creosote vs flue temp vs seasoning wood

[Marine5068]

I have a magnetic flue thermometer and I usually usually read around 300 to 350 right before it hits the triple wall chimney. That doesn't mean there's no smoke. Once it is all burning and burning slow and hot there is no smoke. The point when the fire bricks are clean is when it doesn't produce smoke at all. Right after I get it going and loaded up my furnace will hit that chimney temp point but it smokes for a while until it gets good combustion. It's not a temperature thing it's a not efficent furnace thing.

How ever at that chimney temp is when I know my furnace is burning correctly and making heat not just burning wood. It never gets hotter than that and my plenum temp never goes over 220ish. When I can maintain those temps I get the most efficent and cleanest heat but the process of getting there is dirty. I clean the chimney once a year and get a fair amount of creosote out but it's usually all at the top of the chimney. The stove pipe and lower chimney have no creosote.

All good points of observation. I do the same.
Obviously burn well seasoned wood and have little or no problems with creosote.
If I see some wood not burning enough (maybe some rot or wet pieces), just open up the stove's damper some for more air (oxygen).
I also have a magnetic temp gauge at the suggested 18" off the stove top to keep an eye on the burn temps. It helps.
If fire bricks are clean and not much soot in the firebox or stove glass, then you're burning good.
I never burn wet wood, even Ssh gets one or two years seasoning.
I do have 3 air tubes in the top of the firebox of my Drolet HT2000 to "re-burn" gases and smoke and that is a big plus in my books.
It's also more productive to have the wood give off more BTUs when dry and seasoned than to be using all the fire's heat to dry it out from water first.
You waste less wood and get more heat safely without risk of chimney fires.
Happy burning!

 

[md1486]

I do have 3 air tubes in the top of the firebox of my Drolet HT2000 to "re-burn" gases and smoke and that is a big plus in my books.

Im pretty sure this is the secondary combustion going on. I have these too on my bis ultima. Burn pretty well but i get my secondary combustion maybe half the time.

 

[CaseyForrest]

Im pretty sure this is the secondary combustion going on. I have these too on my bis ultima. Burn pretty well but i get my secondary combustion maybe half the time.

There are 2 reasons the secondary combustion isnt happening. They can be related or not.

The primary reason is the firebox isnt hot enough to sustain secondary combustion.

The secondary reason is the woods too wet.

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