ticking stove cooling off too quick

[devinsdad]

If my wood is properly seasoned why would my stove start to cool down rapidly from 500 -600 °F down to 350 ticking its azZ off upon reducing air? Good coal bed and good wood. I originally thought it was the beech since it only seasoned about 8 months this damp summer.So I tried some year and a half seasoned ash and white birch, same result. So now I have some of my BIL's 3 year old mixed hardwood and am getting the same thing. My overnight burns leave me with plenty of coals to restart sometimes too much but the house temps really drop becuz the stove temps drop outta sight when I shut it down It is a convective stove so perhaps I need to add a blower and run the stove with more air? Or a pipe damper to keep the heat in the stove? Or is my draft too poor to pull in the air at a reduced setting? I am just over 16' from floor to chimney cap. straight up off of stove with double wall and through the roof with simpson duravent with about 4' of pipe above the roof peak . I'm getting pretty ticked at the missus walking around going Brrrr.... Brrrr.... This stove is capable of heating 2500 sq foot and I am trying for just over half of that. Also noticed back when it was in the 40's it didn't draft so good as it was hard to get the stovetop up to temp. Thanks for any input ideas.

 

[Valhalla]

Why are you reducing the air? With this weather, the btu output
is necessary to balance the heat loss of your house.

I see it a simply needing more air intake to meet the fuel load
for the stove to maintain temperature. There is a fuel/air ratio
necessary to continue the burn. Inturn the heat output.

Square footage heating output estimates do not always consider
excessive heat lost. Add the needed air to maintain the stove temp
and therefore the heat output.

Keep warm. Add some air to maintain the heat output. It also makes
for a happy wife!

 

[savageactor7]

Sometimes stoves just tick away if the temp changes too quickly in either direction...it doesn't mean anything.

 

[DBoon]

Last year (my first woodburning year) I had similar problems. Warmer days definitely allow less primary air restriction given that the draft from the chimeny is less on a warmer day. On a colder day, the draft will be better. You might be right at the limit of good draft when it is 40 degrees, but it could be dead-on when it is 0-20 degrees (this is my situation - 15' of chimney straight up and out, no bends, through an outside chimney).

Three things could be causing the problem in the current colder weather:
1) You are shutting the fire down too quickly, not letting it char enough. Let it get a good burn going before you shut it down. Otherwise, the wood will not maintain the burn with lower primary air. If you are burning big splits or rounds, let it go a little longer than with smaller splits.
2) Your wood could be too wet. Try some plastic-wrapped splits from a Home Depot, Lowes, grocery store, etc. and see how that works. My stove is burning better this year with larger splits than last year with smaller splits since my wood is better seasoned.
3) You could have wood too close to the firebrick in a small(er) stove. My stove is small compared to others here. When I stuff wood tight right up to the back of the firebox, the heat of the fire doesn't seem to get there and my fire will burn well for a while, then smolder and "tick tick tick" as it cools down before the back pieces have completely charcoaled. Leave a little more space around the splits and between the splits and the firebrick. If I'm reloading on a coal bed in a 300-350 stovetop stove, then I'll usually go out of my way to separate the wood pieces with small kindling to get good airflow and a good burn going during a re-start.

Also, the "right" primary air setting is not the lowest/most restrictive for all burns. It changes depending on the draft, outside temperature, fuel quality, etc. Get it to where you can and be satisfied with that, but maintain the stove top in the secondary combustion phase.

My guess is that with more practice and dryer wood, the problem you describe will go away.

 

[devinsdad]

Well the problem isn't just in 0 °F weather its all the time . Unless I run full on air and babysit this thing I can't get heat out of it. I just don't see how this can be a heating beast if it runs at 300 °F when I'm at work or sleeping. The house was heated with a Kodiak smoke dragon previously and I've reduced drafts ,replaced windows, doors and added insulation to this house. If I need to run max air to get my 300 sq ft kitchen up to 77- that is normal when its 20 degrees outside? Come on the furnace is running with the thermostat 15' away from the stove . My BIL's wood is truly seasoned and dry so I just don't get it. He heats his home ( of similar size) with a small pre epa stove that is smaller than our epa stove.

 

[Shari]

Add a fan to that Kuma and raise air input - see what that does. Check for a cheap squirrel type fan at Walmart/Menards/Home Depot.

Shari

 

[Shari]

Check out this thread:

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/49807/

Shari

 

[Valhalla]

devinsdad,

How does your stovetop temperature correlate to the air control?
For example:
Max = 600 F
75%= 500 F
50% = 300 F
How would you plot it?
Is it usually consistent?
Does it vary by fuel species?
Weather and wind?

Is it possible that the air control is very/ultra sensitive to input?
Is it an air slide or hidden linkage?

I'll take a look on the web about your stove. All stoves vary,
as you know. My two stoves are completly different in this aspect.
There must be a reasonable answer to your question.

Keep in touch.

 

[BrotherBart]

In the OP it sounds like you are closing the primary air all of the way down. Don't do that. Get the stove leveled out at a temperature with the primary air and leave it set wherever the burn is going well and you are satisfied with the temp.

 

[Valhalla]

devinsdad,

Your owners manual says:

Low burn
Draft handle pushed all the way in

Med-Low burn
Draft handle pulled out approximately 1/8” – ¼”

Medium burn
Draft handle pulled out approximately ¼” – ½”

Med-High burn
Draft handle pulled out approximately ½” – 1”

High burn
Draft handle pulled out all the way

What position(s) are you using?

 

[devinsdad]

Well right now I'm at full air which is all the way out.Air is controlled by a single lever that travels about 5 inches overall. Manual states low burn = all the way in
med-low= 1/8" to 1/4" out
medium burn=1/4" to 1/2" out
med- high burn = 1/2" to 1"
high burn = all the way out
Most times upon reload it takes a while to get up to temp. Manufacturer email says start closing air at 500-600 °F
I have done this religiously. I have tried closing it down to various fractions quickly and slowly over an hour period Anything under 1 and a half inches out and the secondaries will roll for a few minutes but the stove starts cooling down to 400- 350 . The secondaries stop and the coals go dull red and all I have is a bunch of black wood in a firebox. A quick step outside reveals smoke emitting from the chimney . I have tried running it hotter before adjusting and to no avail. When I run it wide open the flames roll towards the door and up and over the top of the baffle . When I leave for work or sleep The house cools down quick because the stove temps drop so much when the air is cut back . I don't leave the house unless the air lever is at 1" or under in case this thing decides to take off. Thanks for the input so far ......

 

[devinsdad]

If I need to run this thing WOT or close to it should I put a pipe damper in to keep some of the heat in the stove? I meant to get a probe therm. a while back but haven't yet. I feel that I'm losing most of my potential heat right up the pipe with it wide open. Also I put a small fan behind the stove (I only have 9" ) but with the jacket it had little effect. There is a metal jacket around the back and sides to help convective flow .

 

[astrodon]

Well right now I'm at full air which is all the way out.Air is controlled by a single lever that travels about 5 inches overall. Manual states low burn = all the way in
med-low= 1/8" to 1/4" out
medium burn=1/4" to 1/2" out
med- high burn = 1/2" to 1"
high burn = all the way out
Most times upon reload it takes a while to get up to temp. Manufacturer email says start closing air at 500-600 °F
I have done this religiously. I have tried closing it down to various fractions quickly and slowly over an hour period Anything under 1 and a half inches out and the secondaries will roll for a few minutes but the stove starts cooling down to 400- 350 . The secondaries stop and the coals go dull red and all I have is a bunch of black wood in a firebox. A quick step outside reveals smoke emitting from the chimney . I have tried running it hotter before adjusting and to no avail. When I run it wide open the flames roll towards the door and up and over the top of the baffle . When I leave for work or sleep The house cools down quick because the stove temps drop so much when the air is cut back . I don't leave the house unless the air lever is at 1" or under in case this thing decides to take off. Thanks for the input so far ......

Out of 5" travel all the ranges indicated by the manufacturer are in the first inch? What are the other 4 inches for? That sounds strange to me, I would just leave it at 1 and a half and see how it burns. Let the fire and temp be your guide. If it needs more air, open it up. I have a different stove, but in cold weather like this it takes me a good hour to an hour and a half to get mine settled in so that I can leave for the day or go to bed.

 

[Valhalla]

Sounds like the air control is very sensitive in the first motion. Just close it ever so slightly, but still maintain the temps and burn.

 

[michaelryba]

I know you'll probably shake your head, but considering three phrases the OP said:
"stove quickly cools off" , "black chunks of wood", "black smoke"
In my experience NONE of these things happen with dry fuel;
ALL of these things happen with unseasoned wood.

 

[logger]

If you're letting a load burn for a while (overnight or during work), you have to expect the house temps to drop significantly with the air set on low and these outside temps. My house is always much cooler in the am or after work, but much warmer than it would be without the stove. When I get up or get home I just fill her up and crank it wide open till Im at a good temp then slowly close her a bit. With the low temps outside its usually open halfway or more to keep me comfortable. If its getting too chilly overnight for you, you may need to keep the air open a little more than normal and do a middle of the night load. Ticking is normal in most stoves and my guess is its your heat sheild making the majority of the sounds. Best of luck.

 

[ckdeuce]

I know you'll probably shake your head, but considering three phrases the OP said:
"stove quickly cools off" , "black chunks of wood", "black smoke"
In my experience NONE of these things happen with dry fuel;
ALL of these things happen with unseasoned wood.

I have to agree. All of those symptoms I have had in the past, and dry wood fixed the issue.

Another thought.... Is there any chance that your chimney is plugged or close to being plugged?

 

[DBoon]

I think that your stove should draft just fine and achieve good secondary burn with these low temperatures IF your wood was dry. What might work for others in their stoves may not work for you in your stove. Have you tried to find some drier wood to try out?

 

[devinsdad]

Thanks for all the replies. The wood seems ok . The occasional piece will sizzle a little, I'm at the bottom of one stack so I think this is why. The other wood I know for fact is good. It is ash and white birch that was split when I got it and has sat stacked since November 2008 with a tarp just on top. I purchased a probe thermometer tonight and am going to monitor some different temps at different air settings. Perhaps I just need to find that special spot. I took that fan out from behind the stove and propped it up at stove height and blowing diagonally across the back top corner of the stove toward the front. This seems to be a big improvement. This is the area that the convection flow outlets. Thanks again for the help . DD