White oak burns up fast -normal?
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Chris-PA
Where the Wild Things Are
PA is not as cold as it is in the midwest at the moment. Still, stoves are our only source of heat in an old house from 1835, with old single pane windows (and no storm windows). It's 25 now on the way up. Tomorrow is supposed to be 43 during the day - and 1 at night.
My dad still has the old stove we installed in the 1970's. We know how to burn it and it works very well - for him it is the best choice as his flue is too short and won't have sufficient draw for a secondary combustion system to work properly. Mine works much better.
Please don't assume that everyone who has different experiences than you must be incompetent to judge. If you're going there I'm done with the conversation.
OK guys, here is what I figured out. The white oak that I posted about at first was on one end of my rows which I "thought" was the nearly 4 year old stuff. I was wrong. It is the wood I css early last spring. I moved on up the row and got the 4 yo stuff and loaded the stove (Buck 74) at around 11 last night. At 9 this morning, I added more wood and there was enough coals that it took right off. The opposite end of the house stayed at 73 so I now am liking the white oak as it seems to do what it is said to do when you burn the right stuff. The next 2 days here are supposed to be in the - teens with a high of 7 so that will be a real test. Hasn't been that cold around here in 10 years or so. The great news is I have to go back to work tomorrow after 2 weeks off and I know we have some outside stuff to do. How lucky can a guy get. Anyway, thanks for all the replies and I hope you all have a great year.
So far I like this forum.
Just wait until I find a reason to disagree with ya'... see how much you like it then
stihly dan
Addicted to ArboristSite
So far I like this forum.
Of course you do. You have your twin iowian on here. If you had the old stove for 30 yrs you must be old like spidey. which then begs the question. Do you have any gadgets? are bias ply tires better than radials? And most important, did you have to walk to school up hill both ways, in the snow, bare foot, 50 mph winds, 100 below, and when you got there, there was no stinking heat. Who needs it, the wind is what makes you feel cold.
Looking forward to that.Just wait until I find a reason to disagree with ya'... see how much you like it then
opcorn:
Ummmmmm... you have that backwards.
EPA certified stoves are designed to work with minimal draft and short chimneys. During EPA certified testing the top of the chimney is only 15 feet above the floor the stove is sitting on (that would be like a 12-13 ft chimney). Add to that the fact that the lab is warm and draft becomes exceedingly minimal. A "taller" chimney and higher draft actually reduces performance in a stove designed to pass EPA certification. Older, non-EPA stoves that feed all air under the fire benefit from higher draft because it keeps the fire from smoldering... in an EPA stove high draft will can cause rapid/short secondary burn, once secondary stops the air coming in the top of an EPA stove may reverse direction and exit the stove before it ever feeds the remaining coals.
(By-the-way, smoke-bomb tests proved that this was part of my issues, I could minimize it, but not eliminate it, by closing the flue damper.)
Perhaps you should read this...
http://www.gulland.ca/florida_bungalow_syndrome.htm
*
Please prove me wrong, I have a 3000 dollar POS (piece of steel
) bumming me out.I love gadgets but I love things that are straight forward and work well much better
Tomorrow we are looking at -50 below wind chills, wood burner is only heat I have.
SWI Don
ArboristSite Guru
Chris-PA
What EPA certified wood stove has a 4¼³ft. firebox?? I ain't sayin' it don't exist... but holy cow man, what does it cost?? I don't think the firebox in my DAKA furnace is even that big, and I only utilize 'bout 65% of it most of the time (it holds 25" wood, and I cut everything to 16"). No, I don't think you can assume a an EPA box will "otherwise behave like a traditional box of that size" at any time. The box I had before the Spectrum was approximately the same size, deeper, but narrower... it held 20" wood so I didn't utilize all of it either, but I used all of the Spectrum's capacity. The old box heated at least 3-times better.
Blaze King King model is 4.34 Cu ft.
http://www.blazeking.com/EN/wood-king.html
If I had to buy another stove and my house was big enough, that would be my choice. Seems to be popular with the guys in Alaska, based on posts on this and other forums.
Me too I think, stuck with the runt 6 inch chimney.
Cat owners seem to be happy.
But I think if I change stoves I go pre EPA.
Chris-PA
Where the Wild Things Are
The draft needs to be in an appropriate range. I find having a decent air velocity discharging from the manifold jets maintains a secondary burn better.
I have two stoves. One has a 30' insulated 6" SS flue inside a stone flue. The other is an 8" insulated SS flue maybe 18' to 20' high. Both properly sealed up top. They draw well, especially the longer one of course. I know you decided your issues had to do with too much draft, but I have plenty on the long flue without those issues.
Dad on the other hand has some uninsulated 8" stovepipe run up through an enormous stone chimney, probably 2' x 2-1/2' inside cross section, with only a marginal seal up top. I doubt his flue stays all that warm, and it takes a long time to get up to temperature.
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I guess I just assumed it was understood we were talking about "secondary burn" type stoves... not catalytic stoves (which I have no experience with).
stihly dan
Addicted to ArboristSite
Please prove me wrong, I have a 3000 dollar POS (piece of steel
I love gadgets but I love things that are straight forward and work well much better
Tomorrow we are looking at -50 below wind chills, wood burner is only heat I have.
Can't, I think you are sol with your stove. The only thing I think can get you your heat back with out changing the chimney is going to a furnace in the basement.
And that's another thing‼
For that kind'a money the damn thing should not only heat like hell's fire... it should wipe your azz and clean the toilet also.
I was lucky in my lesson-learning, mine was given to me... my only expense was modifications and installation.
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Steve NW WI
Unwanted Riff Raff.
How did I know this thread was gonna appear about now?
I'm not 100% happy with my year old Drolet EEEEEEPA stove - but I'm happy enough that my old Woodchuck ain't gonna ever see duty again - even though I haven't coerced enough friends to help drag it out of the basement yet.
I got the biggest non-cat EPA stove I could find @ 3.4CF, would not want smaller. But keep in mind, I went from a 6+ CF firebox to start with. I know a thing or two about cold here - it gets almost as chilly in WI as it does down in sunny southern climates like IA - and I've got a 25 year old 16x70 mobile home on a full basement - not a monster house, but it ain't a cabin either.
Maybe there's a difference between the PE and Drolet designs that makes mine work better - I've heard most of the complaints coming from the PE guys, all the Drolet owners I talked to when researching mine were pleased.
The heavier hardwoods DO make more coals, and yes, there's not AS MUCH heat coming off those coals as while on high burn, but without some better proof than "I tell ya...", that's the way every stove since man put fire in a box has worked.
What I enjoy on days like today when I'm lounging around the house, is its much better ability to make heat with "junk" wood, right now it's 10 below and I'm tossing in a couple sticks of cottonwood every few hours. The light stuff doesn't coal hardly at all in my stove, and I can keep a high fire going all day. When I go to bed tonight, it'll be full of elm, and have a few coals left to start when I get up in the morning. Tomorrow when I go to work, it'll be full of Ironwood and Sugar Maple, and while the basement temp will drop some while I'm gone (10-12 hours depending on how late I gotta work), it'll still be liveable, and I'll have coals to crank it right back up with. Diversity in firewood is good.
I've been rambling too long - house is full of smoke - burnt my dang pork chop!
I'm not 100% happy with my year old Drolet EEEEEEPA stove - but I'm happy enough that my old Woodchuck ain't gonna ever see duty again - even though I haven't coerced enough friends to help drag it out of the basement yet.
I got the biggest non-cat EPA stove I could find @ 3.4CF, would not want smaller. But keep in mind, I went from a 6+ CF firebox to start with. I know a thing or two about cold here - it gets almost as chilly in WI as it does down in sunny southern climates like IA
- and I've got a 25 year old 16x70 mobile home on a full basement - not a monster house, but it ain't a cabin either.Maybe there's a difference between the PE and Drolet designs that makes mine work better - I've heard most of the complaints coming from the PE guys, all the Drolet owners I talked to when researching mine were pleased.
The heavier hardwoods DO make more coals, and yes, there's not AS MUCH heat coming off those coals as while on high burn, but without some better proof than "I tell ya...", that's the way every stove since man put fire in a box has worked.
What I enjoy on days like today when I'm lounging around the house, is its much better ability to make heat with "junk" wood, right now it's 10 below and I'm tossing in a couple sticks of cottonwood every few hours. The light stuff doesn't coal hardly at all in my stove, and I can keep a high fire going all day. When I go to bed tonight, it'll be full of elm, and have a few coals left to start when I get up in the morning. Tomorrow when I go to work, it'll be full of Ironwood and Sugar Maple, and while the basement temp will drop some while I'm gone (10-12 hours depending on how late I gotta work), it'll still be liveable, and I'll have coals to crank it right back up with. Diversity in firewood is good.
I've been rambling too long - house is full of smoke - burnt my dang pork chop!
SWI Don
ArboristSite Guru
Then say so and not EPA.
Sounds to me that the secondary burn stoves as a rule are kind of touchy. I'm glad I didn't go that route.I'm happy with my catalytic stove.
I thought this thread was about how white oak burns.
Eric Modell
ArboristSite Operative
I started a new tread so you guys can argue I am very interested. I need a new stove and , a catalytic is probably not the best choice for me.Then say so and not EPA.
I'm happy with my catalytic stove.
I thought this thread was about how white oak burns.
Yeah bbbbut... I stuffed my firebox full of White Oak
6½ hours ago and ain't looked at it since... ain't heard the draft blower kick in since 'round sunup... and I don't have to think about coals.'Course, down here in the sunny southern climate of IA we are 8° warmer than you right now
branchbuzzer
Undiagnosed
Can't find pork chop on Sweep's chart... BTU rating please.
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