Stove efficiency better on hi?

[pro5oh]

Hello all, did a quick search and couldn't find what I was looking for. Concerning my cb1200, is it more efficient to run it on high med or low? Or is there really no difference other than heat output?

Here in the shoulder season I'm wondering if its better to run a low setting for longer time period, or a hi setting for a quick short cycle.

 

[nailed_nailer]

I find my stove likes to burn hot. Keeps it cleaner longer.
So I run mine on a thermostat and have the power level set to 4 out of 5.

YMMV
---Nailer---

 

[reallyte]

Hotter the better.

 

[Hoot23]

Agreed, the hotter the better. Let her rip.

 

[corkman]

I find my stove likes to burn hot. Keeps it cleaner longer.
So I run mine on a thermostat and have the power level set to 4 out of 5

What he said.

 

[Snowy Rivers]

You reach a point that the stove is using all the fuel to its fullest at a certain temperature in the fire pot.

Each stove has a "sweet spot" that it will perform the best.

Obviously one can't drive yourself out of the house just because the stove is running it's best.

A low burn is normally dirtier than running hot.

To get real data would take an exhaust gas analyzer to see the content of the gases coming out, such as CO, CO2, NOX, O2, Particulates (soot) which is likely unburned materials.

Generally, when stoves are tested, they measure the particulate matter that is in the exhaust gases.

When combustion temps get to a certain point you can get undesirable products, but generally with a bio fuel like wood its not a big issue.

Pellets do have a certain pitch content and that contains hydrocarbons, which if unburned adds to the undesirable elements being sent out the stack.

If you see any visible smoke, then the temp needs to be a bit higher or more air added to the fire.


Snowy

 

[chken]

If your stove is burning efficiently, the difference is probably minimal; however, each stove is different. Mine, the mfr states in the manual is fractionally more efficient on high, P5 is 88.6% efficient, while P1 is only 87.7.

Right now, my debate is between using P2 and P3. P2 seems plenty, but P3 has a cleaning cycle, so I sometimes leave it on P3 instead.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

Mine is not a pellet stove but,
The other day i noticed smoke from my chimney on the country hearth 2000. I had the air on half so i turned it all the way up. Still smoke so i turned it all the way down,Wala no smoke.
Didnt make sense to me but it worked. Each stove is different as is the wood inside them.

 

[MCPO]

My Harman P-38 burning right now on low looks like it`s burning as good as any fire with could burn air forced through it. I mean it`s like a smaller version of a blow torch. Turned up a couple notches it`s more like a blow torch wide open.
On the other hand , my Englander PDVC on low burns more like an open fire place with a slow lazier flame . I`d put my money on the Harman being considerably more efficient with regards to dirty particle emissions. Of course without the proper measuring instruments/gauges it`s still a crapshoot.

 

[Jaymaine34]

This time of year I run all 3 of mine low and slow . No issues at all . Also running it this way allows the heat to move to every room in the house ( more even heat ) even in the dead of winter I'm on medium 95 % of the time .

 

[railfanron]

I agree that all stoves are different. My P43 seems to burn the same whether on high or low. I've had my feed rate at 2 for the whole month and on room temp auto and the results seem excellent to me. The stove burns a little longer on each cycle but it's at a lower convection air temp. Pellet usage is about where I figure it should be.
Ron

 

[TCZON]

The main difference I've noticed with my Drolet is that if I leave it on low for to long, I have more really hard crap to scrape off the burn pot. Once I started bumping it from level 1 to level 3 once or twice a day for 20-30mins, it made cleanup easier. Otherwise, level 1 is all we need to keep the whole house comfortable right now with the temps where they are, and it's not that much more scraping... I just already work 2 jobs, and making cleanup easier makes me happy

 

[alternativeheat]

Hello all, did a quick search and couldn't find what I was looking for. Concerning my cb1200, is it more efficient to run it on high med or low? Or is there really no difference other than heat output?

Here in the shoulder season I'm wondering if its better to run a low setting for longer time period, or a hi setting for a quick short cycle.

I switched my P61a from Stove temp to Room temp manual back a few weeks ago and then to Room Temp Auto most recently because now I let it go out and relight automatically. I run it on the low side of the medium fan setting because when the room temp probe calls for enough heat and builds a big enough fire the fan speed will increase automatically anyway. Feed is still 4, been that way for three months ( back in Jan I had is set at 4.5 but it's been on 4 since after that coldest period of weather). The stove will only call for teh feed rate it needs up to that set limit anyway. I mostly, this time of year, keep the blower speed a little lower than in mid winter, it is quieter that way for the most part except on big ramp ups.

But this is a completely different stove than yours so I have no idea how useful my information is to you.

 

[mithesaint]

Hello all, did a quick search and couldn't find what I was looking for. Concerning my cb1200, is it more efficient to run it on high med or low? Or is there really no difference other than heat output?

Here in the shoulder season I'm wondering if its better to run a low setting for longer time period, or a hi setting for a quick short cycle.

Most stoves run better and cleaner at a higher setting vs. a lower setting.

In the shoulder season, a high setting will result in more cycles, leaving cold spots in the house and potentially causing more wear and tear on the igniter. I usually run my stove around 4 (out of 9) on a stat with a 2 degree swing during the shoulder season. My stove burns well enough that I haven't had any problems doing it this way.

 

[heat seeker]

My stove seems to be more efficient with the pellets vs. heat output in the middle setting (#3 of 5). It still burns clean, and no soot in the vent. If it idles a lot, I get some light soot after the heat exchanger, no creosote. I run on a thermostat, and try to limit the time the stove idles. So, if it's relatively warm out, I run hi/low, with the high being #3. If it's cold out, I run #4 as the high. I rarely have to use #5 - the stove really puts out heat on #4.

So, I think medium is the most efficient for my stove, but that's just seat-of-the-pants guesstimating..