Seasoning/breaking in a new stove

[USMC0802]

We replaced our old cast iron stove that was at least 25-30 years old and cracked this summer with a Hearthstone Mansfield. Never had a soapstone stove before, but the plan is to light a fire once it's cool/cold enough and burn until it's warm again.

This is what's in the manual:

BREAKING IN YOUR WOOD STOVE
It is imperative that your stove be "broken in" slowly.
Cast iron must be "seasoned"; over-firing a new stove
may cause castings to crack or may damage other stove
parts. Moisture in the soapstone must be driven out slowly
to minimize the “shock” to the stone of its first exposure
to high firebox temperatures. Also, the asbestos-free
furnace cement must be cured slowly to insure adequate
sealing and bonding.
The bottom layer of soapstone in your firebox is intended
to prevent thermal stress and should remain in place in the
firebox at all times.
When you light your first fires, the wood stove will emit
some smoke and fumes. This is normal “off-gassing” of
the paints and oils used when manufacturing the wood
stove. If you find it necessary, open a few windows to
vent your room. The smoke and fumes will usually
subside after 10 to 20 minutes of operation. The odor and
smoke will end once the stove is “cured”.
The first fires may produce other odors from impurities
that exist in the area immediately surrounding the stove.
Some of these impurities can be cleaning solvents, paint
solvents, cigarettes, smoke, pet hair, dust, adhesives, a
new carpet, and new textiles. These odors will dissipate
over time. You can alleviate these odors by opening a
few windows or otherwise creating additional ventilation
around your stove. If any odor persists, contact your
dealer or an authorized service technician.

BUILDING A BREAK IN FIRE
1) Open the door and place five or six double
sheets of tightly twisted newspaper in the
center of the firebox. Arrange kindling in a
crisscross pattern over the newspaper.
Kindling should be approximately ten
pieces, 1/2" (13 mm) in diameter and 10" to
18" (254 mm to 457 mm) long.
2) Fully open the primary air control by
pushing the lever to the left.
3) Light the paper under the kindling. Leave
the front door slightly ajar momentarily until
the kindling has started to burn and draft
begins to pull.
4) Close the door and allow the fire to burn.
Keep the door and ash drawer closed while
the stove is in use. Make sure the ash door
is in the closed position.
5) KEEP A WATCHFUL EYE ON YOUR
STOVE to maintain a steady, low-heat fire.
Your first fire should make the stove warm
but not hot to the touch. At most, a few
small chunks of wood should be added to
the fire to reach safe break-in temperatures.
6) Once the stove is warm but not hot to the
touch close the primary air control and
allow the fire to die out completely.
7) Let the stove return to room temperature.
Your first fire and first fire each season thereafter should
be built and maintained as outlined above. Your patience
will be rewarded by a properly seasoned stove.
NOTE: Because of the cool flue gas temperatures present
during the break-in procedure, creosote may build up
quickly. Your window may get dirty. A good hot fire will
clean it.

Last night was in the 50s, the forecast tonight is 49. I don't expect to need to burn regularly for at least another month or so, but the dealer told me it's a good idea to do three "break in" fires before getting it going for the season.

I prefer something a little more specific, like a temperature, as opposed to "warm to the touch, but not hot."

Also, I've read these stoves can take quite a while to warm up. Any ideas on what that magical break in temp is and how long I should plan on playing with the stove to get it there?

With the temps dropping into the 40s, I know I'm not going to heat the house with a break in fire, but I thought tonight would be as good as any to start that process.

Thanks for the input and advice. Anyone else have a Mansfield? How do you like it?

 

[laynes69]

Theres alot of people on ********** that have those stoves and love them. If you can't find much here, I would check over there.

 

[Billy_Bob]

New stoves and pipes will "stink" with the first few fires. So good idea to light a couple of small fires when it is still warm enough to open the doors/windows to get the stink out of the house.

And I have to clean my chimney from the living room due to my 45 degree steep slope roof and very high chimney. So I take apart the stove pipe, clean, then when I put it back together, I use high temp sealer on the joints. Also touch up the paint and put a bit of stove black on the stove...

That all stinks with the first couple of fires. So again I start a couple of small fires when it is still warm and can air out the stink. (After a few fires, no stink...)

 

[stint]

Using the manufacturer's recommended 'warm/not hot' recommendation;

Sounds like you have a stove thermometer.

If so, I would start the fire as directed, then as it burns place my hand on the stove top spot recommended for your thermo (Jotul says outer corner)

As long as you can hold your hand there, that to me is "warm"

If your hand start to feel uncomfortably warm, start reducing draft and wood supply.
Just before you feel are about ready to have to remove it, immediately close down draft and note what the thermo reads

Use this as max for next couple fires. That to me is just below 'hot'

I Do not think plus or minus up even as much to 50 degrees is as important as doing it three or more times and let fully cool between fires

Whatever, just do not "overfire" by a couple hundred degrees the first several uses

Hope this helps

 

[CWME]

I fired my new stove out in the yard twice before I brought it into the house. I just used some stove pipe for a stack. My Dad and I treated it like a camp fireopcorn:
Burned off all the solvents and cured the paint outside. My Father in Law cured one in an apartment I had to stay in that night. Not fun with the stink and smoke.

 

[iowawoodcutter]

When I bought my Hampton H300 cast iron I had the store burn it in for me. At first they said they don't do that, and I replied I ain't buyin it unless you do. Left the store w/o the stove and they called two days later and said they would do it for me if I still wanted to buy it.

 

[iowawoodcutter]

I don't know how true it is but I've heard that cast iron stoves can absorb moisture over the summer and should be 'broken in' each fall. Every fall my Jotul Firelight gets several small fires before being fired hard. It also emits a slight odor during these small fall fires.....but it could just be summer dust burning off.

A neat thing about a new stove is each time you reach a new high temperature during that first heating season.....you will get a slight hint of those first 'break in' fires. Maybe it's just the paint curing a little further down the stove legs. LOL!

For those that haven't experience the joy of 'top down fire starting' you ought to look into it. It's the only way to start a fire, IMO.

I have tried the top down with moderate success. Sometime they result in a backdraft for me filling my basement with smoke. I just used those small prepackaged fire bricks now. They never fail to get the draft going for me.

 

[USMC0802]

Started the first break-in fire this evening. Didn't get a stink or smoke or anything at all.

Everything ready:

Kindling lit:

Watching it burn a bit before closing the air control and letting it burn out.

Too short tonight. This is my first stove with a glass door. I'm really looking forward to loading this thing up and enjoying the view and the heat. I'm impressed that it didn't take much at all to get the stove warmed up. Granted, the house is in the 70s right now, but I'm looking forward to getting a thermometer on it and in the flue and seeing how quickly it warms up and throws the heat.

Thanks for the tips and suggestions.

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

For those that haven't experience the joy of 'top down fire starting' you ought to look into it. It's the only way to start a fire, IMO.

:agree2:


I'm a recent convert to top down burning. I get longer burns, at higher temps, which cuts down the creosote buildup. My stove is oversized for the house, so to keep from roasting us out, I have kept it damped down tight, which makes for a messy chimney.

With top down burning, I can open up the draft, get hotter and smaller fires from a full load, and keep my chimney much cleaner. The side benefit is we aren't roasted and I get longer burn times. I've hit 14 hours doing it this way.

 

[amateur cutter]

:agree2:


I'm a recent convert to top down burning. I get longer burns, at higher temps, which cuts down the creosote buildup. My stove is oversized for the house, so to keep from roasting us out, I have kept it damped down tight, which makes for a messy chimney.

With top down burning, I can open up the draft, get hotter and smaller fires from a full load, and keep my chimney much cleaner. The side benefit is we aren't roasted and I get longer burn times. I've hit 14 hours doing it this way.

Hey Mark, would the top down burn work in a furnace as well as the stove in your opinion? I read a little on it last spring, but was about done burning by the time i found a thread on it. A C

 

[amateur cutter]

Nice lookin new stove USMC, looking forward to a little wood heat soon myself. A C

 

[laynes69]

I use top down on our woodfurnace. It heats the tubes, baffle, creates instant draft and burns with little to no smoke. A good top down fire will burn for a couple hours before tending. Works everytime.

 

[cat-face timber]

I fired my new stove out in the yard twice before I brought it into the house. I just used some stove pipe for a stack. My Dad and I treated it like a camp fireopcorn:
Burned off all the solvents and cured the paint outside. My Father in Law cured one in an apartment I had to stay in that night. Not fun with the stink and smoke.

You couldn't be more correct.
I wish I did that, I will the next time I install a stove.
That stink is hard to get out of carpet, couches ect..

 

[USMC0802]

I'm reading about the top down fire; I've never heard of it before. It looks interesting. Once the bottom layer is burning, is it any different than a traditional fire? Other than basically building the complete initial fuel source and not needing to touch it for a while, what's different about it?

 

[cat-face timber]

nice lookin new stove usmc, looking forward to a little wood heat soon myself. A c

+1

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

Hey Mark, would the top down burn work in a furnace as well as the stove in your opinion? I read a little on it last spring, but was about done burning by the time i found a thread on it. A C

I have no clue! I don't know much about wood burning furnaces. Sorry I can't help.

I suppose you can always try it and tell us how it goes.

 

[amateur cutter]

I use top down on our woodfurnace. It heats the tubes, baffle, creates instant draft and burns with little to no smoke. A good top down fire will burn for a couple hours before tending. Works everytime.

OK, I'll give it a shot & report back in October. Thanks A C

 

[USMC0802]

You couldn't be more correct.
I wish I did that, I will the next time I install a stove.
That stink is hard to get out of carpet, couches ect..

I didn't get any stink, smoke, odor, or anything. Maybe I was lucky with this one.

 

[USMC0802]

Stone is still a little warm, not quite down to room temp...lit the small fire 3 hours ago. I think I'm going to be very happy with this stove. Can't wait to see the secondary burn tubes ignite. This is like Christmas going from an old, leaky, cracked cast iron stove with no window to this.

 

[Cambium]

When I bought my new stove, I actually put my stove in my backyard and used it like a firepit, did it by accident before reading about the breakin period... Had a party that September day and me and a bunch of guys got the flames above where the flu starts...The stove must have gotten to 700 degrees! We burned a fire for a good hour......

Got lucky the paint didnt peel...but at least I knew it was broken in and the oils gone..

First time lighting it inside , no smell, ready to rock n roll.

Roll it outside if you can, light it for a few hours not too hot!