Door Open Slightly

[Squatch]

Well I just lit up my Regency i2400 insert Sunday night for a test fire.

Is it normal to have to keep the door slightly open to get the fire going?
When I close the door even with the damper fully open it seems to choke the flames off quite a bit. It almost seems like its not allowing enough air to get in.

Or could be normal?
If it is normal, How long should you have to keep the door open to get the fire established?

Thanks
Rob

 

[Greg123]

I typically leave door ajar for up to ½ hour before I shut my door. It is completely normal and recommended.

 

[Roospike]

From a fresh start i will leave the door open a little to get things started ( 5 minutes ) Its not recommended with the EPA stoves of today ( at least it states not to with my model ) NOTE : I would never walk away from the front of the wood stoves with the door open . It would be easy to over fire your stove . If the door is open on my stove = I'm right there in front of it .

 

[suematteva]

What was the outside temp when you started your test fire?

 

[Greg123]

I guess it depends on the manufacture of the stove, mine is a newer EPA model and they recommend leaving the door ajar (one inch) until all kindling is burning.

The fire in my stove has a hard time burning unless I get a brisk fire going with the door slightly open.

 

[Greg123]

Also note this is from my manual:

Your unit will be difficult to get going and keep going with little amount of heat being generated. This is a result of the moisture being driven out of the fire brick and could take 30 to 40 hours of hot fires before the unit will perform normally..

 

[Squatch]

What was the outside temp when you started your test fire?

It was probably 15 C

I opened all the windows and doors and it didn't really warm the house up that much.

Thanks for all the replies. It seems that that is a normal thing. I thought that maybe the damper handle was disconnedted or something like that.

 

[suematteva]

My brain still works in fahrenheit...around high 50's outside...the chimney is probably not going to draft well at that temp until she gets heated up..When we start getting the itch in the fall it usually takes more paper (maybe one of those saw dust fire starters) and more small stuff to get going good...two weekends ago we had 40 degrees in knowlton at 6:00 am sat morning and 41 on sunday..was even spot frost around in colder areas nearby..We did not fire up anything though was tempted...we headed out saturday night and saw smoke coming out of a neighbors house as we were going out...

 

[cbrodsky]

Well I just lit up my Regency i2400 insert Sunday night for a test fire.

Is it normal to have to keep the door slightly open to get the fire going?
When I close the door even with the damper fully open it seems to choke the flames off quite a bit. It almost seems like its not allowing enough air to get in.

Or could be normal?
If it is normal, How long should you have to keep the door open to get the fire established?

Thanks
Rob

Assuming it's relatively warm outside, and esp. if it's humid, that will be one of the hardest starts you make. As it gets colder, should draft harder, and as the air dries out, you should have better success - if you can get a fire going in August, you're probably fine for winter

-Colin

 

[paulgp602]

Well I just lit up my Regency i2400 insert Sunday night for a test fire.

Is it normal to have to keep the door slightly open to get the fire going?
When I close the door even with the damper fully open it seems to choke the flames off quite a bit. It almost seems like its not allowing enough air to get in.

Or could be normal?
If it is normal, How long should you have to keep the door open to get the fire established?

Thanks
Rob

Perfectly normal. I have the same stove and leave it cracked for about 1/2 hour when first lit.

 

[webbie]

EPA regs and UL tests (overheat) make it so stove air controls cannot open too wide.....so you have to crack the door in many cases. Warm weather makes it tougher.

Big secret is to use lots of kindling and start the stove very hot, as this warms chimney and gets draft going better.....allowing door to be closed faster.

 

[Robbie]

Mine requires this too. The main thing is like Roospike said, always stand in front of stove watching until door is closed.

This is when I like to spend a few moments of quiet time with my stove...............just watching it start. %-P

Robbie

 

[Shane]

I've lit fires in a 100 or more stoves and a great majority of them require the door to be cracked to establish draft. I burned a Lopi Parlor last year to heat the shop and had to crack the door. The two years before that (on a separate flue) we burned a Hearthstone Heritage and that door had to be cracked as well. Now that stove is installed at my father in laws house and they crack the door to establish draft. Seems to be fairly normal.

 

[Roospike]

As i dont have a problem with a fresh /new fire in my Summit so i cant relate to some of the issues in the home stove i do have this is it does help anyone with lighting of there home stove. ............. I have a shop stove in the garage and it get lit only when needed , to help with draft i p[lace a ceramic heaters on top of the stove aimed at the stove pipe to heat it up to help with the flow of draft.

 

[kevinlp]

Well I just lit up my Regency i2400 insert Sunday night for a test fire.

Is it normal to have to keep the door slightly open to get the fire going?
When I close the door even with the damper fully open it seems to choke the flames off quite a bit. It almost seems like its not allowing enough air to get in.

Or could be normal?
If it is normal, How long should you have to keep the door open to get the fire established?

Thanks
Rob

Assuming it's relatively warm outside, and esp. if it's humid, that will be one of the hardest starts you make. As it gets colder, should draft harder, and as the air dries out, you should have better success - if you can get a fire going in August, you're probably fine for winter

-Colin

Last night, I fired up our first wood stove for the very first time. Temp was about 65F outside. I opened up the windows and sliding glass door as to not heat us out too bad. I made a kindling fire and tossed on a notched cut piece that was cut from a tree last spring. Everything was turned to ash. When I opened the door an inch or so, The flames absolutely raced. They acted normal and calm with the door closed. I didn't try screwing with the primary air supply at all. I left it full open. Even though it was dark, I checked the chimney Using the flashlight, I could barely tell it in use. For a small kindling fire. The stove kicked off a good amount of heat for a small, short fire.

 

[Mike Wilson]

From a cold start, I leave my door slightly ajar for 20 minutes or so, to get the firebox up to temperature quickly. My theory is, that the faster she heats up (within reason, no heat shock to the stove, please), the faster she will achieve a more efficient burn, which means more heat for me, and less wasted smoke up the chimney. Note, my manual says not to do this, but I have made several well placed phone calls to my pals in the Maine facility, all of whom advise leaving it ajar, but under supervision, to help her heat up quicker.

YMMV, but that's mine.

-- Mike

 

[wg_bent]

Mine requires this too. The main thing is like Roospike said, always stand in front of stove watching until door is closed.

This is when I like to spend a few moments of quiet time with my stove...............just watching it start. %-P

Robbie

I'm sure your stove appreciates the "quality" time you spend with it. (that expression just rubs me the wrong way!)

 

[Robbie]

Warren, I know exactly what you mean...........


Robbie

 

[Roospike]

Mine requires this too. The main thing is like Roospike said, always stand in front of stove watching until door is closed.

This is when I like to spend a few moments of quiet time with my stove...............just watching it start. %-P

Robbie

I'm sure your stove appreciates the "quality" time you spend with it. (that expression just rubs me the wrong way!)

HA ! LMAO ! ..................

 

[DonCT]

When was the last time you hugged your stove???? :kiss:

 

[Roospike]

When was the last time you hugged your stove???? :kiss:

Just in the summer time brother man .........Just in the summer time .

 

[Corie]

My girlfriend and I shared a quiet moment of thinking inside my stove last night! haha

oh the beauties of having an entire wood stove strewn across the living room.