Normal flame pattern for damped down air?

[Amin1992]

Hey guys. First year with a wood stove! Thought I was getting the hang of it but now I'm confused.

It's now finally out of shoulder season and I'm packing the stove with oak in cold weather (30s).

Now, even with the air control all the way down, I'm getting fast flame patterns.

Before it seemed when it was damped down I got slow, ghostly flames.

Is this normal? I checked my door gasket with a dollar bill - totally tight. The glass also seems fine. Stove is only from 2017 (we bought last year) so not sure if something is up or what.

Thanks guys I appreciate it.

 

[Amin1992]

Just took a second video 5 minutes later. Sorry for all the background noise.

 

[thebaron23]

Possibly more draft now that it's colder?

On really cold nights my T5 with a 20 foot straight pipe with the air control all the way closed cruises at 700 internal stack temp.

 

[Sean in the woods]

I am still learning my self. Hopefully some with more experience will come along soon.

What I see from the videos is a lively fire. It could be that the stove’s draft is more that you expect due to the cold outside temps. This would suck mor air through the fire.

Could be that the wood you had before was not seasoned as well as this load.


Edit:
Is see that @thebaron23 was quicker on the send button while I was still typing.

 

[Amin1992]

Damn! Then maybe that's it. Good point on the draft with colder temps.

Just alarmed me as the flames looked like they were whipping and I thought that could indicate an air leak.

Thanks bud

 

[firefighterjake]

Very normal with cooler weather . . . just wait until you get the "Oh #%@& I've opened a portal to hell in my woodstove" secondaries . . .

 

[Amin1992]

Thank you for the peace of mind. What about the colder weather does this?

 

[Highbeam]

Thank you for the peace of mind. What about the colder weather does this?

Stronger draft due to denser cold air outside with the same or even warmer air in the flue trying to bubble out. This stronger suction from your stove chimney will pull even more air than normal through all of the uncontrollable holes in a noncat stove and can really accelerate combustion.

 

[WoodBurnerInWI]

This is my stove when its super cold and air is nearly fully shut:

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This was taken last winter on a below zero night. My chimney height is 15 feet.

 

[kennyp2339]

Looks good to me, secondary's are going to do what they want to do, but the primary flames (coming off the bottom of split) seem ok, could be a hair slower but take what you got.

 

[Amin1992]

Thanks all. Guess it's just odd as just a month ago the flames were much slower and ghostly, even though it was colder then!

Attached a video from 4 weeks ago, when weather was in the 20s. This is how it always behaved regardless of weather (20s to 50s). Currently in 30s and still behaving like in original video posts - fast flickers, no slow ghost flames.

Made me think there an air leak but guess I just need to get used to the new norm.

Again sorry for video audio haha

 

[Grizzerbear]

My man with the funky beats lol. Looks good to me.

 

[Amin1992]

Haha thanks for the compliment.

That video is from a month ago when I didn't think I had an issue. Slow, secondary burn flames.

Videos posted in original post are what I'm seeing now. What do you think of those?

 

[kennyp2339]

Haha thanks for the compliment.

That video is from a month ago when I didn't think I had an issue. Slow, secondary burn flames.

Videos posted in original post are what I'm seeing now. What do you think of those?

Between your 3 videos you have 2 different stages of fire, the first 2 being the growth stage then the last with the music (had to click on it lol) is the decay stage where most of he vigorous off gassing of the wood is done.

 

[Amin1992]

OK I see. So just a month ago, in similar weather, I would very easily reach that decay phase you're referencing (the funky fire lol).

Now my fires are in that growing phase the entire time, until they burn the wood down to coals.

Any thoughts on what caused this? I appreciate your advice!

 

[john26]

Try packing the fire box a little tighter less air gaps on the bottom try placing the logs running the same direction.

 

[Grizzerbear]

Higher winds, maybe your wood is a little better seasoned than last year, maybe your stove temps are running a little hotter than last year, these things all make secondary action more intense. Like kenny said in the first two videos the top piece of wood is still in the charred black stage which normally is when it of gasses the most. Once it ashes over it starts to decrease. And as john26 said...to slow the air movement down try packing the wood a little tighter by laying them all in same direction.if you lay them e\w and you feel it isnt getting good enough air movement try the "tunnel of love" in the ashes under the wood. All the air movement around granted that one piece decreases your control a little. ThisAlso if your door gasket was leaking, your glass would probably be sooting up in the area of the leak ime. Also could it be a different wood species than last year?

 

[Amin1992]

Thanks for all this advice.

Im trying to get to the bottom of this as best as I can. This is my first year with the wood stove. Wood species all seasoned and the same. And this "effect" just started within the last week or 2.

Weather is normal, wind normal - no different than it has been.

Orientation of wood is normal too. It feels like a totally different stove all of a sudden. From October to last week or so, the air control would affect the flame pattern, size, and "flicker" greatly. Now it seems like it's barely doing anything from top to bottom.

It's weird. I'll roll with it but I notice that my burn times are decreased and I do miss the slow, ghostly flames it used to put off.

It just feels like a leak to me. I took off the side panel to see how the burn control lever works - things are moving but I don't have enough experience to be able to tell if anything is wrong.

 

[Amin1992]

Had another thought. This was a brand new stainless steel liner.

Is it possible that now that the inside is getting coated with soot, it's restricting the volume of the liner and causing increased velocity of air/draft? Wasn't sure if these worked in the same way if you put your finger over a garden hose it increases pressure.

 

[Grizzerbear]

When was the new liner installed and is it taller than the old liner?

 

[Amin1992]

It's a bit of a long story, but long story short I have no experience with this stove before the new liner.

We bought the house last year and it was installed incorrectly. Stove is 3 years old, was barely used according to old owners - it was slammed into the fireplace opening, no liner. Just terra cotta flue. I didn't use it until the new liner was installed in Aug.

From Aug to about a week ago, it behaved pretty much the same regardless of outside temp.

 

[Grizzerbear]

Have the outside temps fallen dramatically in the last week while operating. As it gets colder outside the draft will increase. I would guess that now that we are getting in to winter with more routinely colder days you are experiencing this difference. I know with my setup that the difference of a day in the fifties and a day in the thirties is a big difference. It really changes where my low point is on my air control.
Edit: good call on not operating the stove until getting a liner as well.

 

[Amin1992]

Normally Id think that but it was pretty warm here this past weekend - temps in the 40s/30s. 2 weeks ago we had freezing temps in the 20s/30s and it was not behaving this way.

Apparently these Heatilators are quite similar to the Quadrafire inserts. I think what Quadra calls the Automatic air control (AAC) is stuck open and allowing increased air but I have to see

 

[john26]

Apparently these Heatilators are quite similar to the Quadrafire inserts. I think what Quadra calls the Automatic air control (AAC) is stuck open and allowing increased air but I have to see

Yes I believe they are identical units owned by Hearth and Home technologies I believe some of the heatilator products were discontinued now only under the quad line. I remember an older quad thread about ACC being stuck or not closing fast enough.

 

[begreen]

Fires vary all the time. It's is not like a pellet stove that one sets and forgets. Even with the same species of wood there can be variations depending on the age and part of the tree it came from or even the moisture and fertility of the soil the tree grew up on. And there are many variations in how one loads and starts the fire, plus how quickly the air is turned down. And yes, weather affects the fire as well, with outside temperature and barometric pressure. This is what makes wood heating an art as well as a function.