When is it Safe to go to Bed?

[razerface]

What digital probes did you buy and where from? Thanks.

http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=17&products_id=292

 

[Firedancer]

Do you guys with tubes go to bed with the secondary's still going strong?

Yes...I like to wait for secondaries to be going strong. I feel the stove is then running at optimal efficiency. I'm also home during the day and am confident and comfortable with how my stove burns. However, I am still learning.

 

[Sodbuster]

Yes...I like to wait for secondaries to be going strong. I feel the stove is then running at optimal efficiency. I'm also home during the day and am confident and comfortable with how my stove burns. However, I am still learning.

I

You will learn how your stove will react as you burn more, I know when I reload, my stove top will start at about 450 when the air is first shut all the way down, and will gradually work its way up to about 630 and will then slowly go down from there. I feel comfortable going to bed when I get my secondaries to ignite, and the stove is at the 450 stage. I have to ask though, with your house at 88 degrees, why are you concerned about a night load? Seriously, you could probably let it burn down and still have plenty coals for an easy morning start up.

 

[Mr A]

If your stove is running away, your wood is too dry. It is the same as stuffing it full of dry paper. I have said it before, I like some moisture in my wood. We burn a wheelbarrow load a day to keep the house at about 80°. That is oak that has been drying for less than a year. All the wood we are burning was split this summer/fall and left in a pile until we moved it into the pole shed for winter. It burns good and hot and does not "take off". The chimney is clean and the house is warm. The glass has a light ash coating, but no black. I need a longer poker to stir the coals, I know that much.

Where are you located? My oak can dry in 8 months here. It's been high 60's days all winter so far. Reading the posts about long oak drying times come from the east, where the wood is frozen several months of the year,

 

[ailanthus]

I've posted this before, but if you've got a stovetop thermometer, bend a paperclip like in the picture, then you will know the maximum temperature you've reached overnight or when you leave for work, etc. That way you will know what happens as a result of your loading settings and over time become confident in leaving the stove a bit earlier. Any mistake you make causing an overly high temperature (or a smoulder) will be something you don't have to repeat. I almost always leave for work with four special people still asleep in the house and it gives me a lot of peace of mind to know what happens after I leave.

 

[Christopix]

I've posted this before, but if you've got a stovetop thermometer, bend a paperclip like in the picture, then you will know the maximum temperature you've reached overnight or when you leave for work, etc. That way you will know what happens as a result of your loading settings and over time become confident in leaving the stove a bit earlier. Any mistake you make causing an overly high temperature (or a smoulder) will be something you don't have to repeat. I almost always leave for work with four special people still asleep in the house and it gives me a lot of peace of mind to know what happens after I leave.

View attachment 126041

This is a clever idea for getting feedback from your burning practices!

 

[westkywood]

15-20 minutes. When it reaches 450 or so, I shut er down and I'm off to bed without giving it a thought.

 

[Hedgehawg]

I am trying to figure out how to know when it is safe to stop watching the fire so I can go to bed.

Currently, I am waiting about 2+ hours after my final load for the night but it seems a bit long. I usually wait this long so that most of the wood gas has released and been ignited.

What I find confusing is that sometimes when I think I have the stove in the safe range (cruising at 500 - 600F) so I can stop monitoring, the stove temp can have a surprise spike. I think this is due to the secondaries gradually/slowly getting things hotter. These surprise temp spikes make it hard for me to relax and go to bed.

What helps you judge when it is safe to go to bed? What should I be looking for?

Thanks.

Know your fuel, placement, stove and air intake.

 

[Ashful]

Know your fuel, placement, stove and air intake.

Unfortunately, this can take some time. I think it was Brother Bart who wrote, "Saturdays are the best friend of the new wood burner." If you haven't reached a point where you're comfortable setting her up and leaving within the hour, you might want to stick to just weekend and evening burning, until you are.

 

[Lumber-Jack]

I usually don't like to go to bed until I see the needle start heading back down towards the "Burn Zone" again.

 

[Trktrd]

I simply just don't go to bed. Since the wife bought us a new mattress, that she just loves, I sleep in my recliner in the stove room. Easy to keep tabs on the stove and I don't wake up in pain!

 

[Christopix]

I usually don't like to go to bed until I see the needle start heading back down towards the "Burn Zone" again.

This has been sorta my way of handling it too. I watch for which way the temp is trending: Trending up, I stay up. Trending down or trending steady, head to bed.

 

[WarmBluthner]

In the picture of the rutland thermometer the burn zone starts way lower then on my condar.

I'm often burning at 300 stovetop but don 't see any smoke, get good secondaries and chimney is clean. I'm still uncertain though.

Maybe I should buy a rutland and stop worrying,

 

[begreen]

one month later... isipwater are you getting to bed yet?

 

[isipwater]

one month later... isipwater are you getting to bed yet?

Yes, instead of waiting 2.5 hrs after my last night time load, I am now going to bed after 1.5ish hrs. Changing my thermometer placement has helped quite a bit. I had an insightful talk with a tech rep at Lopi who suggested I move the thermometer away from the hottest part of the stove, as it is not representative for the overall stove temp. Also, reading other comments about their experiences has helped as well. Thanks for checking in.

 

[begreen]

Great. I'm glad to hear it's working better.