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O.T. Wood Stove Temperature Query

redlee

Titanium
Joined
Apr 2, 2009
Location
Beaver County Alb. Canada
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Little cast iron stove in my shop, asked Mfg. what is the limit on stove temp, taken on the top. They said measure stack temp at 18" up and it should be 400-600. Anyone tell me what temp the top should be or the max.I need to get a guage and insert into stack.
I know when its burning nice but sometimes I like to get a little more heat and I run it hotter and just wondering what would be a safe surface temp? Ive had it up to 700 with apparently no ill effects.Thanks
Non Catalytic Stove
 
Seen a few glow red, or at least light red before, not sure what temp that was but surely over 1000F.
Having a good fan/air flow is #1.
 
I had bigger one in the garage at to old place. When it got cold I'd peg the surface temperature on the gage. It made me nervous a bit getting it so hot. I put a large box fan on it witch brought temperature down and also it circulated the heat better. I burned that way for many years.

Brent
 
I've had similar to dull red with no ill effects.

I had a fan out of something, no clue, scrap yard find...just sat it next to it, open propellers, blew air right over stove and basically swirled it around shop. Without that fan it'd be 85 near the stove and 50 on the other end...with that fan, perfect 70 anywhere in the shop.
 
I added a squirrel cage fan to my box type stove, an old Kenmore coal stove, I have had the pipe about 6 inches coming out of it glow dull red. I usually cut the draft when it gets that hot. I would just monitor the pipe visually like I do. I don't believe you'll ever hurt the cast iron even if the pipe is glowing red.
I believe the manufacturers recommendation of 600 at 18 inch is a good rule of thumb.
I have overdone it a few times with too much pitchy wood. Stove sounded like a roaring freight train.
Didn't hurt anything.
You are much better to burn hot to keep the chimney from loading up with creosote.
Our house has a box type Fireview stove in the basement with the pipe running up through a boxed chute up to the 3rd. floor then exits through the ceiling and on up through the attic. The chute through the house has ducting off it into the house with a large circulation fan.
The system works good but the length of pipe does manage to build creosote. Every so often in the winter I purposely over burn the stove and burn out the build up. Concrete tile roof and a good wet day takes away the worry.
A little off topic but maybe some info that might help.
 
I put computer case fans on the back of a fireplace insert type stove to blow warm air into the room. Run off a doorbell transformer and a rheostat to limit top speed. Since this is in a house so I want it quiet. I run them around 10-11 volts under load. I used a big capacitor to give them a jump start when the thermostat kicks on the fans. The capacitor sees full voltage when thermostat is off.
Bill D.
 
It's a great question, because cast iron wood stoves can and will crack if they get too hot. Expensive lesson learned here, and with a good-quality Jotul stove too.

But I don't know how anybody can tell in advance when it will crack, the quality of the iron plus the construction design are big variables.
 
I have two Jotuls with cracked panels. Those lovely cast bucolic enameled scenes, so pleasant to look at, are a structural weakness. My favorite is a Scandia (a Jotul ripoff that Jotul sued out of existence) with no scenes at all- rebuilt twice in its 40 year existence and still crack free.

And the panels need to be structurally sound-a heat map, taken during full burn, shows 300deg F difference in the same side panel 6" apart.

Burn it as hot as you can stand it and don't reduce the draft. Reduce the fuel load if you need to reduce temps- less wood burned is your efficiency savings gained by burning full out.

An infrared heat gun will do wonders for your understanding of the temp map. A search for "infrared heat gun" on Amazon will turn up lots of choices from $20 up, the upper range depending on which Fluke you'd like. Then it can be used for other things-measuring frying pan temp before the pancakes go in, tire temp on long trips, hot water pipe temp, electric motor temp, etc, etc. A very handy tool.

N
 
I haven't seen my Jotul stove get red hot,but I annealed hardened steel bars inside it years ago. They measured 1" x 3" x 12"+. They got above red hot in the stove. I packed the stove full of oak,turned the draft down and left them in there all night.

In Alaska we had a cheap blued sheet metal stove for a few years. It WOULD get quite red. I think such stoves would be dangerous,and might burn through if used too many years,setting the house on fire.

I was just a kid at the time,with no say in what was bought,but that stove did worry me.
 
I have two Jotuls with cracked panels. Those lovely cast bucolic enameled scenes, so pleasant to look at, are a structural weakness. My favorite is a Scandia (a Jotul ripoff that Jotul sued out of existence) with no scenes at all- rebuilt twice in its 40 year existence and still crack free.

And the panels need to be structurally sound-a heat map, taken during full burn, shows 300deg F difference in the same side panel 6" apart.

Burn it as hot as you can stand it and don't reduce the draft. Reduce the fuel load if you need to reduce temps- less wood burned is your efficiency savings gained by burning full out.

An infrared heat gun will do wonders for your understanding of the temp map. A search for "infrared heat gun" on Amazon will turn up lots of choices from $20 up, the upper range depending on which Fluke you'd like. Then it can be used for other things-measuring frying pan temp before the pancakes go in, tire temp on long trips, hot water pipe temp, electric motor temp, etc, etc. A very handy tool.

N

I had 2 Regency stoves made from plate. Both cracked, I have had a Yotul in the house for 7 years and so far so good.
 
redlee,

Curious is that an old picture or do you guys burn in late September? If not about what of time of year do you start burning way up there?

Brent
 
redlee,

Curious is that an old picture or do you guys burn in late September? If not about what of time of year do you start burning way up there?

Brent
Nope took it that day, weve had a few hard frosts and some mornings are below zero.
September is transitional month, friggin cold at night and some days are into the seventies.
Alberta has had snow in every calender month. Record cold was -56.9f in winter and mid 90's f in summer.
 
Nope took it that day, weve had a few hard frosts and some mornings are below zero.
September is transitional month, friggin cold at night and some days are into the seventies.
Alberta has had snow in every calender month. Record cold was -56.9f in winter and mid 90's f in summer.

Danm!!

I ran the air conditioning yesterday and all last week was in the mid 80's. Lol...

Brent
 
I tell you what is no fun in any way..
We had an old cast iron stove in our work shop at home.

One cold January day (open shop, no door) my brother and I needed some extra heat as we were freezing our ass off while trying to fix his car.
Had used motor oil on hand so we rigged up a drip feed into the heater.

That sucker got to sounding like a little jet engine and was pumping out some serious heat.

All was well and good UNTIL the stove pipe turned cherry red and actually started unstacking itself.

We were working away when we heard the roar get loader and smoke filling the shop.

Turned to look and the stove pipe had expanded and slid down several inches from the ceiling, got pretty damn intense there for a minute.
Only reason we didn't burn the whole place down is because the roof was tin.

Took a big stick and knocked the stove pipe off the heater before it melted the tin roof.

Removed the oil drip and waited for smoke to clear then went back to work...freezing our ass off again.
 
I just purchased a new Woodchuck 2900 furnance for my house. Did alot of research before hand. But the thing was, my father has owned one for going on 20yrs and no problems. Rarely kicks in the fan either and keeps a now 3000sq house toasty with dry oak. Built by Meyer who does the farm implements out of Wisconsin.

Got a couple companies near me, but just wasn't impressed with final product in it's entirety.
 
I usually start burning late august/early sept, until May, I've had it going in June a few times but haven't had mine going yet this fall, probably later this week. It was an unusually hot summer in my area.

I was hoping to get a Jotul when I replace my current Harmann Oakwood(not pleased with it or local piss poor service)
Sure wouldn't want it to crack though. Maybe next will be a steel welded unit, easier to fix if anything happens.
 
I run a sheet steel top loading stove. Bags of sawdust tipped in the top (free from the local joinery shop) and a couple of litres of waste oil mixed in if you feel like it. I leave the vents open a crack if using oil, otherwise it can get way too hot. It's bent and warped all over the place, but every summer I weld in a new bottom vent (they burn up gradually) and mig up any cracks. I also found some firebricks in the hardcore pile so made a rack to hang them on the sides to hold the heat a bit better.

This has a ceiling fan above it, which is brilliant for circulating the warm air. It also doubles up to keep it cool in summer.

We're a bit third world out here in the sticks, and in the absence of any plumbing besides the cold water tap, toilet facilities were a dilemma. I decided I'd rather put some sawdust in a bucket and shit in that than have a chemical toilet stinking the place out. So yes, the stove does all forms of 'waste disposal' and keeps me warm in the process :D
 








 
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