Wood Stove Thermometers

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wooduser

Minister of Fire
Nov 12, 2018
679
seattle, wa
Here's a video showing three styles of thermometer that can be used on wood stoves:

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The short answer is that all three can serve useful purposes on wood stoves:

1) surface mounting on a wood stove

2) magnetic mount for stove pipe

3) Probe style especially recommended for double wall stove pipe.

Unfortunately, no description of how to use thermometers wisely to choose efficient styles of burning or avoiding over firing conditions.


I'll keep hunting around for those.
 
Here's a video showing three styles of thermometer that can be used on wood stoves:

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.



The short answer is that all three can serve useful purposes on wood stoves:

1) surface mounting on a wood stove

2) magnetic mount for stove pipe

3) Probe style especially recommended for double wall stove pipe.

Unfortunately, no description of how to use thermometers wisely to choose efficient styles of burning or avoiding over firing conditions.


I'll keep hunting around for those.

That is because it is a generic video. There are different types of stoves that have different parameters. Your exhaust temp is going to be much higher than a modern stoves. And a cat stove will be lover than a tube stove. The top temp on a stone stove will be lower than a steel one.
 
Be careful what you hunt up. Being enthusiastic about recording yourself talking isn't the same as having any idea what you are talking about.

Anyone remember "Down Home Country Girl" and her amazing fire starting technique?

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Be careful what you hunt up. Being enthusiastic about recording yourself talking isn't the same as having any idea what you are talking about.

Anyone remember "Down Home Country Girl" and her amazing fire starting technique?

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Wow she is something special. What a lunatic. I am also pretty sure it is in a zero clearance unit with the vents covered.
 
That is because it is a generic video. There are different types of stoves that have different parameters. Your exhaust temp is going to be much higher than a modern stoves. And a cat stove will be lover than a tube stove. The top temp on a stone stove will be lower than a steel one.


Plus I'm told that each of the three types of thermometers will give significantly different readings under the same conditions, since they are measuring different things in fact.

Still, I maintain that a proper analysis of combustion gasses, including temperature, oxygen, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide ought to be able to provide a good evaluation of efficiency for how the stove is being operated while the test is done. That might well disclose lower efficiency for an old, uncertified stove like mine, and higher efficiency for another stove.

Perhaps it would be found that operating my stove ata 600 degree stack temperature does indeed lead to reduced efficiency. You might be able to identify an optimum stack temperature at which to operate the stove.

This was easier to do when tuning up a gas furnace, because the amount of fuel, combustion air and such could be regulated accurately and would STAY where you PUT it, while wood stoves are always varying all over the place.

Part of their charm, no doubt.
 
Plus I'm told that each of the three types of thermometers will give significantly different readings under the same conditions, since they are measuring different things in fact.

Still, I maintain that a proper analysis of combustion gasses, including temperature, oxygen, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide ought to be able to provide a good evaluation of efficiency for how the stove is being operated while the test is done. That might well disclose lower efficiency for an old, uncertified stove like mine, and higher efficiency for another stove.

Perhaps it would be found that operating my stove ata 600 degree stack temperature does indeed lead to reduced efficiency. You might be able to identify an optimum stack temperature at which to operate the stove.

This was easier to do when tuning up a gas furnace, because the amount of fuel, combustion air and such could be regulated accurately and would STAY where you PUT it, while wood stoves are always varying all over the place.

Part of their charm, no doubt.
Yes of course they will give you different readings. They are taking readings from different spots.

Yes flue gas analysis is helpful and is used in woodstove design and testing. But it would be pretty pointless for everyday operation.
 
Yes flue gas analysis is helpful and is used in woodstove design and testing. But it would be pretty pointless for everyday operation.


Do you know where these testing results are reported, if they are available to the public?

I'd be interested to look them over to see what's available and what I might understand from comparing data on different stoves.

I wonder if retailers have that information available? If I stopped in at a Lopi dealer and acted interested, I wonder if they would show it to me, if they have it.

If it's available on line some place, so much the better.



Seattle Pioneer
 
I am sure if you dig deep enough you could find them.
 
Be careful what you hunt up. Being enthusiastic about recording yourself talking isn't the same as having any idea what you are talking about.

Anyone remember "Down Home Country Girl" and her amazing fire starting technique?

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For more detailed information, see our cookies page.


Do you suppose Ace and Del's have contracts with her for mentioning their company specifically? I mean it has to be kerosene from Ace Hardware . . . nothing else will do apparently.

Think I'll stick with my much simpler top down fire starting method. Much simpler . . . much cheaper.
 
I was going to start a new thread but this one happens to be on the same topic. I installed a double wall stove and have been running with out a probe thermometer due to the fact that the condar has to many colors and will muck up the clean look of the pipe. Does anyone have any real world with Imperial brand probe thermos? It is much cleaner in appearance and I would be willing to install it as long as it is decent
 
I was going to start a new thread but this one happens to be on the same topic. I installed a double wall stove and have been running with out a probe thermometer due to the fact that the condar has to many colors and will muck up the clean look of the pipe. Does anyone have any real world with Imperial brand probe thermos? It is much cleaner in appearance and I would be willing to install it as long as it is decent

I consider my probe thermometer, stuck through a hole drilled in my single wall stove pipe, to be a point of interest. More interesting than just the stove pipe. Of course the thermometer completely cover the hole drilled, so you just see the thermometer.

So I've been happy with that myself.
 
i was always under the impression that probe thermometers didn't read accurately when installed on single wall stove pipe?
That's what I was told by some people on here that know what they're talking about
 
Do you suppose Ace and Del's have contracts with her for mentioning their company specifically? I mean it has to be kerosene from Ace Hardware . . . nothing else will do apparently.

Think I'll stick with my much simpler top down fire starting method. Much simpler . . . much cheaper.

I liked the way that she inserted a special scene into the video to explain that spraying anything EXCEPT kerosene into the stove was certain to cause a lethal explosion. Water? Boom! Applesauce? Boom! Kerosene? Perfectly safe! ;lol
 
That video was some industrial strength insanity on display...:eek:

Maybe even weapons grade.
 
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But there was a lively soundtrack . . .
 
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