High flue temps and how to solve them.

[oldspark]

You do realize the PE Summit is considered to be a very well designed stove?

 

[oldspark]

If the stove can not give a stove temp well above the flue temp it is a poor design period. Sure not on start up but when cruising it should be that way.

Oh it gets there after a while, first you have 600 degree flue with the stove playing catch up, then they might be equal for awhile at 600 flue and stove top 600 and after the fire starts to taper off the flue will be lower then the stove top.

 

[oldspark]

ddahlgren-its funny you think its an issue, when I bought the stove 3 years ago I thought it was a problem but everyone thought I was a whinner.
My pre EPA stove runs with lower flue temps.

 

[madison]

Spark,

Serious questions:
Do you think your pre EPA stove was more efficient -> more heat with similar yearly wood consumption? If no, then possibly the increase in stack temperature with the new unit is not indicative of efficiency. An analogy may possibly by, the newer epa stove's are like the new hybrid cars, efficient, but not as much fun to drive and certainly cannot "smoke the tires" like your muscle cars of the '60's...

Are you using the same temp probe setup now that you used with the old unit?

Thanks

 

[oldspark]

Spark,

Serious questions:
Do you think your pre EPA stove was more efficient -> more heat with similar yearly wood consumption? If no, then possibly the increase in stack temperature with the new unit is not indicative of efficiency. An analogy may possibly by, the newer epa stove's are like the new hybrid cars, efficient, but not as much fun to drive and certainly cannot "smoke the tires" like your muscle cars of the '60's...

Are you using the same temp probe setup now that you used with the old unit?

Thanks

Not a probe, surface and yes is the same one but I have tested it with a IR tester a lot, just abot every fire I use that and the mag unit.
Well it wont put out the heat the Pre EPA stove did so hard to tell, I do think the old stove is a lot closer then some would think, running it in the shop now and it get the stove top to 600 failrly easy and stays there for a good period of time.
In order to try and heat the house when its really cold I have to run the stove hard and thats when the flue temps match the stove top temp for the most part.
Stove works nice when the temps are not so brutal.
Of course theres the boat load of coals to deal with when its real cold.

 

[madison]

Thanks,

Followup ?: The same type and mfg of stove pipe is being used to make the connection to each of the two stoves?

Where I am going with the above question is, ie, if the stove pipe on the old epa stove is thicker or made differently, could it possibly explain the different surface temp readings between the two stoves? If the same stovepipe is used on both stoves, obviously that rules that out.

 

[oldspark]

Thanks,

Followup ?: The same type and mfg of stove pipe is being used to make the connection to each of the two stoves?

Where I am going with the above question is, ie, if the stove pipe on the old epa stove is thicker or made differently, could it possibly explain the different surface temp readings between the two stoves? If the same stovepipe is used on both stoves, obviously that rules that out.

Thats a good thought but you are going to like this, 24 gauge on the old stove, 22 on the new one, so thicker on the new stove with higher temps.
And believe me I could tell the difference and its nght and day.
I reduced the primary air on the old stove at about 450 and it quit climbing and the stove top kept going up, still seeing that in the shop. Some report there EPA non cat stoves working that way but not mine, if I want a hot fire I am going to have a hot flue.

 

[madison]

Different guage, same material/mfg? Heat transfer properties could be different between different grades (and obviously thicknesses) of steel.

Nonetheless, I feel your pain when you "upgrade" to a new stove and it doesn't work like the old one... Sadly it seems that way with a lot of things we purchase these days.

 

[oldspark]

Different guage, same material/mfg? Heat transfer properties could be different between different grades (and obviously thicknesses) of steel

Believe me thats not it at all, we are not talking a small difference its a big one.

 

[oldspark]

Nonetheless, I feel your pain when you "upgrade" to a new stove and it doesn't work like the old one... Sadly it seems that way with a lot of things we purchase these days

Stuck with a 6 inch chimney now, this last cold spell made me want to put the old stove back in.
Gonna make the house work with this stove if it kills me.

 

[cableman]

This seems to be the same so far for my hearthstone. The manufacture said a hight burn for me is 450 stove top, to achieve it i get flue temps 600-700 then it drops but never really goes much under 600 unless the stove is dropping. Always seem to have higher flue temp then stove top at any point of the burn! My flue therm is 20" above stove top. Maybe its my one year old oak.

 

[ddahlgren]

The EPA makes things cleaner with little thought of efficiency or fuel consumption. They disallow a very small air inlet for fear you will burn crap wood and pollute. If you think about it seriously the first EPA cars got very more mileage and had little power though finally much better. Another example of a nanny government protecting use from ourselves so any moron can burn crap wood and not pollute. I would examine the size of the air inlet to the firebox and cover it up when set at minimum air in and see if will go out. If yes make it go out if no fix the air leaks.