Finally finished installing my wood stove!

[Ginger Squirrel]

I posted here a while back with some questions and finally finished the install and the chimney is all done. Got it WETT certified and passed with flying colours.  I originally was trying to hire it out but couldn't find anyone to do it so did it myself. The wall is still rough, I will either do heat shield, tiles, or just plaster it in, have not decided yet. But I got it in a usable state and that's finished in my book. :P 

Thought I'd share the final result.






One question though, how critical is it to try to get the flue temp up past 400F?  I seem to go through a lot of wood to barely even reach that temp.  I got the stove up to like 800F and flue temp was at 450 but as soon as I dampered down the flue temp dropped fast. I can maintain around 200 but that's in the creosote zone according to the temp indicator. I did make sure to get one made for double wall pipe, and it is going all the way through both layers.   Seems tough to maintain it and definitely can't do a slow burn while keeping it that high.  I know you need to be that high to avoid creosote but am I ok to just bring it up once in a while then let it go down?

[Ginger Squirrel]

Just realized 2nd pic is wrong and it won't let me edit, I meant to post the pic of chimney.

[DDW_OR]

my 2 cents

add a couple heat powered fans
get a small metal tub, place sand in tub, then fan on top of sand.

the tub acts as a heat battery to power the fan when the fire is low or out

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8emwEairpM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ooodoTUk-o

[doc henderson]

It looks great and all of us that labored online with you really appreciate getting to share in your gratification.  I try to get the stove really going first and then you can shut it down.  I think it is high moisture in the gas that tends to condense in a flu and precipitates the volatile (flammable) stuff as well.  later the moisture moves on, and you are left with creosote.  So, I let the stove get up to temp and then shut it down to what we need for heat.  In the beginning everything has to heat up and you are using heat to boil the water in the wood.  later there is higher temps and less water in the smoke.  I have not worried about flue temp.  every once in a while, I have a really hot fire.  hard to tolerate in the spring in fall when not much heat is needed.  I never have creosote in my house chimney.  I do get it in the shop stove.  it sticks to the bird grill and I can tell when it builds up, as I get smoke in the shop when ai open the stove door. I have not measured by flu temp.  If it is double wall pipe, the outer temp is less, and the inner temp is more.  There is less cooling of gas, and therefore less condensation and less creosote.  If the smoke is saturated with water, then any drop in temp will condense water.  as the water becomes less, it later boils off.  check your chimney in a few months of burning and see how you are doing.

[doc henderson]

I would do something with your sheet rock to protect the paper.  plaster, tile or heat shield.  If you have ever made lump charcoal.  wood inside a retort so O2 cannot get in.  venting out the top starts with nothing, then white steam, then gray flammable smoke, then nothing when done.



this is in the volatile gas stage.  the gas ignites when it exits the can and has oxygen in the atmosphere.

[doc henderson]

this is showing gas from the edges of the lid, as the 1/8th inch holes in the bung of the lid are all plugged with sticky black stuff... creosote.

[Ginger Squirrel]

my 2 cents

add a couple heat powered fans
get a small metal tub, place sand in tub, then fan on top of sand.

the tub acts as a heat battery to power the fan when the fire is low or out

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8emwEairpM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ooodoTUk-o

Yeah I have been toying with ideas to store heat, that might be a later on project.  The wall is also not finished so I will either do heat shield or maybe even a layer of bricks, with an air space behind it.  The bricks would help retain heat too if I go that route. May also experiment with water loops and storage tanks.  Short term, I do have an air intake in the ceiling, and I plan to extend that to the crawlspace and either feed it into the ductwork or just have a dedicated vent going to the living area. Would use a 6" centifugal fan.

At some point I was also experimenting with phase change materials but I think I would need a lot of it for it to actually make a difference vs just using bricks, sand etc which is cheaper.

Just as is, I find the stove does retain quite a bit of heat, as the coals keep going for a while, and even after that it stays hot for quite a few hours after.  The stove also has a blower in the back. 

Oh and I'm also burning very dry wood, it measures at around 5-10%.  Right now it's birch but pine is what I'll typically be burning as there is an abundance of it... I just ironicly don't have any here.  I slacked on getting firewood this year and whatever I get now will only be for next year.

[doc henderson]

birch and pine are less dense woods and do not make long lasting colas as much, so a thermal mass is an idea.  we feed our stove during the day, and build it up before bed, then shut down the air.  easy to open the air and add wood in the am to get going again.  that is for winter.  we use oak, elm and mulberry.