Stove top or stove pipe temps?

I just had a new Timberwolf 2200 wood stove installed. Had a few smaller fires to cure the paint or however you want to word it. In my manual it states place the thermometer 18” up the single wall stove pipe and you should see 350F for efficient burning. Well I never see over 250 and I had my stove top temp at over 600F and felt that was plenty hot. The stove meets the new EPA regulations set out this late spring/early summer up here in Canada. It seems to me that it’s keeping the heat in the firebox (like it should imo) and at 600F+ I would assume complete combustion is achieved. I have shut down the draft for the stove and the secondaries are the only thing firing, so that seems to be doing it’s job.

My question is, if my stove top is at 550-600F should that be fine for efficient burning? My wood is below 8% moisture content

 

Holy moly 8%..... Are you re splitting a few splits that are at at room temp and checking the freshly exposed interior face? If that's the way you are checking moisture content you have officially set a new record low in the battle for dry firewood At least that I have heard of.

If not... Try the method I outlined and let us know your results.

Either way you sure sound like your burning quite nicely in a safe and productive temp zone.

And welcome to FHC.

 

the wood is over 2 years old since cut and split. It’s been in my basement waiting for a new stove as I stopped burning as much wood with my old 1984 wood chief. The way I checked the M.C was stabbing the 2 probes in the sides and ends of my firewood. I see what you’re saying as far as splitting it again and checking the M.C on those freshly exposed surfaces, but I haven’t done that. 3 weeks after I split this years wood I was getting 18-20% M.C but the trees were felled early summer and left on the ground until cooler weather

I discovered this piece in the manual, which is in line with what I’m seeing for temps.

 

250* on the outside of single wall pipe is about double that internally...so 500-ish.

Checking the outside means almost nothing...gotta check a fresh split face...pins parallel with the grain of the wood, and ideally the wood is about room temp.

 

good to know. The pipe average was 200F so I guess that makes sense.

this is the first time I’ve ever used a M.C reader. Always cut wood in spring and split/stacked to dry all summer and fall. Never had any issues, always plenty dry. I’m assuming it’s below the 20% recommended though.

 

Several types oof wood wont get dry in one summer, i have some Pin Oak that was cut split and stacked over a year ago, was reading 30 percent a month ago.

 

200 degrees average on the outside of single wall pipe is a little low IMHO.

 

That puts you in the 350-400* range internal...fine once the stove is "cruising"

 

250 is the figure (outside of single wall) used everywhere that i have checked. Its the temp on the pipe thats important.

 

Welcome to the club, lots of great folks here sharing knowledge and humor

 

250* minimum (internal) is the only temp that really matters...and getting an accurate reading of that from outside, can be a crap shoot...why I switched to probe type flue thermometers long ago.
Anything much below 250*F internal is where creosote can start to form...running hotter than that will help keep things even cleaner, but then the higher you go, the more you start to lose efficiency too.

 

250 is on the outside of single wall, has nothing to do with internal temp, the creosote forms on the inside surface.
I can post a link but will have to get on computer.

 

Again the 250 is not internal

 

It doesn't?! How can it not?

Yes, but if you are running 250 outside, the generally accepted rough calculation for internal (the only number that matters) is double the outside, so 500*ish, too high for great efficiency. Now if that's where you want to run, that's fine, but you could do better (unless its very inefficient stove)

 

I will post a link after my workout, if i ran at the temps you are suggesting i would have a lot of creosote.

 

Those temps u posted would be a smoldering fire that would not heat house.
Dont know if you remember my trouble with a stove, i researched flue temps for over a year, they all say the same about the surface temp plus the surface temps gauges are marked as such.

 

I don’t claim to be an expert, but when my stove is at 580-600F and my pipe is at 220-340 external pipe wall temp I’d say complete combustion happened in the firebox and not much smoke is going up my chimney. It seems to me that these new epa specs these wood stoves have to meet has them keeping more heat in the firebox as opposed to sending it up your chimney.

I now keep my magnetic thermometer on the stove top at 500-600F and I can assure you it heats sufficiently. Wood stoves have come a long way since the days when the flames would shoot 5’+ up your stove pipe with no secondaries or baffle system at all.
Thanks for all the info guys all good things to know and learn.

 

Sugar maple and yellow birch. We only have red oak up here but not much until I head south of my area. A season of drying while cut and split is plenty drying time

 

Exactly correct, 220 to 340 is a good range. That is surface temp.
I run a little warmer then that on the low end but thats just what I do with very little creosote ever.

 

Colestin Rural Fire District - Stoves and Flue Fires
Looking around at several places I found 400 to 450 internal temp to be recommended.