Absolute Steel Owners, Please Help Me Learn How To Run This damm Thing!

Troutbum I was on the Woodstock site this morning, and was doing a bit of reading as I was ordering a small part for my Fv, and as I was waiting on the phone I happen to read this sentence about the Absolute Steel.

"New on this model are two small automatic dampers that increase the air supply and mixing upstream of the catalyst at very high burns and/or high temperatures, insuring complete combustion across all burn rates. Lowering emissions is an environmental imperative to which we are committed."

It just makes me wonder if these automatic damper devices are in some way working against the damper, making it even more confusing as they may be working at odds with each other. Maybe I'm totally off the mark with this, but it does make me wonder.

 

Also, let us know how you're doing, I think you were making some good progress?

 

Good find Oldhippie, I knew I had read of some manufacturers using these and I was just telling another friend about them, but couldn’t remember the manufacturer. Actually, I’m pretty sure there are a couple manufacturers using these. Oh...wait...Vermont Castings new Aspen model uses these as well. Pretty sure in the Aspen it controls both primary air and the rate of secondary air...(edit)...because the new Aspen has no manual air controls. It controls itself, from what I have read.

Another reason why I’ve said in this thread numerous times...leave the pipe damper alone...and open...as if it’s not there. Learn the stove.

 

That would be like me buying an automatic Goldwing. Ain't gonna happen!

 

I’m right there with you.

 

There are 2 bimetallic vents .. about 1”square each that open when hot . They feed air to the front row of holes in the upper burn plate.

 

Great info!

 

So lately I’ve been doing fine with controlling the stove, I think. The catalytic probe thermometer has been helping me greatly. It has helped me figure out at what temp on the probe I can engage the cat, which is around 700. Usually at this temp on the probe, the pipe temp is Between 200-250 and the STT is around 300. So I’ve been able to engage the cat earlier than I did in the past. Also, I know if I ignited the cat based on if I got a catalytic reaction (the temp on the probe gradually rises within a few minutes). Then I can start closing the air.
I have been using some full or close to full loads and have been fine. I talked to someone at Woodstock and she said as long as I am in the range of 250-350 on the pipe, STT of 500-550, and in the burn range of the cat probe, that I’m fine, and she said that strong rolling secondaries in the front of the firebox at the top

 

….. sometimes are expected and normal.

Lately I have been loading in the morning (a relatively small load) and in the evening. It has not been too cold. In the past, and I wonder if this is where I get into trouble, when it’s colder, when I get home from work, I would put 3 small splits in and maybe 2 medium pieces to restart and hold me over until later (4:30-5:00) and then at about 8:00 will load the stove. This is when it seems to burn hotter. Maybe I can’t/shouldn’t do this/reload the stove so soon. Maybe when I do this I should be able to engage the cat right away or close to it when I do this, but it does seem to stall in this situation unless I let the probe temp get back up to 650-700. I don’t know.

 

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all you Firewood Hoarders out there!
Thought I’d update you on my progress. I’m finding that I need to change my past practice. My past practice and timing of when I put new loads in the stove. I used to put a little bit of wood in to “hold me over” at about 5pm, then reload full at about 8:00 for the night. When I do that, I tend to get really strong rolling secondaries at the top front of the firebox. Even though the temps are in the “acceptable” ranges (350 pipe, 550 STT, right to the upper limits of the cat probe), I’m not comfortable with that and it’ll probably result in a damaged stove again.
So, I load the stove 12 hours apart, twice per day. And I get maybe 300 pipe, 500 STT, and maybe 1200-1300 cat probe, with rolling secondaries at the peak, but not so strong to worry me about it.
I can heat the house entirely this way when the outside temps are in the 30’s during the day and 20’s at night (maybe low 20’s I would struggle to keep up?). It’s 3200 square feet so I can’t complain. When it gets colder, I just have to succumb to turning on the heat a little bit to supplement. I probably should have gone with the IS in hindsight, but I used to have an old Vermont Castings Defiant and it would heat me right out of the house. I was afraid to go too big.
In using the cat probe to learn to run the stove, I’m finding I need to wait to get just above 700 to ignite the cat. Usually there when the pipe is 250 maybe a little lower and the STT is around 300. Then I’m finding I need to give it plenty of air usually a 3 setting for cat probes to rise steady. If I don’t, I find the cat temps will go down and seem to not rise. When the probe gets above 1000 I can usually set the air to a final setting.

 

Anyone have any thoughts, ideas? TY

 

Did you say 3200 sq ft home?
Looks nice.

 

The 2 times a day is a good strategy, as it get's real cold you may find a need for 2 during the day and then a 3rd lower/slower burn overnight. One of the things I learned here is how to let the stove go through it's stages, from a full cold start (or refill), without opening the door and refilling/adjusting constantly. On the far end have some patience and let those coals heat the house and burn down as much as possible. The grated floor and ashpan really help with this in the Absolute Steel.

1: Getting the wood burning and charred
2: Getting to temp and engaging the Cat (You're doing this nicely now with the Condar probe)
3: Getting to steady-state burn and wood gassing off (You've got this working nicely with ~500'STT and ~1K-1.4K on the probe)
4: Slow burn cat burn through the day or through the night.
5: Coaling (let it burn those coals down low.) No need to be refilling a half-burned set of coals. As you get to the last half of the coating stage open the draft more to keep the heat up as much as possible and burn the coals down.

I think you are really almost there and it's just a matter of building a routine and pretty much making minor adjustments for the weather and you'll just get to know the beast and build confidence.

 

Yes. 3200 square feet. With cathedral ceilings both upstairs and downstairs in the living room where the stove is. Open balcony to the upstairs. It’s easiest to heat the upstairs of course. Structural Insulated Panels. Post &Beam.

 

I’m noticing that sometimes, after I’ve ignited the cat and the temps have steadily gone up, even past 1000 on the cat probe, when I shut the air down, the temps sometimes drop back down. It did this tonight. I had the pipe at 300, the STT about 400, maybe a little more, and the cat probe was between 1000 and 1100. Then, after I closed the air down to 0.5 the temps all gradually dropped. I opened the air back up to 1.5. The pipe is now just under 250, the STT 325 and the probe 700. Is the cat still working? Did I stall it out or extinguish it? Or is this just a slow, low burn?

 

What do people think?