Help -- Question, New Ashford Installation

[Parallax]

Love that brown enamel! They had a Manchester in brown in a shop here last year, that thing was a knock-out!

I'd seen the Cape Cod in brown enamel and it was love at first sight. Hadn't seen my Ashford in that guise until it showed up in the shop the other day. Funny thing is I wasn't so sure when it was at the shop, still crated with enough plastic pulled back to get a look. Once it was in my house, on the hearth pad, there was no question. I didn't expect to like the look anywhere as much as I do. I didn't expect to like the view of the burn as much as I do. The stove has all the advantages of the Cod plus all of the magic of a Blaze King.

[Edited out the line about you having steered me straight. Thought for a moment, in my premature senility, you were Webby. That guy must be the community guru.]

 

[webby3650]

I'd seen the Cape Cod in brown enamel and it was love at first sight. Hadn't seen my Ashford in that guise until it showed up in the shop the other day. Funny thing is I wasn't so sure when it was at the shop, still crated with enough plastic pulled back to get a look. Once it was in my house, on the hearth pad, there was no question. I didn't expect to like the look anywhere as much as I do. I didn't expect to like the view of the burn as much as I do. The stove has all the advantages of the Cod plus all of the magic of a Blaze King.

[Edited out the line about you having steered me straight. Thought for a moment, in my premature senility, you were Webby. That guy must be the community guru.]

I do my best to use every stove out there, as long as there is some appeal. If it has nothing special to offer I'm not too interested. Maybe

 

[webby3650]

Since I was one of the first on planet earth to have an Ashford, the brown enamel wasn't available. That's what I really wanted, but I am glad to have the black. I always wanted a brown enamel stove so ended up with a Jotul. It's a beauty, but I would gladly trade it for a brown Ashford!

 

[Woody Stover]

How low can you dial yours down without it going out? I'm finding that when I set the thermostat to 1, after a few hours I have temperatures in the inactive zone on the thermometer. But as soon as I turn it up to three, everything fires right up. So I'm experimenting to see how low it can go while remaining in the cat's burn range. Right now I have it set at 2.

I was pleasantly surprised to be able to do that after I re-gasketed and re-sealed the seams in the Dutchwest, something I couldn't do with the Woodstocks.

Thought for a moment, in my premature senility, you were Webby.

Well, we both live in hardwood heaven and we can both snuff our stoves...

 

[BKVP]

Hey, thanks Webby, Stovelark.

Yes, I anticipate burning 9 months of the year or more, since our house in back in the woods a good bit higher than Bellingham. Without air conditioning, there has been one day in our year here so far when we could have used it. However, this stove will be useful 300+ days.

Highbeam, or Webby, or anyone else who has an Ashford: How low can you dial yours down without it going out? I'm finding that when I set the thermostat to 1, after a few hours I have temperatures in the inactive zone on the thermometer. But as soon as I turn it up to three, everything fires right up. So I'm experimenting to see how low it can go while remaining in the cat's burn range. Right now I have it set at 2.

One more question: I've noticed some of you reference actual temperatures for the stove. My thermometer just has two categories, inactive and active. Can one purchase a thermometer with numbers?

Hello one and all from Homer, Alaska. As for the burn rates on the Ashford 30, keep in mind about 15-16' of chimney is needed to optimize performance. Remember all the issue Zanny had and as soon as a small section of chimney was added, he was able to sustain cat temps on the very lowest of burn rates.

Got to go, rumor has it the halibut are biting!

 

[Parallax]

Hello one and all from Homer, Alaska. As for the burn rates on the Ashford 30, keep in mind about 15-16' of chimney is needed to optimize performance. Remember all the issue Zanny had and as soon as a small section of chimney was added, he was able to sustain cat temps on the very lowest of burn rates.

Got to go, rumor has it the halibut are biting!

I've got 15 feet of chimney and it seems to burn quite low. But it falls out of the active range if the thermostat is set too low. I assume this means it will burn just as efficiently when I find the sweet spot that maintains temperature right at the bottom end of the active range. After all, there's nothing magical about the number "1" on the thermostat. Am I missing something?

 

[Grisu]

Yes, I anticipate burning 9 months of the year or more, since our house in back in the woods a good bit higher than Bellingham.

At what elevation are you? Maybe you need more than 15' to burn well on low.

 

[webby3650]

I've got 15 feet of chimney and it seems to burn quite low. But it falls out of the active range if the thermostat is set too low. I assume this means it will burn just as efficiently when I find the sweet spot that maintains temperature right at the bottom end of the active range. After all, there's nothing magical about the number "1" on the thermostat. Am I missing something?

Mine will also fall out of the active zone if I run low for very long. I think it has a lot to do with the convective design of the stove. After all, when it says its inactive there is no visible smoke outside and is still giving decent heat. Also if you have the blowers running it plays a big role in fooling the thermometer.

 

[Parallax]

At what elevation are you? Maybe you need more than 15' to burn well on low.

Elevation's not too far above sea level. Bellingham is at sea level. It's a few hundred feet up where we live but nothing astounding.

 

[Parallax]

Mine will also fall out of the active zone if I run low for very long. I think it has a lot to do with the convective design of the stove. After all, when it says its inactive there is no visible smoke outside and is still giving decent heat. Also if you have the blowers running it plays a big role in fooling the thermometer.

Have not been running the fan at all. Today I left it set at 1 1/2 and it fell down to nothing. When I got home, there was plenty of wood still there and it fired right back up when I turned up the thermostat so it wasn't a lack of fuel problem. Now I'm trying it at 2. Any thoughts about what might cause this. Is it a problem that should be fixed or should I just work within whatever range works.

 

[webby3650]

I dont think its a problem. I find that I just need to run mine on a little higher setting. Even when the thermometer says its inactive, its not smoking and the fire never burns out. By design, I just think the Ashford needs to run on a little higher setting than its Cousins. It also has a little to do with the steel cat, it doesn't have much thermal mass and will cool off quicker.

 

[webby3650]

You might also be experiencing some issues because of the outside air temperature. These stoves can struggle to maintain a good draft on low setting when the its warm outside.

 

[HotCoals]

You could take the cat out and the gauge would still read in the active zone with a decent burn going.
You need smoke to keep the cat going. Same with a tube burner.
That said a cat will fire off sooner and stay going longer then secondary flames from a tube burner.
Your stove looks great and it will work fine more then likely. Cheers!

 

[begreen]

Where's home for you, Begreen? 77 degrees could be Portland this time of year. My old friends in Tucson keep razzing me for sending them stove photos when it's 106 down there. I'm sure they'll return the favor in December, with photos of shorts and t-shirts, swimming pools and the like.

Seattle and Tacoma were at 78 the day before yesterday, then yesterday the high was 69F. It will be back up in the 70s this weekend.

 

[Parallax]

Seattle and Tacoma were at 78 the day before yesterday, then yesterday the high was 69F. It will be back up in the 70s this weekend.

Seattle? Heck, you're just down the road. Howdy neighbor!

 

[Parallax]

You might also be experiencing some issues because of the outside air temperature. These stoves can struggle to maintain a good draft on low setting when the its warm outside.

It's going to take me time to figure this all out. Last night, had it running with the window open and a box fan in the window to blow air out because my wife could still smell the burn off. Ran it at 2, with the box loaded at 10 p.m. When I came down at 2 a.m., the needed had dipped to the into inactive so I turned it way up. Loaded more wood and then turned it down to 2 1/2. By morning, the needle was just on the edge of inactive. This morning I loaded it again, turned it up just for a minute to get the wood burning, then back down to 2 1/2. Looked up at the chimney and it was smoking real bad. The wood is dry so I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong.

 

[Parallax]

You could take the cat out and the gauge would still read in the active zone with a decent burn going.
You need smoke to keep the cat going. Same with a tube burner.
That said a cat will fire off sooner and stay going longer then secondary flames from a tube burner.
Your stove looks great and it will work fine more then likely. Cheers!

Thanks. I love the stove. Seems I need to learn how to use it. Not surprising since this is all new to me. Like giving a teenager a Ferrari.

 

[webby3650]

It's going to take me time to figure this all out. Last night, had it running with the window open and a box fan in the window to blow air out because my wife could still smell the burn off. Ran it at 2, with the box loaded at 10 p.m. When I came down at 2 a.m., the needed had dipped to the into inactive so I turned it way up. Loaded more wood and then turned it down to 2 1/2. By morning, the needle was just on the edge of inactive. This morning I loaded it again, turned it up just for a minute to get the wood burning, then back down to 2 1/2. Looked up at the chimney and it was smoking real bad. The wood is dry so I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong.

The only thing your doing wrong is thinkin it to death! After all, it is summertime. It'll act way different once its cold out.
Don't worry so much about that active/inactive stuff. And it's not always smoke free even if it is in the active zone.

 

[Highbeam]

It was 77 degrees here yesterday. If you had a fire going it would be mighty warm.

Not yesterday but it was 66 in the house this morning. We're about done for the year.

Remember bg, you're down on the water and im up at 700 feet in the foothills.

 

[Highbeam]

Unfortunately, the dials/stats for each stove are different so my 1.75 is not your 1.75. Still, 1.75 is my low burn setting where I am confident that i wont lose cat activity. That's in the winter. In june, everything is different and i want a non-cat style short and fast fire so i load a small charge of small splits and use a 2.75 setting to keep things clean.

Im just down the road in buckley/enumclaw on the road to crystal mountain.

 

[blacktail]

By the time burn season comes, your wood will be dryer and the cooler temps will improve your draft.

 

[Parallax]

Thanks for all the feedback. Will stop thinking it to death.

What causes the stove to smoke when the wood is dry and it's in the active cat range?

Also, can it harm the stove if it's running in the inactive range and the cat remains engaged? If I'm running it through the night, I obviously don't want to have to keep waking up to make sure it's still hot enough.

Last question (for now, anyway): How do I know if the stove is running too hot and potentially endangering the fire box or the chimney?

 

[webby3650]

Thanks for all the feedback. Will stop thinking it to death.

What causes the stove to smoke when the wood is dry and it's in the active cat range?

Also, can it harm the stove if it's running in the inactive range and the cat remains engaged? If I'm running it through the night, I obviously don't want to have to keep waking up to make sure it's still hot enough.

Last question (for now, anyway): How do I know if the stove is running too hot and potentially endangering the fire box or the chimney?

Think of it like a steady line of people leaving a building through double doors and somebody shuts one of the doors. It gets backed up. Same thing with the cat, it can only eat so much smoke. It catches up eventually.
It won't hurt anything if the cat goes inactive, just fire it back up in the morning.
Even if you leave it on high, its unlikely to overfire. They are very controllable and designed very well.

 

[Parallax]

Think of it like a steady line of people leaving a building through double doors and somebody shuts one of the doors. It gets backed up. Same thing with the cat, it can only eat so much smoke. It catches up eventually.
It won't hurt anything if the cat goes inactive, just fire it back up in the morning.
Even if you leave it on high, its unlikely to overfire. They are very controllable and designed very well.

Thanks Webby. You provide much reassurance. Today I'm having better luck. Running the thing at 2 1/2 and it's burning long and slow. Still smokes from time to time but other times all I see are heat waves coming from the stack.

 

[Highbeam]

Thanks for all the feedback. Will stop thinking it to death.

What causes the stove to smoke when the wood is dry and it's in the active cat range?

Also, can it harm the stove if it's running in the inactive range and the cat remains engaged? If I'm running it through the night, I obviously don't want to have to keep waking up to make sure it's still hot enough.

Last question (for now, anyway): How do I know if the stove is running too hot and potentially endangering the fire box or the chimney?

Good questions. Better than most would have this early in their experience and in the summer.

1) These stoves smoke. All stoves smoke at the start, but the BK will occasionaly emit usually bluish light smoke even when the cat is very active and glowing. There are a few reasons but there are no solutions. I have always had a much easier time getting my non-cat stoves to burn smoke free. Some of that is dilution since the non-cats pass immense amounts of heated air though the firebox and the BK limits combustion air. So don't sweat it.

2) Don't disengage the cat until you open the door or reload. If you are having problems with the cat meter dropping to inactive when there is still lots of fuel left then you need to set the stat higher. Snuffing the cat this way makes a mess out of your window, the chimney, and can be smokey so corrective action is needed. You'll quickly learn where your "low" setting is and as long as you stay over that you won't have cat inactivity until the cat runs out of fuel. Just leave the cat engaged until reload.

3) You can't know if this stove is running too hot. All the standard rules apply of course such as "no part of the stove shall glow red". The cat meter supplied by BK is only effective for knowing when to engage the cat. It's a pass/fail device. After that, you're on your own. Sure you can (and I do) install a flue probe meter to measure exhaust gas temps, and you can set a surface meter on the stove top but here's the problem. The cat is what makes the stove hot so you have a very hot spot right on top of the cat and the rest of the stove is relatively cold. This is the beauty of the cat/stat combination on this stove. The stat will regulate the temperature so you don't have to worry. Boring? Yes, but very effective. Due to the long burn times, you will find that you don't need to run the stove hot very often. Get your house warm and keep it warm with a low setting.

3a) You specifically mention the chimney. Well I have a probe meter to measure stack temps and with the non-cat stoves it is very possible and likely to overfire your chimney system. My BK also has a probe in its stack and what I have found is that the cat meter is always into the active range well before the flue temps reach unsafe levels. So long as you engage your cat when the meter hits the active range, your flue should be fine.