Harman SF150 Stove Temps (Safe Zone)

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HanSoSlow
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Post by HanSoSlow » Wed. Jan. 05, 2011 12:05 pm

Hi, I've now gone through almost 2 Ton of stove coal in a Harman SF150 (replaced the wood) and been pretty happy with it, almost lost the fire a few times based on letting it go 16+ hours at times 18+ (I was lazy or not home), but saved the fire using a little help of matchlight :D

The other day it was almost dead when I got to it, left the bottom door open and started playing Madden 2011 with my son - about 20 min later I jumped up and realized the stove was 900, went from 250 to 900 (no matchlight used). Cooled it down with a little water (just kidding). Turned the blower on and put an extra fan blowing on it to cool it off a bit and spread some heat. I know this can't be good, so what should I check for? Everything else is working as it was so I think I'm safe.

But it brought me to another question, what is the safe range with this stove? I usually run it about 500 - 550 at times it does go to 600. What is the max cut-off point I could safely operate?

Thanks!
Scott

 
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Cap
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Post by Cap » Wed. Jan. 05, 2011 6:29 pm

What was the stack temp? How large a volume of coal was in the stove? Was it 100% full? 25% full?

 
HanSoSlow
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Post by HanSoSlow » Thu. Jan. 06, 2011 8:51 am

Cap wrote:What was the stack temp? How large a volume of coal was in the stove? Was it 100% full? 25% full?
Stack jumped to 400 and the stove was about 75% full.


 
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LsFarm
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Post by LsFarm » Thu. Jan. 06, 2011 2:03 pm

One of our members [Lowfog] has a timer she hangs around her neck, she sets it at 3-5minutes everytime she opens the ashpan door or the spin dampers.. this way, even if she's not in the room with the stove, she'll get the 'alarm' to go check on and close up the stove.

it's a great safety idea..

As long as you don't see warped, wavey steel panels, and the grates still move freely, and aren't warped/sagging, your stove should be OK. If you had a full ashpan, and the ash was touching the bottom of the grates, blocking fresh/cool air to the grates, then the grates may have sagged/warped..

Greg L

 
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Chuck_Steak
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Post by Chuck_Steak » Thu. Jan. 06, 2011 2:29 pm

HanSoSlow wrote:But it brought me to another question, what is the safe range with this stove? I usually run it about 500 - 550 at times it does go to 600. What is the max cut-off point I could safely operate?

Thanks!
Scott
While I am referencing a Mark III, and not your model.
we run one in a shop at 650+ all the time..
I know you had a sudden increase, and certainly that could have some
ill effects, mostly from different areas of linear expansion, (warping)
and maybe cracking a few bricks, that said.. as long as you bring the temp up sensibly,
I don't see where 700 would be an issue.
Certainly your 550-600 range is a non issue..
But that's my opinion. ;)

Dan

 
HanSoSlow
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Post by HanSoSlow » Thu. Jan. 06, 2011 3:37 pm

Everything seems to look OK with the stove, so I think I'm safe, but I like the idea of the timer!

So 650* that would certainly produce a lot more heat for me if I bump it up a bit further hmmmm..... got me thinking now on how I can better move some of that new found heat to other parts of the house.

For Christmas I got a Ryobi heat gun - I can take the temp of anything from anywhere :D It's 105* at the ceiling fan in front of the stove with the fan on - now I need to get that heat to the living room ;)


 
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Chuck_Steak
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Post by Chuck_Steak » Thu. Jan. 06, 2011 6:35 pm

HanSoSlow wrote: So 650* that would certainly produce a lot more heat for me if I bump it up a bit further hmmmm..... got me thinking now on how I can better move some of that new found heat to other parts of the house.
There is the real challenge.
It's easy enough to get your stove hot, it's another thing to use the heat.. ;)
One thing I will say about the higher temps,
there really is a noticable difference between 500, and 600 in the way
your house feels. It takes a while to get over thinking you can
only have your stove at xxx deg. Or you can only burn 38-1/2 pounds a day.
You need to just do what it takes.
I know some people can heat their house with 3 pieces of coal a day.
Others use 80 pounds.
I'm in between!
(but comfy)

Dan

 
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Post by rberq » Thu. Jan. 06, 2011 8:32 pm

I have gone over 800* with no ill effects.

As an aside, I used to run a wood stove with a catalytic combustor. Sometimes the probe thermometer, where the combustion gases exit from the catalyst, would show 1800 to 2100 degrees. That was when I was really pushing the stove to get maximum heat -- it is not really good for the combustor to run that hot. Of course the stove surface temp was only half of that, and a couple feet further along the smoke path the stack temperature would still be in the "safe" range.

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