I've got a PE vista, its got a smaller firebox. I put what I believe to be a piece of oak (not big, bout 2x4 and 16 long) and some other piece of wood in for reloading. After a bit the stove is just over 600 on the Rutland thermometer. Air was down, and I've got newbie wood. How would I go about loading for the night, if that's happening with a small load? Tthanks!
soooo....
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What was your primary at? how long?
I can get my stove roaring with a small load, and controlled with a big load. It all depends on how I want it.
If I load her up, like I did this morning with White Oak, I get a long hot burn, without over firing the stove. How?
Ok, from coals in the stove, not an over-abundance but some. Load her up with air open all the way. Leave air open all the way until wood is charred (15-20 minutes) nicely. (usually flue gas temps are between 600-800 at this point) Close air down 25-50 % depending on the look of the fire. Another 5 - 10 minutes, close air down another 25 %. Another 5-10 minutes she is either completely closed down or primary is only open a smidge. I am now in cruise control for the next 8 - 10 hours. Lather, rinse repeat. Of course YMMV but, that is how I do it.
I can get my stove roaring with a small load, and controlled with a big load. It all depends on how I want it.
If I load her up, like I did this morning with White Oak, I get a long hot burn, without over firing the stove. How?
Ok, from coals in the stove, not an over-abundance but some. Load her up with air open all the way. Leave air open all the way until wood is charred (15-20 minutes) nicely. (usually flue gas temps are between 600-800 at this point) Close air down 25-50 % depending on the look of the fire. Another 5 - 10 minutes, close air down another 25 %. Another 5-10 minutes she is either completely closed down or primary is only open a smidge. I am now in cruise control for the next 8 - 10 hours. Lather, rinse repeat. Of course YMMV but, that is how I do it.
shawneyboy said:
I do exactly as Shawneyboy indicated - when the weather is cold - during shoulder season burns, I might leave the air open longer. It takes time to figure out how best to run your stove, but you'll get there. Need to find the sweet spot between smoldering the fire and letting the fire roar and losing heat up the flue. Cheers!
shawneyboy said:
I didn't have the air open very long at all, 10 maybe 15 minutes...I didnt think i would get past 400.... Was watching TV and I heard the stove pinging so I looked and it was just over 600.... I'm also not sure of the overfire temp on my insert, so I have to go through the book again. I didn't see one the first 40x I looked. I am cleaning my flex tonight for the second time in about 3 weeks...Trying to get into good habbits...And like Jake says, As a FF you dont want a run at your house.
Sounds like you are reloading on a good hot coal bed and the new load is taking off and outgassing faster than is optimal.
I would try opening the air a bit before the reload to let some of the coal bed burn down. Also, I would use larger diameter splits/rounds for longer burns. Larger logs seem to burn a little slower in my stove.
-SF
I would try opening the air a bit before the reload to let some of the coal bed burn down. Also, I would use larger diameter splits/rounds for longer burns. Larger logs seem to burn a little slower in my stove.
-SF
As SlyFerret and others have said . . . you may be reloading too soon . . . wait longer before adding the wood.
If you have too many coals you can open the air up and burn down the coals . . . but that seems wasteful to me . . . I usually just wait a little longer before reloading unless I need the heat . . . in which case I would add a single small split and open up the air . . . and wait for the coals to burn down.
If you have too many coals you can open the air up and burn down the coals . . . but that seems wasteful to me . . . I usually just wait a little longer before reloading unless I need the heat . . . in which case I would add a single small split and open up the air . . . and wait for the coals to burn down.
Use larger splits, Esp for overnight burns. Will take some experimentation, but cut the air back earlier. Just make sure it ain't smoldering. There is a fine line between a good burn and it going south and smoldering. You will find that line in time and also in time, we all learn our stoves, how to push them, how to cruise them, how to persuade them to burn to our needs.
2x4 size plaits are small in my book, and would do the same in my stove. But if you learn when to cut the air back, that will greatly reduce your issues.
And yes, of course loading on a smaller bed of coals will help also.
If you notice your coal bed getting deeper & deeper, and being able to put less and less wood in. There are a couple reasons.
Your burning wet wood and/or your burning alot of hardwood and not being patient to let the coals burn down, and instead loading too frequently. Which some of us do/did trying to keep the same temps inside when the weather turns more bitter cold.
I myself have learned I have to more flexible with indoor temps when heating with wood. The temp variances are much greater than a set it and forget it NG, LP, Oil furnace, boiler etc. I may put a pair of sweats and a sweat shirt on at night, etc. The temp swings when heating with wood grow as the temp outside goes down. That is part of heating with wood.
2x4 size plaits are small in my book, and would do the same in my stove. But if you learn when to cut the air back, that will greatly reduce your issues.
And yes, of course loading on a smaller bed of coals will help also.
If you notice your coal bed getting deeper & deeper, and being able to put less and less wood in. There are a couple reasons.
Your burning wet wood and/or your burning alot of hardwood and not being patient to let the coals burn down, and instead loading too frequently. Which some of us do/did trying to keep the same temps inside when the weather turns more bitter cold.
I myself have learned I have to more flexible with indoor temps when heating with wood. The temp variances are much greater than a set it and forget it NG, LP, Oil furnace, boiler etc. I may put a pair of sweats and a sweat shirt on at night, etc. The temp swings when heating with wood grow as the temp outside goes down. That is part of heating with wood.
I'm not familiar with your stove. 600 stovetop temp is probably still within the safe zone. Those rutland thermometers usually show the temp ranges for stack temp on single wall stove pipe, so don't worry too much about the temp range labels.
Hopefully someone who knows about your model will comment.
Also, the results you are seeing make me think maybe your wood isn't so bad. Try experimenting with different size splits and see if you can zero in on the sweet spot.
Something else to keep in mind is that weather can affect operation. Outside temp, humidity, and wind can all affect draft, and in turn, how your stove runs.
Woodburning is an art, not a science. Sounds like you are doing pretty well so far, actually.
-SF
Hopefully someone who knows about your model will comment.
Also, the results you are seeing make me think maybe your wood isn't so bad. Try experimenting with different size splits and see if you can zero in on the sweet spot.
Something else to keep in mind is that weather can affect operation. Outside temp, humidity, and wind can all affect draft, and in turn, how your stove runs.
Woodburning is an art, not a science. Sounds like you are doing pretty well so far, actually.
-SF
I also want to echo hogwildz comment about indoor temp ranges. I try to keep the house between 72 and 78, but sometimes peak just over 80, and sometimes as low as 64 in the morning.
-SF
-SF
SlyFerret said:
I know there is lots of factors, I haven't really burned oak as of yet cause it was just delivered maybe 4 months ago. My only saving grace is that its split kinda small if you will, there are no good size splits. Plus, I am not terribly good with wood ID. So the stuff I've been using during shoulder season hasn't gotten the stove up that high. I even got the curing paint smell a bit last night, so I hit a new temp. Proud now, at the time I was worried. Not sure bout what...Damaging the stove????
600 should be fine in the Vista. I regularly run mine at about 550, peaking at 600. I've had it as high as 650 with no apparent issues. To get a longer burn, rake the coals to the front, pack some splits in the back, put one or two on the coals in front, keep the air open until the ones in front catch, move the air to half until the fronts of the ones in back are charred, then close it all the way. Make sure you have some good secondary flames going (coming down from the top of the firebox) and you should be good for the next 4 to 6 hours (it is a small stove). By raking the coals forward you help burn them down and you're not putting the splits in back on coals so they won't burn as fast.
fredarm said:
That might be one issue, I didn't do the rake foward thing...I Put the splits right on the big ol' flaming charcoal....But now that I think about it, prior to reload the splits I had in the back on a E/W load were not burned all the was down, but my temp was dropig.....Is this normal, not enough air? Don't want to waste fuel...Its that learn thing again...
That is the problem I had with EW burns and pulling the coals forward, the one in the back was always just 1/2 unburnt charcoal.
We leave it there and burn it, unless is a spring time scrub and we might not reload again. Just prefer not having it sit here for a few months 
Doing The Dixie Eyed Hustle said:We leave it there and burn it, unless is a spring time scrub and we might not reload again. Just prefer not having it sit here for a few months
Springtime scrub? LMAO, what is that? This biach ain't getting scrubbed! She can lay there and be the dirty thang she is!
Hogwildz said:Doing The Dixie Eyed Hustle said:We leave it there and burn it, unless is a spring time scrub and we might not reload again. Just prefer not having it sit here for a few months
Springtime scrub? LMAO, what is that? This biach ain't getting scrubbed! She can lay there and be the dirty thang she is!
Remember this when I reference it in a year or so.
*snicker*
Doing The Dixie Eyed Hustle said:Hogwildz said:Doing The Dixie Eyed Hustle said:We leave it there and burn it, unless is a spring time scrub and we might not reload again. Just prefer not having it sit here for a few months
Springtime scrub? LMAO, what is that? This biach ain't getting scrubbed! She can lay there and be the dirty thang she is!
Remember this when I reference it in a year or so.
*snicker*
I can't remember last week, let alone a year ago.
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