Need help circulating air with an enviro boston 1700

[Erinu2025]

It seems odd that you can’t get higher temperatures with a full box of dry wood. What is your chimney setup? Do you have an insulated liner from stove to cap? How tall is the chimney?

Even without the stove getting to six hundred degrees, I’m surprised that there isn’t heat peaking at your ceiling. It sounds like there is decent insulation, but it does make me wonder about air infiltration. Something just doesn’t seem right, but, of course, you don’t need me to tell you that. It’s why you’re here asking questions.

The chimney is around 20 feet. I’m not sure if it’s insulated it’s the one the company installed that goes with the unit I believe. I purchased an air circulation fan and it have angled up towards the ceiling on an angle so it will blow the heat through the rafters. If I turn it off it does show at least 10 degrees hotter up there. I know the wood said under 16% moisture when split but maybe it’s still a little to wet. If I use those enviro blocks in the fireplace it burns the coals up more but still not fully. I get around 1 1/2 hours to 2 of burning them the rest of the time it’s just fighting the coals to break down so I can add more wood. I also was thinking maybe it’s just to large of an area and will never warm it up past 60’s.

 

[kborndale]

Was the wood at room temp when you tested it? If you took a cold piece from outside, split it and tested it you will get a false reading.

 

[begreen]

Where and how is the insert temp being measured? Can you post a picture of a full load of wood right after loading?

 

[lml999]

Once your stove gets to 400 degrees, with your stove door fully closed and the air flow minimized (sliding handle on the bottom right, all the way in), what do your flames look like? Are they still big and rolling, or do you get lazy flames that aren't attached to the wood?

If you're still getting big/rolling flames, your fire is getting way too much air. The door latch has to be firmly pushed down, your air control has to be all the way in. If that's the case, then you need to test your gasket. With a cold stove, put a dollar bill between the door and the stove body and try to pull it out. Try this all the way around the door. If it comes out easily, your gasket needs replacing.

I think your stove is getting too much air, which is why you're not getting heat and are getting too much charcoal developing.

 

[Woody Stover]

100 acres so we have tons of free wood.

It’s basically all coals

Most likely reason for excess coals is wet wood, as was mentioned. Dry wood burns down to ash much quicker.
With a big woodlot to work, go out and get small <8" standing dead trees with the bark falling off. That stuff will be pretty dry already, and if you split and stack it with the top covered, letting the wind blow through the sides, it should work well next winter. You might be able to burn some of it now; Sometimes it can be 18% when you cut it.
Get a bunch of wood split and stacked now, to take advantage of the spring winds.

 

[illini81]

I have a magnetic thermometer I placed on the top of the door this is where I read to place it in many posts. I also purchased a digital heat thermometer and test it in several places. I do have the blower on and a pan of water on the top. This wood that I am burning now is from a friends father and it has been seasoned since last July so about a year and a half. We did also try seasoned lumber packs from Lowe’s. The only wood blocks I can find are the ones that say dura flame they are wrapped in a foil the stores are now selling summer stuff so it’s hard to get heat items at this time. I het good flames and I can close the air control all the way down and the flame just rolls along the top but it seems like it makes more coals this way. Then when the temp starts to drop down I do oot really have much space to load more wood maybe only a piece of two of thin sliced wood.

A magnetic thermometer will not give you accurate temperature readings with this stove. The Boston is a jacketed stove, which just means that it is a box within a box. When you check temps, you want to make sure you are checking the temperature of the interior box, which is the firebox. This is harder to do on a jacketed stove. The only surface of the firebox that you can easily access on the Boston is the top surface, underneath the outer jacket. I point my IR gun underneath the outer jacket onto the top surface of the firebox, and back near the flue collar. I attached a pic that might be helpful.