Need a procedure . . . !

[scotsman]

Okay, y'all--here's the deal. I'm trying to determine if all my gasket sealing around the cat has made a difference and the new cat is working (or not). In order to do that, I need info on how to run a test burn. Last night I set a personal best for a top temp of 450! :lol: We aren't having cold enough temps to make high temp test burns pleasant, but I need to be ready when we hit the 20s 'cause we probably won't have much more of them.

Usually I load, get the wood fully involved with intake and pipe damper at full open, wait til the flue temp reaches 300 (min), engage the cat and shut the air to just barely open, leaving the damper full open. The top temp is usually showing about 200 to 250 at cat engage, but then comes up to between 350 and 400 and no higher for the duration. That's why last night was such a surprise. Last night left the air full open longer and the stove started roaring, vibrating the connecting pipe and sounding like a train was just outside the window. The flue temp was near 500, the top temp was at 450, but that stove gets plumb scary when it's at full tilt, so I cut it back to just open intake, with pipe damper still full open. Top temp dropped to its customary 350-400 range and stayed there! Am I cutting it back too far?

Bear in mind that we're using the same wood (very dry heavy oak pallet pieces and 1000 year-old cedar) that was used with the FV--which would go to 600+ in no time with the procedure just described. So, how do you pros do it? I have some splits that I need to use for the official test, but need to know what to do before I use 'em, thus the pre-test burn test burn. Trying to get the top up to around 600 or a bit more and the flue temp to drop. Is that the right objective?

When the air is cut to zero (with the cat engaged) things rock along for a while with lazy flame and secondaries and then the box goes dark, with lots of wood still left. If left long enough, the stove will give off a loud CHUUFF as the flames come back. Sounds like something from my "reverse operation" days, when the cat would light and the gases would "explode".

Make it a "cookbook" procedure and use small words so th' Texas Boy can understand, okay? Pictures I can color would also be nice! I have a brand new box of crayons!! Thanks--

 

[Wade A.]

"Am I cutting it back too far?"

I'm thinking: Yes.

 

[Waulie]

Hi Terry:

I'm certainly not a pro, but I've been running the Progress for a couple months now. First of all, a 600 stove top on the Progress seems to be rare for me. Granted, I'm not really ever trying to get there as the stove is throwing lots of heat once over 500. I also don't have a pipe damper of even a flue thermo. Here's my method from a reload at say a top temp of 200 to 250:

1. Load up the stove depending on how much heat is needed and for how long. Usually, a couple of small splits and the rest large splits. Since you're asking about getting the stove real hot, let's say I load it completely full.

2. If needed, I usually leave the door cracked just until I see flame, then I shut the door with the bypass open and the draft full open.

3. After the flames really take off and the wood is a bit charred, I close the draft about half way.

4. Depending on how the fire looks, I may notch the draft down a bit more.

5. When stove top temp is approaching 300, I close the bypass.

6a. This step depends on what I'm shooting for. If I want the most overall heat, I'll leave the draft where it was when I closed the bypass until the firebox is fully ranging and the secondaries have taken off. Then, I'll close the draft to about 1/4" open. Sit back and watch the spectacular show for a couple hours, then I'll typically close the draft almost completely.

6b. If I want a low, slow burn, I will close the draft to almost completely closed just a minute or two after closing the bypass. Then, I'll watch the firebox. If things stay mellow in there with just lazing flames and occasional secondaries, I'll leave the draft there. If the secondaries get cranking a bit too much, I'll shut it completely.

Note that the stove top temp doesn't tell the whole story. On a full load of would, I can get the secondaries really cranking and get a ton of heat with the top maxing out around 520 to 550. On a low cat burn, the top might get above 550, but I'm getting way less heat.

I don't think the "whoofing" is necessarily a bad thing. The stove is meant to switch from cat to secondaries during a mid-range burn. You just don't want to turn the stove down too much too fast as the whoofing can become a bit violent is that instance. I'd say as long as the whoofs are mild and you aren't getting any backpuffing, you are good to go.

I really don't understand why you've had such a hard time getting the Progress up to temp, but I wish you the best of luck in your tests!

 

[Todd]

So before you engage your running wide open? I think your woofing may be caused by your super dry wood and going from wide open to engaging the cat. Try cutting the air back to half or more before engaging the cat to let the pressure equalize. Probably cutting the air back too soon after you engage as well. Give it a little more time to get going before you cut it back for that long burn.

 

[scotsman]

So before you engage your running wide open? I think your woofing may be caused by your super dry wood and going from wide open to engaging the cat. Try cutting the air back to half or more before engaging the cat to let the pressure equalize. Probably cutting the air back too soon after you engage as well. Give it a little more time to get going before you cut it back for that long burn.

Okay, will give that a try. Thanks, Todd!