Stove not giving off enough heat

[LAndrim]

Hi Everyone, need some help figuring out why my stove is giving off less heat than it used to.

Lennox County Canyon ( THE BEAST), 12 years old. Gave off SUPER heat first 5-6 years, now, not so much, Can't figure out why.

1. Only burn very seasoned wood
2. I've replace cracked, broken firebricks
3. Have replaced the blanket and baffle boards.

Nothing has changed in my house. Any advice would be appreciated, and Happy Holidays to all!
Jamie

 

[stoveliker]

Is it burning less vigorously or the opposite too quick instead?
When have you last cleaned the flue? Can you see the cap? How tall is the flue?

What is "very seasoned wood"? (Do you know how dry it is?)

 

[TradEddie]

As always, we will question "well seasoned". If your wood has not been split and stacked for two years, assume it is not seasoned, no matter what the seller promised. What type of wood,and how long has it been split and stacked?

Now, if wood isn't the issue, are you getting good secondaries, or are they too good, or is the wood just hard to light and burn? Have you checked your baffles/blankets, are they flush and secure, did you re-install properly? What about air supply, could something have been sucked in and blocked an inlet? Door gaskets leaking? Have you tried to vacuum/blow out the convection passages?

TE

 

[begreen]

Definitely check the chimney cap for plugging, especially if it has a screen. In the stove. Also check the insulation blanket to make sure it didn't get bunched up toward the back of the stove so that it's partially blocking the flue outlet.

Last, has anything changed in the house like addtional sealing, new windows, or other tightening up? New exhaust fan(s)?

 

[LAndrim]

Thanks all! To answer our questions:
1. I season hardwood for two years and check water content with moisture meter: always under 10%
2. Chimney sweep comes every year
3. Wood fires up nicely
4. Insulation blanket in proper position, not bunched

The only way I can get the heat output I used to get is to over fire ( up to 800 on thermometer in the stack) And of course I DO NOT RUN IT AT THAT TEMP!

Is the stove just too old? Do stoves lose their "umph" after many years?

Thanks for any more responses and Happy Christmas!

 

[all night moe]

With a 10% moisture reading, in PA, sounds sketchy.
To check: make sure split is at room temperature. Split in half and insert prongs of meter parallel with the grain, on the fresh split.
Any other method will result in a false reading.

I understand you said "wood fires up nicely' but, that reading is super low. Especially on the east coast. If it is oak, 2 years is not enough drying time.

 

[all night moe]

Only other possibility is a draft issue, as stated by members above.

 

[stoveliker]

So, is the burning behavior (how flames respond to air settings) the same but heat output is not?

 

[bikedennis]

I had a chimney sweep years ago that did not clean the cap.

 

[begreen]

With a 10% moisture reading, in PA, sounds sketchy.

Yes, that is very hard to achieve, usually only showing up in cabinet and flooring grade wood. If the flue and cap are really clean then I suspect the wood is not fully seasoned at it's core in spite of being dry on the outside. This could be due to improper testing for moisture content or a defective or poor meter.

One thing to try, open a nearby window an inch. Does this brighten the fire notably and increase heat output?

 

[LAndrim]

Tried the window open bit, not much change. I'm going to assume it's the wood, even though I've had it stacked in my carport for over two years. Thanks to all, and merry christmas!

 

[begreen]

If the wood is dense oak, it may need more air circulation to dry.
The Canyon is a serious heating beast. As a test, try adding several, dry 2x4 cutoffs to the fire to liven it up and produce more heat.

 

[LAndrim]

Thanks! I did check a number of the splits with my moisture meter: they all come in under 10! The stacks (yes, some oak, but also mixed hardwoods) are under my carport, so they don't get wet, and definitely two years plus in age. I can tell just by picking them up how lite they weigh.

I'll have to get to Home Depot tomorrow to get a 2x4 and cut it. And just so I understand, what will the 2x4s burn tell me? Thanks much and Merry Christmas

 

[all night moe]

I did check a number of the splits with my moisture meter:

Can you describe your process?

they all come in under 10!

There is an error here for wood seasoned 2 years on the east coast.
Unless your splits are very small.

The stacks (yes, some oak,

Oak takes 3 yrs to be seasoned properly. The outside may be dry, hence it "3. wood fires up nicely."
When you burn past that, you're putting the fire out with moisture from the oak split's core.

 

[brenndatomu]

IMO there is no way 2 year CSS (in a carport...with closed in sides?) oak is 10% in Philly...zero. It takes 3 years to get green oak ready to burn IME. It just does not want to give up it's moisture.
I'm betting the wood is being tested on end grain, or at least on the outside. It must be resplit and tested on the freshly exposed face, preferably on room temp wood, and with pins parallel to the wood grain, in the center of the split.
Either this, or the meter is junk.

 

[brenndatomu]

I'll have to get to Home Depot tomorrow to get a 2x4 and cut it. And just so I understand, what will the 2x4s burn tell me

Kiln dried pine burns vigorously.
Check their cull rack, you can buy that wood for pennies on the dollar...or go dumpster diving....plenty of free BTUs have been scrounged from dumpsters...or look for businesses giving away free used pallets...those can be broken down and used for free firewood too...they are usually very dry, even if rained on they dry quickly under shelter.

 

[Eman85]

I'd stop at Tractor Supply and buy some of the bricks they sell for wood stoves and see how hot it gets.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Could you have changed? Have you lost weight? As we get older, we tend to like it warmer.

 

[BillBurns]

My wood I burn is under 10%, but its all kiln dries pine from a custom moulding shop. It burns clean, but not very long, lol. One time I had this issue and it seemed to help to clean out more ashes than I normally do. May have been a fluke, I dont know but it worked.

 

[TradEddie]

I'm outside Philly too, and in this area Oak is only barely burnable after two years in perfect conditions. Hickory is even slower. Year 3 is a whole different story. That's for Oak cut down in Winter, it would be worse for wood cut when the tree is growing.

TE