Valley is windy tonight

Baro on the furnace kept “tinking” with the wind, so I decided to get up and check the stove and the manometer since this would be my first chance to check it in these type winds.

Been running at -.01 when it is calm and with a slight breeze or a little colder temps like we’re having tonight she rides about -.02 typically.

So when I heard the wind and got up to check mano...was reading -.025 and when the wind would kick up would rise to -.04 and even to -.1 during some gusts. On one occasion I seen the baro drop to -.005. I must have watched it for 10 minutes or more.

I decided to open one spinner 1/4 turn to hopefully keep some extra draft in the chimney while at the same time closing, just a little, the pipe damper to try and prevent too much excessive draft or to help with a down draft and keep it from the stove as much as possible so the stat flapper wasn’t bouncing and making noise, which it wasn’t. I’ve played with the pipe damper some during the day, but I always leave it open full and stove damper always full closed. I decided to close the pipe damper just a little. Not quite to 45*.

Closing the pipe damper some and cracking a spinner may cancel each other out some, but it seemed like a good thing to do at the time.

Comments or input here is welcomed from the more experienced users in the group...and is appreciated.




Side note:
Shaker side is glowing well. Haven’t had the chance to make a tighter fitting washer so the one that is there will have to do for now.

Laying here in bed I can hear the wind howling over the hills around my house. I have a big hill behind me to the south about 75 feet high just across the creek.

Another the same height in front of the house to the north. Both hills start about 40 yards from the house.

Then about 200 yards to the west there’s the big hill going up to the old camp. It’s about 125-150 feet higher than my house. This is where the wind usually comes from, the west prevailing winds. Currently wind is WNW @19 mph.

I’m not sure if my chimney needs a baro. I’d rather not mess with it if I don’t have to. Not sure how these hills and trees will effect this chimney when it’s blowing like this. The only tree near the house are still a good ways from the chimney. Only one that might affect it is closest to the house and it’s 100ft pine my grandparents planted when they moved here, but the lowest and widest branches are at least 40-50 feet from the chimney.

I’m sure a chimney cap might help in wind like this, but a regular cap may not help from what concerns me...a reversal or down draft. CO detectors (3) are in and working and reading zero, so that is good and draft is good other than when the wind gusts.

As Steve said in another post, t-stat shouldn’t allow the stove to go below where I’ve been running it for the last few weeks. Don’t hear the wind now quite as bad as it was.

We don't use a manual pipe damper or baro on our 50-93 in the shop, and the wind can be pretty wild at that location. There are times when the flapper held by the chain will start to dance, or make some noise. There have also been a few occasions that the stove ran a little warmer than normal due to air getting sucked through the gaskets and around the hole for the grate shaker handle. None of those things are a problem in a workshop, so I have left it alone. When it comes time to replace the stovepipe, I will install a baro. My thoughts are that a more consistent draft makes it easier for the bimetallic thermostat to do its job. A manual pipe damper would do the same thing if there was always someone around to adjust it as needed, but in our case there is not.

Keeping the MPD closed 3/4 has avoided any of your described situations--yes--maybe twice per season the bi-metallic will get to tinging for SHORT periods of time when the winds are roaring. Tough gettin perfection in non perfect situations.

I have found the spinner knobs on the door to help quite a bit, especially on windy days. The Harman manual suggests to keep them open 1/2 to 1 full turn at all times. However through trial & error about 1/4 turn works best. If I close them tight, for some reason I get a dead spot right behind the load door; & more than 1/2 it burns more coal. As far as wind goes, seems that the spinners allow excess air to be pulled over the coal bed rather than thru it. Have had extreme winds here with mano hitting .30 & higher at times with no change in temps on the load door. I only have MPD & just set it for .06 when its calm & now don't pay any attention when it goes crazy on windy days. I might consider a baro if my stovepipe didn't run at a 45* angle. Just figure that the solid pipe allows me to rev up the stove at load times & suck any fly ash out of the exhaust path. Been working fine like this for so long now that figure I'll just let it be. I'm also a believer in if it works fine as it is, leave it alone.
Jim

I think if the stove cant easily be kept at a low enough temp to keep from heating you out of the house without all the screwing around, a smaller stove may be in order that could be run a little hotter without issues. You may have too big of a stove for what you want, a 70 degree home.

You should be able to use your stove with coal from about the time it freezes at night until it stops freezing at night, and then if you want to heat with wood in shoulder seasons or using windowstats.

It may be a different kind of advice then others have given, but it seems you are jumping thru too many hoops and making too much work out of trying to stay cool (not running stove hot) instead of just trying to stay warm, set it and forget it type of loading like many here do. Coal should be less work than wood. Perhaps even a small stoker would fit your needs better, I dont know. But if you can only burn coal 2 months out of the year because it makes your home too warm I think your stove is too big.

I know/hope you've already done it Billy, but re-check ALL gaskets. If they're all good--I agree 100% with W!!! Not always is bigger better!!

Well, since my gaskets were new last year I didn't bother to dollar test them this year. I have done several visual checks before starting and since.

Wasn't really an issue of over heating last night as many of you might think from what I wrote. My mano never stayed at any of those higher numbers, it just moved there while the wind was blowing and went back done quickly with the breezes. In other words, it was quickly fluctuating, not going high and staying there. The house temp held tight at 70-72 and all was well this morning, the winds had subsided, so I immediately returned the pipe damper to full open although I am sure now that I could have left it where it was. I had to shake and tend anyway, so I simply returned to my normal routine.

I didn't really fear the stove over heating or running too hard. I knew and trusted the bi-metallic to do its job...even without the gadgets. My biggest fear down in this valley amongst the trees and close hills was a down draft. That was my sole purpose of closing the pipe damper some and opening a spinner some, to help combat a down draft.

Last year I didn't start burning until December 22 to March 20. We had a real warm spell and just couldn't stand the heat anymore without opening windows and even then it was 60 degrees out some. In April it dropped back down real cold and I could have used the stove then too but had ran out of coal on March 20.

I'm in a transition zone here is SW Ohio just below I-70 and weather can be crazy. It can warm up to 60F or be -27F, the lowest ever recorded here in my families history of being here for nearly 60+ years. That said, Dean told me the 354 was too big, and I assumed the same, but we've made it work so far with running the furnace some. Getting a great cheap deal on a good stove sort of dictates how my money is spent...all for a good cause to determine what is best for this house before spending hard earned money and wasting it. The way I see it, my stove paid for itself in the first year I used it. Not really financially, though close, but in satisfaction and finding out what will work best.

Manometers move all over the place in high wind, just as you described. My brick chimney my Chubby is on has moved the mano to the extreme far right in extreme conditions but just stays there for a second or two then back down. I understand the finances completely. I paid $22 for the stove Im using now, lol Had to work on it 2 or 3 days too. Im cheap by nature.

Perhaps theres a way (over my head) to introduce fresh air into your home on a thermostat to keep your home at the temp you want when its warmer outside. Then you could run it more months. It just seems likes like its been a lot of work for you trying to figure out how to run it cool enough. Thats a lot of steel on that stove, not unlike mine, and they put out a lot of heat even at 200 degrees. I played around and ran mine around 100 degrees quite often this fall using half the grate but doubt I could do that on my full grate.

My only limit is my draft. I can run the stove at -.01, but the stove pipe at the thimble runs about 99F and I've seen it as low as 89F, so I'm likely as low as I can go, I guess. I'm sure I could run the stove at a slightly lower temp and I could probably maintain the draft under normal conditions...just less heat going up the chimney to prevent a down draft or reversal.

Maybe I need to dial it on back some and run with the spinners open 1/4 to 1/2 a turn. Maybe that would allow me to run the stove at a lower temp when I need to. Right now it's fine, but above 45 running lower would be a big help.

Above the doors a little while ago I had 260F...but the sides of the stove were saying 230F...and I think the sides gives a better feel for actual stove temperature but with keeping consistent I always measure above the doors since that's where I first started monitoring the temps.

You are correct...and I've said it before and I'll say it again...this big stove putting off 250F or even 300F is a far cry from the same temps coming off of a smaller stove. Simply tons more heat into the space to be heated.

Temps 35F and below the stove is no trouble at all to run, and really it's not trouble at all to run in higher temps either. It's just that the house gets too warm with such quick outside air temp changes. It is easy enough to open a window though.

Not sure how much some of you fiddle with the dial on the stat, but for the most part once I hit my target temperature on the wall thermostat for the furnace I then rarely have to touch to dial on the back.

This is also exactly why I wanted to do some testing on this chimney playing with things like a steel plate at the top with a 6" hole cut into it to try and increase chimney temps and therefore the draft, or adding height, or shrinking the size of the chimney, or shrinking the size and adding height...all to try and see if I can increase draft which MIGHT allow me to dial the stove down even lower without running the stove below -.01 on the manometer. Some people accuse me of over thinking this, but that in a nut shell is what I'm trying to do. If I can increase chimney height or reduce size, or both, to run the stove lower while maintaining a decent draft then I know what I need to do to my chimney when I start repairs. If can I can make a change, even if maintaining the same size but adding height, then that is even better and I won't have to buy another smaller stove. No sense in paying to repair a chimney AND have to buy a new smaller stove if I don't have to.

Bill pm me i will show you how to reduce the firebox .I have the large Large Gibraltar M C C stove .I has an 18 by 18 firebox .I can reduce the firebox to 8 by 18 .THereducer makes the stove Highly efficient .While allowing change over in few minutes For Arctic Temps .jackIn other words small Mark 1 stove to High Output Heater jack

Bill, try running your stove with spinners 1/2 turn out. I can idle my boiler all day at 190* on load door in mild weather. Also, don't worry about downdraft if chimney is 2ft above ridge.
Jim

I also run on one grate. I havent needed the whole firebox yet this mild year but its there if I need it. Unsure how much lower I can run the temps that way compared to both grates but in mild weather I can get by on an awful small amount of fuel as I pile it in one spot and just let it smolder. Our firebox's are comparable in size. If you want to try something like that and Jacks ideas wont work I'll post pics.

Bill, as I previously mentioned/recommended try running your stove with the spinners 1/2 turn out as this will provide some x-tra draft & should only affect the coal bed slightly. See where this takes you. Shoot for load door temps of around 200*. Because I have a boiler, the load door is my only option for reading temps. If temps don't lower enough, then turn down bimetallic till you get that temp. Ifn it goes out, which I don't think it will, so what. At least you know the stoves lower limit. It really doesn't make any sense at all to explore other options until you thoroughly know what your stove is capable of. Here is a pic of the coal bed in my boiler with load door temp of 195*. What the hell give it a try.
Jim

coalder wrote: ↑

Wed. Jan. 20, 2021 2:01 pm

Bill, try running your stove with spinners 1/2 turn out. I can idle my boiler all day at 190* on load door in mild weather. Also, don't worry about downdraft if chimney is 2ft above ridge.
Jim

I can try that. I usually close them about 45 minutes after reloading. Chimney exits at peak and is 2 1/2 ft taller than the peak.

Not sure how your post above ended up here as well. LOL! Harman spiral flame explanation?