Most users don't experience this. Most are able to run the stove with full loads daily. Our stove is burning through one now.
Looking for some advice on new Alderlea T6
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I feel like running smaller loads defeats the purpose. Maybe my thought process is wrong, but I want to be able to load the thing full and not worry that its gonna be an uncontrollable bomb. For an expensive stove I kinda wish I went a different route as I cannot figure this thing out. From what I can gather it seems like the newer 2020 models are what people are complaining are way too hot.
Maybe I am wrong, but I am thinking the newer models are different than the old ones and run way hotter because of having to meet epa stuff. Probably more air being forced in or something by design.
Does your stove have the 3 holes underneath? Main hole which the lever shuts or opens, boost air hole, and another identical hole next to it. I am wondering where that hole next to the boost air feeds in at. Maybe its the same as the hole that the lever connects to but is always open.
Also I wonder if the previous models of that hole. Or if its new to meet epa stuff.
The older ones also had to meet EPA regs. We have a neighbor with a new 2020 T6. I've seen it run and it's well behaved. They burn the same wood that we burn, mostly Doug fir.
I’m the OP on this thread and have a new 2020 model. I’ve got about the strongest draft conditions possible - nearly 30’ interior chimney with insulated liner, cold temperatures, wind, etc. Covering the boost air hole completely solved all of the overdraft issues. The damper I had installed is now basically unnecessary. The only few times I’ve used it have been times I’ve gotten distracted with something after reloading and coming back to flue temps approaching 900f. When that’s happened, I just close the air control fully and close the damper fully and it pretty much puts the fire out to the point that the flue does down to 600f within a few minutes. I can then reopen the damper and slowly reopen the air control until I reestablish a good flame. I do not use the damper under normal operation, and I load the firebox completely full, even under very cold conditions (our coldest temp this winter was -16f air temp, -35 wind chill, and I could load it fully and have complete control over the stove).
I would suggest that if you have the boost air covered and still can only load 3 splits without it overfiring, there’s something else going on… what’s your procedure on a reload? When do you start closing the air control? Do you have probe thermometer in your flue?
I installed a damper, covered both intake holes and with the stove lever turn 90% down on a loaded stove my flue is 900degrees and stove top now 700. Before the damper the flue temps would easily be 1200 or more. So it has helped me some, but I was hoping it would of helped more. Yes I have a probe 18" up in my double wall pipe. I close the air down in increments fairly early. I do not wait for it to get super hot then shut it down.
Some how, I think my draft is still too strong. I measured it with it shut all the way down and both intake holes covered and its .14 inches of water which is over what PE says it should be. I did a new door gasket and doubled up the baffle gasket last week. I am not sure what else to do.
At what flue temp do you start closing the air? As soon as mine crosses from the yellow to the orange zone on my condar probe (300-400F) I close the air by about 1/3. Then once it climbs to about 500 I’ll close it down another 1/3 (so it’s only about 1/3 open at this point). From there I just go by feel but try to keep the flue temp around 600-700. Obviously every stove performs differently but I’m just giving an example.
Are you getting this 900 flue temp with the damper fully closed and the air closed 90%? I couldn’t tell for sure what you meant.
Once it hits orange zone I think 400 I start turning it down maybe to the halfway position on the stove lever. Wait 5 mins turn down again, repeat till it’s either all the way down or maybe just 10% open.
900 flue temp last night with both the boost hole and hole next to it completely covered with foil tape. Stove Pipe damper all the way closed and the stove damper lever in the closed position letting just a tad bit of air in. (90% closed)
How thick are you splits of wood and what type of wood , hardwood or softwood? Moisture content? Is it super dry?
Last night was three probably 4inch ish oak logs with oak two splits on top. The fullest I have done all winter. I don’t know moisture content. But it’s oak that atleast two years old stacked on a pallet with tarp on top.
If you turn down your stove all the way, would your fire actually go out? Do you have any intake holes covered?
I start closing the air down as soon as the flame starts licking the baffle reliably. Like when the flames hit it for 20-30 seconds straight and the baffle starts to heat up.
By your description I’m wondering do you cross stack the wood in the stove? Like 3 splits north-south and then 2 splits east-west on top? From my experience that promotes too much airflow and the fire tends to take off more. But honestly I’m not sure haha I’m just trying to think of anything at this point.
I’d recommend loading it with thicker splits (if you have any) and trying to load them in a way where there is minimal air gaps between the splits. You don’t need to fill the firebox full since you don’t know if you’ll have control at this point, but load like 4-5 large splits in and don’t leave any air gaps between the splits, and also close the air down even sooner than you are. Don’t give up on it yet, keep trying. If you have to close the air off completely after like 2 minutes, then so be it haha.
To answer your question, no. If I close the air fully it doesn’t snuff out the flame. It definitely slows it down though, and if I close it off too suddenly it can slow it down too much to where I have to reopen it to get secondary combustion. I actually run the stove in normal operation with the air fully closed.
When you close the air in stages like you described, does it make a noticeable difference in the flame? It should… but before I covered the boost air hole it wouldn’t. Before doing that, it would be like every single log in the firebox was shooting flame up. Now with it covered, there is really only flame above the wood from the secondaries and a bit of flame coming up the the middle area of the firebox from the wood. The bottom logs won’t be aflame now with the boost air covered.
No I don’t cross stack the wood. Usually I lay whole logs down and then one or two splits on top. I’ll try really getting the wood close together to stop air gaps.
Before I covered the boost hole, no, shutting down the air lever wouldn’t really do much. It looked like raging inferno of secondaries and every log on fire. It helped but still gets really hot and still flames from the wood. Right now im kinda liking the boost air hole covered, and partially the hole next to it. Can get some nice secondaries without much or no flames from wood. But it still gets hot! I’ll keep at it of packing the wood and turning down early.
I put this ICC brand damper on but now I’m not really sure it’s doing much. It seems so open compared to other dampers. When I open or close it I do not see any change in fire behavior.
Before I covered the boost hole, no, shutting down the air lever wouldn’t really do much. It looked like raging inferno of secondaries and every log on fire. It helped but still gets really hot and still flames from the wood. Right now im kinda liking the boost air hole covered, and partially the hole next to it. Can get some nice secondaries without much or no flames from wood. But it still gets hot! I’ll keep at it of packing the wood and turning down early.
I put this ICC brand damper on but now I’m not really sure it’s doing much. It seems so open compared to other dampers. When I open or close it I do not see any change in fire behavior.
Yes, that brand damper lets a lot of flue gas pass. Block off one side of the damper with stainless. Once the digital probe is in place the change should be more apparent.
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