How hot does your wood stove get?

[Okie]

I am guessing you are asking me. It is close to 10 months seasoned mostly stacked under black rubber roofing. Maybe a little liquid comes out of the end of a low percentage of the pieces. Seasoned on this forum isn't the same as what is sold as seasoned which means it sits in log form for a few years then is run through a processor, up the conveyor and into the delivery truck. Maybe they make piles and use a loader into the delivery truck.

I should have left this thread alone as it is in the wrong section.

Covering your wood pile with roofing rubber or plastic which doesn't breath is not a good idea at all.

Seasoning time depends on climate and wood type. Western softwood will cure if split, stacked and stored out of the weather in a year. Red oak in Upper MI absolutely will not cure in 1 year stored the same way. With that said I burnt a ton of red oak in my OWB and it was burnt after 1 year. Even with that amount of time the ends had moisture sizzling out when it was in the firebox.

Covering your wood pile with roofing rubber or plastic which doesn't breath is not a good idea at all.

This is why I need to build a wood shed. (for seasoning the woodpiles)
The wood really looks good after it's been stored under the cover for a year, but I do have to clean/brush/swab the stove pipe at least twice twice during the winter or about every 2 months. I can see the condition of the screened weather cap from the ground as a heads up for the cresote buildup.. The ground in the area of covered storage is flint rock so not a lot of moisture retained like some soils.
Also the stove pipe is a straight run of about 15 feet.

During really cold weather I've noticed the cresote builds faster if the burning temp on the gauge is in the lower temp areas, so I keep the stove temp hot (300-500) and use the central heat/air fan only to circulate the heat. I installed a thermostat on the variable speed stove fan that only runs the fan when the stove's case temp is warm/hot. (turns off the fan when the stove is below 125F)
I witnessed a fireplace chimney fire ONCE and never want to see that again. Sounded like a freight train.

Thanks for the tip about not letting the wood breathe.

 

[moresnow]

That would take care of the roof runoff that ends up down there.

You do by all means have gutters on your home? I ripped off my old gutters in anticipation of re-roofing etc. Ended up delayed for 2 years. My basement turned into a swamp. Installed the new roof and gutters and whalla, Dry basement within weeks. Never been wet again. Just my story!

 

[Smitty Smithsonite]

No gutters. I used to work for a roofing company - gutters made us A LOT of money in repair work! Ice dams, clogs, leaks, etc.. My dad told me back in 1971 when the house I grew up in was being built, the builder told him, "If you want problems, I'll install gutters." LOL. They would definitely help with the basement water issues ... but therein lies yet another problem with this house ...

If I lived in a state that stole less of my money, these would all be easy fixes.

 

[Catfish044]

Really ? any good excavator or concrete guy knows gutters are absolutely needed to direct water away from the foundation and good down spots , my home was built in 1891 , nice set of oversized gutters and black corrugated pipe trenched and buried away from foundation , gutters are the number one cause of wet basements , I know they get frozen mine do too but when you need them they work if setup correctly, yeah I live in one of those states too ! The gutters helped immensely didn’t solve the hole problem dug up the foundation and installed tile around what would be a footer cored threw wall added a sump pit , then I other end of basement I cut and removed concrete the shape of a sump basin and over dug , drilled holes in sump base and fit into hole lining bottom and sides with river rock and pipes outside to run into my black drain tile into pop ups in the yard

 

[Smitty Smithsonite]

I used to do a ton of roof repairs because of them. The problem is, around here they need constant maintenance - In other words, you got to keep 'em clean. They get loaded with leaves in the fall, ice in winter, tree **** in spring, and a little of everything (except ice of course) in summer. When they're 30' high, people tend to neglect them. No fun bouncing on a 40' ladder scraping crap out.

 

[sean donato]

I used to do a ton of roof repairs because of them. The problem is, around here they need constant maintenance - In other words, you got to keep 'em clean. They get loaded with leaves in the fall, ice in winter, tree **** in spring, and a little of everything (except ice of course) in summer. When they're 30' high, people tend to neglect them. No fun bouncing on a 40' ladder scraping crap out.

I hear that... gutter cleaning is a monthly chore here till all the leaves are off. Then it starts back up come spring. Although I don't have drainage issues. Walk out basement built into the side of a hill. Even in heavy rain, the water runs around the house and turns the back yard into a swamp. Living at the top of a mountain (more like a hill compared to others.) Has its advantages at times.

 

[Kodiak Kid]

Hot! Too hot sometimes! Its an old Blaze King that's warped and leaks air. It will over fire and turn red in spots If I don't pay attention and keep her damped down. That's also why I go through so much wood, but my house is old, inefficient, and doesn't hold heat. Therefore I need to run it on the hotter side regardless.

 

[Smitty Smithsonite]

Sounds exactly like this place here!

I hear that... gutter cleaning is a monthly chore here till all the leaves are off. Then it starts back up come spring. Although I don't have drainage issues. Walk out basement built into the side of a hill. Even in heavy rain, the water runs around the house and turns the back yard into a swamp. Living at the top of a mountain (more like a hill compared to others.) Has its advantages at times.

We're on the side of a hill. My house is on the one flat spot on the way downward. They probably put the house here for easy access to water back in 1850 or so. If not for the hill, there would be a lake here, lol. Luckily my basement drains by gravity. No pump needed, aside from the one I have in the dirt section to pump it across the concrete section. Otherwise it would be constantly wet down there since that water would flow across the concrete to the sump.

 

[snobdds]

I see an roof venting and insulation problem.

Gutters are fine...if you keep them cleaned. If you don't, then you're better off with no gutters.

 

[Smitty Smithsonite]

Yep, all that and more, lol.

 

[Patrick1903]

Yep, all that and more, lol.

My brother has those heat strips on the edges of their roof over the eaves. Interesting solution, guess it works ok for them.

 

[OM617YOTA]

I can only imagine how much power that burns. Doesn't take too many months of $500 power bills to make another solution make sense.

 

[WES999]

Ice dams like that are a indication of attic problems, I had issues with ice dams (nowhere near as bad as the ones in the pic). Here is what I did, air sealed all around in the attic, added soffit vents and insulation baffles, and more insulation. Use a roof rake to remove snow, problem solved. Doesn't cost much just a lot of hard work.

 

[Catfish044]

I run the stove hard when it’s balls cold , 650, 750 on the face of it burn it hot and clean, only draw back is it’s in my family room and there not a good air flow path , need a ceiling fan in the vaulted ceiling adjacent to stove room get that heat moving around better

 

[barebunns]

The last several days have been extremely cold, and I've been loading up the stove as often and as much as I can fill it. 500f is my max, and yet it takes a good part of the day to heat the cabin. Zero degrees outside this morning, 48 degrees inside when I awake. Good Lord!!!

I trust this to be pretty accurate. But I did learn something rather interesting tonight. I've been concerned about the wood temperature of wall behind the stove. The other day I was reading the wood to be at 200 degrees. Yikes!!!! Am I going to burn down my home? Tonight I learned that if I take a reading and the laser light is thru the stove pipe heat, I get a bogus reading. Tonight I put my hand on the wood and it was warm but nothing like 200f. Holding the Infrared Heat Gun Thermometer off to the side (off and away from the stove pipe) and take a reading of the wood, it gives a much more accurate reading that confirms what I am actually feeling. Wood is warm, nothing to fear. FYI.
I was told the firepolace and wood stove have to get reral hot like 1000 degrees so you dont get a lot of cresote and soot in the chimney

 

[barebunns]

not 100 1000 degrees

 

[KostasVolos]

Hot enough,I guess.