Timberline stove and burning questions

[kiowa]

Hello,
I am new to this forum and am hoping that I could get some answers on a few topics. The stove I have is a Timberline. It is new to me as I bought the house last year, the house is circa 1978. I would like to know anything you may have to offer about the stove, manufacturer or strengths / weaknesses of the design, etc. I have attached a picture of it.

I also would love to get some tips on managing burn time with the air controls I have, two air inlets in front and the stove pipe flue. I have been reading extensively on Hearth.com and woodheat.org to get up to speed, but some things just aren’t clear to me yet (slow learner?). I only have one thermometer and it is on the stove pipe about 5’ above the stove (3 feet above then a 90 degree turn then 2 feet afterwards), I try to keep my stove pipe below 350 degrees. I see a bunch of references to stove top temp, should I move it to the stove top or stove front? Or buy a second thermometer and use both?
Thanks for any help!

 

[oregonrider]

I have a schrader which is very similar. I use a condar probe in the stack because it is dbl wall and a rutland thermo on the stove top. roben.

 

[stoveguy2esw]

very nice example of that unit, i love the old style of the raised relief on the doors of those old units, it is however an older unit which doesnt have the modern clean burning technology. they certainly heat and were a very solid unit, but are not as efficient as a newer epa unit. i have to admit , if the inside is as nice as the outside the unit is in phenominal shape for a unit that old, its probably as old as the house if built in 78

 

[kiowa]

The inside is nice and clean, no warped metal and all firebricks intact.

 

[BrotherBart]

That Timberline looks like the day it was born. As to burning in it the best approach with the old stoves is to get a hot fire going as quickly as you can. Do it with kindling and small splits of wood. Use a stove top thermometer placed on the top of the stove halfway between the stove pipe and the edge of the stove. When the temp is about 300 degrees open the doors and add two or three four to five inch splits of wood and close the doors. All of this is done with the air adjustment screws on the front of the doors all of the way turned to the left, wide open.

When the stove top temperature is approaching five hundred degrees turn the adjustments in about half way. When it is at 500 add a couple of more splits of wood and control the temp of the burn with the door air adjustments. Don't let'er go over 700.

From there you have to learn how to run the stove based on the quality of the wood you are burning and the stove top temperatures. Just hold it under six or seven hundred degrees and you should be fine. Go outside and look at the chimney to see if your are doing it right. Lots of smoke = give it more air. Not much smoke = just fine.

Do get the chimney cleaned and inspected before firing it up and at least once a year while you are burning.

They are old and they don't do it the best but they do make a bunch of heat.

 

[jbrown56]

Hi, my father in-law had one of these stoves for about 15 years. He finally got rid of it because he was scared of it. It can get out of hand real quick if you are not careful. I myself have a Timberline single door that I have used for 26 winters 24/7. Ithas served me well. On Monday I will retire it and take delivery on a new Jotul Oslo 500. Enjoy your new stove and be careful.

Jim