Howdy Folks!
Vermont Castings Dauntless FlexBurn with Catalytic Combustor Installed - Newly installed over the summer, New build house.
New to a wood burning stove so we're going through quite a learning curve. I've read a bunch of threads here and on Reddit so I know enough to know I don't know anything
The main problem I've been having is - the stove just isn't really staying hot enough IMHO. I think perhaps I have a draft issue - but no clue how to fix that or even measure it...
Here's my routine recently:
In the morning, I start from a pretty cold stove (maybe a few hot coals). If the ash tray is full, I will empty that (every other day or so). Then, I shovel the ash/coals around so the finer ash falls into the now emptied ash tray. I use some non-color print newspaper and small kindling and I get a little fire going using a match. Then I slowly add bigger kindling/small splits and then onto bigger pieces of wood (wood is hard wood, seasoned 2 years in 3 sized shed, fully protected from rain/snow, and measures at 11-15%% on a freshly split split). This takes about 30mins to 45mins. My end goal is always to get a nice bed of red hot coals.
I have thermometers on the griddle (where it should be per the Owner's Manual) and a probe in the stove pipe (18" up from stove). I've been told to let it burn hot for about 30 mins each morning, so I do that by just letting it burn with the air control all the way open and the bypass damper also open. The stove will get up to about 650F/700F per the stovepipe thermometer (in the optimal range per the thermometer...) so I just let the flames go and let it be that hot for that 30 mins. So it's warmed up (takes about 30/45 mins) and been hot (30 mins).
I then close the bypass damper. Flames die down and temp drops. It will settle about 400F per the stove pipe thermometer. Mind you, this is still with the primary air control fully open. Sometimes it even will drop below 400F. The thermometer on the griddle reads a little bit warmer. But we're just barely hanging on to what I feel are hot enough temps (preventing creosote build up is top of mind here). If the stovepipe temp dips too much, I usually open the bypass damper, open the doors, shuffle the coals/wood logs about, close the doors, close the bypass damper. It usually warms up a bit but not a ton. The temp on the catalyst is just barely in the "operate catalyst" zone.
I've even resorted to letting the stove run for a bit with bypass damper just open but I'm not sure if this is okay... It certainly burns hotter but is it safe to operate this stove with the bypass damper just open all the time?
(I know it's NOT efficient so we go through more wood and puts a lot more smoke out so those are bad things in their own right...but per the thermometers it isn't getting too hot/overfiring, but still...is a fully open bypass damper ok?)
When the logs I have added burn down to coals, I add usually 1 or 2 big logs. I try to mound the coals towards the back and add the logs there. I leave the bypass damper open for a little bit and wait for the logs to catch (a couple mins) and then I close the bypass damper. And I'm usually just hovering about 400F per the stovepipe thermometer.
When it was realllllllllllly cold last week (upper midwest here), I believe we were getting better draft and I could turn the primary air control about 4 clicks close (about 50% closed) and I would still maintain stovepipe temps about 450/500F. Those few really cold days were the only time I really felt we had optimal situation. We were getting about 4 hour burns from 2 big logs loaded. I feel like we could have added more logs and gotten longer burns but (as newbies) we were happy with the 4 hour burns. Our goal was to try to extend burn times but temps warmed up to more normal temps and we are in this situation. It's been a little more windy, too. (before the cold snap we had used the stove maybe 6 or 8 other times for just evening burns).
We have a ton of good wood and so we would like to really use this as our primary heat source.
I'm not getting a ton of black on the windows. A few spots but it wipes off real easy each morning with a wet paper towel.
We have a single story ranch. Stove is located below the highest point of the roof (middle of house). Stovepipe length from top of stove to ceiling is about 6 feet, then it goes through the attic (7 or 8 feet is my guess?), and comes out the roof - about 4 feet outside the roof.
We looked at the catalytic combustor this morning and it looks clean. Brushed it lightly.
If you're still with me - thanks. So my end goal is really to get this going so I can have long, slow, but still hot enough burns. Less wood, more efficient, less pollution, etc etc - all the things we should have.
Ok - thanks!
![[Hearth.com] Vermont Castings Dauntless - Not Staying Hot](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/335/335954-d21940457ddd51cb40401662ff3a0ace.jpg?hash=9qGUVJZ76z "[Hearth.com] Vermont Castings Dauntless - Not Staying Hot")
![[Hearth.com] Vermont Castings Dauntless - Not Staying Hot](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/335/335955-d308436e259abeedb9b5f04ffcedc880.jpg?hash=-fCTfcRJld "[Hearth.com] Vermont Castings Dauntless - Not Staying Hot")
Vermont Castings Dauntless FlexBurn with Catalytic Combustor Installed - Newly installed over the summer, New build house.
New to a wood burning stove so we're going through quite a learning curve. I've read a bunch of threads here and on Reddit so I know enough to know I don't know anything
The main problem I've been having is - the stove just isn't really staying hot enough IMHO. I think perhaps I have a draft issue - but no clue how to fix that or even measure it...Here's my routine recently:
In the morning, I start from a pretty cold stove (maybe a few hot coals). If the ash tray is full, I will empty that (every other day or so). Then, I shovel the ash/coals around so the finer ash falls into the now emptied ash tray. I use some non-color print newspaper and small kindling and I get a little fire going using a match. Then I slowly add bigger kindling/small splits and then onto bigger pieces of wood (wood is hard wood, seasoned 2 years in 3 sized shed, fully protected from rain/snow, and measures at 11-15%% on a freshly split split). This takes about 30mins to 45mins. My end goal is always to get a nice bed of red hot coals.
I have thermometers on the griddle (where it should be per the Owner's Manual) and a probe in the stove pipe (18" up from stove). I've been told to let it burn hot for about 30 mins each morning, so I do that by just letting it burn with the air control all the way open and the bypass damper also open. The stove will get up to about 650F/700F per the stovepipe thermometer (in the optimal range per the thermometer...) so I just let the flames go and let it be that hot for that 30 mins. So it's warmed up (takes about 30/45 mins) and been hot (30 mins).
I then close the bypass damper. Flames die down and temp drops. It will settle about 400F per the stove pipe thermometer. Mind you, this is still with the primary air control fully open. Sometimes it even will drop below 400F. The thermometer on the griddle reads a little bit warmer. But we're just barely hanging on to what I feel are hot enough temps (preventing creosote build up is top of mind here). If the stovepipe temp dips too much, I usually open the bypass damper, open the doors, shuffle the coals/wood logs about, close the doors, close the bypass damper. It usually warms up a bit but not a ton. The temp on the catalyst is just barely in the "operate catalyst" zone.
I've even resorted to letting the stove run for a bit with bypass damper just open but I'm not sure if this is okay... It certainly burns hotter but is it safe to operate this stove with the bypass damper just open all the time?
(I know it's NOT efficient so we go through more wood and puts a lot more smoke out so those are bad things in their own right...but per the thermometers it isn't getting too hot/overfiring, but still...is a fully open bypass damper ok?)
When the logs I have added burn down to coals, I add usually 1 or 2 big logs. I try to mound the coals towards the back and add the logs there. I leave the bypass damper open for a little bit and wait for the logs to catch (a couple mins) and then I close the bypass damper. And I'm usually just hovering about 400F per the stovepipe thermometer.
When it was realllllllllllly cold last week (upper midwest here), I believe we were getting better draft and I could turn the primary air control about 4 clicks close (about 50% closed) and I would still maintain stovepipe temps about 450/500F. Those few really cold days were the only time I really felt we had optimal situation. We were getting about 4 hour burns from 2 big logs loaded. I feel like we could have added more logs and gotten longer burns but (as newbies) we were happy with the 4 hour burns. Our goal was to try to extend burn times but temps warmed up to more normal temps and we are in this situation. It's been a little more windy, too. (before the cold snap we had used the stove maybe 6 or 8 other times for just evening burns).
We have a ton of good wood and so we would like to really use this as our primary heat source.
I'm not getting a ton of black on the windows. A few spots but it wipes off real easy each morning with a wet paper towel.
We have a single story ranch. Stove is located below the highest point of the roof (middle of house). Stovepipe length from top of stove to ceiling is about 6 feet, then it goes through the attic (7 or 8 feet is my guess?), and comes out the roof - about 4 feet outside the roof.
We looked at the catalytic combustor this morning and it looks clean. Brushed it lightly.
If you're still with me - thanks. So my end goal is really to get this going so I can have long, slow, but still hot enough burns. Less wood, more efficient, less pollution, etc etc - all the things we should have.
Ok - thanks!
It has a needle and a range indicated that says "Operate Catalyst." (I do see there are aftermarket cat thermometers so adding that to the list of gadgets and gizmos to get for this thing!) But per the Owner's Manual, it stays "The catalyst will initiate combustion of smoke/particulates at 500F to 600F." So my presumption is that the range of "Operate Catalyst" on the catalyst thermometer starts at 500F And since I'm right at that lower end, I'd say the cat is right around 500.
![[Hearth.com] Vermont Castings Dauntless - Not Staying Hot](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/336/336044-a51ae7ef6499534af8fa72ec7bfc37d4.jpg?hash=zu1fPotUOY "[Hearth.com] Vermont Castings Dauntless - Not Staying Hot")
