Drolet 1800i overburning

[Askonieczny]

Hi all.

New to stoves and using wood for heat. Recently installed a drolet 1800i and seem to be overburning. Stovetop thermometer will read at 900 within an hour of burning. Have been consistently starting fires on a bed of coals with the stove packed tight, door closed damper all the way choked down, in about 30-40 minutes will turn from a smolder to flames and will quickly get a temp in the 900s on the stovetop thermometer. Is this a safe burning temperature?What am I doing incorrectly here or is there something I’m missing? I should note, I generally leave the fan on low as I generally leave the stove unattended for several hours of the day.

 

[RomanW]

Do you know what your flue temp is?

 

[Askonieczny]

Do you know what your flue temp is?

Not sure, I will get a thermometer gun to get a more accurate read. Nothing is glowing red but from what I am finding online 900 on the stove top is way too high.

 

[RomanW]

Do you have a single wall pipe? Otherwise, you'll need a probe thermometer to find the flue temp.

 

[rtrev37]

Hi all.

New to stoves and using wood for heat. Recently installed a drolet 1800i and seem to be overburning. Stovetop thermometer will read at 900 within an hour of burning. Have been consistently starting fires on a bed of coals with the stove packed tight, door closed damper all the way choked down, in about 30-40 minutes will turn from a smolder to flames and will quickly get a temp in the 900s on the stovetop thermometer. Is this a safe burning temperature?What am I doing incorrectly here or is there something I’m missing? I should note, I generally leave the fan on low as I generally leave the stove unattended for several hours of the day.

I have the Drolet HT2000 and it will usually go to the 700- 750 range as well when fully loaded. I think it works best at this temperature. However, this year I have NOT been filling the stove but enough to get in the 500-600 range and reload with 2 or 3 pieces of average size logs to continue the process. My home has been warmed just as effective as fully loaded without the worry of over firing the stove and going out of control.

I recommend to scale back from fully loading the stove but all depends on your objective. With coals already at the bottom, 2- 3 pieces can get you at a high temp without over firing the stove while also lowering the choke when temp reaching above 300 or 400 . The draw back is the need to reload more frequently but at least you are worry free. Even with 2-4 logs before calling it the night will give enough coal left over for an easy reload in the morning.

The purpose is to warm the house over time, not instantly. When its really cold outside and inside, we want instant warmth immediately, which contributes to over firing (that was me). But to answer your question: YES, 900 is way too hot but these stoves are well built and can withstand these temp but not sure for how long over time...scale back from fully loading and try half load or less then work up.