TL300 flu/chimney questions

[hobie1canobie]

I am new to stoves and new to my Harman TL300. I've read up all the forums I could on it, but I there's some things I haven't quite understood yet.

(1) Exactly what level of draft does this thing need? The natural height of my chimney was initially a straight 12 ft including 4 feet of flu, and even though the manual says it needs 16 ft minimum, my dealer said there's did not have 16 and it was fine. Well, It initially was so sluggish on lower settings, especially with the after burn engaged, that I added another 4 ft section, and although it is better now I am tempted to add another. So for you TL300 users, how tall is your chimney (I understand this is a simplistic idea of draft), AND how do you feel the stove performs? Do you think I should go up?

(2) Inside the house my flu is a single wall telescoping pipe - so at some point there are two layers of it. Would this affect the flu temps? I am running quite low in after burn (275) - even though it seems to be running fine and kicking heat.

(3) Or is all of this symptomatic of only 11 month old oak?

(4) In trying to tighten the damper bar, in the flu collar with the damper close (per manual instructions) I cannot see the damper tightening screw - only from inside the firebox there are two screws. Does yours look like this and which one do you tighten?

 

[branchburner]

Welcome to the forums. Since I don't own a TL300 but do own a Harman downdraft, I'll speak only to number 3: I have had poor results in using anything like 11 month old oak with this stove. In fact, some two-year oak can still give me a bit of a problem in engaging the AB and keeping it engaged. But when it is REALLY dry, this stove loves the stuff (it is called an Oakwood, after all).

Just because you are getting decent heat off the stove, don't assume the secondary combustion is working ideally. A stove can still throw good heat when burning well below optimal cleanness. (The cleanness of your flue will let you know.)

When the bypass is closed and AB is working optimally, I will hear a slight "whooshing" sound from the burn chamber and there will be no visible smoke from the stack. If you are seeing much smoke with bypass closed, then you have issues. If so, I would first make sure you had better-seasoned wood, less than 20% MC, before I worried about extending the flue past 16'.

 

[begreen]

16 ft straight up is what the stove was tested with. It should work ok, but 11 month old oak is likely not fully seasoned yet. Get some store bought dry wood bundles and see how they burn in comparison. See if you can get the flue temps up higher. You are currently skirting creosote accumulating temp, particularly on the outdoor sections of the chimney. Keep an eye on cleaning.

 

[hobie1canobie]

Thanks for the thoughts. I can get the flue temps higher, even too high, when I open it up. But I cannot sustain them when dampening down. In after burn it stays around 300 unless it is above the 1/2 air mark. But then I go through a load in 3-5 hours. Below the 2nd or 3rd mark it really quiets down - but generally I can still hear a faint constant rumbling of the after burn and the chimney gives no smoke. I'm gonna look into the wood problem first.

 

[razerface]

i have 34ft chimney,,,i can turn a load of wood into smoke in record time if i wish too. I rarely ever use over the 3rd notch on the air, even for starting a fire, except the time the wife stuck 6month old oak in there,,,but i made it burn right up too by opening the air. I could hear the draft!

You need dry wood. You will swear to the dealer there is something wrong with your stove until you burn dry wood.

 

[razerface]

on question 4. Look thru the door at your dampner with it closed. You should see a regular looking bolt with a locknut on it. That bolt goes thru and hits a strip of metal on the other side. If you loosen the locknut,,and screw the bolt in,,,it will make the door close tighter. Only move it a little at a time. What you need to feel,,,is the last inch or 2 on the handle as you close the dampner. Do not go crazy tight,,it will just smash the gasket.

If your stove is cold, take the pipe off and look down in it while working the handle. It will be perfectly clear to you then.


your wet oak is the problem. your 275 will jump up immediatly with dry wood to 300-450,(on outside of pipe),,depending on the wood when the AB is strong, with a lot less then 1/2 up the air scale.

On coals, the pipe temp can go down and equal the stovetop temp. That is ok, since it is done burning smoke.

edit: my temps go equal because i take pipe temp from inside. If you use mag temps,,,the pipe temp can go 1/2 the stovetop,,,approx.

 

[brokenknee]

I have only had my TL300 installed for a little over a month, my chimney is right around that 16 foot mark, I have not had any problems with draft, when it was below zero I had it on the second notch,stove top temps around 450*, today it is a balmy 22* out and got it choked down just below the first notch, stove top is still reading 325 with no visible smoke outside.

With a full load of ash and oak at the second notch I would get 8 to 10 hour burn times. So far I am very happy with this stove. But then coming from a pre-EPA wood furnace that I would need to load every 4 to 6 hours most likely any EPA stove would be a HUGE improvement. Oh ya burning a lot less wood too.