Here's my wood stove, can you help me with some questions on how to burn with it?

[johndeereg]

We moved into a new house (not new but new to us). This wood stove is in the basement and the chimney goes up and out, it's a cape code style house. Chimenyy just relined with 6" stainless steel. New bricks behind it, and new double wall pipe. We have a vent/register opening in the ceiling to get heat upstairs which we place a fan over. The stove has a damper on the front of the stove, and then there is also a damper on the pipe.

I bought one of those thermometers and put on it. The thermometer package recommended putting it on the stove pipe, but since I have double walled pipe I couldn't do that. The thermometer has a recommended span on it, something like 300 to 575 without looking at it to be exact.

I would like to get the most heat out of it that I can while being safe of course. We have electric heat, but I want to utilize this as much as possible. With the thermometer being where it is, what reading would you burn it at? Do you think the range it indicates will be off being right above the fire?

Also, how would you recommend keeping the damper on the stove pipe? I've been leaving it open on startup to clean any possible creosote, then I turn it to about the 1:30 position as if it were a clock.

thanks for any help

 

[blades]

Kind of Stove? How about a picture of it. and the installation. Not enough information to say any more.

 

[Beefie]

If your thermometer is the magnetic kind. Throw it away or stick it to the stove. You want the kind that has a probe sticking out the back side. It requires a 1/4" or 5/16" hole and goes in to your pipe. That is the only accurate way to measure your flue temp.Like what was said before, we could use some pictures to help us to help you.

Beefie

 

[sunfish]

Pictures? Dry wood? New or old stove?

 

[johndeereg]

Sorry, I forgot the photo!

 

[Fyrebug]

Just PM'd you with a document on how to get the most from your wood stove.

You stove looks like a Vogelzang Defender but yes as the others mentioned we need Brand, Model, kind of wood, Humidity level in Wood.

BTW that window looks cracked.

 

[johndeereg]

thanks for the document. The stove doesn't have any identification on it. Burning hard woods only. A lot of this year's wood isn't all good, it has some rot on it. It's what the previous owners left. I have lots of good wood, but it was cut in about August, split and drying, red oak. The window does have a crack but it is very tight. I've been looking to replace it, but for some reason not many people carry that glass.

 

[Steve NW WI]

If your thermometer is the magnetic kind. Throw it away or stick it to the stove. You want the kind that has a probe sticking out the back side. It requires a 1/4" or 5/16" hole and goes in to your pipe. That is the only accurate way to measure your flue temp.Like what was said before, we could use some pictures to help us to help you.

Beefie

Those aren't necessarily any better. My probe type cheapie was horribly off, reading as much as 500° higher than IR temp gun reading on the surface of the singlewall it was installed in. It's only there to block the hole until I can find a good one. Any recommendations? Mine was an SBI brand (sorry Fyrebug, just reporting facts).

Most often, the stick on magnetic types say to put them on the front corner of the stovetop, rather than the middle like you have yours.

 

[philoshop]

I've had a Condar probe thermometer from TSC for a couple of seasons now. With my double-wall pipe I have no idea how accurate it really is, but I've never cleaned anything but soot from my pipe and chimney since I installed it. Even the screen on the chimney cap has stayed pretty clean. I think I was running the stove a bit too cool before the install because I'd have a little creosote now and then. The instructions said it was only good for three years before the probe would degrade, but for $15 or so I could live with that.

 

[Beefie]

Now I will have to see which one I have. I do now one thing when it comes to wood burning thermometers quality has really gone down hill. I check to see where mine is once a year by using a flux meter with a temp sensor on it that I can slide in to the hole of the pipe where the probe would go. Gives me an idea where its at . Havn't done it this year as I have only fired up the wood furnace a few times so far this year. The lopi has been running pretty steady thoe.

Beefie

 

[philoshop]

Yep, yer right. It's just a rough idea for me! I guess I just use the thing as a go/no-go gauge. Kind of like the moisture meter I have. Good to go/ not good to go, +/-, but experience trumps all.

 

[sb47]

My stove is similar to that one and is brick lined with what they call a catalytic converter built in. I’ve had fires get pretty hot. So hot you have to back away from the door when you open it.

Never had a problem yet! Looks like your set up is very well done and I would think it should handle a very hot fire safely. (no guaranties of course)

The hotter the fire the less creosote you get building up.

I don’t have a dampener on my pipe. I didn’t feel I needed one. The dampener on my stove will completely shut the air off when closed. No air in, means fire goes out.

I would think ones not needed on the pipe unless the intake dampener doesn’t close completely so you need one to control a runaway fire should one happen.

Just monitor the fire for the first few burns and you will quickly get the hang of it.

I use common since as to how hot I let it run, but I’ve had my dampener all the way open and stove full of good dry post oak and let the stove get as hot as it can and it seems to only get so hot. (not so hot I get worried)

I can say your stove will operate the same it looks like it should be safe for a pretty hot fire. (again, use common since)

A room fan will circulate the air and help distribute the heat more evenly.

 

[sb47]

One thing to be aware of on these type stoves.

My stove pipe is set up just like yours and crystallized tar will build up at the bottom of the pipe where it goes into the stove.

On my stove there is a shelf built in that has two ceramic tiles that cover two square holes that lead into the interior of the stove.

At the end of every burning season I have to remove the pipe from the top of the stove and vacuum out the crystallized tar that builds up in that location

My stove in my shop doesn’t have that and any thing that falls out of the pipe just land back in the stove.

 

[sb47]

At my hunting camp we have a pot belly stove, a real cheapo made of sheet metal.
After having too much Tequila and accidently tossing some pine knots we had that thing red hot on the sides.That thing started huffing and puffing and jumping up and down.
If it wasn't connected to the pipe, I’d swear it would walk across the floor.lol

 

[Wife'nHubby]

If you post your question over on hearth.com http://www.hearth.com/talk/forums/the-hearth-room-wood-stoves-and-fireplaces.6/ they may have more info on your stove in their archives.

Personally, I wouldn't burn in a stove with broken glass until I got the glass fixed.

Oak cut/spilt/stacked in August of this year should be primo to burn August 2015 - not this year. Oak takes at least 2 yrs. to dry if green to start with.

Shari

 

[sb47]

If you post your question over on hearth.com http://www.hearth.com/talk/forums/the-hearth-room-wood-stoves-and-fireplaces.6/ they may have more info on your stove in their archives.

Personally, I wouldn't burn in a stove with broken glass until I got the glass fixed.

Oak cut/spilt/stacked in August of this year should be primo to burn August 2015 - not this year. Oak takes at least 2 yrs. to dry if green to start with.

Shari

Oh man, I didn’t see the crack in the glass. I’d definitely fix that first before I had anything but a small fire.

As for the 2 year seasoning for the wood. That depends on many factors.

Size of splits, climate, method and location of stored wood all determine seasoning time.

 

[brenndatomu]

That may be a Vogelzang Defender, I have a Defender and that one looks too big to be a Defender. I'm thinking its an older Vogelzang Performer before they went to the pedestal mount, IDK? Either way, You don't need that pipe damper for that stove, just leave it open, use the damper on the stove. Load the wood with the stove damper wide open, once the stove top temp gets up to 5-600*, (you have that thermometer in a good spot in the pic) then you can start cutting the damper back 25% at a time over 5-10 minutes or so, until it is 0-25% open (depends on how much heat you want) The stove will happily run at that 5-600* temp for an hour or two, slowly falling as the load is burnt up. The closer to closed you run the damper, the longer the burn. Definitely fix that glass first though!

 

[flotek]

I wouldn't burn a thing till you get new glass .get her real hot and that crack will multiply instantly and next thing you know your red coals are laying on the floor catching your house on fire

 

[flotek]

I think a magnetic gage is about useless they are known to be horribly inaccurate and they should tell you what you already know . Here is a tutorial on heating :
f your fire is poor and smokey and stove is cool your in the creosote zone if its bright burning nice and hot and throwing good heat its in the middle if your black flue pipe is glowing bright red and the fire looks out of control your in the red danger zone

 

[FLHX Storm]

I have the Condor Magnetic Thermometer and it is within 5 degrees of my Infra Red Thermometer. I just checked. It's also placed on the center of the top of the stove. This is my second year of using the Condor and I trust it. Currently I'm running the Englander NC-13 and have only used the blower once this year.