Vermont Castings Aspen C3 2022

[EbS-P]

Temps taking a deep dive tomorrow. Maybe I can get some more stats posted rather than potato soup and shanks.

Southern deep, let’s be honest I’m going to have to bring my tomatoes inside for TWO nights in row.

 

[30WCF]

Fair enough. 23 Tuesday. But we are talking about near 50* dive in 30hrs. Been in shorts and a T all weekend.

 

[30WCF]

Southern deep, let’s be honest I’m going to have to bring my tomatoes inside for TWO nights in row.

You have some tough tomatoes Sir. I’d like to get a few seeds off them. There are a lot of lows that start with a 3 or 2 in there, but overall, yes. A southern deep dive.

 

[EbS-P]

You have some tough tomatoes Sir. I’d like to get a few seeds off them. There are a lot of lows that start with a 3 or 2 in there, but overall, yes. A southern deep dive.

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[EatenByLimestone]

We don’t have to bring them in all winter! Then again, they’d be dead by now.

 

[30WCF]

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No Sir. Mine are long gone. I do start to neglect them in the fall though.

 

[30WCF]

33, calling for 28 in the morning.
STT 250
Flue 190
Indoor 69
9:10 PM
One oak and a small pine.

 

[30WCF]

4:00am
160 and 166 STT and Flue
Big pile of coals
31 outside 66 inside
Dropped on another half log of oak, and closed the door. Flames before got back from starting the coffee pot.

 

[30WCF]

Quiet morning coffee. Just the stove ticking a little as it warms back up.

29 outside
66 inside
Two splits in there right now bringing it back up.

 

[30WCF]

Sometimes I just don’t know.
Been hanging out all week with lazy fires in the 350-400 range. Running two splits at a time.
Just now, 2 more splits of oak off the same stack has me running 750 STT and 630 in the flue. It’s not quite alarming yet, but if I shoot the wall, it’s 150. The stove has been hotter quite a few times. And as the manual says, if it ain’t glowing, it ain’t hot enough. Jk…But not really.
It’s just weird that every so often it just runs a different speed. Thats what keeps me from stuffing it, but, that may be the problem too. Two or three splits, dependent on shape, can be laying covered in the ashes, or perched up high upon a pile of coals.

If it were colder, I’d be looking for that 750 STT, and feeding it to reach it.

I opened it up and knocked the logs flat, and 15 minutes later it’s 511 in the pipe.

Sometimes I wonder if I just stuffed it full, would I really just get longer burns, but stay about the same temps?

 

[EbS-P]

Sometimes I just don’t know.
Been hanging out all week with lazy fires in the 350-400 range. Running two splits at a time.
Just now, 2 more splits of oak off the same stack has me running 750 STT and 630 in the flue. It’s not quite alarming yet, but if I shoot the wall, it’s 150. The stove has been hotter quite a few times. And as the manual says, if it ain’t glowing, it ain’t hot enough. Jk…But not really.
It’s just weird that every so often it just runs a different speed. Thats what keeps me from stuffing it, but, that may be the problem too. Two or three splits, dependent on shape, can be laying covered in the ashes, or perched up high upon a pile of coals.

If it were colder, I’d be looking for that 750 STT, and feeding it to reach it.

I opened it up and knocked the logs flat, and 15 minutes later it’s 511 in the pipe.

Sometimes I wonder if I just stuffed it full, would I really just get longer burns, but stay about the same temps?
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I have often thought I need a firebox replica to practice my loading Tetris on before I open the door. I do think packing it tight and full of cold wood does slow down the initial take off. And how hot the and deep the coal bed is. But once the air control closes you just have to watch it keep getting hotter or open the door. I’d be tempted to add a damper. A cold windy night could easily almost double your draft reading I bet. What is your plan then? A bet a big load of really dry sappy pine would go near nuclear on a hot bed of coals.

 

[30WCF]

I added a damper late last year because this happened a couple times.
It wasn’t drafty last night. Clam and relatively warm out. It was just the way they were laying. When I went in and knocked them over it looked like if you’ve ever seen small stones or arrowheads sitting up on a pedestal of dirt after a rain. The coals around the logs had burnt down, but the two splits had room around them and were raised up. I knocked them down and had all the confidence that it was getting ready to start to settle. I didn’t shut the damper at all.
I also have the can lid from post #9 standing by. There are several cans and pots on that shelf near the stove that all have sand in them too.

 

[Todd]

Maybe instead of two splits try three tightly packed together? Do you rake the coals forward before adding more wood? Coal bed size is a huge factor. I never reload on a large bed of coals, I’ll burn them down to a certain point so the fresh reloaded splits don’t all take off and outgas all at once.

 

[30WCF]

In general, I do take them to the front. Not always. Sometimes there is nothing but coals. I do think in this case it was just space and exposed surface area on the right coal bed.
I’m not afraid of 600 in the flue, or 750STT, but when my rocker is 3’ away with the windows open it can get a little face melty.

 

[Todd]

A 600 internal flue temp is ok, external temp not ok. 750 STT is getting up there but I wouldn’t worry if it was just a short time and not something that happens consistently.

 

[30WCF]

Supposed to get down to 27 tonight, and 21 tomorrow nite. 3 screws and a quick look since I’ve had a lot of short fires and cold starts with pine this year.
A little dusty in the bottom 24”. Other than that, looks good.

 

[EbS-P]

Supposed to get down to 27 tonight, and 21 tomorrow nite. 3 screws and a quick look since I’ve had a lot of short fires and cold starts with pine this year.
A little dusty in the bottom 24”. Other than that, looks good.

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Mine won’t look that good. Dry wood+no ability to choke it down leads to a good looking chimney

 

[30WCF]

10:50P
Outside 35
Inside 69
Let the coals burn down to about 200
Tossed on 2 more splits.

 

[30WCF]

4;15A
176 on the pipe
29 outside
66 inside
3 degree loss


4:50A

Stoves up to 479 and putting out some heat.



5:31A
420 in the pipe
House is up 2 degrees to 68 now in 1hr 15 min.

 

[30WCF]

I’m gonna monitor this for a little bit. This is my thermometer for my smoker. It’s rated for pretty high temps, so let’s see what changes from top to bottom. I have the probe about 12” deep.
31 degree difference at the moment.

 

[30WCF]

6’ of double wall and 12’ of ClassA

 

[30WCF]

Stoves cooling down and you can see it’s soon gonna be 60 outside from the bottom temp on the receiver. This experiment is over for now, but this would be good to do at night when it’s 28 out.
The difference seems to grow as the fire is hotter, and the gap closes as it cools down. This supported by the fact that I often burn around 300-350, and don’t have creosote build up as one would think, if there was a constant 100-200 differential. We can see at low temps that gap closes down, so a low 325 degree fire is not putting out 225 gasses at the cap. Now. It is about 60 out now.

 

[30WCF]

Last check in. About 50 degrees in the gas temps, and the STT is hanging on a little longer.

 

[EbS-P]

6’ of double wall and 12’ of ClassA

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Love it!

 

[30WCF]

I’m gonna monitor this for a little bit. This is my thermometer for my smoker. It’s rated for pretty high temps, so let’s see what changes from top to bottom. I have the probe about 12” deep.
31 degree difference at the moment.
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6’ of double wall and 12’ of ClassA

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Anyone have any other requests for information if I run this test again here in the next few days? Refer back to post 170.
@begreen @bholler
Auber Thermometer
Smoke Grill Thermometer (up top at the cap)
Outdoor temperature
I don’t think indoor is relevant.
What else is helpful?