At what setting do you keep the air control on your wood burning stove during fall, winter, and early spring months?
huh?The lowest air setting you can without snuffing out the flame and causing smoke out chimney. You control the amount of heat by the amount of wood in the stove only.
huh?
I certainly don't control the heat by the amount of wood in the stove only.
In fact, the amount of wood does not have much to do with the amount of heat I get - in my stove.
If you always run at the lowest clean setting, haven't you oversized your stove for your home? (Unless you're providing a base heat load and are modulating towards comfort with another thermostat-driven heating system.) My experience i
For example , With a full load of let’s say hardwood being burned in October in southern New England, the btu’s would easily overheat the living area unless the stove is relatively undersized. I should note that my stove is relatively closer to where we are sitting in the living room so we get especially toasty. If you’re in Long Island, you have the same climate as I do in southern CT. These shoulder season burns are challenging bc it can go from “let’s have a fire” to “let’s open some windows” pretty quick. Once the colder weather sets in, we are doing full loads of wood in the stove (medium sized stove). But I honestly do try to get to the lowest air setting ASAP to maximize efficiency. My Jotul insert is getting older so maybe that’s not the best example of air setting usage. At my camp in Maine, I have a regency stove bought in 2020 that puts out big heat on the lowest air setting. Once you in that “cruising” stage of the burn, I can’t imagine having the air on anything but lowest setting.Interesting. I've seen that idea "only" (🤣) for the "small fire in a big firebox" approach.
I had the impression that most folks loaded up their firebox fully to give the longest burn for the air-setting (heat output) they need.
With a fully loaded firebox, one would always burn at max output in your thinking?
So. Are you saying if I load my stove up fully and lower the air control to low. I should get a lot of heat in my house ?The lowest air setting you can without snuffing out the flame and causing smoke out chimney. You control the amount of heat by the amount of wood in the stove only.
Yes you should. As long as the you had the air on high to get the load of wood ignited. Then back down the air gradually to low. You should get good secondary burn and stove top temps where you want them.So. Are you saying if I load my stove up fully and lower the air control to low. I should get a lot of heat in my house ?
Thank you. I appreciate itYes you should. As long as the you had the air on high to get the load of wood ignited. Then back down the air gradually to low. You should get good secondary burn and stove top temps where you want them
With my noncats I generally controlled heat more with type of wood and the way I loaded the stove. It was almost always run with the air closed all the way unless it was teens or less outside.huh?
I certainly don't control the heat by the amount of wood in the stove only.
In fact, the amount of wood does not have much to do with the amount of heat I get - in my stove.
If you always run at the lowest clean setting, haven't you oversized your stove for your home? (Unless you're providing a base heat load and are modulating towards comfort with another thermostat-driven heating system.)
In any case, if what you are saying is how things work for many, I'm even more satisfied with my stove. I can keep my living room at 70 regardless of whether it's 45 F or 5 F and storming outside, just by moving my air control - all with the same tetrised fully packed load of oak... (And the burn time responds accordingly, less time at 5 F and more time at 45 F.)
I would never want a stove that is basically "off or on" without tunability after loading it to the extent I think is right when the burn
That’s good that you have found the setup that works well for you. That’s what it is all about. I’ve been so dialed in to how I do my thing here, that I couldn’t imagine doing different. Probably a lot to be said for the variables like stove, house configuration, etc are different for the two of us. My guess is that we both probably go the same amount of wood, burn clean, and save moneyIn any case, if what you are saying is how things work for many, I'm even more satisfied with my stove. I can keep my living room at 70 regardless of whether it's 45 F or 5 F and storming outside, just by moving my air control - all with the same tetrised fully packed load of oak... (And the burn time responds accordingly, less time at 5 F and more time at 45 F.)
I would never want a stove that is basically "off or on" without tunability after loading it to the extent I think is right when the burn starts.
Keep in mind that while you may gain a notch of heat with a higher setting, you are also putting more heat up the chimney than necessary. Modern stoves are more or less designed to be run on low. I get stove top temps like 700 on low with my non cat stoves. I wouldn’t want the stove top getting too much hotterHm. It appears then that you have sized the stove for the lowest temps that occur (I e. For 5% of the time), and as a consequence you have to give up control when it it as cold.
There is an air control on the stove, but it appears it's only used to start the stove (char and dial down - in 95 %.of the time to the lowest setting, where it.still overheats the home regularly...!), and not to control heat output.
That is a level of inflexibility I would dislike.
Like the stove model was tested or you had your exact stove tested? Just curious. If that’s accurate that’s great. It just seems counterintuitive to everything I’ve read on this forum for the last 10 yrs.The efficiency (ratio of heat up the flue versus into the room) on my stove was tested (!) to be the same on low and high..(I believe it was within 1%).
Even then, I don't have a stove to play "most efficient", instead I have it to keep my home comfortable. S even if efficiency would get.lower (it doesn't for me), if that is what it takes to be comfortable, so be it. We do the same when driving; we don't only drive 30 mph (lower wind resistance)...
I suppose. The “ start on high and throttle back to lower setting” concept is definitely the one I’ve seen most often. Either way, it’s all goodThe model. The flue is the unknown here.
And I read different things here .. evidently.
Maybe there's confirmation bias at play here...![]()
We have been telling you that since you started posting here.So. Are you saying if I load my stove up fully and lower the air control to low. I should get a lot of heat in my house ?
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