# stove thermostat on old stove



## dulcierae (Feb 25, 2011)

My husband and I have an older wood stove.  it doesn't have a damper, it has a thermostat on the door.  We've been having troubles controlling the stove.  you would think that if you leave the thermostat on high until the fire gets going then knock it down to about half way (which says 300*) it would stay somewhere around that area.  in fact, some days it takes right off and the temp keeps rising. we closed it down to medium this evening and then watched the thermometer climb to about 650* and would have kept going if we hadn't shut it almost all the way down.  
     And also I know I've asked this before but when it starts to hit the higher temps, the stove pipe crackles like rice krispies.  It's been doing it for a long time lately (10-20 min). we cleaned the chimney and pipe a week ago today but it still does it. even the day right after. nobody else has this happen to them? It makes me really nervous but I continue to look outside to make sure I have no roman candles on my roof and nothing yet, despite the MANY times that it has crackled at me.  It doesn't make much sense......

advice, please,
thanks a ton!


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## Jimbob (Feb 25, 2011)

I get the crackling once in a while, too. I think it's very small bits of soot and creosote flaking off the inside of the chimney.
What is the brand/model of your stove?


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## Cueman (Feb 25, 2011)

I've had the crackle noise as well, when my stove got to the hot side of the range about 700.  AND my equipment is only a week old. So I wouldn't worry too much about crackle, its not necessarily a chimney fire in the making, but just your pipes telling you to back the stove down a bit! 

(there is probably some scientific explanation for the crackle, wait a while and it will come forth here....!)


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## soupy1957 (Feb 25, 2011)

I'll address the temps.........since the Snap "Crackle" and Pop stuff has been spoken to...........

"Typically" our stove gets up to 650ÂºF and higher on the stove, and hovers there.........that particular temp Â± 50ÂºF doesn't scare me or worry me in the slightest.

The Chimney gets close to the 900ÂºF mark when I get a well-established fire going, and pulling the damper out, to keep it running below that max temp for Class A pipe rating is my objective.

If the temps in my stove and pipe were running at around 300ÂºF,............I'd be adding more wood!

-Soupy1957


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## dulcierae (Feb 26, 2011)

For the first fire of the day to get everything warmed up we usually take the Temps on up to around 650-700 and then let it drop a little once the house is warmed up.  We were just kind of testing out the thermostat.  we would like to know that if we were to leave and turn the thermostat down and be confident that the temps won't take off without our knowing it. We have a stove in the garage and once you set the air on it it stays burning consistently.  we just can't figure out what's wrong with the thermostat or if we should get some other type of control.


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## remkel (Feb 26, 2011)

You mention you have an older stove (what model is still a mystery to us). I would be looking at a couple of things:

1- Is it possible the thermostat has failed and thus not regulating the way it should be
2- There may possibly be air getting in to the stove through worn gaskets.

Those are just two things going through my head looking at this theoretical stove....


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## begreen (Feb 26, 2011)

Hon, it's hard to recommend how to run the stove because of its age and unknown design. We don't know how well the stove functioned when new with the thermostat on the door, never mind now. But I would hazard a guess that the bimetal coil in the thermostat by now is fatigued and not working that well. You folks are doing your best, but it is hard to say how this stove is going to behave. We just don't have the collective experience with it. My advice is to not trust it and run the stove like it is a manual air control unless you are certain it is working well. 

Link to stove picture: https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/65482/#747806


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## soupy1957 (Feb 26, 2011)

Buy an inline damper for your flue pipe for more control over your temps and flow.

(by the way: to make the "degree" sign, in your posts, use "ALT+0186" on your keyboard = Âº)

-Soupy1957


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## Kenster (Feb 26, 2011)

That crinkly sound in the pipe is the sound of the stove making heat.  Enjoy it.  Part of the ambiance.


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## dulcierae (Feb 28, 2011)

ok guys I know it's a little late... but here is a picture of my stove. Not really anything written on it anywhere or anything.... I have NO idea!


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## Jimbob (Mar 2, 2011)

This is going to sound odd, but can you take a pic of the inside of the door and post it on here for us to see.
I'm trying to see how that thermostat works.


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## Mt Ski Bum (Mar 2, 2011)

I don't think that the stove pipe making crackling/popping sounds is anything to worry about- especially if you just cleaned your chimney. It's fairly normal for stove pipe to make those sounds, especially as it heats up (i.e. at startup, or after putting a fresh load of wood in). One of our family friends has a Lopi Patriot wood stove, & I notice that popping sound as a normal occurance as the stove pipe heats up. Now, if there were tons of glowing sparks flying out of your chimney, then you might have a problem


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## Jimbob (Mar 5, 2011)

Stove still runnig okay, Nervous?


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## dulcierae (Mar 10, 2011)

Alright guys I have some answers!  I Hired a chimney sweep that was recommended to me to come do a sweep and saftey inspection.  He was awesome.  He said the stove is a "Yellowstone". He thougth the thermostat could be a little hard to control because the cleanout door outside had a pretty good gap for air to get in.  he also said the chimney was nothing he had ever seen before... it tapers down from a 13x13 in. tile liner to about an 8in down closer to the entrance to the house.  We also had the stove thermometer in the wrong spot so we have been burning WAY too cool. which explains the constant crackling (I imagine).  It's a pretty old set-up outside in the chimney and he gave us a pretty good deal on a lining installation so We're thinking about doing that... thanks for all the good comments!


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## begreen (Mar 10, 2011)

Stove name doesn't ring any bells, but it's great that you got that new information. The cleanout door is a classic draft spoiler. Good that he caught that. It's easy to make a gasket for it if you need to. The flue definitely sounds like an odd one. A liner should help settle the stove down.


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