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Huffing woodstove

Started by Handy Andy, November 28, 2011, 08:56:39 AM

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Al_Smith


I'm a tellin ya the more you folks elaborate on so called high tech wood stoves the less I'm impressed with them .

Sounds to me the things are more trouble than they're worth .Who in the world wants something as basically simple as wood stove you nearly have to romance and make love to to get to work correctly .Good grief .  :D

Now sits this old dummy with a 30 year old glass front Lopi with a simple slide damper and I don't have a bit of problems .Toss the wood in ,let it burn ,stay warm and shovel the ashes out once every two weeks or so .Simple things for a simple man .

WH_Conley

I have to agree with Al in this one. Might have to cut a little more, but, don't need a college degree to use it. My old Ashley, little kindling, wait a few minutes, some big wood, wait a few minutes til it catches, fill it up and shut down tight, come back in a few hours and add more wood.
Bill

SwampDonkey

 ;D That's what I say. I'm glad we don't have stove police around here. ;)
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Al_Smith

 :) Aha ha we don't have the chainsaw police either .The last of those who came through  it was rumored got stuffed in a shipping container and shipped to the west coast . Probabley in China now for all I know .

SwampDonkey

We don't have any chainsaw police here. Our Stihl saws are German made. We have about 1 Worker's comp officer for the entire province. know him by name to, Carol Sawyer. No lie.  In all the years I've been in the woods, I have never seen one of those guys anywhere. And on crown land I saw the mill guy that checks the crews twice in three years.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Holmes

  Glad to hear you are getting a handle on your stove.  All new stoves have a learning curve, mine is a catalytic and it took a while to get used to. I am very pleased with it now and would not go back to an old style stove. Certainly a lot less worry about creosote, chimney fires and my wife feels it is safe to use this stove.   
Think like a farmer.

SwampDonkey

Those of us with the old style stoves we check our pipes and flues periodically, which I would do anyway no matter what stove I used. My shop stove never has as much as a palm full of soot from all winter and flu maybe a liter of loose stuff a year. Just cleaned the furnace pipes today and nothing of consequence in there after 2 months burning.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

John Mc

The single biggest variable in wood stoves is the operator.

Yes, some designs might be capable of burning more cleanly or more efficiently, but any of that is dwarfed by burning improperly seasoned wood, or not operating your stove properly. Some stove designs are more tolerant of less than optimal techniques, or are able to run well under a wide variety of conditions, but it still comes down to using what you have properly.
If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.   - Abraham Maslow

Al_Smith

You have about three stages of wood burning .The open flame which it turn releases the gasses  then the charcoal which really holds the majority of the heat and for all intents is the least  creosote producing of all .

If you can maintain to some degree all three stages you'll get the most heat and the least pollutants .

You can load them up for over night but it's how you do it as to weather it puffs smoke all  night long or just burns and doesn't smoke like a cold diesel .

I'm kind of like good ole Swamp  in that there isn't much gunk in the flue .Just a tad near the exit hole in the top is about it .

SwampDonkey

My old shop stove might be a POS to many because it's as old as my dead grandfather. And he was a child of the 19C. Well, you know how old I am, look to the left. :D But I only use 1.5 cords all winter and the shop never freezes. I can leave the shop 3 days in 20 below weather and it don't freeze. The shop isn't big and low sealing, but I figure I'm getting near the maximum I can get for heat from that little pile of wood. I only use about 4 slabs all day, that's if I am in there all day. And the door is 1/4 to 1/2 way open at that. ;D

I won't even go into what I see across the road because it would be pointless unless you lived here and see it with your own eyes. You'd call me a liar. However, someday I expect to see the red coats over there. Well, they don't wear them now, that's just for ceremonies. :D
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Handy Andy

  Thanks for the support, I'm finally getting the hang of operating this woodstove.  Just limit myself to 3 pieces of split firewood. My theory is that there are just not enough holes in the smoke burner to support a big fire. If I weren't afraid of breaking it, would just drill some more holes.  Went all day today with no huffing, and it's about 70 in the house. Had to tend to the stove every time I came in, but not a big deal.  Had the idea I could just fill the stove with wood, limit the air, and fill it twice a day. Ha Ha
My name's Jim, I like wood.

beenthere

Now you are getting there. There will be no end to learning more, so keep on keeping on. :)
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

John Mc

Don't drill it! Vermont Castings is a reputable stove manufacturer

You should be able to put more than 3 pieces in the stove at a time. If you can't, something is wrong. It's possible that burner is partially clogged (it still sounds an awful lot like a catalytic stove to me, or maybe one of their "dual mode" stoves). You should be able load up the stove at least 2/3 full. If you can't, you should talk to your dealer about it.

If it was working well when first installed, then you need to figure out what has changed. It sounds as though the stove is not getting enough air. Could be that burner you described is clogged, or could be something else. I'd get it checked out.
If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.   - Abraham Maslow

SwampDonkey

Have you checked the flu for blockage?
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Handy Andy

  Yes, I checked the flue.  Had the same trouble last year, thought it was that the firewood was too wet.  So I cut up and split more last winter, got the wood into the basement this fall, put the dehumidifier next to the wood pile and ran that.  Firewood is probably too dry now. Just looked at the Vermont castings website, now it says the non- catalytic stove is for ambience, less for heat.  Says get the catalytic for heating your house.  Wish they had told me that before I bought this thing.
My name's Jim, I like wood.

John Mc

Seems odd that they would say their Defiant model woodstove (rated at 75,000 BTU)  is for ambiance, not heating.
If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.   - Abraham Maslow

Handy Andy

  John Mc, it's because it doesn't work right.  They are trying to avoid a class action lawsuit.  The company that bought out VC, probably thinks they bought only the assets, not the liabilities, so are trying to avoid any more sales to folks who want to heat with the non catalytic version.  Seems to me it would be simpler to redesign the smoke burner and make it available to people with problem stoves.  Jim
My name's Jim, I like wood.

Ironwood

I have a 15-18 year old Defiance VC dual stove, run it without cat to start and engage it AFTER a large bed of coals is established, NEVER  EVER had to service the converter EVER. Love it, load it up, give it tiime to burn the new full load a bit then reengage the cat. Burns all night. It holds ALOT of wood. Also, to get her going dont be afaid to open the ash door a LITTLE but be careful she'll get raging quickly (dont leave it unattended that way). Our chimney is internally lined ( heavy flexible stainless, ost as much as the stove) old house chimney, so heats well, quickly and stays hot, yours may differ.  Heat the whole house as it is in the middle and on the first floor and it gravity feeds (convects) heat to the upstairs well. 


Ironwood
There is no scarcity of opportunity to make a living at what you love to do, there is only scarcity of resolve to make it happen.- Wayne Dyer

beenthere

Same as Ironwood. Have used the Defiant VC for 10 years now and haven't ever had a problem with it. I will confess to having to clean off the fly ash from the top of the cat. conv.
I don't think this is a stove problem, but another example of having to learn what works and what doesn't work.  Hopefully can figure it out so the stove can be enjoyed.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

tyb525

Have a Dutchwest "Federal Airtight", dual mode stove. I can fill it as full of wood as I possibly can and it burns fine. Don't engage the cat til the stove is 500+ and has a good draft (doesn't work so well on a no-wind day). We do have a damper, but we never touch it, just regulate the fire by the ash box door and side load door vents. Using a damper can cause more creosote when your draft isn't the greatest.
LT10G10, Stihl 038 Magnum, many woodworking tools. Currently a farm service applicator, trying to find time to saw!

beenthere

Quote from: John Mc on December 07, 2011, 10:34:13 AM
Seems odd that they would say their Defiant model woodstove (rated at 75,000 BTU)  is for ambiance, not heating.

I'd be easily convinced that the "for ambiance" pitch is more to dodge the EPA bullets aimed at them. They would have to run the full gamut of tests to establish heat output as well as the emissions. These tests are very expensive and very tentative as to results. Likely (at least I would believe) that the company buying out VC simply can't recover these tests in sales income.  In the end, we the taxpayer and user end up with the bill, or see another USA business go under due to the overburden of regs. It is a sad outcome to an established business as well as new business adventures trying to get started.

Just my opinion.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Ironwood

Also, you should be able to see the glow of the cat when it is operating properly, it is behind the woodbox up high behind the grate.

Ironwood
There is no scarcity of opportunity to make a living at what you love to do, there is only scarcity of resolve to make it happen.- Wayne Dyer

Handy Andy

  My non-catalytic version of the VC defiant does not have a catalytic converter.  It has a chamber that is supposed to burn the smoke. Problem is it is really touchy. I've been in contact with a tech from the company, he thinks I need a new part called the "fountain".  Says the stove sat in storage a couple of years, probably collected moisture in the"fountain".  It is made of a fiber material, think that is the problem.
My name's Jim, I like wood.

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