What are your stove top temps?

Sconnie Burner, thanks for the info. It's good to hear about how your stove runs since they're very similar. I guess I'll keep experimenting a bit to see what works best for me. I'll need to pick up a temp probe for my double wall stovepipe.

This cooler weather coming up, coupled with vacation time and the weekend, has me anxious to play with the stove a bit.

 

When I found other stove maker's manuals instructing to close the bypass immediately, I decided to look into this. I spoke with WS about this and the primary concern is that the cat temp is sufficiently high at the time of reload to burn the smoke; no thermal shock concerns with the new steel cats. I also load smaller diameter pieces at the stove front and set my air to 2 for 5 minutes before setting to the desired air setting (for my stove this is somewhere between 1.0 and 1.25). I've found this works great, reduces the reload time and appears to be the most efficient and least polluting way to reload. The only time my stove emits visible smoke is during a cold start; I really like burning in stealth mode.

Since I don't have a cat probe for the Fireview, I only do this when the STT is at 300 or above. Below that, I keep the bypass open until the flue temps are at sufficient levels to close the bypass.

 

BDF , can you share your thoughts regarding closing the bypass on reloads? I know you have a lot of instrumentation in your setup and was hoping you could provide some technical insight. I'm pretty sure what I am doing is fine, but since there is no easy way to measure the cat temp in the Fireview (well, no pre-drilled probe hole), I'm always guessing when to engage the cat based on either the STT or the flue temp (external thermometer).

 

I've got a related question. I'm breaking my Ideal Steel (2nd fire last night.)

How much active flame should I expect when the stove is all the way open with the draft control?

I think the wood I'm using is not dry enough as I've seen bubbling steam at the ends during both fires.

The fire will be pretty active during the beginning (door is set to the first notch to keep it open about a 1/2") for ten or so minutes and then I close the door and the flames start to slowly go down and get lazy.

The flames stay lazy and darker blue with the draft set fully open the rest of the time. The temps do get up to 320 at the flue collar and up to 800 at the cat probe. (Tonight's Fire will be the first time I'll activate the cat)

I'm thinking two different issues might be at play here. One the wood isn't dry enough, and two the stove is beefing starved for air possibly.

The stove is in a finished insulated daylight basement with a 20 foot Class A exterior chimney. Draft appears good once it's warm. I have 45s leading up to the thimble.

What should the flame look like with the air fully open? Very active or lazy?

Thanks

Mike

 

Great thread. I know we've discussed stove temps in the past. However; I struggled to find a location to place my temp gauge. I'll add some pictures to show you what I mean. Right now I believe I have the temp gauge in the only location to give me numbers that mean anything.

The Country/IronStrike Canyon is difficult to get the temps up to over 300 when it falls to say 200. I'll fill the box about 2/3 to 3/4 with the Envi-8 bricks and get them close to roaring by leaving the door open a crack. Once I see that I have significant flame, usually 5 minute to 10 minutes, I'll close the door and leave the primary open at full. The flames will continue to run hard. To get from 200 to 300 I am talking anywhere from 15-25 minutes. Which is rather shocking considering this a heavy-gauge steel stove. This makes me wonder if the placement of the temp gauge is correct.

 

This may sound silly but If its the stove in your avatar pick are you placing it on the lower step dead center? The shelf your pipe is coming out of will not go over about 275. At least it doesn't on my quadrafire.

 

Once well into the winter (not shoulder season), with a good bed of coals and a hot stove, I rake the coals forward, reload the stove and close the bypass immediately. Usually I fully open the draft until the face (front) of the new splits is well engaged and there is some secondary flame on top of the new wood, then cut the draft back to maybe 3/8 open and wait for the flue temps. to rise again to, say, 550F or 600F, then finally set the draft for the burn.

So the simple answer is yep, I close the bypass immediately on a fresh load of wood in the stove IF the stove is hot and there is a good bed of coals.

By hot bed of coals, I mean there is enough IR being thrown by the stove that as I squat down and reload it, my right knee turns red like a bad sunburn. Lots of very hot coals!

Brian

 

Going strictly by the photo you show after this post, there is not much wood in the stove. I find that the Ideal Steel takes at least 3/4 of a full load to settle down and 'behave well'. Less wood than that never really seems to heat the stove or the flue, and will not maintain a decent fire with the bypass closed.

The other thing is that it does sound like your wood is fairly wet and so you will have to push the stove quite a bit harder, and probably wait quite a while after starting a fire to close the bypass, to maintain a fire. It seems that when trying to burn wet wood, it takes 1/3 to 1/2 of the burn time to force the water out of the wood before the stove can be damped down very much- that includes closing the bypass at all.

Just a suggestion but if it is cold enough outside, or you do not mind opening a door or window if it is fairly warm, try lighting a small fire with kindling and small splits and let that burn pretty rapidly using, say, 3/4 draft opening, until the wood is all charred and at least some of it is actually wood coals. Then load the stove more than 1/2 full with large splits and again leave the bypass open and the draft wide open until the new splits are well- engaged and burning brightly. Then close the draft a little at a time and leave the bypass open- first to 3/4 open, then 1/2 open. Even fairly wet wood should burn if the stove is used that way- plenty of air and plenty of fuel to drive the water in the wood off. Once the bottom of the new charge of wood is starting to coal, you can close the bypass buy open the draft to at least 3/4 and the cat. should light and the stove will start to produce a good amount of heat.

By the way, the stove is going to give off a fair amount of fumes from the paint curing so opening a door is not the worst idea in the world either.

It is a lot easier to deal with dry firewood but of course we do not always have that choice, especially when starting off using a wood stove, so you have to make do with the firewood you have of course.

Brian

 

Thanks for the info!!! Yea I've only made small fires since I'm breaking it in still. The wood was left there by the previous owner of the house and it's crap store bought wood inside a shrink rapped bundle so it's actually holding moisture in it until it's been opened.

I have two cords of split and seasoned elm and cottonwood at my folks that I stored there when we moved, I just haven't had time to move it over yet. I'll grab some today and see how it goes.

Since I've had two "seasoning" fires I think I'll bump it up a little more tonight and see how she goes.

Thanks Brian,

Mike

 

Glad to help if I can.

I would not be too concerned about 'breaking it in' as it is a steel stove and actually very robust. Not to say that one should light a box full of balsa with a flame thrower but there is no real need to be overly concerned with building a nice, healthy, full fire in the stove IMO. As I said, the biggest problem is going to be the fumes, which according to posts on this forum and having my own Ideal Steel, are going to be pretty substantial but not a cause for concern. And it does not seem that 10 small fires do as much to cure the paint as one larger fire; if you keep building larger, hotter fires, the paint seems to cure to that new temperature and give off a fair amount of fumes each time.

Best of luck with the new stove and enjoy it- it is a nice stove (as most modern stoves are I think) and is actually pretty pleasant to use I think.

Brian

 

Thanks. No sunburn with the side loader, but 5 minutes on half air results in a pretty intense burn in my Fireview; I never use full air except for coal burn down at the very end of a burn.

 

The range on my Englander 13NC is 500-700*. Depends on how much wood I cram into her. Normally that's about 4 medium sized splits, as the firebox is only about 9-10" deep. After coaling, she'll settle in 400-500 for a while before she starts dropping.

 

Nice set up. If and when I move, I'm considering the IS..........................but the door is on backwards. I'll have to re-learn everything!!!!!

 

Do not let my wife see that clean hearth. Good gracious...

 

Here is a picture of the stove. You'll notice I place the temperature gauge above the door on the right side.

 

Any reason why you put it there? I think most would put it right where that pot is.

 

I didn't think you could put it on the surface where the pot is.

 

It's a surface temp gage right?...not a probe?

 

Yes surface temp gauge.