Burn time with new insert

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

Most likely. What wood are you burning?

I'm burning mostly norway maple with black locust mixed in. Thanks.

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

Beech burns up quickly too...

 

[USMC80]

and gone in an hour?

 

[BrotherBart]

The Beech trees I have whacked and dried a couple of years have given me nice overnight burns. I would burn nothing but Beech happily.

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

Yes 1 hour, flame out....

 

[Bagelboy]

I still think the stove should be burning at a slower rate, but I could be wrong

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

Maybe my splits are too small? I did that purposely to get it ready for this year....

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

I still think the stove should be burning at a slower rate, but I could be wrong

After what I saw last night, so do I....

 

[USMC80]

regardless of split size one hour burn is not right. You can get an hour on kindling alone. Something is off

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

Well I am talking flame only, my unit gives off great big flames....

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

Would not having a block off plate have anything to do with it?

 

[cygnus]

I had the exact same problem with my Osburn 2200. 30' liner and all. I spent the first two years finding clever ways to position the splits and pile ashes in front of the primary air so it wouldn't blast the flame through the entire box for what seemed to be the inevitable inferno. Then I started tinkering.

The air control seems perfectly functional but it just never controlled the fire as I would have expected. In fact, from what I can tell the air control actually only controls air through the secondaries. The primary air enters through a hole in the bottom front and is NOT adjustable. That's a major problem with the draft created from my tall, insulated liner.

I started trying to constrict the hole with a magnet and that's when burning became soooooo much more manageable. When I covered ~60% of the opening the stove wouldn't do a thing. It went from a guaranteed inferno to nothing in one shot. That's when I knew I was on to something. I'm still working it out but I tapped the .4" factory hole and screwed it a brass fitting drilled with a smaller hole. 1/4 " was too small but 5/16 seems to be doing the trick.

 

[begreen]

Maybe my splits are too small? I did that purposely to get it ready for this year....

Small splits will outgas quickly. For the same volume of wood there is a lot more surface area exposed. Try some thick splits tonight. You should see a notable change.

 

[Bagelboy]

Cygnus, I actually believe you are on to something. since I own the 2400 insert, I would like to know more about your experiment with the air intake hole. I am sure Ram 1500 can also benefit from this information even though he has a different stove manufacturer. After all, Osburn and all other stove manufacturers have to comply with EPA standards, and I'm sure they can only lean out the air in a stove by so much! Let's face it, air and exhaust work together just like automobiles. It can't exhaust it if it's not coming in!

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

Small splits will outgas quickly. For the same volume of wood there is a lot more surface area exposed. Try some thick splits tonight. You should see a notable change.

I did pack 6 splits together, in a bunch, but didn't see better results, you had an article on block off plates, I do not have one, I have no issues with getting heat into my room, just the fact that I need to reload too often.....Ty

 

[Dix]

I did pack 6 splits together, in a bunch, but didn't see better results, you had an article on block off plates, I do not have one, I have no issues with getting heat into my room, just the fact that I need to reload too often.....Ty

If you are reloading to often, some thing is wrong.

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

If you are reloading to often, some thing is wrong.

Your right, what?.....

 

[KaptJaq]

I did pack 6 splits together, in a bunch, but didn't see better results

You say "small" splits, what size? 2"x2"x16"? You also mentioned "Flame only", are you talking secondaries?

I burn red oak, around 20% moisture. Recent nights I've put in 3 or 4 splits that are about 4"x4"x18". Primary flame, from the wood, lasts about 2 hours. Secondaries, the gas jet type at the burn tubes usually start about 30 to 45 minutes after the stove is lit and will last from a half hour to an hour. Lazy secondaries, I call them Aurora Borealis secondaries, will float around the fire box for the next few hours. With 3 or 4 splits in at 11PM I still have useable heat and a hot bed of coals at 6am.

It sounds like you might have one of two problems. (Maybe a little of both) Is your primary air control working? When I light my stove there is a full box of flames with the air control fully open. If, before everything has time to heat up, I suddenly close the primary air most of the flames will disappear. This proves the air control is working. On the newer Montpeliers there is an access hatch held closed with two screws just above the air control handle on the top of the stove. It was added to fix/adjust the air control without having to remove the entire outer skin. If you try the above test and do not see a radical difference in flame you might want to check the control linkage.

Have you ever measured the draft? Too much draft is going to suck air in via the vents that are always open. These vents are supposed to let enough air in with normal draft so the fire burns cleanly with the primary closed.


KaptJaq

 

[Bagelboy]

Perhaps like Cyngus was saying, they're is too much air entering the stove. Not because air is entering the stove, but maybe because the air intake, even shutdown, allows too much to enter the stove. I still think it may have to do with EPA standards. Someone who has a 12 or 14 foot chiminey is going to have a completely different draft then someone with a 30 foot chiminey. Another words, and I could be wrong, but the EPA standard may allow so much air coming in to compensate for the smallest chiminey draft, but for those, like myself, the draft is a lot greater because of the height. The question then becomes, should a blockoff plate at the cap be installed, or can the amount of air entering the stove even though it's shut down be adjusted? Ram 1500, how high is your chiminey?

 

[Bagelboy]

I had a hot fire going with lots of coals this morning. I was up about 3 hours after burning 4 pieces of wood, and the wood was gone. I took a lot of the coals and basically tried to block the air intake to the insert, threw in 3 pieces of wood, and for a time, before the coals in front of the air intake started to burn away, the stove cut way down on the air intake. It started to provide a secondary light show, and I felt I had control over the air being allowed to enter. I think I will research more about modifying the air intake, rather then restricting the draft!

 

[Bagelboy]

Ram 1500, I'm willing to bet you are having a similar problem.

 

[cygnus]

Bagelboy - Thankfully, the intake on mine is front and center coming up from underneath the firebox. There is about 2" between the bottom of the firebox and bottom plate of the stove. This is where the blower sits and sends air underneath the firebox, up the back and out of the top, front. I found it with a mirror underneath. The hole was right in front of the sliding air control plate. You might be able to confirm by shining a flashlight through the primary air holes and viewing up the hole with a mirror. That sealed the deal for me.

 

[Bagelboy]

I will let it cool down later and take the blower off and look. I'm willing to bet the 2400 is in the front as we'll.

 

[Fechmup]

1. Do you have an outside air kit installed? If so, try obstructing some of the flow on the intake.

2. Is there a provision in your owners manual for adjusting the door seal? (ie. dollar bill test)


As others have recently stated, I would look closely at ways you could be getting too much air in the firebox. Also, have you tried shutting the air controls down earlier after a reload?

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

You say "small" splits, what size? 2"x2"x16"? You also mentioned "Flame only", are you talking secondaries?

I burn red oak, around 20% moisture. Recent nights I've put in 3 or 4 splits that are about 4"x4"x18". Primary flame, from the wood, lasts about 2 hours. Secondaries, the gas jet type at the burn tubes usually start about 30 to 45 minutes after the stove is lit and will last from a half hour to an hour. Lazy secondaries, I call them Aurora Borealis secondaries, will float around the fire box for the next few hours. With 3 or 4 splits in at 11PM I still have useable heat and a hot bed of coals at 6am.

It sounds like you might have one of two problems. (Maybe a little of both) Is your primary air control working? When I light my stove there is a full box of flames with the air control fully open. If, before everything has time to heat up, I suddenly close the primary air most of the flames will disappear. This proves the air control is working. On the newer Montpeliers there is an access hatch held closed with two screws just above the air control handle on the top of the stove. It was added to fix/adjust the air control without having to remove the entire outer skin. If you try the above test and do not see a radical difference in flame you might want to check the control linkage.

Have you ever measured the draft? Too much draft is going to suck air in via the vents that are always open. These vents are supposed to let enough air in with normal draft so the fire burns cleanly with the primary closed.


KaptJaq

Hi Kapt, yes some splits, are near what you said 2*2, some bigger and some, not your typical size splits, mostly Maple, I split it small to get it ready for this season, but I packed 6 pieces together and it still burned at the same rate, I am heating a 550 sq ft area, it is uninsulated and I have a total of 10 windows including the doors, so there is a lot of glass with plaster walls built in 1943.
The primary air is working, there is a big difference between open and closed, even closed I am getting secondaries and nice looking flames. When I went to bed I turned off the fan, I woke up and saw there were still lazy flames, but I did not time it, but seemed longer then in past, that will be my next test, filling box up fan off and air closed.
How about blocking the air holes in the front with ash, would that help?
How do you measure draft?
Thanks for your help.....