How do you "drive" your stove?

[chainsawaddict]

Every stove is different, and I am still learning and experimenting with mine, but am learning you sure can get A LOT more heat out of that sucker if you control the exhaust damper well, especially with this little combifire. I guess the only time you want the exhaust wide open is when you are starting a fire, or if you think things might be getting to hot?...

Maybe im a little crazy, but it sure is fun playing with a new woodstove!

 

[smokinj]

even funner when you got the hang of it and a hudge cold front is hamering away at you!

 

[Turkeyslayer]

I have a wood stove and a fireplace insert. I run the wood stove (Fisher mamma bear) all fall/winter/spring and start the insert when the real cold sets in. My normal routine is load wood in the morning leaving the flue and stove dampeners wide open until the flue gets up to around 600 degrees F. Then I will close the flue dampener all the way and leave the stove dampeners open 1/4 turn from closed. The flue temp then hovers around 400 degrees F, depending on the kind and amount of wood in the stove. If it is a little colder out then I will leave the stove dampeners open 1/2 to 3/4 of a turn from closed to run a flue temp of around 500 to 550 degrees F.

This time of year I never load the stove, I will run it 1/4 to 1/2 full. And I will let it burn right down before loading. Where in the winter I jam it right full, and am good for about 9 hours burn time.

 

[smokinj]

If you guys think those old inefficient stoves are fun to drive you ought to take a modern EPA stove like our Jotul F600CB for a drive!

lol 120,000 btu heatng hot water i'll stick with my old inefficient stoves and smokin chain saws and cut my way out

 

[audible fart]

I've had 3 different woodstoves over the years. The first one was from the 50's and was a leaky old inefficient mess. It was a hell of a lot of fun though. The second one was a crappy chinese knock off of major brand (can't recall the name but I researched it years ago). It was a p.o.s. But did the job. My current one is a cfi I bought at lowes on clearance in the off season about 5 years ago. It's amazing compared to the old ones. Big glass door and very efficient. Get so hot in the winter I can open windows. Which is great because I smoke cigars and like the combination of a fine cigar mixed with the cold air.

 

[smokinj]

I've had 3 different woodstoves over the years. The first one was from the 50's and was a leaky old inefficient mess. It was a hell of a lot of fun though. The second one was a crappy chinese knock off of major brand (can't recall the name but I researched it years ago). It was a p.o.s. But did the job. My current one is a cfi I bought at lowes on clearance in the off season about 5 years ago. It's amazing compared to the old ones. Big glass door and very efficient. Get so hot in the winter I can open windows. Which is great because I smoke cigars and like the combination of a fine cigar mixed with the cold air.

+1 on the cigar

 

[Billy_Bob]

I always leave my damper all the way open when first starting a fire.

Then when the fire gets going, if it is around this time of year and I need just a little heat, I'll close the damper all the way.

Then when colder and I need more heat, I leave it half way open.

When REAL cold, I'll leave it all the way open and run fans to circulate the heat in the house. Then close the damper a bit as the house warms up.

If I get too much heat in the house, I'll open a door or window a bit.

Also there is a delay as to when the house gets the heat. So I will look at the weather report and the outside temperature. If it is cold and expected to get colder, I'll get the heat going so there will be heat. Or if it is warmer outside and expected to warm up, I'll open the damper fully to let the fire burn out and maybe open a door to get the heat out of the house.

So far as too hot around the stove, place a thermometer on the wall and learn about combustion temperatures of the wall materials near your wood stove.

Get a magnetic stove pipe thermometer and monitor the temperature of the stove pipe.

Get an indoor/outdoor thermometer and keep an eye on the outside temperatures.

Then I have wireless thermometers* at the wall near my wood stove and have the monitors in different rooms of the house. Then I can see what the wall temperature is near the wood stove when I am in other rooms. If it gets too hot, I'll close the damper, or turn on a fan which blows on the walls, and/or open a door.

I can also see when it is getting cooler when I am in another room, then I'll go to the room with the wood stove and add more wood.

*Actually the wireless thermometers I bought do not work! (like many things these days.) I modified them to be wired. I ran wires from my woodstove to the monitors. Also you can get wired indoor/outdoor thermometers, cut the wire on the outdoor sensor, then add more wire. Place the sensor near the woodstove, then run the wire to another room, then connect the monitor to the wire. Then the outdoor temperature would be the temperature near your wood stove.

 

[chainsawaddict]

If you guys think those old inefficient stoves are fun to drive you ought to take a modern EPA stove like our Jotul F600CB for a drive!

Nice stove, TreeCo.

Im only begining with this jotul exprience, but I have a hard time believing I will get anything different, especially if the newer ones are that much better.

 

[chainsawaddict]

hmm
so im having a little problem here. I might not be getting enough draft, but im not sure.

Ive been burning pretty hard today and have a firebox full of glowing coals, I keep throwing wood in to keep the temp up, but its just not happening. Am i 'driving' the stove wrong, or do i just not have a big enough stove?

 

[pilot-werx]

The new EPA stoves are a PITA.... I have a PE summit that I swear has the temperament of woman. One day it is fine and the next it is like playing with satan..

What are you burning for wood? Have you checked the wood moisture? Mine will burn anything and burn hot as long as the moisture is 20% to 25%. All it takes is a semi green split of red oak and it becomes a nightmare..

 

[chainsawaddict]

The new EPA stoves are a PITA.... I have a PE summit that I swear has the temperament of woman. One day it is fine and the next it is like playing with satan..

What are you burning for wood? Have you checked the wood moisture? Mine will burn anything and burn hot as long as the moisture is 20% to 25%. All it takes is a semi green split of red oak and it becomes a nightmare..

well, this stove is a "new" 30 year old stove, (non epa)

anyway, i think thats my problem, i put in a big chunk of oak this afternoon and i think it was still kinda green.:bang: ive been fighting it ever since.

 

[woodguy105]

Nothing worse than unseasoned wood in the wood stove...talk about babysitting a fire. :deadhorse:

 

[KodiakKen]

epa stove p.i.t.a. or not..I love mine

I exchanged an old coal stove out of the caboose of a train for a vermont casting catalytic stove and will never look back..I might load it 3 times a day keeps my little 1300 sq. ft. home extremely comfortable. I have natural gas and have always been on the budget at around $60/ month..this year they told me that they would not allow me on the budget because the last 2 years I have built such a credit that they want to change my meter...I told them that I am never home and have pilot lights that I cannot let go out..kinda a game I am playing with them..thought about changing my water heater to electric and really pissing them off..I take out my catalyst and blow compressed air through it once a year..clean my chimney every 2. had it for 5 years..will never go back

 

[tatra805]

Well, been raised aside 2 jotuls and now have 2 myself
All the classic design but i did have a cleanburn feature on a Dove before in my previous house.

Draft might be one of your issues as i never ever had any problems but too hot temps with them.

I do not have a damper valve (never had) as i dont see the need to slow down the flow.

How i do it:
- load with handfull of kindling and paper, some bigger pieces on top and then a couple of the smalles woodblocks.
-Light it with door a bit open and all drafts open.
-keep burning till biggest pieces are nicely on fire start to coal
- load stove with more wood, bigger pieces and keep the door open for another 10min or so (mainly depending on how dry and good the wood is)
- close door and keep burning with drafts open till temp starts to be at the edge of too hot. (say 30 min starting from normal ambient temps in the house)
- load more wood and regulate vents to reduce the burn rate.

I know that as long as the stoves did not reach their "hot point" it makes no sense to regulate anything as it will burn bad or just not produce heat. You have to have them blazing before reducing airflow.

Think newly added wood just doesnt come to its flamepoint fast enough to keep a good burn and related heat exchange if you regulate too early.

Also, dont look at the flames, they are nice but wont heat you, its the amount and color (white and light orange being the best) of your coals that heat you. (flames coming from a block mean the wood is still heating up and gasifying the liquids which burn when they mix with the air)
Once this stops all energy goes to burning the wood massa instead of the liquids.

Good luck and be sure these stoves should have a good output.

A too small stove is a red glowing metal piece in a cold room with no visible exhaust from the chimney while a bad performing stove is a black piece of metal in a cold room with lots of dirty smoke coming out of your chimney.

As long as you dont have heat, keep adding air.


my 2 cents

 

[laynes69]

We replaced our old furnace with a EPA certified model. I will get a good coal bed, then add a few splits. Open the damper for a few minutes till the wood is charred, then shut down the furnace and let it run for hours till ready to repeat again. I've been getting 10+ hours of heat on 4 splits a night. Quite a bit different to drive then the old, but well worth it in the savings of wood and the increased burn times.

 

[Coldfront]

I always leave my damper all the way open when first starting a fire.

Then when the fire gets going, if it is around this time of year and I need just a little heat, I'll close the damper all the way.

Then when colder and I need more heat, I leave it half way open.

When REAL cold, I'll leave it all the way open and run fans to circulate the heat in the house. Then close the damper a bit as the house warms up.

+2 Yup me to.

 

[woodbooga]

Not our model, but the basic concept:

When we fire her up each morning, the bottom draft is wide open and remains so for a while.

There is also a sliding metal door at the base of the chimney; on the stovetop's back end is a lever that allows us to modulate how wide open we want to have it. The 'kindle' setting allows maximum draft. As the flue gets up to temp (about 5 minutes), it gets slid to the "bake" setting.

In the closed bake setting, the hot gasses pass through a shallow area between the stovetop and the oven below. They then pass under the oven and back to the bottom of the firebox.

Once a decent bed of coals is laid down, we close the bottom draft to 1/2 to 2/3rds - reopening temporarily when the firebox is reloaded, or when cooking requires higher stovetop or oven temps.

 

[chainsawaddict]

Well, been raised aside 2 jotuls and now have 2 myself
All the classic design but i did have a cleanburn feature on a Dove before in my previous house.

Draft might be one of your issues as i never ever had any problems but too hot temps with them.

I do not have a damper valve (never had) as i dont see the need to slow down the flow.

How i do it:
- load with handfull of kindling and paper, some bigger pieces on top and then a couple of the smalles woodblocks.
-Light it with door a bit open and all drafts open.
-keep burning till biggest pieces are nicely on fire start to coal
- load stove with more wood, bigger pieces and keep the door open for another 10min or so (mainly depending on how dry and good the wood is)
- close door and keep burning with drafts open till temp starts to be at the edge of too hot. (say 30 min starting from normal ambient temps in the house)
- load more wood and regulate vents to reduce the burn rate.

I know that as long as the stoves did not reach their "hot point" it makes no sense to regulate anything as it will burn bad or just not produce heat. You have to have them blazing before reducing airflow.

Think newly added wood just doesnt come to its flamepoint fast enough to keep a good burn and related heat exchange if you regulate too early.

Also, dont look at the flames, they are nice but wont heat you, its the amount and color (white and light orange being the best) of your coals that heat you. (flames coming from a block mean the wood is still heating up and gasifying the liquids which burn when they mix with the air)
Once this stops all energy goes to burning the wood massa instead of the liquids.

Good luck and be sure these stoves should have a good output.

A too small stove is a red glowing metal piece in a cold room with no visible exhaust from the chimney while a bad performing stove is a black piece of metal in a cold room with lots of dirty smoke coming out of your chimney.

As long as you dont have heat, keep adding air.


my 2 cents

thanks for the post.

what ive been doing is closing down the exhaust(slightly) but leaving the intake wide open. Im guessing doing that is why I am getting incomplete burns. The coals are just piling up on themselves and smothering themselves.

I started closing the exhaust thinking that more heat would stay down and radiate out of the stove instead of just going up the chimney, but i thought i would still get enough flow, that doesnt appear to be working.

This combifire also has a "heat reflector shield" that swings open and shut, Ive only been running the stove with it shut because the new stovepipe gets hot (and stinky) real quick when i have it open.

Ive tried to find somebody with experience with this model, but really have been striking out. I think its a good stove, just kinda tricky to get figured out. My old blaze king was simple, i just filled it full of wood and opened it up, and it controlled itself.

 

[sesmith]

No exhaust dampers here either, not since I started using airtight stoves in the late '70s. Everything is controlled at the intake.

 

[chainsawaddict]

No exhaust dampers here either, not since I started using airtight stoves in the late '70s. Everything is controlled at the intake.

this site is driving me nuts. i started a thread about short burn times last year, and everybody told me i need an exhaust damper.