Vermont Castings Aspen C3 2022

[30WCF]

8 hrs later, I wouldn’t say it’s great heat, but could definitely relight off it without kindling.
200STT, 180 flue.

Not gonna relight. Supposed to be in the 60s today with a lot of wind and rain moving in.

Before and after raking up the coals.

 

[30WCF]

Setting the timer.
10:20P
38F outside
69F inside

 

[30WCF]

5:15 (7hrs since feeding)
34 outside
67 inside (2degree overnight loss)
200TT
Had an outline of what used to be a log standing in the ashes. Pulled it forward and put on a half hickory for the rest of the morning. I think our weatherman must have bumped his head.

 

[EbS-P]

So with he cold tonight I’m curious how you are running the stove. My thoughts are that you’re getting close to needing max output?

 

[30WCF]

So with he cold tonight I’m curious how you are running the stove. My thoughts are that you’re getting close to needing max output?

Glass is keeping itself pretty clean.

Right now I have three splits of pine in to get some coals how I want them, then I’m gonna add a big chunk for the nite. I’ll probably wake up and the LP will have kicked in a time or two in the morning to keep us about 64.

High today was about 30-32. I kept it going slow all day, and it got too hot while we were cooking dinner with the soup on the stove and the oven going.

It’s still climbing a bit with the pine, but, about 630 STT, 550 in the flue. I have the Yule log warming up for when that crumbles up.
21 outside right now. Probably 68-70 in the stove room, 66 on the thermostat down the hall. I expect the heat to make it back there since this is the first big push of heat this evening.

You can see the Auber here.

 

[30WCF]

Well, that’s not quite accurate….This just in….

I’ve been running my standard 2-3 splits of
Bradford pear or oak, then burn the coals down with a single or double split of pine.

This 3 splits of pine just took off on me since the last post. I tried to damper it down as it was nearing 600 in the flue, which means around 700-750 STT, and steady climbing. Not full on panic mode, but time to start watching it closer. It was climbing fast enough I didn’t think it would settle before it hit 650.

When I turned down the flue damper, it went from a ball of flames to a dark box, except some medium-lazy flames coming out of my primary air. The glass started getting sooted up too, and smoke was coming out from around the flue collar.



I opened the air pack up. (I probably just shut it down too fast.) The flames came back, and I heard a ball of fire rush up the stack. It was one and done, just burning off the gasses I had trapped up. ( I clean my chimney so often it has calluses. A little fire ball ain’t gonna hurt it, but it might have been cool to have been outside to see if it spit it out the cap.)

Next step was to shut the air down at the intake. I slid my home made damper a little at a time and watched the temp climbing, slide, slowing, slide, slower yet, slide, drop a degree, and I stopped moving the intake damper. It then went from 600 to 450 in the flue over the next few minutes, and settled in there for a half hour, and cleaned the glass back off.

This is where it settled. Maybe a 1/16” open.





A while later, it’s 316, and I open it back up, wiped the glass with a dry paper towel, and settling in around 350 for the coaling stage.

Glass wiped when I turned the air down.

Won’t be long and I’ll rake the coals, toss that big log on and head off to bed.

 

[EbS-P]

Well, that’s not quite accurate….This just in….

I’ve been running my standard 2-3 splits of
Bradford pear or oak, the burn the coals down with a single or double split of pine.

This 3 splits of pine just took off on me since the last post. I tried to damper it down as it was nearing 600 in the flue, which means around 700-750 STT, and steady climbing. Not full on panic mode, but time to start watching it closer. It was climbing fast enough I didn’t think it would settle before it hit 650.

When I turned down the flue damper, it went from a ball of flames to a dark box, except some medium-lazy flames coming out of my primary air. The glass started getting sooted up too, and smoke was coming out from around the flue collar.

View attachment 323398

I opened the air pack up. (I probably just shut it down too fast.) The flames came back, and I heard a ball of fire rush up the stack. It was one and done, just burning off the gasses I had trapped up. ( I clean my chimney so often it has calluses. A little fire ball ain’t gonna hurt it, but it might have been cool to have been outside to see if it spit it out the cap.)

Next step was to shut the air down at the intake. I slid my home made damper a little at a time and watched the temp climbing, slide, slowing, slide, slower yet, slide, drop a degree, and I stopped moving the intake damper. It then went from 600 to 450 in the flue over the next few minutes, and settled in there for a half hour, and cleaned the glass back off.

This is where it settled. Maybe a 1/16” open.

View attachment 323399

View attachment 323400

A while later, it’s 316, and I open it back up, wiped the glass with a dry paper towel, and settling in around 350 for the coaling stage.

Glass wiped when I turned the air down.
View attachment 323402
Won’t be long and I’ll rake the coals, toss that big log on and head off to bed.

I watched my flue temp hit 920 damper and air full closed. Nothing else I want to do I could open the door but then when I close it it just burning all the faster.

Stay warm.

 

[30WCF]

I watched my flue temp hit 920 damper and air full closed. Nothing else I want to do I could open the door but then when I close it it just burning all the faster.

Stay warm.

Sheesh.
Is your flue or STT usually hotter?
I’m usually hotter on the STT.

I’m gonna watch this for a minute, then catch ya in the flip side.

 

[EbS-P]

Sheesh.
Is your flue or STT usually hotter?
I’m usually hotter on the STT.

I’m gonna watch this for a minute, then catch ya in the flip side.

View attachment 323403

I like to keep it under 850. Anything below 1000 I’m ok with. I suspect measuring at the adapter under the damper leads to higher temps.

 

[30WCF]

I like to keep it under 850. Anything below 1000 I’m ok with. I suspect measuring at the adapter under the damper leads to higher temps.

Yeah. I’m 24” up due to adding the damper section after the probe was installed in the telescopic pipe.

Here is what was left at 7:30.
15F outside.
180 flue. LP heat cycling.

 

[EbS-P]

Down to 19 here. I can’t let the heatpump cycle at that cold of temps. Up late and early really early (then back to bed) if I had gas probably wouldn’t mind a couple cycles in the AM

 

[30WCF]

Got the stove cooking again with some pine for a morning burst of heat and, even in the teens outside, the thermostat has already climbed out of the zone for it to want to turn on with the first small load of wood. Flue went up to about 550 and settled in for the burn cycle.

 

[30WCF]

Got a chunk of oak warming up for tonight.
I’m really liking the pine for steady heat and burning down coals. I alternate hard and softwood loads to keep the coals at bay.
66 in the hallway
24 outside, headed to 18 for the low.

 

[EbS-P]

Got a chunk of oak warming up for tonight.
I’m really liking the pine for steady heat and burning down coals. I alternate hard and softwood loads to keep the coals at bay.
66 in the hallway
24 outside, headed to 18 for the low.

View attachment 323471

I’ve sad it before if you can get dense southern yellow pine it’s amazing firewood. I’ve got into some live red oak. I’m not impressed. I thought another year drying would make it better. Nah. It’s slow to light coals like a boss and has 3 times as much ash.


How warm do you get your wood before loading. Backed a huge sappy piece for a couple days once and watched my stove go nuclear.
Cold enough here to be running both stoves so I’m running the stairs.

 

[30WCF]

I generally don’t warm it. For the most part I grab it off the porch as I need it.

I keep a little rack by the stove that mainly gets used as a drying rack if it’s raining sideways onto the porch.

The last few nites I have been bringing in a chunk of Yule log in to warm while the last load of pine, oak or pear is burning. I’m not sure if it’s to warm, or to keep me from going outside at midnight when it’s 15* out. I’m sure it probably does help a bit to have that big of a pice warmed some if it’s gonna catch as a single log and burn all night. That’s actually a little impressive that one log so large is burning thoroughly.

 

[30WCF]

It's similar to our setup. Looks like the chimney pipe needs a brace at the 5ft level.

Have had this on the porch for a couple weeks now if it will stop raining long enough to drill some holes and seal them. I just want the shingles to be good and dry when I do it.

 

[30WCF]

I’ve sad it before if you can get dense southern yellow pine it’s amazing firewood. I’ve got into some live red oak. I’m not impressed. I thought another year drying would make it better. Nah. It’s slow to light coals like a boss and has 3 times as much ash.

You have any hickory?
I have a two year old stack I’m getting into now. I need to check it for MC. It burns fine, but every time I pick a piece up, I think it’s wet, just by the weight of it. It lights a little slower than the oak, but burns clean and less coals and ashes than the oak.

 

[EbS-P]

You have any hickory?
I have a two year old stack I’m getting into now. I need to check it for MC. It burns fine, but every time I pick a piece up, I think it’s wet, just by the weight of it. It lights a little slower than the oak, but burns clean and less coals and ashes than the oak.

No. I don’t go very far for my wood. 80% maybe more came to my back yard in a wheelbarrow from the neighborhood. I’m not picky. Got some poplar in this morning and had to run the air full closed Vs 10% open for pine vs 25% for oak. Found it interesting.

 

[30WCF]

No. I don’t go very far for my wood. 80% maybe more came to my back yard in a wheelbarrow from the neighborhood. I’m not picky. Got some poplar in this morning and had to run the air full closed Vs 10% open for pine vs 25% for oak. Found it interesting.

I don’t mind my standing poplars, but I hate the gum trees I have. For no good reason, but I want all gum treats to die. I plan to cut a few, but I hear they are a beast to CSS.

 

[30WCF]

It's similar to our setup. Looks like the chimney pipe needs a brace at the 5ft level.

Have had this on the porch for a couple weeks now if it will stop raining long enough to drill some holes and seal them. I just want the shingles to be good and dry when I do it.

View attachment 324278

@begreen
Where do you draw the line?
It’s been so long I forgot the lengths of the pipe sections. I had assumed they were 4’. Turns out they are 3’.
I’m right at 5’ to the cap depending on where we measure from.
Happy to put the brace on if I need it, while at the same time, if I don’t have to put more screws through the roof… I’ll just need to re-order one or return this one if it’s the right move to install the brace. The clamp won’t fit around the pipe. Looks like the band clamp is for 6” single wall or maybe stove HVAC vents or something.
I suppose I have 6’ of double wall inside and 9’ of Class A above the ceiling, so, 15’ total from the top of the stove.

First from the downhill side.

Second from the uphill side.

 

[30WCF]

I have had more creosote this year as I have inspected the chimney.
Is it the pine?
Is it the pine at 10 months?
Would pine be better next year?
Was it the mild winter with more die offs and cold starts?

Over all I’m love, love the pine for burning down coals or quick heat. I’m still at an age and ability that I can clean my own chimney as often as I’d like.
This year was very warm, and I was trying out pine. I generally like to change one factor at a time when I’m troubleshooting.

 

[EbS-P]

10 month pine didn’t help. ( I really think it needs two summers under good cover. It soaks up rain so fast. ) I don’t think cold starts are the biggest issue. Any time I load one giant log/split go to bed and wake up with some black glass I wonder what the flue temps were. So all three and I’ll add the mild temps reducing draft probably has some impact. It would be neat to have an indicator on the automatic air control. Anytime it’s not fully closed you know that’s when creosote is most likely.

I’m going to sweep in the next week or two. It’s been two seasons. Sweeping two flues for the first time.

 

[30WCF]

Cleaned out some cracklins yesterday.

Probably have the last fire of the season going right now into the weekend.