Stove Pipe Temp Gauge, how to properly use.

[MagdalenaP]

When I start my fire in the mornings, I wait until I get into the yellow (450-500f) until I start turning it down, a quarter of the way at a time. Sometimes after an hour or so, it will drop into the black, under 250.,.without smoldering. Should I then be opening it up more? Or am I just wasting my wood?

During shoulder season, when re-loading on a bed of coals, do I need the temp to get up to 450 before closing it down? Or can I let it catch, then close down? Basically I'm trying to maintain heat in the house.

It's such a learning curve from my old fisher

 

[Chimney Smoke]

Are you using a probe or surface thermometer? On my probe thermometer on double wall pipe the optimal range is between 400 and 800. I can honestly say I've never seen it over 600. Whether I'm reloading on coal or starting a new fire from scratch I leave the air wide open until it gets roughly 400. I start closing the air in small stages then. It generally settles around 450 for a few hours after reload. Sometimes it will go up to around 500-550 for a little while on a full box but then settle down a bit. My stove will hold ~400+ for the majority of the burn time. Once it's down to coals it starts getting between 35-400.

 

[MagdalenaP]

Woops, sorry. It's on a single, magnetic gauge.

 

[Chimney Smoke]

I think that's way too hot to wait. Your internal temp is roughly 50-75% higher than the surface, 400 equals 600+ I'd start closing your air when it's around 250 or so.

 

[MagdalenaP]

Here's the gauge https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/imperial-burn-indicator-0642705p.html

So I should not be paying attention to the "optimal" range on this gauge?

 

[Chimney Smoke]

No you should be fine, the optimal starts at 275F, that's when I would start closing down the air in stages. The flue temp should keep increasing a bit as you get the air fully closed down.

 

[Don.S]

Just try shutting it down earlier and see what will happen. What works for one person might not work for another so just try stuff and see. Who cares what the thermometer says if the fire is burning well with good heat and no smoke. Just do like me and go look down the chimney every so often and see what's down it.
This is only my second true full time burning season tho so take what I say with a grain of salt.

 

[Sawset]

To me a probe type stack thermometer is indispensable. I could not feel comfortable running a stove without one. 250 and 1000deg are my limits, and I'm very diligent about watching those. I do have a surface gauge, yet have never relied on it. I couldn't bring myself to feel comfortable with it. That's just me. Some can run by all kinds of site and sound cues. But I need something a little more definate to be able to sleep at night. Once I damper down and on cruise, I'm good.
Tel-Tru LT225R 200/1000 is the gauge I use. Overfiring the stove has not been an issue here if I make sure the stack stays under 1000. Learn the stove, use the stack temp as a guide, and refer to other surface gauges as reference.
Oslo, stainless class A double wall and insululated class a, teltru stack gauge, condar stove top gauge. And ditch the color codes on the gauges too. They can be confusing and possibly misleading.

 

[Chimney Smoke]

Unless my probe thermometer is off by a lot I truly can't fathom 1000 degree exhaust temps. For my stove that would be running with the air wide open.

 

[Sawset]

Unless my probe thermometer is off by a lot I truly can't fathom 1000 degree exhaust temps. For my stove that would be running with the air wide open.

I calibrate mine in boiling water. Usually whenever I pull things apart to brush the chimney. The limit stated for selkirk class a 304 stainless pipe is 1000deg F continuous. The oslo is rated to run between 4-600 with a stovetop gauge. With those two limits, the chimney is almost always first. Rarely do I let the stovetop get to 600. I think they say that a surface gauge for the stove top will read about half of what the cast iron would be. If that is the case then internal cast parts would be at about 1200 with the gauge at 600. There is a critical temperature for cast iron of about 1450degF. Above that cracking occurs. For 304 stainless, there is a critical temperature of around 1350. Above that, chromium can start to precipitate out increasing the chance of rust, and thermal expansion and softening could cause warping.

 

[begreen]

Unless my probe thermometer is off by a lot I truly can't fathom 1000 degree exhaust temps. For my stove that would be running with the air wide open.

That can happen if one spaces out turning down the air on startup or if the fire is given too much air. I've hit 1000F a few times. It's why I always set an alarm after closing the stove door to remind me to check the stove in 5-10 minutes.

 

[Ludlow]

Those magnetics are so far off. I had my stovetop at 668 and the magnetic at 18" was barely reading 300. Hit the pipe with an IR at 18" and it was well over 400. I suggested a way to calibrate a magnetic in another thread.

 

[MDWOOD]

Magdalena.

Its funny how different each gauge is.
I have the condar woodsaver stove pipe, I have single wall.
I usually try shutting down in the 300 range, let it build up and shut it some more before i shut it all the way down.
I never wait till 450 before doing anything, unless I'm distracted.
If i wait too long my stove will run hot,but she likes it anyway
Bill

 

[Chimney Smoke]

That can happen if one spaces out turning down the air on startup or if the fire is given too much air. I've hit 1000F a few times. It's why I always set an alarm after closing the stove door to remind me to check the stove in 5-10 minutes.

I agree it can happen in an accident but the post above made it sound like 250-1000 is acceptable operating range.

 

[Joacchim]

When I start my fire in the mornings, I wait until I get into the yellow (450-500f) until I start turning it down, a quarter of the way at a time. Sometimes after an hour or so, it will drop into the black, under 250.,.without smoldering. Should I then be opening it up more? Or am I just wasting my wood?

During shoulder season, when re-loading on a bed of coals, do I need the temp to get up to 450 before closing it down? Or can I let it catch, then close down? Basically I'm trying to maintain heat in the house.

It's such a learning curve from my old fisher

I have two thermometers, one on top of the stove in the center near the flue exit, and one probe-type through the double wall interior flue (See photo).

I try to keep the flue temperature in the orange band between 400-800, and keep the top of stove temperature around 400-450... but bottom line, I watch the house interior temperature (still have a t-stat for backup to the backup ) so that my other heat source doesn't come on. It's a learning curve, for sure.

With the two thermometers

I can make sure my flue gets hot enough to stay clean once/day and the stove top gauge keeps me from overheating my stove. Flue temp seems to always be about 100°F higher than the stove top. FWIW

 

[billfred]

I'd like to jump in on this instead of starting a new thread. Reading all of this makes me feel better about the temps I'm getting on my 304 SS single wall. It's a rear vent set up. I'm really only able to take exterior pipe readings about 3" out from the stove. I was concerned about the 600+ temps I was getting with my IR gun. Looks like this shouldn't be a big concern?

 

[Chimney Smoke]

You're getting 600+ exterior temps on single wall? Sounds way too hot to me