What Am I Doing Wrong?

[CT-Mike]

3rd day using the new Lopi Freedom. 1st day went well, overnight burn, woke up still had coals, got it rolling again. Came home from work yesterday to find the glass all sooted up. Cleaned the glass, started the fire last night, added a few splits since the house wasn't that cold, and went to bed. Woke up to brown glass again. Stove top temp was 500 when I went to bed.

Is this a sign that I am closing the primary too much when going to bed, causing it to burn to cold?

Any insight is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Mike

 

[Adios Pantalones]

If the wood is wet- that is what you'll get. made up that little poem just for you.

If it's "a few splits", as in- maybe 1/4 loaded, then it may not get to high temps. Last night wasn't cold- at least here- and some stoves don't draw really well in those conditions.

If it's not burning well enough before closing air, then it might smolder until water is boiled off.

 

[The Dali Lima]

Mike - did you get your answer regarding the break-in burn for the Lopi?

 

[CT-Mike]

Dali,

No I never did get a reply, and found nothing in the owners manual. I went to Travis Industry's website, but they had no contact number listed.

Adios P,

The wood starts very easily, and I don't hear any sizzling when I have the door open. The wood was split and stacked in March, but the HH only gets sun about 1/2 the day. I guess it is possible that it is still wet, but if so wouldn't it be harder to start and burn? I have no problems getting the stove top up to 550-650.

Thanks for the help,

Mike

 

[Nice-N-Warm]

Hi Mike,
I'm a new Lopi (Declaration) owner here in CT and have had the same issues you've experienced. I notice that it happens on the overnight burn as well. I think, as suggested by others, that it's not staying quite hot enough during those long overnight periods when unattended. The splits may not be as dry as they ought to be (or we think they are) and when you back down on the throttle to extend the burn time, some smoldering may occur. It DOES seem that the hotter it burns, the less issue with the glass. (Also, I've found that when starting a fire, get it going it as hot as possible as quickly as possible and keep it to the back of the firebox. This seems to help keep the glass from getting funky from any smoldering at startup)

That being said... I really like the stove and the heat I'm getting from it. Burn times are 6-7 hrs, with a decent bed of coals still available for a restart. I'm hoping for a little bit longer burns once I've gained some experience, but not sure if that's going to be a sure bet.

I'm sure we'll get the hang of this as winter progresses. Good luck!

-Dave

 

[Hogwildz]

If the wood is anywhere closer than say 2" to the glass, its going to get fogged, at least that is my experience, especially for me burning north to south.
The gases exiting the ends of the splits foul up the glass. Now I cut my splits around 16" which keeps it a few inches away from the glass, and no problems.
After some time you will get some fly ash haze, which cleans off with a damp rag.
Wet wood is more common of the problems many experience on here than any other thing I can think of.
Many that think their wood is really dry, find its not really the case. Not saying that is your specific problem.

 

[CT-Mike]

If the wood was still wet, wouldn't the firebricks be sooted up also? They are just as tan as if new.

Thanks,

Mike

 

[Nice-N-Warm]

I noticed that my firebrick had a buildup early on, but once I had some hotter fires going, that burned off and we're back to looking like new, however, the same does not hold true for the glass and that requires cleaning.... Perhaps even hotter temps would help to burn that gunk off the glass... (i've been pretty conservative in the temps I hit so far)

For cleaning the glass, I wait until the stove is cool and then use a little bit of water on newspaper along with ash from the stove to scrub it off.. seems to do a nice job....

 

[CT-Mike]

I just ordered the $22 moisture meter from Amazon. Hopefully that will help tell me the condition of the wood.

Mike

 

[woodconvert]

author="Adios Pantalones" date="1224706885"]If the wood is wet- that is what you'll get. made up that little poem just for you.

:shut:

 

[Jags]

Mike, try to leave the primary air open ~5% more than you have been. If that seems to improve things, but you are still getting fogged up glass, go to 10%.

Not all stove/pipe configs will handle turning the stove to the absolute min. settings. Some (including mine) need to be opened a small percentage to maintain the fire. Try this and see if it helps (this is assuming that your wood is properly seasoned, but will help even if not).

Edit: if your wood is good, the soot should be moot.

 

[RobinJoe]

I have been using our Lopi Declaration for about 2 weeks. I am using wood from trees that were cut down on our property, and I hand split it at least a year ago. The trees had probably been dead for years. It has been seasoning in an uncovered wood pile in our woods (shady) for about 3 months and then covered (under a tarp) for at least 9 months. The wood is a mix of red oak (70%) and tulip poplar (30%).

I get this heavy build up (creosote?) on the glass, which can not be removed with Windex. Using a damp paper towel dabbed in the ashes works better, but the build up returns every morning after a slow overnight burn (air control pulled out to about 90% or 100% closed). This leaves some hot coals in the morning allowing for a fast restart. We always have a fast, hot burn for about an hour at least once a day.

The stove is installed with about a 20' stainless steel flue.

Here are my questions:
1) Is my wood considered well seasoned?
2) Does rainy weather (high humidity) affect seasoned wood that is covered much?
3) Is this build-up normal with well seasoned wood?
4) Is the slow burn dangerous for my flue (creosote build-up)?
5) Is the Rutland Conditioning Glass Cleaner worth while?
http://www.rutland.com/productinfo.php?product_id=43
6) I think I read somewhere that I should pack the firebox pretty densely for the overnight burns. Is this correct proceedure?

Thanks,
Joe

 

[jqgs214]

wood is not seasoned enough, red oak takes 12 mo's + in the sun

 

[countrybois]

No matter how dry your wood is, there is still some moisture in it. The quicker you get that moisture out, the quicker you can shut the air down for an extended burn. If you load up your firebox and shut the air off before the moisture is gone (read.. before the splits get charred) then you essentially trap that moisture and it accumulates on your glass, or anywhere else there is a temperature difference.

 

[RobinJoe]

Wxman-
I wasn't very clear in my post. The wood was proabbly dead 4 years ago, cut down 2 years ago, and split at least a year ago (probably 1.5 years ago).

Countrybois -
It sounds like I should burn at a high rate for about an hour before closing down the air supply for a slow burn. Does that sound about right?

This is all very informative. Thanks everyone.

Joe

No matter how dry your wood is, there is still some moisture in it. The quicker you get that moisture out, the quicker you can shut the air down for an extended burn. If you load up your firebox and shut the air off before the moisture is gone (read.. before the splits get charred) then you essentially trap that moisture and it accumulates on your glass, or anywhere else there is a temperature difference.

 

[Jags]

RobinJoe - I would not use the timing method as much as I would go by temp (if you ain't got a thermometer, get one). Timing from one fuel load to another can be huge. An armload of pine in your stove could go volcanic in an hour, and that same hour with a load of white oak may only have you cruising at 550F.

 

[gerry100]

I think when the real burning seaon starts ( mid Nov?- <45 deg days, < 32 deg nights) all of our systems ( stove, chimney combination) will start drawing better and more consistently and we will be able to "drive" them better.

I've been burning wood for 30 yrs but have just started with a modern EPA stove ( Country Canyon) and look forward to some stretches of cold outside air to really see what she does.

Mike, - you'll get some better benchmarks next month

 

[countrybois]

Countrybois -
It sounds like I should burn at a high rate for about an hour before closing down the air supply for a slow burn. Does that sound about right?

This is all very informative. Thanks everyone.

Joe

Well, as Jags stated, it's probably not the best practice to set a timer on it, so many variables with amount of wood, moisture content, stove design, etc. etc.

I've never used a thermometer, but maybe that would be the way to go. If you just want to go by trial and error, just keep an eye on it. On mine, when I see the entire firebox engulfed in flames, I know its time that I can cut the air back. Right now, I'm burning hickory that has been cut and split for a year and a half.

 

[kenny chaos]

I'm with gerry. I got a dirty window every morning. I was told my wood was too wet. I drove all the way into the city for a $15 moisture meter which showed I was not too wet. I don't think it's cold enough to get the best of what this stove has got (lopi liberty). Yes, if you give it more air it burns better but ya gotta sleep. Shut her down and relax. I expect the colder it gets, the more I can push this to its limits and that's where she'll thrive.

 

[Bubbavh]

I have been using our Lopi Declaration for about 2 weeks. I am using wood from trees that were cut down on our property, and I hand split it at least a year ago. The trees had probably been dead for years. It has been seasoning in an uncovered wood pile in our woods (shady) for about 3 months and then covered (under a tarp) for at least 9 months. The wood is a mix of red oak (70%) and tulip poplar (30%).

I get this heavy build up (creosote?) on the glass, which can not be removed with Windex. Using a damp paper towel dabbed in the ashes works better, but the build up returns every morning after a slow overnight burn (air control pulled out to about 90% or 100% closed). This leaves some hot coals in the morning allowing for a fast restart. We always have a fast, hot burn for about an hour at least once a day.

The stove is installed with about a 20' stainless steel flue.

Here are my questions:
1) Is my wood considered well seasoned?
2) Does rainy weather (high humidity) affect seasoned wood that is covered much?
3) Is this build-up normal with well seasoned wood?
4) Is the slow burn dangerous for my flue (creosote build-up)?
5) Is the Rutland Conditioning Glass Cleaner worth while?
http://www.rutland.com/productinfo.php?product_id=43
6) I think I read somewhere that I should pack the firebox pretty densely for the overnight burns. Is this correct proceedure?

Thanks,
Joe

When the outside temp is kind of warm (50F+) I can't really back my (Lopi declaration) air control off more than about 1/2 way, unless I really have it roaring first.

This is where I keep my thermometer, it seems to give a closer reading than on the grates above the door like the manual says.

 

[Nice-N-Warm]

Hi Bubbavh,
Just a quick note regarding thermometer placement. If you take the grille off, you can mount the thermometer directly to the stove - behind the grille. You can see it through the louvers in the grille, it's permanent and it's not as noticeable as when placed on the door. Mine seems to work out fairly well there. Thought you might want to give it a shot!

 

[Bubbavh]

Hi Bubbavh,
Just a quick note regarding thermometer placement. If you take the grille off, you can mount the thermometer directly to the stove - behind the grille. You can see it through the louvers in the grille, it's permanent and it's not as noticeable as when placed on the door. Mine seems to work out fairly well there. Thought you might want to give it a shot!

Thanks for the info...I tried just about everywhere too (that thermometer is ugly) but the temp you will get isn't very accurate because the fan will blow on it and cool it off.
"My brother is a mechanic and he has this ultimate set of tools" Jeff Spicolli -Fast times at Ridgemont High-
Shot it with his laser thermometer and between the doors was the sweet spot!

 

[bbeals]

"My brother is a mechanic and he has this ultimate set of tools" Jeff Spicolli -Fast times at Ridgemont High-
Shot it with his laser thermometer and between the doors was the sweet spot!

You left off the fact that he was a "TV Repairman and could fix anything"

 

[Bubbavh]

"My brother is a mechanic and he has this ultimate set of tools" Jeff Spicolli -Fast times at Ridgemont High-
Shot it with his laser thermometer and between the doors was the sweet spot!

You left off the fact that he was a "TV Repairman and could fix anything"

You are so very correct... It's been a long time since I saw it! Also many dead brain cells since.

The brain is like a herd of cattle, it can only move as fast as the slowest ones. So in effect by killing off the slower brain cells your brain works faster. <---sounds good anyway!

 

[jbroich]

Declaration owner, here, too. I've been super pleased with the air-wash system on this thing. I have not cleaned my glass once since starting to burn 12h/7d as of 12/31. I have a moisture meter that shows my wood is pretty dry, though not usually 20-25%.

By the way, I got a laser-sighted IR thermometer which I shoot between the grills to the top of the firebox for what I believe is an accurate read.