BrianK
ArboristSite Member
Hi folks,
I am running a Beta version of Woodstock's new Ideal Steel stove this winter. Photos of the stove can be seen in the second post on this thread.
I built a fire yesterday at 3:00pm with the 3.2cu ft soapstone lined firebox solidly packed with 3"x6" oak blocks that were on average 10"-12" in length, EW load, moisture content 10 to 14%. Cold stove, 2" bed of ashes.
I lit the firestarters at 3:00pm on full air, room temp at 68, outside temp 37. I let the flue temps on my Bacharach probe thermometer on the double wall stove pipe get up to about 600 degrees, then engaged the cat at about 15 minutes into the burn on 100% air. After an hour stove top temps were at 475 next to the collar on top, and room temps went up from 68 to 72. I turned the air down to about 10% at one hour for a long low burn.
Two hours into burn on 10% air, not much visible activity in firebox, stove top temps have leveled out around 350. There is a hot spot just above the middle of the door on the front of the stove just below the lift off top that is consistently running around 450 on the IR thermometer. Most of the heat from this stove comes off the door glass and the top front, not the top rear near the flue collar.
There's a little soot on the bottom left corner of the door glass, and the bimetallic coil for pre cat air is just a little open now. Outside temps now 35, room temps up to 74 from 68 at 3:00.
Five hours into burn, the two pieces on top front were a piece I split in half longways to load up to the top of the firebox in the front. One of them just started to coal and a piece broke off but the rest of the logs are still 95% intact.
Almost 8 hours into burn, house furnace had been off all day. Outside temp was 21 at this point, 71 in the stove room now and throughout the first floor. 68 on the second floor.
Stove top temp staying right at 300 on 10% air. Hot spot over door at 380. Double wall stove pipe probe thermometer sticking on 380.
At nine hours since I started this burn cycle, the air was still at 10% but stove top temps had creeped up to 325 , the hot spot on the front above the door is up to 400, and I'm seeing more of a glow but no flames in the stove. I wonder if the colder temps outside were increasing draft? Outdoor temp was down to 19 at this point and first floor temp had dropped to 69, second floor temp to 68.
At just shy of 10 hours into the burn, stove top temps settled down to 305, room temps holding at 69, outside temps were holding at 19 and the video above shows the firebox.
17 hours into this burn cycle this morning. I expected to come downstairs to a cold stove and a firebox full of ash. But stove top temp was 225 and the hot spot on the top front of the stove was 300 and I was still getting plenty of usable heat. The firebox looked like it was still a third to half full of wood. I wasn't sure if it was just coals ready to collapse into a heap of ash so I opened up the air to 100%. In the past when I've done that on a bed of coals the coals glowed and got hotter but I've never gotten flames. This time I got flames. I took photos before and after opening the air, as well as a quick video about 5 minutes after opening the air to 100%. To say I was surprised is an understatement.
I had the house furnace thermostat set on 65. With a low of 19 last night, it was too cold for a long low burn to keep inside temps where we like them, and the furnace kicked on sometime after 6:00am this morning. So current inside temps don't mean anything at this point. I cut back the thermostat to see how the stove carries the temps from this point forward.
At 10:30, 19 1/2 hours into the burn. Stove top temps are at 225, top front of stove is at 325 and this thing is definitely still throwing usable heat. This is a quick video of the firebox with the door open. It started sending up some small flames when I opened the door. Still usable fuel in there. I opened up the air to 100% at this point to see if it would heat up to any extent at this point in the burn. After 20 minutes on 100% air, at approx 20 hours into this burn, stove top temps climbed back up to 325, front of stove above door is at 350 and there are small flames in the firebox.
21 hours into the burn cycle. I opened up the air to 100% almost an hour prior (once I passed 20 hour mark in this test I figured I accomplished my goal) to burn it down and make some heat. Stove top temp was back up to 330, top front of stove above door is at 390, probe temp on the double wall stove pipe is 500, and its throwing off a lot of heat again, with some fire in the firebox now, not just coals. Room temp is back up to 71 with no assist from the natural gas furnace for the last couple hours, outside temp is 30.
22 hours into burn cycle, outside temp 33, first floor 74, second floor 70, stove on 100% air for just over 2 hours. Stove top temp 300, stove front above door 350, still pumping out more than enough heat. Coals are burning down slowly but steadily, no active flames in firebox now.
This stove took the house from 70 to 74 in two hours, from the 20 hour to 22 hour point in a burn cycle. That is pretty impressive!
23 hours into this burn, stove top has dropped to 290, top front of stove is at 325, outside temp is at 34, and first floor of the house is still holding at 74. We don't need to reload just yet, there's still a lot of usable heat coming off this stove.
Ok, currently at the 24 hour mark on this burn, stove top temp is down to 265, top front of stove is 280, first floor temp is still holding at 74 so there's still enough heat coming off the stove at 24 hours to maintain an inside temp of 74 while outside temp is currently 34.
I am running a Beta version of Woodstock's new Ideal Steel stove this winter. Photos of the stove can be seen in the second post on this thread.
I built a fire yesterday at 3:00pm with the 3.2cu ft soapstone lined firebox solidly packed with 3"x6" oak blocks that were on average 10"-12" in length, EW load, moisture content 10 to 14%. Cold stove, 2" bed of ashes.
I lit the firestarters at 3:00pm on full air, room temp at 68, outside temp 37. I let the flue temps on my Bacharach probe thermometer on the double wall stove pipe get up to about 600 degrees, then engaged the cat at about 15 minutes into the burn on 100% air. After an hour stove top temps were at 475 next to the collar on top, and room temps went up from 68 to 72. I turned the air down to about 10% at one hour for a long low burn.
Two hours into burn on 10% air, not much visible activity in firebox, stove top temps have leveled out around 350. There is a hot spot just above the middle of the door on the front of the stove just below the lift off top that is consistently running around 450 on the IR thermometer. Most of the heat from this stove comes off the door glass and the top front, not the top rear near the flue collar.
There's a little soot on the bottom left corner of the door glass, and the bimetallic coil for pre cat air is just a little open now. Outside temps now 35, room temps up to 74 from 68 at 3:00.
Five hours into burn, the two pieces on top front were a piece I split in half longways to load up to the top of the firebox in the front. One of them just started to coal and a piece broke off but the rest of the logs are still 95% intact.
Almost 8 hours into burn, house furnace had been off all day. Outside temp was 21 at this point, 71 in the stove room now and throughout the first floor. 68 on the second floor.
Stove top temp staying right at 300 on 10% air. Hot spot over door at 380. Double wall stove pipe probe thermometer sticking on 380.
At nine hours since I started this burn cycle, the air was still at 10% but stove top temps had creeped up to 325 , the hot spot on the front above the door is up to 400, and I'm seeing more of a glow but no flames in the stove. I wonder if the colder temps outside were increasing draft? Outdoor temp was down to 19 at this point and first floor temp had dropped to 69, second floor temp to 68.
At just shy of 10 hours into the burn, stove top temps settled down to 305, room temps holding at 69, outside temps were holding at 19 and the video above shows the firebox.
17 hours into this burn cycle this morning. I expected to come downstairs to a cold stove and a firebox full of ash. But stove top temp was 225 and the hot spot on the top front of the stove was 300 and I was still getting plenty of usable heat. The firebox looked like it was still a third to half full of wood. I wasn't sure if it was just coals ready to collapse into a heap of ash so I opened up the air to 100%. In the past when I've done that on a bed of coals the coals glowed and got hotter but I've never gotten flames. This time I got flames. I took photos before and after opening the air, as well as a quick video about 5 minutes after opening the air to 100%. To say I was surprised is an understatement.
I had the house furnace thermostat set on 65. With a low of 19 last night, it was too cold for a long low burn to keep inside temps where we like them, and the furnace kicked on sometime after 6:00am this morning. So current inside temps don't mean anything at this point. I cut back the thermostat to see how the stove carries the temps from this point forward.
At 10:30, 19 1/2 hours into the burn. Stove top temps are at 225, top front of stove is at 325 and this thing is definitely still throwing usable heat. This is a quick video of the firebox with the door open. It started sending up some small flames when I opened the door. Still usable fuel in there. I opened up the air to 100% at this point to see if it would heat up to any extent at this point in the burn. After 20 minutes on 100% air, at approx 20 hours into this burn, stove top temps climbed back up to 325, front of stove above door is at 350 and there are small flames in the firebox.
21 hours into the burn cycle. I opened up the air to 100% almost an hour prior (once I passed 20 hour mark in this test I figured I accomplished my goal) to burn it down and make some heat. Stove top temp was back up to 330, top front of stove above door is at 390, probe temp on the double wall stove pipe is 500, and its throwing off a lot of heat again, with some fire in the firebox now, not just coals. Room temp is back up to 71 with no assist from the natural gas furnace for the last couple hours, outside temp is 30.
22 hours into burn cycle, outside temp 33, first floor 74, second floor 70, stove on 100% air for just over 2 hours. Stove top temp 300, stove front above door 350, still pumping out more than enough heat. Coals are burning down slowly but steadily, no active flames in firebox now.
This stove took the house from 70 to 74 in two hours, from the 20 hour to 22 hour point in a burn cycle. That is pretty impressive!
23 hours into this burn, stove top has dropped to 290, top front of stove is at 325, outside temp is at 34, and first floor of the house is still holding at 74. We don't need to reload just yet, there's still a lot of usable heat coming off this stove.
Ok, currently at the 24 hour mark on this burn, stove top temp is down to 265, top front of stove is 280, first floor temp is still holding at 74 so there's still enough heat coming off the stove at 24 hours to maintain an inside temp of 74 while outside temp is currently 34.
For me...when things get too nit-picky and comlicated..Im out !! Maybe I just have a simple brain . I set in my mind that I want the house at 72 degrees all the time.....and thats what I strive to do . I just have a regular thermostat for the "other" furnace.....and thats my only gauge . So I have to get up and feed a log every now and then......no biggie for me !!
