2023/24 VC Temperature discussion thread

[Hoytman]

You got that ash borer beetle out there?

Those damn bugs killed every ash tree on my property..... been dropping 3-4, 70 footers every year.

Most are already gone here. Have been for a few years. Still some standing dead, but the tops are falling out of them.

 

[velvetfoot]

Excuse the thread drop-in, but have you temperature monitors done anything with Zigbee or Z-Wave?
Thanks,
VF

 

[Woodsplitter67]

What is the difference? Which one would you rather run?

The steel cat I had in started to struggle.. so I pulled it out and put in a ceramic that I had already used previously. As soon as I put it back in you could hear the blowtorch sound in the back of the stove and the cat temps are definitely higher.. on a full load the 2Xs if done it the cat got into the 1500s pretty quickly. The one burn ppeaked at 1628. I didn't stay and I did get worried.. it Immediately dropped.. I Rarely see temperatures like this with the steel in it.

I like the steel much better.. it seems to light off quicker then the ceramic.. and when I say this Im talking about getting the cat to light off with lower temperatures and less wood. The settl cats also seem more durable.. get the ceramic into the 1600s a few times and you'll start to see some cells cracking..

 

[arnermd]

Excuse the thread drop-in, but have you temperature monitors done anything with Zigbee or Z-Wave?
Thanks,
VF

nope.... never heard of either.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

Excuse the thread drop-in, but have you temperature monitors done anything with Zigbee or Z-Wave?
Thanks,
VF

I second .. never heard of them.. I've never seen anyone post about them neither

 

[Woodsplitter67]

nope.... never heard of either.

Hows your stove running.. its kinda been warm here in the northeast.. Im dow to like 1 small fire in the morning..

 

[AsylumResident]

Hows your stove running.. its kinda been warm here in the northeast.. Im dow to like 1 small fire in the morning..

We’ve been pretty warm. Not much for ice throughout a good portion of Wisconsin for ice fishing and there isn’t much snow really anywhere. Very rare for Wisconsin, especially northern Wisconsin. Been hitting the winter businesses pretty hard. A lot of Wisconsin businesses rely on snowmobiles and ice fishing to make money in the winter. I think a lot of ski hills are shut down too.

 

[sargeott]

We’ve been pretty warm. Not much for ice throughout a good portion of Wisconsin for ice fishing and there isn’t much snow really anywhere. Very rare for Wisconsin, especially northern Wisconsin. Been hitting the winter businesses pretty hard. A lot of Wisconsin businesses rely on snowmobiles and ice fishing to make money in the winter. I think a lot of ski hills are shut down too.

That's a bummer to hear. This is an el nino year, so lots of rain with warmer than normal temps, at least where I'm at. Usually we see snow in the valley once or twice by this time. Not a single snow flake here. Our local ski resort also has zero snow on it at 5k+ft elevation. This means little to no snow pack for us and will make for a non-existant snow run off this spring. I bet the west coast sees another drought this summer of 2024.....
On the flip side, we are using less wood to keep the cabin warm than normal, so there is that.

 

[Kevin Weis]

The steel cat I had in started to struggle.. so I pulled it out and put in a ceramic that I had already used previously. As soon as I put it back in you could hear the blowtorch sound in the back of the stove and the cat temps are definitely higher.. on a full load the 2Xs if done it the cat got into the 1500s pretty quickly. The one burn ppeaked at 1628. I didn't stay and I did get worried.. it Immediately dropped.. I Rarely see temperatures like this with the steel in it.

I like the steel much better.. it seems to light off quicker then the ceramic.. and when I say this Im talking about getting the cat to light off with lower temperatures and less wood. The settl cats also seem more durable.. get the ceramic into the 1600s a few times and you'll start to see some cells cracking..

Just to say I replaced by 3 year old steel cat with a new ceramic one in my Intrepid. Cat performance is way better with the ceramic. So either the metal one was "burned out" or just not activating somehow. I also think just the flow through may be better with the ceramic may have helped. The ceramic one was over $200 less than the steel as well.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

Just to say I replaced by 3 year old steel cat with a new ceramic one in my Intrepid. Cat performance is way better with the ceramic. So either the metal one was "burned out" or just not activating somehow. I also think just the flow through may be better with the ceramic may have helped. The ceramic one was over $200 less than the steel as well.

The steel cat needs a bath.. im not doing it right now.. and in my stove.. steel rules the kingdom.. more durable.. lighs off easier.. doesn't run up in temperature really fast.. peak temperature on a full load is lower..

 

[JohnDaileyNH]

Hows your stove running.. its kinda been warm here in the northeast.. Im dow to like 1 small fire in the morning..

It's been warm here too. Lots of cold starts which sucks

 

[AsylumResident]

The steel cat needs a bath.. im not doing it right now.. and in my stove.. steel rules the kingdom.. more durable.. lighs off easier.. doesn't run up in temperature really fast.. peak temperature on a full load is lower..

I do have a steel cat so I had a back up. This year I just plan to use the ceramic cat but next year I may experiment with both to see how they work for me.

 

[Eman85]

Weather has been all over the board here, this week a little colder. I've been burning and keeping it low during the day so it has coals for a relight in the evening. 2nd year on the cat and it seems a little more controllable. Also I don't fully load the stove, 3/4 at about 10pm and at 8-9am a couple of small splits and it lights right off. Of course when I turn it down too far or too fast I still get the infamous VC back puff, just happened as I sit here typing this.
I just ordered Auber's meter for my sensor, I wanted one with a plug in mini connector like all of my other meters.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

It's been warm here too. Lots of cold starts which sucks

Totally sucks.. Im not even lightning the stove today because its warm.. Haven't lit the stove in 30 hours

I figured that Ill do my mid-season clean out today.. Im getting on the roof now and running the sooteater down the pipe.. I got my steel cat in a vinegar bath also..

Its almost January.. this is f%cking depressing..

 

[Eman85]

I'd be happier running the AC so I'll never say warmer weather sucks. 38^ here right now and it's gray gloomy and occasional flurries so my stove is running. It was warm for Christmas which was great improvement over the 0* last year here.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

Im going to post my mid season cleaning in the general discussion.. if anyone is interested

 

[Woodsplitter67]

I'd be happier running the AC so I'll never say warmer weather sucks. 38^ here right now and it's gray gloomy and occasional flurries so my stove is running. It was warm for Christmas which was great improvement over the 0* last year here.

I like the cooler weather.. It doesn't bother me.. Id like to have a cold snap just long enough to kill the Mosquitoe population.. as well as other insects..

 

[Eman85]

You sound like some of the old timers wanting the cold to kill the bugs. I've seen mosquitoes that could carry a dog in places like MN. Cool is OK, cold sucks. My hobbies are more geared to warmer weather.

 

[AsylumResident]

You sound like some of the old timers wanting the cold to kill the bugs. I've seen mosquitoes that could carry a dog in places like MN. Cool is OK, cold sucks. My hobbies are more geared to warmer weather.

I complain in summer and never complain (rarely) in the winter. I prefer the colder weather.

 

[Eman85]

I complain in summer and never complain (rarely) in the winter. I prefer the colder weather.

I am just happy to experience weather every day, no complaints.

 

[arnermd]

Happy New Year folks, hope you all have a lovely day....

Here is a process I have been working on the last couple weeks, been hard as it was so warm, but so far it has been working. Not 100% convinced it will work every time but so far I have had good luck. I tried to make it as prescriptive as it needed to be and included other temps and times to gage consistency. As always I welcome any comments or suggestions....

One thing I have been doing differently lately is making sure I have a healthy bed of hot coals to reload onto. If I do not have a good bed I add a few small splits to make one. Before I reload I rake the coals evenly or a bit more towards the front of the stove.

Hot re-loads (decent bed of coals, bypass damper closed)
Initial Conditions: STT = 350-400, Flue = 365, Cat = <600
1) Open air to 100% to heat the cat back up

• wait 10-15 min or peak cat temp

2) Open bypass damper, Air = 100%

• Rake coals evenly (or more towards the front)
• Load wood
• Wait for flue gas temp to reach 650F (10-15 min)

3) Close bypass damper, Air =100%

• Wait for cat temp >= 1000F (~15 min)
• STT=425-450, Flue = 520-550

4) Close air down to 60%

• Wait for Cat = 1200 (~5 min)
• STT=410-425, flue = 550-600

5) Close air down to desired setting, (10-50% air)

Here is a plot from yesterday using the process. I am pretty happy with it.

• It was a full load of ash/oak, med splits.
• After turning the air down to 20% no adjustments were made.
• Late burn cat temps were a bit high but I am happy with short spikes that stay under 1500.
• Burn time was about 14 hours with a decent bed of coals left to easily light the next load.
• Glass was 80% smoked but burned off some of it when I opened the air up for the next load.
• I did notice some wispy smoke from the stack a couple times when cat temps were >1000F but the thermocouple in the exhaust looked pretty clean, dry and slightly brownish (not black), so I think the burn was pretty clean overall.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

Happy New Year folks, hope you all have a lovely day....

Here is a process I have been working on the last couple weeks, been hard as it was so warm, but so far it has been working. Not 100% convinced it will work every time but so far I have had good luck. I tried to make it as prescriptive as it needed to be and included other temps and times to gage consistency. As always I welcome any comments or suggestions....

One thing I have been doing differently lately is making sure I have a healthy bed of hot coals to reload onto. If I do not have a good bed I add a few small splits to make one. Before I reload I rake the coals evenly or a bit more towards the front of the stove.

Hot re-loads (decent bed of coals, bypass damper closed)
Initial Conditions: STT = 350-400, Flue = 365, Cat = <600
1) Open air to 100% to heat the cat back up

• wait 10-15 min or peak cat temp

2) Open bypass damper, Air = 100%

• Rake coals evenly (or more towards the front)
• Load wood
• Wait for flue gas temp to reach 650F (10-15 min)

3) Close bypass damper, Air =100%

• Wait for cat temp >= 1000F (~15 min)
• STT=425-450, Flue = 520-550

4) Close air down to 60%

• Wait for Cat = 1200 (~5 min)
• STT=410-425, flue = 550-600

5) Close air down to desired setting, (10-50% air)

Here is a plot from yesterday using the process. I am pretty happy with it.

• It was a full load of ash/oak, med splits.
• After turning the air down to 20% no adjustments were made.
• Late burn cat temps were a bit high but I am happy with short spikes that stay under 1500.
• Burn time was about 14 hours with a decent bed of coals left to easily light the next load.
• Glass was 80% smoked but burned off some of it when I opened the air up for the next load.
• I did notice some wispy smoke from the stack a couple times when cat temps were >1000F but the thermocouple in the exhaust looked pretty clean, dry and slightly brownish (not black), so I think the burn was pretty clean overall.

View attachment 321828

Seriously.. that looks fabulous.. The only thing that I'm not doing is raking the coal bed.. other then that.. its super similar to what im doing.. decent coal bed.. cut the air back at 1k.. For an overnight burn.. At 1k.. I completely Close the air.. I completely understand if thats not working for you..

To me it seems like the difference between now and then is your actually.. your running the stove cooler then before.. Im I correct in this

 

[arnermd]

Seriously.. that looks fabulous.. The only thing that I'm not doing is raking the coal bed.. other then that.. its super similar to what im doing.. decent coal bed.. cut the air back at 1k.. For an overnight burn.. At 1k.. I completely Close the air.. I completely understand if thats not working for you..

To me it seems like the difference between now and then is your actually.. your running the stove cooler then before.. Im I correct in this

Raking the coal bed: I think that is kind of optional, one thing I discovered not to do was have a small bed of coals right at the secondary inlet. That has consistently resulted in flame channeling right into the secondary passages and cat over fires. What happens is the new wood catches right at the secondary inlet and no where else..... So all the primary combustion happens right there. If I rake coals even or towards the front it evens out the primary combustion (front to back) or burns from the front to the back. No flame channeling....

Closing the air completely: I have not experimented with this too much, the 2 times I did It crashed the primary burn and cat temps dropped to <400 with a lot of charred wood left in the morning. Might work better when we have colder temps and better draft. But 20% air has been working fine, house is 70-72 and bedrooms are 65.

The STT is running cooler for sure because I am able to turn down the air now. I think the key difference is having a good coal bed when I reload and then not letting the whole load go up at the same time. The healthy coal bed helps keep the primary burn going with low air settings and you can get a slower burn. But you know all this.... hahaha

 

[Eman85]

I've never raked the coal bed except for first thing in the morning when I'm cleaning the box and restarting the fire. That's only if the load was small and I need some small splits or kindling to get it going again. When I have a coal bed it's very hot to open the top and rake coals.

 

[AsylumResident]

Happy New Year folks, hope you all have a lovely day....

Here is a process I have been working on the last couple weeks, been hard as it was so warm, but so far it has been working. Not 100% convinced it will work every time but so far I have had good luck. I tried to make it as prescriptive as it needed to be and included other temps and times to gage consistency. As always I welcome any comments or suggestions....

One thing I have been doing differently lately is making sure I have a healthy bed of hot coals to reload onto. If I do not have a good bed I add a few small splits to make one. Before I reload I rake the coals evenly or a bit more towards the front of the stove.

Hot re-loads (decent bed of coals, bypass damper closed)
Initial Conditions: STT = 350-400, Flue = 365, Cat = <600
1) Open air to 100% to heat the cat back up

• wait 10-15 min or peak cat temp

2) Open bypass damper, Air = 100%

• Rake coals evenly (or more towards the front)
• Load wood
• Wait for flue gas temp to reach 650F (10-15 min)

3) Close bypass damper, Air =100%

• Wait for cat temp >= 1000F (~15 min)
• STT=425-450, Flue = 520-550

4) Close air down to 60%

• Wait for Cat = 1200 (~5 min)
• STT=410-425, flue = 550-600

5) Close air down to desired setting, (10-50% air)

Here is a plot from yesterday using the process. I am pretty happy with it.

• It was a full load of ash/oak, med splits.
• After turning the air down to 20% no adjustments were made.
• Late burn cat temps were a bit high but I am happy with short spikes that stay under 1500.
• Burn time was about 14 hours with a decent bed of coals left to easily light the next load.
• Glass was 80% smoked but burned off some of it when I opened the air up for the next load.
• I did notice some wispy smoke from the stack a couple times when cat temps were >1000F but the thermocouple in the exhaust looked pretty clean, dry and slightly brownish (not black), so I think the burn was pretty clean overall.

View attachment 321828

I have been doing very similar to this. However, I have found that I need to get my flue temps up pretty high for the cat to light decently. Usually around 750 to 800. Earlier this burning season I was using 650ish but that hasn’t been sufficient the last month.