What temperature do you burn at?

[Lumberjack]

I posted this question earlier but it might have gotten buried as it was part of a response to another thread...

What temperature do people burn there stoves at? I have a PE Pacific insert with a magnetic thermometer on the upper right corner. As I am just learning about how this stove burns, I have been keeping the temp low, less than 400 degrees F. I had it go up to 550F this evening and want to know if this is normal or was that too hot?

Thanks!

 

[jtp10181]

Need Hog, he has a PE insert of some sort and I think he has dueling thermometers on the front. He can tell you what temps he gets.

 

[Vic99]

Typcial stovetop burn is 350-450 for me. However, my stove can be pushed to the 500s with a bit of effort.

 

[begreen]

I posted this question earlier but it might have gotten buried as it was part of a response to another thread...

What temperature do people burn there stoves at? I have a PE Pacific insert with a magnetic thermometer on the upper right corner. As I am just learning about how this stove burns, I have been keeping the temp low, less than 400 degrees F. I had it go up to 550F this evening and want to know if this is normal or was that too hot?

Thanks!

That stove is just loafing at 400. 550 is just getting warm. It can and should run hotter to keep the flue clean. Assuming the thermometer is reading correctly (always a big assumption), you can safely burn all day at 600 in that stove.

 

[woodjack]

Where do you guys put your thermometer?

 

[glenng]

Where do you guys put your thermometer?

I only have a stack meter. Its 18" up. My stove was new last march and my wood is not seasoned. I would like to run it at 500f but I`m lucky to get 400f with white oak. Next year will be better.

 

[begreen]

Depends on the stove. Ideally on the stove top to the right or left of the flue. But that's not possible on many inserts. And sometimes you can't get a good reading on stoves that have a convection jacket over the top of the stove. In these cases, most try to sneak it in on the top, front of the stove, where ever it will sit safely and out of the way.

 

[Hogwildz]

Begreen is correct. I run the Summit on the top end of 750, once she levels out there for an hour or two she settles in at 600 to 650 for a few hours, then its the slow climb down. Usually a pit stop around 500-550 then 400 then slowly tapering down. Never a glow except once in a while the stainless baffle will glow inside. If your not hi end of say 600-650 in the initial burn stage, your not touching the potential of that baby even close. Get that puppy up to even 650 and you'll see what I mean. Down around 400 or so, your flirting with creosote buildup and won't be getting a couple hour secondary burn the way it should be, if any at all. These temps are taken from both front upper face corners just above the door corners.
Pictures didn't turn out so well. This is after about 2-1/2 hrs. secondary burn going, and shots of the thermos in each corner.

Fire that puppy up with a few LARGE splits and rest mediums. Get her flaming open till 500-500 then shut the air down, she will climb to 650-700 on her own then enjoy.
If you use smaller & medium splits, cut the air back at 400-450 and she will still climb up to the hi temps.
Become one with your stove and you'll get a good feel for it.

 

[Cearbhaill]

Down around 400 or so, your flirting with creosote buildup and won't be getting a couple hour secondary burn the way it should be, if any at all. These temps are taken from both front upper face corners just above the door corners.

Agree with the entire post, but quoted this as most important.

I'm a first year burner and as such am not 100% comfortable running really high temperatures. I was doing OK until my neighbor had a chimney fire, and that caused me to choke a bit and not run as hot as I should. I was so paranoid that I had a mid season cleaning done just to let me know how I was doing build-up wise.

I got a pretty good report card with the caveat that I needed to burn a bit hotter. My sweep told me to burn it hot at least once in the morning and once at night letting my "front of the insert" thermometer hit 700-750-800ºF. It makes me very nervous still, but I'm doing it and getting more and more comfortable doing so.

He explained to me (as others here have done) that the thermometer on the front of an insert is not an accurate temperature reading but more a point of reference. I am to take my temp reading and subtract 100º to approximate a standard "stove top" temperature. So if the recommended sweet spot as far as "stove top" temps go is 550º, then I need to get up to at least 650º to duplicate it with a front mounted magnetic thermometer on my insert.

It can be scary, but if I get too worried I just turn up the blower and the temp comes down fast enough. It's just the initial getting used to this amount of heat that I need to get over. This fear in combination with "first year wet wood blues" is a recipe for creosote, and burning hot is the best preventative to nasty build up problems. So I am learning to burn hotter which is scary but the result is that I worry about creosote less which is good.

Fire it up!

 

[Lumberjack]

Nice pics hogwildz.....

I have my thermometer mounted in the same place, up and to the right of the door (tough to see, but it works). When I hit 550 last night the stove was really throwing some heat off and the secondary burn seemed to be working, it was just a little un-nerving that even though the air was all the way low, the stove continued to heat up (blower on high!)

Tonight I will experiment with getting up to 400-450 with lots of air then shutting the air supply down and see how it goes.

I think the problem is that I am using a flue temp thermometer so all the markings and recommended burn temps don't make sense for where I am monitoring the stove.

Not sure how I feel about 750-800F though, thats real hot...

 

[DoubleClutch]

On my Intrepid II woodstove, with the thermometer centered just behind the loading lid/griddle (stove is set up with rear-exit exhaust), I like to keep it between 600° and 700° most of the time. Somewhere I heard you should keep stack temp at least 550° to minimize creosote; I suspect 400° is probably too low, considering how cold outside it probably is in CT this time of year...

 

[offroadaudio]

Quad insert - I'm not happy unless I get to at least 650, I really smile when I get and hold 750 for awhile, I occasionally get to 800 or 850, but back it down and crank the fan at this point.

These temps are taken with a Non-contact IR at the glass, at the top of the door and on the stove top - temps quoted are highest, usually from the glass.

 

[jqgs214]

I agree will all of the above. My PE insert cranks the heat out at 500deg but really like to run 650 plus. Dont be scared unless you have a questionalbe install. Show us some pics of your set-up well do are best to go gentle and put you at ease in using your stove the way it was designed. I was scared at first too but when its 76 deg in the living room and the wife says i'm hot! I like it!

 

[Lumberjack]

I wish I could take some pics...I just had it inspected by the building inspector and just put the surround back in place (it passed, very minimal inspection).

I have it installed as follows:

-adjustable 304SS elbow out of the flue adapter, screwed in place, to the flex pipe coupling adapter, screwed to elbow, band clamped to SS liner.
-liner wrapped with 1/2" ceramic insulation all the way up
-top of flex liner clamped in place by upper seal plate on top of chimney
-weather cap with spark arrestor installed.

-firebox sealed with a 2 piece block off plate which is insulated on the back side with the extra liner insulation, plate siliconed in place to brick

 

[jqgs214]

Sounds good, crank er up and feel good about it. Only place I question is the silicone on the blockoff plate to liner seal. Block off plate to brick should be fine though. Most say use refactory cement on the blockoff to liner seal.

 

[begreen]

I think the problem is that I am using a flue temp thermometer so all the markings and recommended burn temps don't make sense for where I am monitoring the stove.

Not sure how I feel about 750-800F though, thats real hot...

If you are having anxiety about the flue thermometer's colored warning zones, either ignore them or get another thermometer (Condar) without the zones. You are not getting the heat you paid for out of that stove and risk a too cool flue which combined with so so wood or an exterior chimney can build up creosote. A spike up to 700 is no big deal. What you want is for the stove to settle into a cruising temp around 600-650.

This is why we insist on safe installations. These stove are meant to be heaters and run hot.

 

[gpcollen1]

I have mine top front and off center. When it is cold out, that stove had better get up over 600 for a great burn on a full load in order to get enough heat out of it and for a nice long burn. As for when it is warmer out, i use smaller loads when home and slightly cooler temps - but still oad her up and get her hot for longer burns - overnight and during the day.

 

[Hogwildz]

My temps are with fan full bore blowing. I have NEVER had a problem with fan cooling the insert down. Matter of fact, the fan is full bore 24/7.
Last year at 20 or below, best I got was 72 or 73 degrees house temp. I was running her about 500 degrees, except prior to door adjustment, which pegged the thermometer several times. This year, at same temps of 20 degrees Its 78 at top end, 73 to 75 when I wake up in the morning. Thats what getting it to 650 to 750 does for heat output. Now this Sunday they are calling for highs in teens, lows around 7, so we shall see what she does then. Last year I was lucky to hit 71-73 inside temp with those temps. I will be happy with 75 to 76. Of course anything over 70 is gravy.
The thermometer is made for flue temps. Use it only as a reference point. For me I better get it to 600+ at initial burn. Which I do.
First year worries is normal. As you get more comfy with stove and become more one with it, you will feel more comfortable with it at higher temps.

 

[Henz]

yeah, my external temp gage usually reads around 300 or so. I dont believe that that is all it is but oh well. I usually start my secondary burn around 600 or so, then about a half hour or so later it will be down to 400 etc..It really depends on what kind of wood I am burning. Soft maple and beech or hard maple and oak...Throwing in a couple nice splits of red oak and a few locust seems to be the best for me.

 

[Jfk4th]

Begreen is correct. I run the Summit on the top end of 750, once she levels out there for an hour or two she settles in at 600 to 650 for a few hours, then its the slow climb down. Usually a pit stop around 500-550 then 400 then slowly tapering down. Never a glow except once in a while the stainless baffle will glow inside. If your not hi end of say 600-650 in the initial burn stage, your not touching the potential of that baby even close. Get that puppy up to even 650 and you'll see what I mean. Down around 400 or so, your flirting with creosote buildup and won't be getting a couple hour secondary burn the way it should be, if any at all. These temps are taken from both front upper face corners just above the door corners.
Pictures didn't turn out so well. This is after about 2-1/2 hrs. secondary burn going, and shots of the thermos in each corner.

Fire that puppy up with a few LARGE splits and rest mediums. Get her flaming open till 500-500 then shut the air down, she will climb to 650-700 on her own then enjoy.
If you use smaller & medium splits, cut the air back at 400-450 and she will still climb up to the hi temps.
Become one with your stove and you'll get a good feel for it.

Hog, Do you shut her all the way down at once and it creeps up to 700F or shut her down in stages. I am going to copy your temp method
Thanks :lol:

 

[BotetourtSteve]

Similar to another recent post, I too, per a couple of the posters here, I think the variance in temperatures with different stoves is as much a product of where the thermometers are located as it is how "hot" folks are burning them. When I am cranking my stove, with premo oak/good secondaries/etc/etc, my stovetop temps, with the thermometer located exactly where Jotul recommends (top corners), have not exceeded about 550. She seems most comfortable settling in to a 450-500 burn, which will last 4-6 hrs before heavy coaling gives another run for a few hours at 300-ish, although at that point I usually reload and start all over again unless temps or my absence dictate otherwise. I have definitely experienced the benefits of the heat holding ability of cast iron firsthand - I ran a steel stove for years, and can unequivocably confirm that the cast will and does hold its heat longer. That said, based on the PE army and other steelies comments, I believe that the steel apparently does offer higher surface temps - I can't confirm that myself as I never used a thermometer on my steel - but I think I could have pushed my steel hotter than I ran it, but I would have had to basically stand in front of the door for perpetual reloading.

 

[Mike Wilson]

My stove cruises at 650, for a few hours. She'll normally go as high as 750-800 at times though, right after it all gets going in there. I routinely have solid 8+ hour burns. By that, I mean that there are still more than ample coals to restart quickly, and the fan on the stove is still on, and still pushing out heat (the snapstat is still on, so the stove is still hot). Morning temps are usually 250-300.

-- Mike

 

[sixminus1]

Although I'm still waiting to fire up my Winterport, I've been reading all of these threads so I can be ready for whatever I see happening.

I was going to ask for some benchmark temps for the Winterport, but looks like there aren't too many folks who have this unit out there yet. I suppose I could use some info from Kennebec owners, given that it looks like the same insert (only larger).

Sounds like 600-650F is the sweet spot for most units/installs. Creeping a bit higher doesn't seem like a problem as long as it's a spike and not a constant temp. Obviously, if it's glowing, you have a problem.

 

[swestall]

It depends on the stove:
soapstone: 400-550 (no hotter than 650 although you can go to 700)
steel 450-800
cast 450-750

All more or less depending on specific construction and manufacturer's instructions. Under these temps you won't get great performance or heat, over them you risk burning too hot and having some problems including overfire.

 

[Hogwildz]

Begreen is correct. I run the Summit on the top end of 750, once she levels out there for an hour or two she settles in at 600 to 650 for a few hours, then its the slow climb down. Usually a pit stop around 500-550 then 400 then slowly tapering down. Never a glow except once in a while the stainless baffle will glow inside. If your not hi end of say 600-650 in the initial burn stage, your not touching the potential of that baby even close. Get that puppy up to even 650 and you'll see what I mean. Down around 400 or so, your flirting with creosote buildup and won't be getting a couple hour secondary burn the way it should be, if any at all. These temps are taken from both front upper face corners just above the door corners.
Pictures didn't turn out so well. This is after about 2-1/2 hrs. secondary burn going, and shots of the thermos in each corner.

Fire that puppy up with a few LARGE splits and rest mediums. Get her flaming open till 500-500 then shut the air down, she will climb to 650-700 on her own then enjoy.
If you use smaller & medium splits, cut the air back at 400-450 and she will still climb up to the hi temps.
Become one with your stove and you'll get a good feel for it.

Hog, Do you shut her all the way down at once and it creeps up to 700F or shut her down in stages. I am going to copy your temp method
Thanks :lol:

Yeap get her blazing, I mean BLAZING! Shut her all the way down anywhere after 500-600. She will climb to 700-750 and level off. This is where you heat the place up 5+ degrees in an hour. From my experience with the Summit here, over 600+ degree is where the heat really pumps out.
I used to shut down in stages as some do on here. Now for me, I just let her wide open to about 550-600ish then shut the air completely to low. At these temps, you should have a magnificent secondary going. Don't be alarmed, she will climb to the 700/750 marks. Don;'t sweat it worrying, you may sweat literally though, and this is a good thing when its cold as a wichtes teeter outside.

Keep in mind, wood size, type of wood, and dryness of wood... all 3 play the biggest factors IMO.
2 or 3 large, dry oak splits, topped off with as many mediums then smalls on top, I hit 700-750 with no effort.
The other reason I don't cut the air back in stages, is I usually get busy and forget about the stove. Then end up just getting to shut her down at 650-700 LOL. It doesn't really rocket higher, but it can touch 800 or so if I let it open that long. My set up likes to level on the top end of 750, and I know her limit & likes and respect that.
Keep in mind your set up is different, and maybe work differently.