but it could have just came down by itself with less wood? Also, should the damper be open or closed? I open mine....might be doing it wrong.

 

[stoveliker]

To get the heat out of a firebox, open the damper on the flue, open the door to increase (cool) room air flow.

This does carry a risk if your flue is dirty as you'll be sending flames up there. That should be fine for the flue itself, but if accumulation there ignites, you have a bigger problem on your hands.

 

[KBCraig]

The damper can be installed in the appliance adapter. It was easy as take out baffles, drill hole, hold damper with one hand while inserting damper rod/handle with the other.

As I've said, experiences vary.

This was the largest stove that would fit my fireplace, and it required extensive cutting of the old metal firebox to make it fit. There's only a two inch gap between the top of the stove and the top of the masonry opening. Any key damper that could be installed there would interfere with the bypass damper.

A very experienced team of four took a full day to install it.

To get the heat out of a firebox, open the damper on the flue, open the door to increase (cool) room air flow.

This does carry a risk if your flue is dirty as you'll be sending flames up there. That should be fine for the flue itself, but if accumulation there ignites, you have a bigger problem on your hands.

Yes, that was what prompted my fear about dumping more heat straight up the flue, but I had just cleaned it very thoroughly.

I'm confident now that opening the bypass and the door to kill the reburn cycle will take care of it pretty quickly. If not, I always have a bucket of ash next to the stove.

 

[stoveliker]

Regarding the ash, it'll be a mess. But that would be the least of the worries.

I have sand available. Safe for the stove, less mess (not airborne). Some folks say it's a pain to get out of the stove. While I (fortunately) don't have experience doing this, I can't imagine it to be harder than shoveling out ashes.

Just a thought.