Grandma Bear retrofit with secondary air

[mark cline]

Yeah that would be something. When I was in college in 1976, for a major in Natural resources conservation, one of my professors, had talked about secondary burn in a Jotul. Wonder why it never really took off until , late 80"s maybe. I'll need to do some research on this .

 

[mark cline]

Second year with the retrofit of secondary air . Here is a stove top temp reading. .

Is it dangerous or not good for the stove to burn it this hot ? This is with a full bed of coals with 2 splits on top to burn down the coals .

 

[coaly]

Make sure it's not glowing anywhere with the lights off at night. I'd close the air down more when it goes over 800.
The cooler parts of the stove is what is hard on it due to uneven expansion.

 

[mark cline]

I would definetly have the air closed down at night. Just trying to burn down a 6 in deep coal bed so I can reload for the night . The secondaries really make a lot of heat. Just a plume of steam when its -9F.

 

[mark cline]

I took the cap off my chimney to sweep the flue , I had not cleaned it since last year. You can still see the shine of the stainless steel, only a light dust of creosote. This was after burning about a cord and a half of mixed ash, maple , cheery and beech with a moisture content of 16 % to 18%. I could not ask for better results ,can't wait until the cool fall weather sets in .

 

[JoeBenjamin]

I put together a new secondary air manifold for the Grandma bear . I cobbled it together from odds and ends laying around . The baffle will sit on top ,
so the tubes will be between the baffle and coals, like on my Mansfield.
After a few days with temps around 40F at night , it is performing like my Mansfield. Hot clean fires and little smoke at start up . After the secondaries kick in and the damper and draft are closed down , the secondary tubes roar as they pull in the heated air from behind the heat shield.The primary air is regulated by a Sotz auto draft that I have had on the stove since the 80's. This draft control has a bimetal spring that opens and closes the draft according to the door temperature. This in combination with a 32' double wall 6" flue straight up through the house , gives phenomenal draft . Colder temps coming will give the retrofit the real test.
View attachment 166751

If I asked nice, would you build me one for a Papa Bear?
I want to replicated what you did with this secondary air and the baffle, but I don't weld so a little behind the power curve..... ha

 

[mark cline]

I see your from Erie county. Is that Erie county Ny or Pennsylvania?