Too much draft? Something's up

[Nigel459]

I'm thinking I may now have too much draft after finding, and fixing, a decent gap between pipes in my connector while cleaning a few weeks ago. Let me know what you think:

Stove is Scan Andersen A10, similar in size to a Jotul Castine, but has a Skamol lined firebox and cast iron jacket. Second season with it. Love it.

Last season it was awesome. I never worried about overfiring. Even in the dead of winter, using ~20%MC ash, the stove always cruised perfectly and easily. Stove top always around 400-450. Not much need to fiddle with the air, just get er burning well and then set and forget, usually around 10-20% open. Could eke out coals in the morning.

I've had four or five fires now this year. Milder temperatures. That should mean weaker draft (right?) but I've noticed that the draft seems wayyyy stronger.

This season I've had a few "oh boy" moments watching the blast furnace effect from the doghouse and secondaries and the stovetop temp fly up past 650, which I'm pretty sure never happened last season.

My stack is about 24' total with 16' of ICC double walled (cathedral ceiling) including two 45s, to an ICC chimney.

Just thinking out loud about this. Weird that it seems to be burning hotter, but just as long methinks, with the delta factors of no hole in connector and milder temps. (Wood is same MC ~20.)

I'm bummed if we've gone from "awesome easy stove" to "gotta watch it closely blast furnace"... my wife won't like it if there's a ton of new instructions to avoid overfire... (she loves the other stove--a BK-- for how easy it is.)

Any thoughts on how to get back to "easy stove"? Key damper? Test draft? Put a hole back in my connector? (Haha)

 

[webby3650]

Have you tested the door gasket?

 

[lsucet]

I don't doubt that the gap you found and fixed is the cause but like webby3650 mentioned, check door gasket, etc. 24' is a lot of stack. possibly you need to adjusted to the way is working/burning now and start cutting the air sooner. I have almost the same high like you on one of my stacks but like you mentioned before BK does a wonderful job thru that dial.

 

[Nigel459]

Have you tested the door gasket?

Yeah, tested during cleaning a few weeks ago. Will test again when home and report...

 

[Nigel459]

Door gasket and boost air valves are sound, check.

It really is the doghouse and secondaries that blast far more furiously than last season.

The doghouse is a single hole, maybe 3/8" if memory serves me, with no regulation, it's just always open. For the first time while "cruising" I could hear a mini "blast furnace", that raging, whooshing effect, right at that spot, clearly coming from it, and the unregulated secondaries are far more violent as well...

 

[begreen]

Before altering anything try following isucet's suggestions. Altering previous burn methods may be all that's needed. Try closing down the air more aggressively and sooner. Don't go by stove top temperature, go by flue gas temp and by visual guidance. You may also be able to burn thicker splits than in the past.

 

[Nigel459]

Thanks everyone for chiming in.

The adventure continues

...Altering previous burn methods may be all that's needed. Try closing down the air more aggressively and sooner. Don't go by stove top temperature, go by flue gas temp and by visual guidance. You may also be able to burn thicker splits than in the past.

OK I'll get to relearning this stove. I guess it was too good to be true, how easy it was last season. Feels like the training wheels are off! I'll let you all know how it goes. Good news is I am about to get into the stack of thicker splits this year...