# got my stove really too hot, did I do anything damaging?



## hangnail (Oct 21, 2008)

I have been burning very small logs that were left over from my pile, mostly avaraging about 6'' in length. Well the other night, it was burning around 500* and just about all red coals, when I stuffed it for the night, I wasn't too concerend with it burning all night, but I wanted it to maintain for a few more hours. Anyways the combination of the temp of the stove already and how rapidly the small pieces go up and the amount of heat they put out, even though they are hard wood, in a very short time the stove was glowing.

I have a magnetic temp gauge on the side of the stove, and it reached about 700* . the top of the stove and the pipe going in to the t-pipe was glowing red. the damper was nearly closed when i did this, and while the temp was going up, I kept closing it down, to eventually closing it all together. it took a little while, but the temps started to drop. 

clearly oporator error, and still learning the draft control on this stove, and the combination of small logs contributed to this happening. Now i know i went over the operating range of the stove, but did I possibly do any damage? It doesn't seem like i did, but just want to be sure.

its a jotul castine 400 btw


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## chainsawaddict (Oct 21, 2008)

are you using 8" pipe?

My dad used to make 6" pipe glow quite a bit. He switched to 8" and doesnt seem to have that problem now.


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## tatra805 (Oct 21, 2008)

Just to make you sleep better, but dont take it as a guarantee

We have all of our Jotuls glowing at one point or another and even more times per saison. Never had a problem with them. The inner baffle plates are taking the highest temps but still they last for ages.

Just always make sure you have enough ash on the bottom plate as that one seems to be the most vulnerable to cracking.

As far as i understand you will be fine. Just check it over for cracks but again i dont expect you to find any.

Also a good thing you gradually slowed it down so it had time to cool off. Closing the air supply from full open to close at once is never a good idea as the cast iron needs time its time to adapt.

This is only my opinion on Jotul, we had a cast stove desintegration in the past and that was all but funny. All but Jotul also.


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## Blowncrewcab (Oct 21, 2008)

Theres a great learning curve when using a stove. Like remembering to close it enough to not over heat after running wide open to start a fire, my wife and I have each left it wide open and gone out and done chores only to come back to a 700*+ stove and a stinking house.The worst damage is if the fan is mounted on the stove, the fan motor doesn't like that much heat, other than burning up one motor it's never worked any different.


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## excess650 (Oct 21, 2008)

To slow the burn you should have closed the draft. Opening the damper would have allowed more heat up the chimney rather than trapping it in the stove.


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## hangnail (Oct 22, 2008)

i should correct myself, it was the draft on the stove i had adjusted, I do not have an adjustable damper 

i have a 6" stainless steel flex liner

I think i found the source of my problem, the ash pan door was not fully closed. it was latched, but as this is an airtight stove, even a slight crack is enough.

the latch is spring loaded and I must have thought it latched, and seated, but it didnt.

leason learned, 

it apears that i have done nothing damaging except to my ego


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## wkpoor (Oct 22, 2008)

I don't really see the problem. I like to burn mine at minimum of 500 and 700 degrees would be maybe the highest I go but if I'm in the room I'll let go that high and stay all day. My Nashua I just installed seems to like 600 as it optimum temp but the pipe won't go any hotter than 300. I have about 6 of those bimetallic spring temp gauges and I compare them side beside from time to time to get a feel for accuracy. I keep one on the stove, one on the pipe about a foot above, and one on the ceiling thimble. The ceiling thimble is the most important. When that starts to rise its cause for concern.


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## AOD (Oct 22, 2008)

Anybody know what a good pipe temp is for a non-EPA stove to not smoke? My Silver Star seems to like 500-550 in the pipe about a foot above the elbow coming out of the firebox. Seems high to me but if I go much lower I start smoking a bit, not bad but any smoke is too much for me.


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## Patrick62 (Oct 22, 2008)

*600 is my normal*

I am heating a fairly large shop. When I get things going I tend to push it a bit. Once the place isn't freezing I will run 400.

700 would alarm me a little... just a little.

-Pat


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## AOD (Oct 22, 2008)

Mine is burning itself out, house is plenty warm, and is down to about 300, and smoking , not bad but bad enough. The wood is plenty dry, its been burning in there for over 2 hours, I dunno why its smoking now, everything is wide open to burn it out. I've got a big, cavernous firebox with a high ceiling, would that have anything to do with it? If I added some firebrick would that help keep my fire temp's up?


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## mechanickeven (Nov 5, 2008)

*i know what can happen from to much heat*

when i bought my house i looked into the living room stove with a flashlight and was horrified. 9 vertical cracks in the inside lining. the father inlaw told me they burnt the fire way too hot and that the chamber was shot. kinda ticked me off its a nice stove for auxilary heat. now i try to keep my fires from being too hot for fear of ruining my furnace.lol
:spam: minnesota land of spam


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## Zodiac45 (Nov 5, 2008)

hangnail said:


> i should correct myself, it was the draft on the stove i had adjusted, I do not have an adjustable damper
> 
> i have a 6" stainless steel flex liner
> 
> ...



Yep good deal. I think you are probably ok. That ash pan door was defo the culprit. Before I started using cedar kindling we would open that door to get her fired. That's allot of air coming in. Glad your ok.


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## logbutcher (Nov 6, 2008)

*Timer*

Anyone using a wood stove has overfired from time to time. While most are solidly built, too much overfiring over 8-900 degrees on the top can warp or even crack cast or steel plates and the internals in the stove.
Our trick to avoid it when re loading or starting the morning fires with the ash door cracked:
Use a loud timer, like the one on your cook stove. It's one that will buzz forever until shut off. It is set for say 10 minutes so that if we get busy on the PC, or a call, the stove is not forgotten. Routine now, though a PITA.

I Forgot: for more security, have a bunch of fiberglass insulation, or a ball of alum foil to shove into the air intake for a runaway fire or chimney fire. It's kept behind the stove just in case. We don't use pipe dampers.


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## wigglesworth (Nov 6, 2008)

I had to weld up the one Im using now. It is Ember Hearth brand insert. My wife called about 3 weeks ago one night (i work nights) and said that the stove was pretty much glowing. Well the next day i looked and she cracked from the front to the back on both sides of the firebox and from the door corners to the air vents. It welded fine, but I will definetly pay more close attention to everheating in the future. ps. mine is plate steel and not cast


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## willsaw4beer (Nov 6, 2008)

With a good cast stove I'd be more worried about a chimney fire then overheating it. We only burn hardwood and clean our chimney at least 3x a year and I'm still paranoid. As long as a stove doesn't change temp. too rapidly it should be fine. My Jotuls have seen some serious blazes over the years and are still as good as new.


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