woodstove alert when fire goes out?

[dorlow]

I'm sick of trying to start my woodstove in the morning after its been out for hours. It's so much easier to just put wood in it when the fire just went out and still has a bed of hot coals. A month or so ago, I bought this item...

(broken link removed to http://www.ebay.com/itm/Wood-Stove-Stove-Stat-Automatic-Fan-Control-/220556063096?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item335a2a7178)

(Wood stove stat in case by the time you read it, the link doesn't work)

It automatically turns off the blower when the fire goes out and turns it on when it gets hot. It works great. But I got to thinking, why can't I find a device that would also plug inline with the switched outlet so when it signals the fan to turn off (basically removing power to the fan), it would also make a loud beeping sound.

Now, I know if there's no power, there's no way to make a beeping sound... unless there's a capacitor or battery in the unit that when it detects power was loss, it would have a backup battery or power source to emit some beeping.

I found devices like this...

http://www.diycontrols.com/p-7066-p...t-alarm.aspx?gclid=CI3InfnQ0rQCFcsWMgodGh0AiQ

Although this one is one I haven't seen until now, but looks like other ones I've found where when the outlet looses power, it will emit an alarm. The problem with these devices is I don't see a way to silence it until the next alarm. Once it goes off and it wakes me up, I want a "reset" button on it that I don't want the alarm to go off again until the outlet gains power and then looses it again (which means the fire got going, the fan kicked on and then the fire went back out and the fan shut off again.)

With these devices, they won't stop emitting the noise until the outlet gets power back, which means I'll have to unplug it once my kids and wife are yelling they can't sleep with the alarm going... which means it won't be practical to use it.

Any ideas?

 

[Anthony]

found this setup, looks cool to say the least.

http://www.cas4.com/Wood-Stove/Woodstove-Control-001.htm

 

[BrowningBAR]

so when it signals the fan to turn off (basically removing power to the fan), it would also make a loud beeping sound.

That might drive me to murder if I had to put up with beeping all winter.

Any ideas?

Buy a stove that burns longer.

 

[Treacherous]

This might work for you.

This temp alarm can do high/low alarms.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/anyone-used-this-stove-pipe-thermometer-alarm-yet.101851/

http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=17&products_id=292

[Manual]
http://auberins.com/images/Manual/AT200CHIM.pdf

 

[Dakotas Dad]

Whats your stove setup? How are you loading the stove? What kind of wood? What is your air setting when going to bed?

If your stove is stone cold when you get up, (and you don't want it to be) your doing something wrong. Even if the "wrong" is not setting an alarm to wake you up at 3am to reload. That is why the Homestead moved across the street.

 

[begreen]

This might work for you.

This temp alarm can do high/low alarms.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/anyone-used-this-stove-pipe-thermometer-alarm-yet.101851/

http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=17&products_id=292

[Manual]
http://auberins.com/images/Manual/AT200CHIM.pdf

Auber seems to be a good solution right now. I'm considering one myself.

 

[PapaDave]

Aside from getting a new stove that'll burn longer, seems like a much easier solution is just a simple alarm clock set for whatever time the fire dies down to relightable coals.
Why reinvent the wheel?
Did I miss something?
Where are you in Mi. dorlow?

 

[dorlow]

That might drive me to murder if I had to put up with beeping all winter.

Buy a stove that burns longer.

Don't think buying a wood stove that burns longer is an option. I just upgraded to the one we have. We have a US Stove 2000. The guy who originally installed the old wood stove (before we purchased the house or knew anything about it), made the hearth pad and wall really small. I'm pretty sure the original stove was way too close to the wall. It couldn't been further than 6" away from the wall. Well, when I replaced it this last summer, I bought a US Stove 2000. I paid a brick guy to extend the stone out into the room so I could get the proper clearances in the back and front. I have two 90 degree elbows to get the stove out that far. But the room is very small. Much further out and I'll be taking a good chunk of the room. Two, it looks odd right now the way the brick is extended out, but not terrible. Any further out, I'll have to add more stone to the wall and now I'll be taking a $1,000 upgrade to many thousands of dollars and a major project.

I don't make a ton and I'm just trying to do whatever it takes to make my heat as cheap as possible in the winter. It would be nice if there was an alarm that just woke me up before it went out. Right now I have an alarm set to wake me up every night at 2 AM. When I wake up, it's hot coals by then and easy to get back going. Then 2-6ish it's hot coals again.

 

[northernontario]

It could be done with a couple of those thermal switches often used to turn on blowers... except you want a NC (normally closed) switch... turns "off" when warm temp is reached, turns on when gets too cold. Problem comes with relays and switches to reset alarm.

One easier solution is a digital PID type temperature controller. They often have multiple outputs... so you can set an alarm for high temp (overfire), and an alarm for low temp (cold). Set up a 12v unit with some 12v relays... momentary switch to turn relay on to shut off alarm; when controller turns off the alarm, it resets the relay... next time it gets too cold, alarm trips and beeps until you trip the alarm warning. Could also get a 12v timer to shut off the alarm if you don't reset it within a certain amount of time.

 

[bluedogz]

Right now I have an alarm set to wake me up every night at 2 AM. When I wake up, it's hot coals by then and easy to get back going. Then 2-6ish it's hot coals again.

Looks like you've got the cheap solution nailed.
That said, you didn't mention the kind of stove, quality of wood, or other burn behaviors.