Ok guys I'm totally confused at this point. I thought I was moving in the right direction of controlling this stove. Apparently I still have a lot to learn. I loaded up the stove tonight for an overnight burn. STT was about 350* I started cutting the air back pretty quick to try to keep things under control. All was going well. Eventually I got the air closed as far as it would go. STT at this point was pushing 500* and climbing steadily. Secondaries were starting to kick in pretty well. I still had a decent steady flame in the center of the firebox. All of the wood was charred as far as I could tell. At this point i went upstairs to get ready for bed. I came down to check the temp every so often since I'm still learning the stove. STT continued to climb. I thought it would level off around 750*. However it kept going. It finally seemed to stop at what I estimate to be about 850* (not labeled past 700*). At this point I'm sitting here at 1230 watching it. I just pulled a magnet I used to block the secondary air off and STT is back to 650*. Is my draft too strong? I actually thought I might be shutting air down too fast at first. I did not expect it would get that hot. Sorry about the long post. Here's a summary: - new to me stove that I'm learning -full load, shut down air whole way (thought maybe too quick) -STT continued climbing to about 850* -not the first time temps have gotten a bit high -do I need a damper in my stovepipe?
Just wondering if you have an air leak somewhere. I'm still learning my stove I've had for 4 years now. I will say so far with having more seasoned wood this year is a whole different ball game. Thanks to Backwoods Savage 3 year plan. My stove jumps up and down also. My deal is I clean the chimney very often to be safe.To the point my wife thinks I have issues. The pros with reply later today. Sorry I'm not much help Marvin .
What stove do you have? How tall is the flue? Do you have an ashpan? What are you burning for wood? Does the primary air seem to work? I added a flue damper since I was having shorter burn times, and slowing the exhaust definitely keeps more heat in the house and the secondaries run longer. I use it mostly on cold windy days. The good folks here I'm sure will help you get this sorted.
I have an Osburn 2200. It exits from the top, then I have about 5 ft of double wall stovepipe at a 45* angle, about 19 inches through the wall, then out to the chimney which has a new ss liner and is a 16 ft 6 inch run straight up. I have an ash pan but dont have it installed. I was burning cherry but am now burning highly valuable black walnut. Admittedly my wood is a bit marginal this year as far as MC. The primary definitely seems to be working.
Again what stove do you have? I have IS, we just had our first cold snap and I had a similar experience. I have 24’ of Chimney and the wind was 8 mph when it happened to me. I could not shut it down. It took a hour and a half to get stove back to normal temp. I’m ordering damper tomorrow. I don’t think I have a air leak cause of the long burns I get. It’s when the secondary’s kick in I have no control of the air. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I have wondered about this too. There is a spot on the glass gasket I'm suspicious of. I have a new gasket sitting here just haven't gotten to put it in yet.
I suspect an air leak at times but am also getting good burn times (example: loaded last night at 10 pm, it is now 6 am and I have a good coal bed with 300* STT). This is the expected burn times for this stove (Osburn 2200) as far as I know. I would think they would be shorter if I had a leak?
Could be a door gasket leak or glass gasket leak. When the stove is cool, try the dollar bill test all the way around and see if there is movement in the glass as it sets in the door.
I will try this today. I think it is supposed to get up in to the 40s today so maybe can let the fire go out for a bit.
I had a glass gasket leak. The door glass just covered the opening and the glass slid a little out of place letting the gasket sag a little. I replaced the door gasket around the same time. I even replaced the flat glass clip gaskets that were between the glass and clips to hold it in place. Definitely makes a difference running new gaskets. The door had a nice positive seal.
I don’t like not having control of the secondary air inlet. I’ve had no troubles until my secondary’s kick in. Pipe damper will solve that problem Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It could depend on the density of the wood. Coals also hold better overnight in a thicker ash bed, versus a recently cleaned out stove.
I don't see how you can go wrong with a damper. I know stove manufacturers don't recommend it, but I love the control I get from mine. It can compensate for any leaks around the door. Just remember to open the damper when ever you open the door.
I do not know your stove, but on the indoor wood furnaces air leakage around the lower ash pan can raise temps significantly. I am assuming when you say the ash pan isn’t installed, some form of seal or door is in place. Good luck, that is a hot chimney.
For sure you need to check all the gaskets, especially around the ash and firebox doors but any air leak can cause problems. On the other hand, I am not a big fan of pipe dampers but in this case it does sound as if it could very well take care of your problem. Remember, as it gets colder outside, your draft will improve even more! And for sure, dry wood is still #1. The problem with almost dry wood is that you have to compensate for the excess moisture and it becomes difficult to control for the proper draft. At first you need lots of draft but as the wood finally dries out in the firebox, bingo! It takes off and then becomes hard to control.
To get to 850 with the air closed you must have a significant leak. Use a candle, cigarette lighter, incense stick and check all the joints, doors for leaks while it’s running away from you. 16 feet of chimney should be just right, not too much.
Thanks everyone for the input. I have not checked the ash door plug. I may have bumped it when I've been raking coals. I have seen the center of the middle secondary burn tube and the center of the baffle plate flowing. That's what has worried me. I will check the ash pan plug this afternoon and the door gasket. I'm planning to let the fire burn out this afternoon.
