I just THOUGHT I knew how to burn my TL300

[MishMouse]

Check the door gasket to make sure you are getting a tight seal.
The flames you see shouldn't last that long, typically I only see those for about 10-20 minutes max, after closing the damper.
Having them after 2 hours in AB tends me to believe that too much air is getting in.
Once it is going you should be able to put it on the first notch and the load should maintain itself.

A few tricks you can use on startup.
1) After a re-load or re-start turn the air on high and leave the top door open until the fire gets going as long as a draft is established, no smoke should enter the room
2) Once it starts and you close the top door, move the air down to half, this will allow the load to burn more without sending all the fire up the stack
3) The installers/sweeps told me this trick- close the damper part way, not all the way so that it engages the AB just partway so that the outlet to the flue is no longer wide open.

 

[razerface]

A few tricks you can use on startup.
1) After a re-load or re-start turn the air on high and leave the top door open until the fire gets going as long as a draft is established, no smoke should enter the room

There is no way. I would over fire in 1 minute

 

[MishMouse]

There is no way. I would over fire in 1 minute

For me I can leave the top door open at least 5 minutes on re-load, while I wait for the whole load to completely catch.
Having the top door open does not cause a rush of air like having the front door open, it actually cools the air going up the flue so that it takes longer to warm up. Check your gaskets especially the front door and on the ash door. To get your results from a re-load or re-start I would either have to have my front door open a crack or have the ash pan door open.

 

[branchburner]

To get your results from a re-load or re-start I would either have to have my front door open a crack or have the ash pan door open.

Or a 34ft chimney with excessive draft?

 

[1kzwoman]

Are all gaskets soft or are they crunchy?
Window gasket check too .

 

[branchburner]

There is no way. I would over fire in 1 minute

Not sure why you are saying this, unless you have actually tried burning with the top loading door open. Easy enough to find out for sure. As Mish points out, it changes the dynamic of the burn by pulling in cool air - never thought of doing that!

 

[razerface]

Not sure why you are saying this, unless you have actually tried burning with the top loading door open. Easy enough to find out for sure. As Mish points out, it changes the dynamic of the burn by pulling in cool air - never thought of doing that!

Tried it many times. I can actually cool the flue down for about 15 seconds, then it goes the other way and the flames reach right up the flue.

That is what I mentioned in post#44 trying to cool it down

 

[razerface]

Are all gaskets soft or are they crunchy?
Window gasket check too .

Soft gaskets. I have not ever checked the window gasket. How would you do that?

 

[1kzwoman]

I would visual look to see that it is in place no sags or uneven appearance. Check mounts to be sure they are " just tight" not loose. Is your window clean or ash covered at end of burn?

How do you start a fire in cold stove. All small ( less than 2") splits until stove top is at 550 and coal bed is at least 2" deep over grates or other?

 

[1kzwoman]

What is your weather temp outside house as others have indicated these stoves don't shoulder well.
Do you wait for a coals to burn or are you adding more wood to coaling stage in effort to see flames? My stove likes deep coals 3" + pulled forward adding wood behind.

 

[1kzwoman]

I am burning some dampish (oops) wood at 40 degrees outside . I found here is some flaky brown buildup on the inside of top door that falls into stove. ( Opened damper added dry splits )
I wonder if you are having similar issues but inside stack that is burning off quickly once you reload a now hot stove.
Say closed in fire overnight could allow it to build low in stack then flash once you fire stove up .

 

[1kzwoman]

That could create excess draft as it is a chimney fire in small scale. Opening top door would allow more still perhaps causing
what you are seeing as over fire.
It would be more a back draft in firebox so it would flare seeking air.
Can some one see what I am thinking and explain it better please

 

[razerface]

1KZ, I can build a coal bed fast on a cold stove with small splits. I add to hot coals or build back up from less coals depending on timing, when I get there.

I am baffled right now. After days of this thing torturing me, all the sudden it went back to the way it used to burn. I left all 3 of the mag temps on the stove when I installed the digital. I just went and loaded it with all oak, about 3/4 load. I left the air on the third notch and got ready to fight it to get it going and stay under 10,000 deg( exaggerating)

Well, with my hand on the damper, I watched the digital go crazy, with the mag temp a little slower moving. The digital leveled off at 1346, and stayed there! I let it burn for 12 minutes, not believing my eyes! No run away, just burning wood. I moved the air to the left and immediately the digital started down. I closed the damper, the AB roared and the temps in the flue came flying down!

I have had this fire burnig for 50 hours, and for some reason it fixed itself back to normal.

I did not fix anything, or tighten, or loosen anything. What can change by itself, just by burning?

 

[1kzwoman]

On my stove there is an afterburner hood weldment that has a ceramic fiber insert held to the back of it by two mild steel tabs welded to cast. I had AB ash issues so removed weldment to clean, when I did I found one tab missing the other held by a broken weld. Welding cast to steel in not ideal IMHO.
I'm wondering if you have a similar ceramic
Insert loose and floating or missing
There are other threads reporting this piece broken and falling out.
I had a welder friend cement fiberboard then reattach new tabs..stove is much improved.
I know your stove is refractory but maybe there is a similar design.

 

[1kzwoman]

Have you checked shoe brick and gasket for damage? My son has your stove and had to replace them. Crack didn't show until he moved it . Also there are two small squarish gaskets behind your logo brick.
I see a gasket set(3) around your AB too, that maybe could have need of a check for tight bolts because of constant temp cycles

 

[branchburner]

I moved the air to the left and immediately the digital started down. I closed the damper, the AB roared and the temps in the flue came flying down!

Yeah, that sounds right.

As for why it wasn't doing this before, that's hard to explain. There is always the possibility you had a "temporary" air leak, which has happened to me: a small piece of wood or bark becomes lodged in the top-load door, allowing air in.

I have experienced occasional sustained high flue temps with the bypass closed and primary shut, maybe because of weather conditions, wood size/type, etc. But sometimes I wonder if there are different modes of secondary combustion in this stove, evidenced by the difference I can see in flue temps and burn chamber temps.

I don't think the design/construction of your stove allows it, but I can easily measure the exterior cast iron temperature of the rear burn chamber. With no secondary the temps are only a few hundred degrees. But with secondary action, the temps may vary between 400f and 900f external, with flue between 200f and 500f.

If you are repeatedly seeing flue temps sustained for long burns at over about 400f (= 800f probe?) I think you have a problem that could be air leak, excessive draft, or even wood/operation oriented. But as long as you are not overfiring the stove (or flue) to the point of damaging it, the net result is simply losing some potentially useful heat up the flue... meaning you use a little more wood and have shorter burns on the minus side, but have a very clean chimney on the plus side.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

I did not fix anything, or tighten, or loosen anything. What can change by itself, just by burning?

As mishmouse said, leaving the ash door open even slightly makes my stove go wild. Its how i start a cold stove but i cant leave it open long. Possibly not closed tight on your stove.
I get the same results all the time,Once the Damper is closed, stove heats up ,flue cools down. Dont be alarmed by high flue temps on start up. Any flue will get hot with flames shooting up into it a few feet.

 

[razerface]

Also there are two small squarish gaskets behind your logo brick.

My logo brick is very loose. I can move it around easily. Should it be tight?

 

[razerface]

As mishmouse said, leaving the ash door open even slightly makes my stove go wild. Its how i start a cold stove .

That is exactly how I start a new fire, but never open it again after that except for ashes.

 

[razerface]

Yeah, that sounds right.

As for why it wasn't doing this before, that's hard to explain. There is always the possibility you had a "temporary" air leak, which has happened to me: a small piece of wood or bark becomes lodged in the top-load door, allowing air in.

I check that a lot as it has happened before when I load to the top and do my initial burn for the new load. The draft pulls a piece of burning bark in, and it lays in the bottom of the gasket/hinge. I even made a hook tool I use to flip them out before I close the damper.

If you are repeatedly seeing flue temps sustained for long burns at over about 400f (= 800f probe?) I think you have a problem that could be air leak, excessive draft, or even wood/operation oriented.

Last night I had over 800 for about 1.5 hours, but I saw something interesting while it did that.

I have been doing different things, just to see,,,,
I decided to do a few fast reloads,,not letting the coals burn, so I worked up to a bed of coals that was about 3/4 way up the andirons.

I always have a 3 inch spot of creosote on the window, on the upper left side. I say this just because you may know if it matters. What I saw that really got my attention,,,,,I decided to burn down the coals this morning,,and so I turned the air up a little. Then I was bored cause no one else is awake,,and I turned the air up to the highest setting, (damper closed)and watched the digital climb.

Important part: When I looked back down at the window.. I can see the air path over and thru the coals. You know how they glow and look like they are moving? Well, there is a definite air path inside the stove from the lower right corner of the front door, angling to the middle. I had forgotten it burns a tunnel thru the coals at that angle when I do this. This is always opposite of the creosote spot on the upper left side of the window.

I am going to burn the stove cold Sunday night, clean it, and investigate the lower right corner. Am I grasping at straws here? I know the air comes from the top, down the window,,,so where is this current coming from? The high coals show it,,,

Edit: more accurately,, the burn tunnel actually starts between the right andiron and the corner of the door.

 

[1kzwoman]

My logo brick is very loose. I can move it around easily. Should it be tight?

My son said he is able to move his as well."they are not super tight."
With what I have learned from forum my glass is clean when there is a coal bed. I suggest if you have spot that always there it's a cooler spot .
My" burn path in coals is centered in stove.

 

[razerface]

My" burn path in coals is centered in stove.

That is what I thought it should be. I'll be investigating that corner when stove goes cold

 

[Seasoned Oak]

That is what I thought it should be. I'll be investigating that corner when stove goes cold

Might want to try the dollar bill test.

 

[razerface]

Might want to try the dollar bill test.

I did that last week, but will do it again! I want to clean the corner and look at welds too this time

 

[1kzwoman]

Might tighten door latch a bit?? Your dark spot is just above latch area isn't it?