# Is staying in the "burn zone" necessary?



## Punkydoodle (Jan 18, 2016)

Hello.  I am new to this forum (and new to using wood stoves).  Last spring we changed out an old propane gas insert to a new Napoleon 1402 wood stove insert as it was incredibly expensive to run the gas stove and we live in the woods with an abundance of wood.  So far I am loving it but I do have a question.  We have a Rutland thermometer that is placed on top of the stove surface.  When I get my fire going in the mornings and evenings after work, I load the box fairly full to get a hot fire going.  I leave the door cracked and the air open fully until it is roaring and the thermometer shows I'm about center in the "burn zone" (400*).  This typically takes about a half an hour.  Once it hits 400 degrees (or near there), I close the door and close off the air nearly completely to get a slow lazy burn.  Throughout the day when I'm home I add 1 or 2 logs at a time to keep the fire going but what I run into is it seems difficult to maintain the thermometer in the burn zone all day long and it often falls into the "creosote zone".  I could add more wood to bring the temp back up but I think it would make the house too hot (and go through too much wood).  My question is: is it okay to let the thermometer fall into the creosote zone after a hot burn?  Is it necessary to stay in the burn zone once the fire has been established?


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## Huntindog1 (Jan 18, 2016)

Yes its ok as once the firewood gets to be more like coals it has exhausted alot of  its creosote forming gas and is less of an issue later in the burn
cycle. The secondary air is still coming in and as long as the wood had gases to offgas it would have burnt them for you. Sounds fromm your desription your right on with what your doing. Just make sure you dont kill all your flames in the startup when you lower the input air. As in lowering it too much and your flames go out on you. That will usually fog up your glass. But poorly season wood will also fog up your glass. You will get the feel of it but you already sound like your doing pretty good anyways.


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## mellow (Jan 18, 2016)

The way you are burning is like we did in the old pre-epa stoves, throw in a log every once in awhile.  With these newer stoves you want to burn in a cycle.

Load it up
Get the fire up to temp and slowly decrease the primary air
Let it burn through the entire cycle to coals
Reload on hot coals
Wait for fire get to up to temp and slowly decrease primary air
Repeat


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## Punkydoodle (Jan 18, 2016)

Thanks for your replies.  It makes me feel better knowing it's okay to fall into the creosote zone after an established fire.  I didn't know that about the foggy glass so I will definitely watch for that.  My wood is pretty well seasoned so I will assume I'm closing off the air too quickly if my glass starts to fog up.  Mellow, I will try your method and see how it goes.  I'm assuming the fire will last longer between loads when the box is full (hopefully)?  As it is, I'm reloading every 1-2 hours with 1-2 pieces of wood.  Just curious, but what would you say is the average amount of time between using full loads vs one or two logs at a time?  I would love to go at least 3-4 hours between loads but that might be unreasonable.


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## tcassavaugh (Jan 18, 2016)

there is a difference in the "foggy" if its grey and you can see through it, its probably just ash and a residual of good burning practice. if its black and you can't see through it, its probably a result of burning too low or not hot enough or your wood is not seasoned enough. just something to keep watch of.


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## mellow (Jan 18, 2016)

The 1402 has a decent sized firebox, if you fill it up and burn it low with good seasoned hardwood you should be able to get 4-6 hours of good heat from it.


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## Punkydoodle (Jan 18, 2016)

That would be wonderful.  Thanks for the tip...I'm going to test it out today since I'm home.


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## jscs.moore (Jan 18, 2016)

mellow said:


> The way you are burning is like we did in the old pre-epa stoves, throw in a log every once in awhile.  With these newer stoves you want to burn in a cycle.
> 
> Load it up
> Get the fire up to temp and slowly decrease the primary air
> ...


Hey Mellow...so now that I'm into my first season of burning my insert (Hampton HI300) I do wonder about the 5/6 hour burn cycles. First I'll concede I am definitely still learning my insert and as you know need to get a block off plate and insulation. However, is it really possible to heat an entire house efficiently with a 5/6 hour burn cycle that you detail above? For instance, if the MOST heat that is kicking out of the insert is when you are at cruising temps (400 to 600) and it critical to keep the insert at those temps for effective heating...how can you really do that by letting the fire go down to the coaling phase before loading up again? I am trying full burn cycles now but it's a challenge since the firebox temps will fall off fairly quickly when I start to get to coaling phase of the burn. Fortunately, I don't have to rely on 24/7 wood heating and allow the heat pump to kick in when the inside temp of the house drops to 66 or 67? But my question is...does your whole house stay toasty warm during most of the 5/6 hour burn cycle so your not constantly fighting to get the entire house back up to temp once your at the end of the burn cycle?? It is very frigid where I am right now (low 20's) and it would be in big trouble right now if I was relying solely on wood heat and allowing the insert to go thru a bull burn cycle before reloading and getting back up to cruising temps?? Like I said...I am a newbie to wood burning and I still need to get a block off /plate and insulation, but right now I wondering how people can effectively heat their whole house 24/7 on wood heat alone using full burn cycles?


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## bholler (Jan 18, 2016)

jscs.moore said:


> However, is it really possible to heat an entire house efficiently with a 5/6 hour burn cycle that you detail above?


That depends on the stove and the house.  If they are matched right the answer is yes medium sized stoves can go 5/6 hours.  And most larger units can easily go 8 hours between loads.  that is how i use mine.  But if the stove is to small for the house yes the temperature in you house will begin to drop to low when the heat out put of the stove drops.


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## baysideburner (Jan 18, 2016)

jscsrunning oore said:


> Hey Mellow...so now that I'm into my first season of burning my insert (Hampton HI300) I do wonder about the 5/6 hour burn cycles. First I'll concede I am definitely still learning my insert and as you know need to get a block off plate and insulation. However, is it really possible to heat an entire house efficiently with a 5/6 hour burn cycle that you detail above? For instance, if the MOST heat that is kicking out of the insert is when you are at cruising temps (400 to 600) and it critical to keep the insert at those temps for effective heating...how can you really do that by letting the fire go down to the coaling phase before loading up again? I am trying full burn cycles now but it's a challenge since the firebox temps will fall off fairly quickly when I start to get to coaling phase of the burn. Fortunately, I don't have to rely on 24/7 wood heating and allow the heat pump to kick in when the inside temp of the house drops to 66 or 67? But my question is...does your whole house stay toasty warm during most of the 5/6 hour burn cycle so your not constantly fighting to get the entire house back up to temp once your at the end of the burn cycle?? It is very frigid where I am right now (low 20's) and it would be in big trouble right now if I was relying solely on wood heat and allowing the insert to go thru a bull burn cycle before reloading and getting back up to cruising temps?? Like I said...I am a newbie to wood burning and I still need to get a block off /plate and insulation, but right now I wondering how people can effectively heat their whole house 24/7 on wood heat alone using full burn cycles?


I have been running my Hampton for three years and each year I get more heat out of it with better wood and better burning techniques. I have a cape and its usually upper seventies on main floor and mid sixties up stairs in the bedrooms. It is actually perfect temps for sleeping. Try not to have too many coals and or wood in it at 5pm. This will give u one decent load until 10pm then cram it and go to sleep whrn its rolling .yes temps will fall overnight but in morning start with nice load and repeat all day like that. They key is to not load it too much during day so u have a big build-up of coals. Anyway if the house is getting too colddduring coaling stage your stove is too small or house is too drafty


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## Punkydoodle (Jan 18, 2016)

Okay...its been one hour since I loaded my insert full of splits on top of hot coals.  I slowly turned the air down and had it completely closed off in about 15 minutes as the temp was approaching 500 plus degrees.  Had a good lazy burn going but now it's just red hot coals with little flame.  Temp has remained at 500 degrees so I see no need to add more wood.  Checked the smoke outside and there is very little if any.  Will continue with an update in a few hours...


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## baysideburner (Jan 18, 2016)

I will almost never turn my air down all the way..what I find happens is temps get hot but with just alittle more air not only will they get alittle hotter but at the end of thr burn you get more complete combustion and fewer coals because the temps were higher. But do what u like lol


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## bholler (Jan 18, 2016)

baysideburner said:


> I will almost never turn my air down all the way..what I find happens is temps get hot but with just alittle more air not only will they get alittle hotter but at the end of thr burn you get more complete combustion and fewer coals because the temps were higher. But do what u like lol


Each setup will be different some people will shut it all the way others will not and some even when they shut it all the way will still have to much draft.  Every chimney and house is different so no one will run their stove exactly the same.


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## jscs.moore (Jan 18, 2016)

baysideburner said:


> I have been running my Hampton for three years and each year I get more heat out of it with better wood and better burning techniques. I have a cape and its usually upper seventies on main floor and mid sixties up stairs in the bedrooms. It is actually perfect temps for sleeping. Try not to have too many coals and or wood in it at 5pm. This will give u one decent load until 10pm then cram it and go to sleep whrn its rolling .yes temps will fall overnight but in morning start with nice load and repeat all day like that. They key is to not load it too much during day so u have a big build-up of coals. Anyway if the house is getting too colddduring coaling stage your stove is too small or house is too drafty


Yeah...everyone on this site who owns the HI300 says it kicks out some serious heat and I have noticed that as well! When I get it up to 500 degrees the whole downstairs will stay around 74 and the upstairs around 70. Problem is I can't seem to keep it in the optimum burn zone of 450 to 500 for more than about 60 to 90 minutes before the firebox temps start falling off. I know some of this is my poor burning technique because I struggle with too many coals after a few burns and not being able to fill the fire box full on reloads because of that? I'm a frustrated first year burner I guess But like I said, it's a good thing I don't have to rely on wood burning alone right now or I'd be in trouble


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## mellow (Jan 18, 2016)

Coaling issue can be from wood that is not seasoned enough to burn down to ash.


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## baysideburner (Jan 18, 2016)

bholler said:


> Each setup will be different some people will shut it all the way others will not and some even when they shut it all the way will still have to much draft.  Every chimney and house is different so no one will run their stove exactly the same.


True but he said when he shut It all the way flames were snuffed and only red coals


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## mellow (Jan 18, 2016)

Depending on the stove even with the primary air "closed" it will still let air in, also have air coming in via the secondary air tubes.


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## bholler (Jan 18, 2016)

baysideburner said:


> True but he said when he shut It all the way flames were snuffed and only red coals


As long as the temperature is still good and there is no smoke that is just fine


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## baysideburner (Jan 18, 2016)

[Qupset that "bholler, post: 2042488, member: 32126"]As long as the temperature is still good and there is no smoke that is just fine[/QUOTE]
Wouldnt that be true for a cat stove not necessarily for a regular stove. If its early in the burn you either have secondarily or u have smoke almost no way around it


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## baysideburner (Jan 18, 2016)

Secondaries


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## bholler (Jan 18, 2016)

baysideburner said:


> Wouldnt that be true for a cat stove not necessarily for a regular stove. If its early in the burn you either have secondarily or u have smoke almost no way around it


Yes but they said they had little to no smoke.  If that is true and the temp is up where it should be there is no problem.  I have a regency and there are times mine goes to coals pretty early but the stove top and stack temps are fine and there is no smoke.  But i do agree generally going to coals with no secondarys in the first hour or so is not good for a non cat.


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## Nick Mystic (Jan 18, 2016)

Punkydoodle,
You shouldn't need to keep your stove door open for 30 minutes during your start up process and letting the stove reach 400F.  That's a bad habit to get into because bad things can happen when a stove's door is left open and you get distracted and forget about it being open. Once you have active flames in the firebox most stoves will continue burning with the door shut and the primary air left wide open. Have you tried closing the door sooner?  On both of my stoves I can shut the door before I am even reading a temperature on my thermometer and the fire will continue to thrive. If I close the door too soon and the fire dies out I just crack it again for another few minutes and then try closing the door again. Your flames will almost always die back when you shut the door, but then they should slowly start to recover as the fire adjusts to the diminished amount of air.


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## Punkydoodle (Jan 18, 2016)

After 2 1/2 hours I'm down to just red hot coals...no flame at all.  Temp has dropped to 400* on top surface thermometer but indoor temp is hovering at 74* so still very toasty.  It's about 45 degrees outside.  I did open the air just a smidge to try and keep the coals hot and maybe induce a little flame to come back but I think it's too late for that.  Is it okay to leave it in this red coal stage a couple more hours as long as I'm happy with the room temperature?  For some reason I have it embedded in my brain that a flame should always be present but I'm not sure where I picked that up.


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## Punkydoodle (Jan 18, 2016)

Nick Mystic,
Yeah...I think I could shut the door earlier than I do and get the same results as long as the air is fully open.  I usually only leave the door slightly open when starting from a cold (or nearly cold) box and I sit beside it during the whole time it heats up.  I agree it would be a better option and I will give it a try and see how it goes.


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## Squisher (Jan 18, 2016)

You can leave it as long as you want. Ideally if I'm around I open the air up more in the later stages of the burn to stoke the coals. Worse thing that'll happen if you leave it to long is it'll go out.


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## saskwoodburner (Jan 18, 2016)

Nick Mystic said:


> Punkydoodle,
> You shouldn't need to keep your stove door open for 30 minutes during your start up process and letting the stove reach 400F.  That's a bad habit to get into because bad things can happen when a stove's door is left open and you get distracted and forget about it being open. Once you have active flames in the firebox most stoves will continue burning with the door shut and the primary air left wide open. Have you tried closing the door sooner?  On both of my stoves I can shut the door before I am even reading a temperature on my thermometer and the fire will continue to thrive. If I close the door too soon and the fire dies out I just crack it again for another few minutes and then try closing the door again. Your flames will almost always die back when you shut the door, but then they should slowly start to recover as the fire adjusts to the diminished amount of air.



Totally agree with what Nick is saying. One point I would like to add, is that with your door open that long, it gasses your wood a lot harder, lessening it's potential left over energy.

 I close my door as soon as the fire can sustain itself, and get on the air quick. I read the fire and the flue temp. Sure it takes longer to hit the high temps, but I don't need to see 500 F after 2 sips of coffee.

And as bholler mentions, every stove/chimney combo is different depending on the home.

Try experimenting, what do you have to lose? The only thing that happens if you shut down the air too quick, is the stove stalls/fire dies. This can be exciting sometimes.


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## Punkydoodle (Jan 18, 2016)

Alright it has been 5 hours now since I filled the fire box full of split wood.  The fire is mostly out and only a few hot coals remain.  The temp is still hovering at 74 degrees in the house but the surface thermometer on the stove registers around 200 degrees.  I stirred up the remaining coals to get them glowing and hot and reloaded the fire box full again.  It took about 20 minutes for flames to appear and it smoked quite a bit all that time.  Perhaps I should have used some newspaper to help it.  I have to say it is nice to not have to fill it as often.

Does anyone know why the newer stoves should be burned in this manner vs 1 or 2 logs at a time?  Just curious.


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## Nick Mystic (Jan 18, 2016)

200F is on the low side for a reload of full size splits if you are shooting for a quick start up without kindling. You don't want to have 20 minutes of smoke after a reload. What I do on a similar reload is I try to load the stove in a manner where I stack my splits in the back and front of the stove, leaving a small gap between them in the middle. Then I throw in some kindling and a strip of waxed cardboard that I use as a fire starter in that gap. I also make sure before reloading that I clear away the ash and coals in front of my doghouse and make a channel straight back through the middle of the stove to allow air to flow under the logs. This allows air to feed the kindling in between those splits and establish a quick flame to burn off any smoke generated by the splits sitting on the hot coals before they catch.


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## saskwoodburner (Jan 18, 2016)

Punkydoodle said:


> Does anyone know why the newer stoves should be burned in this manner vs 1 or 2 logs at a time?  Just curious.



I think these stoves run better when you add at least 2 pieces at a time but preferably 3 pieces if you're looking for a shorter burn cycle rather than a full firebox. There's some kind of synergy that takes place with at least 2-3 pieces. 

I sometimes just throw a few pieces on, get the stove hot, and then turn down the air. I just think of it as a short burning cycle. I don't keep adding every time the flame stops or it would fill with coals eventually.

There's more than one way to run a stove.


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## Punkydoodle (Jan 18, 2016)

Nick Mystic said:


> 200F is on the low side for a reload of full size splits if you are shooting for a quick start up without kindling. You don't want to have 20 minutes of smoke after a reload. What I do on a similar reload is I try to load the stove in a manner where I stack my splits in the back and front of the stove, leaving a small gap between them in the middle. Then I throw in some kindling and a strip of waxed cardboard that I use as a fire starter in that gap. I also make sure before reloading that I clear away the ash and coals in front of my doghouse and make a channel straight back through the middle of the stove to allow air to flow under the logs. This allows air to feed the kindling in between those splits and establish a quick flame to burn off any smoke generated by the splits sitting on the hot coals before they catch.



Yeah in hind sight that was a bad decision on my part...I should have helped it more with smaller kindling.  I've been running this stove for a couple of months now as our primary heat source and I'm amazed at all there is to learn about starting and maintaining a fire.


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## Punkydoodle (Jan 18, 2016)

saskwoodburner said:


> I think these stoves run better when you add at least 2 pieces at a time but preferably 3 pieces if you're looking for a shorter burn cycle rather than a full firebox. There's some kind of synergy that takes place with at least 2-3 pieces.
> 
> I sometimes just throw a few pieces on, get the stove hot, and then turn down the air. I just think of it as a short burning cycle. I don't keep adding every time the flame stops or it would fill with coals eventually.
> 
> There's more than one way to run a stove.



I suppose so.  We use this stove as our primary heat source and I imagine I will be using a mix of long and short burns.  It would be convenient to only load the stove a few times a day vs every 1-2 hours, but loading it full makes our living room feel like a sauna for several hours.  It would probably be nice on really cold days but not so much on warmer days.


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## Wood Duck (Jan 18, 2016)

Don't put too much stock in the zones on your cheapo thermometer. The thermometer only reads the temperature of the top of the stove, and that isn't a perfect way to gauge the temperature inside the stove. Plus, thermometers like yours aren't very accurate.

When you start a stove there is a lag between stove top temperature and temperature inside the firebox. I think you can close the door much sooner than half an hour after startup and still get a clean start. I'd try to keep secondary flames burning in the stove throughout the portion of the burn when there is yellow fire coming from the wood. This stage of the burn coincides with the release of volatile gases and smoke that can cause creosote in the chimney and could be burned in secondaries. Later, the wood all burns to coals and you usually can't get secondaries, but also wont get creosote.


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## jscs.moore (Jan 19, 2016)

Nick Mystic said:


> 200F is on the low side for a reload of full size splits if you are shooting for a quick start up without kindling. You don't want to have 20 minutes of smoke after a reload. What I do on a similar reload is I try to load the stove in a manner where I stack my splits in the back and front of the stove, leaving a small gap between them in the middle. Then I throw in some kindling and a strip of waxed cardboard that I use as a fire starter in that gap. I also make sure before reloading that I clear away the ash and coals in front of my doghouse and make a channel straight back through the middle of the stove to allow air to flow under the logs. This allows air to feed the kindling in between those splits and establish a quick flame to burn off any smoke generated by the splits sitting on the hot coals before they catch.


I agree that 200 is on the low side for a reload following a burn cycle. But can you really adhere to a full 5/6 hour burn cycle when you are dealing with bitter cold outside temps (teens/single digits)? I am a newbie and have had no problems letting my insert go thru a 5 hour burn cycle with moderate outside temps...matter of fact the first few months following my install in September were so moderate all I had to do was load once and the house would stay toasty warm without trying More recently with outside temps getting down to the low 20s & teens it seems to be a whole other ball game? If I let the insert go thru a full 5 hour burn cycle my firebox temps will fall off too quickly and the house temps will start to drop...then I'm left fighting to get back up to cruising temp and get the house back up to 70?? Disclosure...I don't have  a block off plate or roxul insulation which I plan to have done soon. But everything has changed with bitter outside temps. I will also concede that I'm still very much learning about burning techniques and how to get the most efficient use heat out of my insert? But like I said in my earlier post...if I had to rely on only wood heart in these bitter temps I would be in trouble right now!


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## venator260 (Jan 19, 2016)

This thread is interesting. I figured that you guys with more modern stoves would be feeding it less than you are. Makes me feel a little better about what I can get from my old smoke dragon that's a wood/coal combo unit. Last night I got about 4 hours or so of 650-700 (occasionally into the 750's) degree stovetop temps. I may have a larger firebox than most of you; over on the coal forums I heard a guy praise the amount of coal he could stuff into the stove I have.


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## Nick Mystic (Jan 19, 2016)

I agree that it seems to make a big difference when I am trying to heat the house with lows in the 30s and when we hit an arctic snap and it drops down into the teens or even single digits. Our log home is around 2600 sq. ft. and it's not really well insulated since our climate is usually rather moderate in the winter. I think it makes a big difference where you live as to how well insulated and tight your home will be. Yes, I could beef up my insulation, but it doesn't seem to be worth the cost and effort when we might only have a half dozen or so really cold days each winter.  When it gets as cold as it is today, 10F, I shorten up my burn cycles and do hot reloads when the stove drops to around 300F, which might take 4 hours. I can also fire off the Woodstock Classic located on our lower level for about a five degree temperature boost upstairs where the Jotul F600 is located in the living room.


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## mellow (Jan 19, 2016)

Punkydoodle said:


> It took about 20 minutes for flames to appear and it smoked quite a bit all that time.



Large wet splits will cause this.  Try this, open up your air before reload so the remaining coals are bright hot, if reloading at this stage you might need to crack the door a bit to get a flame going once you put the pieces of wood in.  See if that helps on reloads.


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## Squisher (Jan 19, 2016)

venator260 said:


> This thread is interesting. I figured that you guys with more modern stoves would be feeding it less than you are. Makes me feel a little better about what I can get from my old smoke dragon that's a wood/coal combo unit. Last night I got about 4 hours or so of 650-700 (occasionally into the 750's) degree stovetop temps. I may have a larger firebox than most of you; over on the coal forums I heard a guy praise the amount of coal he could stuff into the stove I have.



Don't mis-interpret what you're reading here. I just went from a big old smoke dragon to a decent sized epa tube stove and the difference in burn times/efficiency is night and day. Longer burns, less wood, more consistent heat.  However you want to qualify it efficiency numbers don't lie. Less heat/smoke up the chimney equals more heat in your house.


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## mikebinthesky (Jan 19, 2016)

I have the same stove.I close the door on a cold startup shortly after wood is consumed with flames.If you feel the flames have died out too much,open the door back up and let them build back up.Around 400 i start turning the air down in 1/4 increments.When i reach 500/550 i either close air all the way or barely open.At this point i turn on my blower.If the secondaries die down quickly i open up air a little more-they usually increase.
I have found the 1402 is far more efficient if u load it full than if u burn a couple splits at a time.
Ideally i try to get it up to temp and closed air as soon as possible for max burn times and efficiency.
Reload around 300 if possible.I turn of blower,open air all the way.Splits should ignite but sometimes you may need to leave the door open for a minute or toss a stick match in just to initiate flame.
I would never let splits smolder with door open or closed for 20 mins.
With this process i never have blackened  or brown glass,only a white haze from time to time that wipes off with a damp paper towel.
It is my feeling with this particular stove that if i get dirty glass,im doing something wrong.
4 hour burn times are average with my stove.
Anyhow this is how i do it-happy burning!


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## maple1 (Jan 20, 2016)

Wood Duck said:


> Don't put too much stock in the zones on your cheapo thermometer. The thermometer only reads the temperature of the top of the stove, and that isn't a perfect way to gauge the temperature inside the stove. Plus, thermometers like yours aren't very accurate.


 
This, many times over.

Magnetic thermometers, IMO, can be downright dangerous in the wrong circumstances. It is a LOT hotter inside whatever you are measuring than what those things say it is. How much hotter depends on just how inaccurate that particular thermometer is, and also how it is oriented & stuck on the surface of whatever it's stuck to. And the orientation/shape of the surface. There is a slight airspace underneath it, and the temp reading is influenced to some degree by how much air is passing through there.

I have one on my pipe, right beside a very good probe meter. When I'm burning, the magnetic reads 100c less than the probe. Or in other words, when the probe says it's 250c (480f) inside the pipe, the magnetic is saying it's only 150c (300f).


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## maple1 (Jan 20, 2016)

bholler said:


> That depends on the stove and the house.  If they are matched right the answer is yes medium sized stoves can go 5/6 hours.  And most larger units can easily go 8 hours between loads.  that is how i use mine.  But if the stove is to small for the house yes the temperature in you house will begin to drop to low when the heat out put of the stove drops.


 
Not to mention, a stove is a space heater. Some tend to lose sight of that fact when getting into a wood stove.


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## edge-of-the-woods (Jan 20, 2016)

Punkydoodle said:


> Alright it has been 5 hours now since I filled the fire box full of split wood.  The fire is mostly out and only a few hot coals remain.  The temp is still hovering at 74 degrees in the house but the surface thermometer on the stove registers around 200 degrees. * I stirred up the remaining coals to get them glowing and hot and reloaded the fire box full again.  It took about 20 minutes for flames to appear and it smoked quite a bit all that time. * Perhaps I should have used some newspaper to help it.  I have to say it is nice to not have to fill it as often.




When you say you stirred the coals up, do you mean just knocked them all around with something, coals and ash alike, and then load the stove full on that?

Advice on here that has worked for me, is to rake the coals forward to the front of the stove, AND make sure there is a channel down the center of the coalbed, running front to back from the primary air inlet to the back of the stove.  Then load some splits behind the coals.  Those new splits will catch FAST, and when that happens, I finish loading the stove.

Pulling the coals forward makes the incoming air flow over them, get heated up, and then hit the new wood...it makes heat/flame flow from the coals to the new load.
Making sure the air can run front-to-back under the new load does two things that I can see.  One, it lets the coals keep breathing, because they're not smothered flat under the new load.  Two, it allows air to circulate better inside the stove while the new stuff catches.


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## venator260 (Jan 25, 2016)

Squisher said:


> Don't mis-interpret what you're reading here. I just went from a big old smoke dragon to a decent sized epa tube stove and the difference in burn times/efficiency is night and day. Longer burns, less wood, more consistent heat.  However you want to qualify it efficiency numbers don't lie. Less heat/smoke up the chimney equals more heat in your house.



I'm not. I still want a new stove. As I said, the answer could be firebox size. I haven't measured mine, nor have I been able to since I decided I wanted to on account of it's been burning the whole time. The burn times and wood consumption of the newer units impress me. Makes me think that I could come home to something other than ashes and a chilly house if I get held up at work for more than about 45 minutes.


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## mass_burner (Jan 25, 2016)

OP, I didn't see the size of the space you're heating. Also, insulation level.


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