Chimney thermometer-how long do you trust it?

Well I am in my own head and it is none- too- thrilling in here so you are the lucky one.

Yep, forecasts are wrong but my outside thermometer has not tripped me up yet. Once in a while when it is 58F outside and I build a fire to take the chill off, we end up with a door open but that is how it goes with an insulated stove. But other than that, I take pride in not dragging wood into the house and setting it on fire only to chuck the heat overboard. After all, it would be easier to just burn the wood outside if I was going to do that......



Brian

 

I bought one of those Imperial magnetic ones for the top of my stove. It's only off by 175F according to my IR gun when the stove is up to temperature. I've come to realize that I get a better indication of how hot the stove is running by the sound of the pails of water I keep on top of it for humidity that I do from that 2 month old thermometer.

 

Bingo, we have a winner, not sure how people who burn there stoves really low keep from having chimney fires, there are ways to deal with it but I would much rather not have it in the first place as it lets me sleep well at night.

 

I have been working for 30 years on trying to perfect the long, slow, efficient burn. The first way that showed great promise was a gassifier (note my avatar, that is my home- made gassifier) and that worked but had a really nasty side- effect of back- puffing the size of a nuclear event. Not quite 'house broken' so to speak.

A combustor goes a long way to allowing wood stoves to run amazingly slowly too, if they are designed properly. That is the reason I chose the I.S., because the firebox is well insulated and the combustor is directly over the firebox, which is the hottest point anywhere in the firebox. This allows the firebox to run relatively cool and very slowly, often without any flame at all and yet keep the combustor lit and working reliably. So I end up with a combustor around the 1,000F point, consuming all the smoke and yet have a flue gas discharge temp. of under 300F, which I find is outstanding in my experience. An extremely efficient way to burn.

But what I said before is true, kick the stove in the pants a little bit and it does get a lit easier to run and greatly reduces the chances of chucking 1/2 inch of creosote all the way up the chimney. I have seen some people run a non- cat. type stove so slowly, smoldering, that they actually succeed in actually closing off the chimney with a plug of creosote. Would not have believed it if I had not seen it with my own eyes. So there is absolutely something positive to be said for running a stove on the old- skool side and wasting a bit of heat while running clean.

Brian

 

Yes, I do
This is what happened when I forgot to take it out

 

This is why I basically mostly run my stove by the pipe temperature, how long of a burn I get is just what it is

 

Perfect IMHO, I will give up a little heat up the chimney in a trade off for a clean and safe flue.

 

I have been in discussions where people with non cat stoves talk about no flames except for a little blue flame once in a while, I ask what flue temps are they running and they dont know.
I believe that cat stoves have their limits also, Blaze King warns about it on their web site and City Yank mentioned it, I am sure you can run a lower flue temp with a cat stove but there are limits.

 

I'm on a roll now (can't help it), some people are more worried about wasting heat then forming creosote.

 

Forgot the OP's question, I have a Condor (one of the best) that is a little over 35 years old and works fine, I check it with a IR tester and it's with in about 50 degrees most of the time.

 

Ok I love the t shirt in your avatar...Where tf do I get it?

 

Well some of us do. Its just a pleasure that I can quickly warm the house all over again. Never mind the supply of wood. A fire that lasted 3-5 hours kept the house warm through the house. But this will likely be more tested in the winter. But sure to pass....

 

No idea.
Just stumbled across it on my way to the end of the internet.

 

How far above the stove did you install the thermocouple?

 

Not sure who you are asking but mine is about 30" above the stove, in the vertical part of the stovepipe (after the 90 degree elbow), just before the black smoke pipe enters the chimney thimble. I am measuring the discharge temperature of the flue gasses and I want that measurement from the last point that is radiating any heat into the room with the stove.

Brian

 

Just asking. I have an insert installed in old Heatalator steel fireplace box.
Using 6" insulated liner. The only access I have is just above the stove and just below
where the fire place damper was cut out for the liner to come through. I don't want to
run the wires for the thermocouple out the front. The only other access
is through the heat vents on the side, in the brick. I will have to pull the stove trim
off the front everytime I sweep to pull the coupler. Not sure it's worth all that.

 

General rule is 18" above your stove , mine is 16" because of pipe joint

 

I hear you on the thermocouple wires on the front, not really desirable. Then again, if you get the fiberglass coated thermocouple wires, they are extremely thin and dark brown adn really do just about disapear next to something like black smoke pipe. You can also spray paint them black, and that helps even more to mask them.

Unfortunately I am using a S.S. sheathed thermocouple with a S.S. braided wire jacket which while still thin, is a lot thicker than the fiberglass jackets. Still, painted black and ran down the pipe even a little bit neatly and it is not an eye- sore IMO.

My thermocouple is attached to the bottom of the smoke pipe and just dangles down to the floor behind the smoke pipe; it can be seen from either side but so can the 110 Volt A/C power cord for the draft inducer and that cord is a LOT bigger in diameter. Again, not an eye- sore IMO but it can all be seen. We have to make choices and those two are ones that I made to give up a little aesthetics to have both the thermal data as well as the draft inducer. Less pretty, more functional but each of us has to measure these things for our own selves and what is important to one person may not be so to the next.

Brian

 

Copy that.
I may install it and see how it goes w/the trim.

When I got my Lopi free standing stove, the first time I pulled the pipes and
upper bricks, it took about 3hrs to get apart and put back together.
I can strip/clean/reassemble my Lopi insert in about 20min.
.....all by feel.