PE Alderlea T5 operating tips?

[Woody Stover]

I'll sometimes pull the coals to a line in the middle, front to back, then put a few smaller splits of soft Maple or other faster-burning wood on the coals to kick off the load quicker. Sounds like you have good air control, so you can put the hammer to some softwoods getting up to temp, then cut it back for a controlled burn when you need to.
I think you have access to softwoods, and then some longer-burning stuff like Doug Fir, right?
As I said, I have to be careful that I don't get too much wood burning at first, or she's going 700+. It's hard to reel it back in at that point. Others seem to have more control available with the air lever.
I just received the blower today. That won't give us more control, but will give us a way to keep the temp down if we over-shoot on the startup. She's still worried the stove top will go too much past 700 if she loads a lot of wood, but she's gotten away with small loads so far since it hasn't been real cold. Me, I don't think it will go much past 700 since I put in the second flue damper. If it got to single digits out, might be a different story.
Last couple of burns, my control is getting better, but I haven't loaded the box all the way yet..

 

[mar13]

Try raking them forward and center next time.

That takes advantage of the air boost that's just below the center of the window to heat up the coals.

I just received the blower today

I'll ask you some questions about this off line.

 

[Woody5506]

I always rake coals forward before reloading, and try to keep ash away from the lower air boost that Mar mentioned.

 

[thunderhead]

Try raking them forward and center next time.

Thanks everyone! Got a 9 hour burn last night... maybe a little longer but I reloaded after 9. I raked the coals, put in some big doug fir splits, filled the gaps with little splits, turned it down fairly aggressively(maybe still not agressively enough?), and got what felt like good heat most of the night and a little heat towards the end plus enough coals leftover from the biggest split for an easy restart just now. Thanks for your help!

Is it ok for the baffle to glow a dull red during the peak outgassing phase after a full reload? It looks like STT peaked at around 700 and I got the all night burn so I suspect thats OK?

Thanks!

 

[Samsquanch]

Thanks everyone! Got a 9 hour burn last night... maybe a little longer but I reloaded after 9. I raked the coals, put in some big doug fir splits, filled the gaps with little splits, turned it down fairly aggressively(maybe still not agressively enough?), and got what felt like good heat most of the night and a little heat towards the end plus enough coals leftover from the biggest split for an easy restart just now. Thanks for your help!

Is it ok for the baffle to glow a dull red during the peak outgassing phase after a full reload? It looks like STT peaked at around 700 and I got the all night burn so I suspect thats OK?

Thanks!

I definitely notice a dull glow to the baffle during the peak part of outgassing on a big load (particularly softwood), more so the side rails. No harm done yet, so hopefully it’s okay! It’s not a bright glow by any stretch, but noticeable with the lights off when the secondaries are givin’er. Getting all of the old coals raked to the front on a reload seems to really help with evening out the rapid outgassing and lead to a more “front to back” burn. As others mentioned, just be careful not to bury the air manifold under the door with ash. It’s worth lifting it out to have a peek in there periodically in case stuff falls in.

 

[Samsquanch]

Oh and 700STT as a peak on a full load sounds pretty normal, maybe a touch high but not at all worth worrying about. 650 as measured with an IR gun seems to be the happy place for ours to peak for max efficiency, but, the magnetic thermometers can have a fair bit of error in them (ours reads about 100 degrees high). Sounds like you’re getting pretty good runs with it already!

 

[Woody Stover]

Got a 9 hour burn last night... maybe a little longer but I reloaded after 9. I raked the coals, put in some big doug fir splits, filled the gaps with little splits, turned it down fairly aggressively(maybe still not agressively enough?), and got what felt like good heat most of the night and a little heat towards the end plus enough coals leftover from the biggest split for an easy restart just now. Thanks for your help!
Is it ok for the baffle to glow a dull red during the peak outgassing phase after a full reload? It looks like STT peaked at around 700 and I got the all night burn so I suspect thats OK?

Being east of the Mighty Mississip, I'm unfamiliar with how Doug Fir coals but I'm guessing not too much since it's a conifer..? The Red and White Oak we're burning here coals well, and the stove keeps tossing heat for a long time on the coals. I'll catch it at the end of a burn, not a lot of coals left, and the stove top will still be around 300.
What are your stove and flue temps when you have secondary beginning, and you start cutting the air? How low do you have the air cut when you call it a night, with the majority of the load still left?

Getting all of the old coals raked to the front on a reload seems to really help with evening out the rapid outgassing and lead to a more “front to back” burn. As others mentioned, just be careful not to bury the air manifold under the door with ash. It’s worth lifting it out to have a peek in there periodically in case stuff falls in.

I just haven't burned the stove enough to have experimented much..been letting my SIL burn her little five or six-split loads in this mild weather. What happens if you let the boost air manifold fill up a bit..does it slow the gassing down noticeably?
I've shoved the coals to the back a couple time, thinking that then the fire would have to fight its way upstream, against the air flow, and that would slow the gassing. Not sure if that does much..
I haven't noticed the baffle glowing yet, but I haven't stuck around long on the few occasions I've started a load for her. Maybe it takes off a little more, later, and the baffle might glow. I'll have to ask my SIL if she's seen it, but it might not be something she's looked for..

 

[mar13]

I've never seen a glow in my T5 yet. Perhaps that's from burning hardwoods (eucalyptus and tanoak) and, when reloading, I only do a stick or two at a time or rake all the coals forward if doing a larger reload.

 

[begreen]

I've never seen a glow in my T5 yet. Perhaps that's from burning hardwoods (eucalyptus and tanoak) and, when reloading, I only do a stick or two at a time or rake all the coals forward if doing a larger reload.

Burning just a few sticks at a time will keep the overall stove temp down. A bit of glow is ok, but it isn't necessary to have a 700SST each time unless the heat is really needed. Turn down the air even sooner and shoot for a 600-650 SST for our average PNW temps when burning doug fir. If you want some more coaling, try madrona, big leaf maple, cherry or apple.

 

[thunderhead]

just be careful not to bury the air manifold under the door with ash.

Thanks, I will have to doublecheck to make sure I am not doing that. What does it do when covered? More annoying startups/reloads?

I'm unfamiliar with how Doug Fir coals but I'm guessing not too much since it's a conifer..?

Im not sure how it compares with others, I'm too new at this. Seems to leave behind enough coals for my purposes. I wish I had some oak though!

Maybe it takes off a little more, later, and the baffle might glow.

Ya, mine glows around an hour after the reload.

 

[begreen]

Thanks, I will have to doublecheck to make sure I am not doing that. What does it do when covered? More annoying startups/reloads?

Depends on the setup. If top starting then the boost air is less important. If one has strong draft it can be a bit too much air.

Im not sure how it compares with others, I'm too new at this. Seems to leave behind enough coals for my purposes. I wish I had some oak though!

Locust is sometimes available in this area. It burns hot and long like oak and with a blue flame.

 

[thunderhead]

Locust is sometimes available in this area. It burns hot and long like oak and with a blue flame.

Thanks! I'll keep an eye out. What do you think of these bigleaf maples. Similar to doug fir? A little better?

 

[begreen]

Thanks! I'll keep an eye out. What do you think of these bigleaf maples. Similar to doug fir? A little better?

I like doug fir better, but big leaf maple is ok. I burned it exclusively for a couple seasons. It will coal a bit more and create more ash.

 

[thunderhead]

I like doug fir better, but big leaf maple is ok. I burned it exclusively for a couple seasons. It will coal a bit more and create more ash.

Ya, I think i'll aim mostly for the fir. Lots of them around. Ive got tons of Cedar for next year too... I guess I can't complain cause its free and so easy to move around. I'll try to split those big and leave my heavier stash for overnights.

 

[Woody Stover]

I've never seen a glow in my T5 yet. Perhaps that's from burning hardwoods (eucalyptus and tanoak) and, when reloading, I only do a stick or two at a time or rake all the coals forward if doing a larger reload.

Yeah, it seems that when I put a couple large White Oak or other dense wood in there, they gas more slowly and under control. With Doug Fir, you may want bigger splits to get a more controlled burn. But I've seen some BTU ratings for Doug that are about the same as White Oak, so I don't know. No firsthand experience with the Doug..

 

[begreen]

But I've seen some BTU ratings for Doug that are about the same as White Oak, so I don't know. No firsthand experience with the Doug..

I suspect that is in error. White oak is notably higher in most btu charts.

Page Not Found | Utah State University

 

[Woody Stover]

I suspect that is in error. White oak is notably higher in most btu charts.

Page Not Found | Utah State University

Daggone BTU charts..they are all over the place!

Firewood BTU - Chart and Information

Do you want to know what species of wood creates the most heat? Check out our firewood BTU chart!

www.firewood-for-life.com

 

[Woody5506]

I've only seen internal parts of my stove glow when I had, what I would consider, an overfire. No cracks or any damage caused by the times of this happening though, and I've never seen anything glow on the external part of the stove including stove pipe. I'm pretty certain the Alderlea stoves can take some punishment.

 

[thunderhead]

Oh ya, I should be clear there was no risk at all of external parts glowing. The portion of the baffle directly in the flame path and it's nearby supports glow a dull red on mine. I have to be right there looking up towards the secondaries to see it.

How long do your stacks smoke when you do a full reload for your overnight burns before the secondaries re-establish? 30 minutes for a cool bed of coals(STT ~300) sound about right? Is my wood not completely dry? This is my first year in this place so I had to buy wood. Reputable distributor and it is fairly dry and burns well but still its probably not as dry as my future stashes will be?

 

[Woody Stover]

I'm pretty certain the Alderlea stoves can take some punishment.

I'm hoping they took some corrective steps years back, when they had a problem with some Summit boxes cracking at the top corners (?) I don't know if they had a problem with the 27/Spectrum size boxes..

How long do your stacks smoke when you do a full reload for your overnight burns before the secondaries re-establish? 30 minutes for a cool bed of coals(STT ~300) sound about right? Is my wood not completely dry? This is my first year in this place so I had to buy wood. Reputable distributor and it is fairly dry and burns well but still its probably not as dry as my future stashes will be?

After you throw a load on a hot coal bed, then open the door after a little bit, can you hear any sizzling, or can you see any moisture on the ends of the splits? Even if you don't, it's possible that your wood may get drier and burn better by next year.
Have you played with top-down starts yet? When the coals are low, shove the rest to the back, load the box, then put smaller kindling on the top and start the fire so that it burns downward into the load. That way, the smoke from wood that is just catching, will rise into the flame above and be burned that way, until the stove gets hot enough for the secondary to kick in.

 

[thunderhead]

can you hear any sizzling, or can you see any moisture on the ends of the splits?

No, nothing like that. Its pretty dry. Maybe not as dry as my future stash is going to be, but its not bad.

 

[thunderhead]

My latest nugget of info: open trivets decrease measured peak STT by about 50F? Before i was getting peaks in the low 700s. Now with trivets open she tops out around 650, for a similar load. Do you folks notice something similar?

 

[Samsquanch]

My latest nugget of info: open trivets decrease measured peak STT by about 50F? Before i was getting peaks in the low 700s. Now with trivets open she tops out around 650, for a similar load. Do you folks notice something similar?

For sure, and about the same 50 degree swing too. It might just be a product of more airflow and/or less reflected heat acting on the magnetic thermometer. I'll have to try a comparison with the IR gun some time.

 

[Woody Stover]

open trivets decrease measured peak STT by about 50F?

Yep.

For sure, and about the same 50 degree swing too. It might just be a product of more airflow and/or less reflected heat acting on the magnetic thermometer. I'll have to try a comparison with the IR gun some time.

Hmmm, I hadn't thought of the reflected radiation to the meter. But I bet the heat gun shows an actual 50-degree drop of the stove top; The sheet metal of the meter would shield the spring, I think..

 

[thunderhead]

Sweet! Glad we are all seeing the same thing! I'd think the majority of the drop is legit drop on the STT, rather than just the instrument, since they are in contact, but that's a guess.

Thanks!