What's More Important?
Both will work fine as indicators of how your appliance is running. Stack temps will just be a bit lower than stove temps but either is all you need to work it.Paisan wrote:What's more important, stack temps or stove temps?
- the snowman
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I believe devil505 is correct. For me, I rely on stove temp. My Jotul is a enamel coated cast stove. If the surface temp gets to hot it can bubble the enamel which destroys the finish and damages the stove. So, I do watch both stove temp and stack temp. Stove temp first and stack temp second.
the snowman
the snowman
- VigIIPeaBurner
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Yup, three in a row agree. I use both too. Like the snowman's stove, my stove is cast iron and radiant only. It's built like a box in a box and designed to circulate the exhaust gasses between the two boxes to catch as much heat as can be radiated at a given draft. When a new charge of coal, say ~ 30 Lb, is beginning to burn I'll see stove temps in the 500-600 range with stack skin temps at ~ 200-250. Once the stove's internal damper is closed and the load burning, I'll get stove top temperatures of 650 -700 and stack skin temps of ~ 150 -175. With a full load under these measurements, I'll get 14 hr burn times consistently with good coal.
Vermont Castings Vigilant Coal Stove
Vermont Castings Vigilant Coal Stove
- grizzly2
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I have had a thermometer on my stack for years (burning wood & now coal). I recently added a Rutland magnetic thermometer to the side of my Hitzer. The $15.00 for the second thermometer was a good investment I think. By monitoring the difference between stove and stack temps, I can see how efficiently the stove is operating. For example, I prefer running the stove in the evening without the blower running due to noise. However I have observed that with the fan off the stack temp goes up while the stove temp remains the same ( the stove temp stays the same because it has a thermostatic draft control ). This tells me that I am loosing more heat up the stack when the fan is off. I now only turn the fan off in the evening when I am burning a low fire. I hate to waste the heat.
The way I look at is that it wouldn't hurt to have multiple thermometers on your stove at different heights. Each would give you a slightly different reading but all you really need to know is what any of the temps is to provide the heat that keeps your house comfortable. I have always used only a stack magnetic thermometer & know that I need to run my stove normally at around 140* in fall-early winter, 160* most of the winter & maybe 240-260* in January. Those are stack temps but would just be relatively higher if they were stove temp readings. That's all I need to know.
& now that we both know that, you no longer need your stove thermometer & neither do I.grizzly2 wrote:I prefer running the stove in the evening without the blower running due to noise. However I have observed that with the fan off the stack temp goes up while the stove temp remains the same ( the stove temp stays the same because it has a thermostatic draft control ). This tells me that I am loosing more heat up the stack when the fan is off. I now only turn the fan off in the evening when I am burning a low fire.
(I also only turn the fan off when I am burning a low fire)
- grizzly2
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Good point . Would anyone like to buy a slightly used Rutland thermometerDevil505 wrote:& now that we both know that, you no longer need your stove thermometer & neither do I.grizzly2 wrote:I prefer running the stove in the evening without the blower running due to noise. However I have observed that with the fan off the stack temp goes up while the stove temp remains the same ( the stove temp stays the same because it has a thermostatic draft control ). This tells me that I am loosing more heat up the stack when the fan is off. I now only turn the fan off in the evening when I am burning a low fire.
(I also only turn the fan off when I am burning a low fire)
- the snowman
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grizzly2:
Depends upon how much your looking to get for the slightly used unit.
the snowman.
Depends upon how much your looking to get for the slightly used unit.
the snowman.
- oliver power
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I myself measure stack temps for efficiency, as well as safty of metal chimney going up through house. I see others measure stove body temps, which are in proportion to stack temps. With a thermometer in both places, it's fun to monitor things like fan on / fan off differences. And lastly, you don't need a thermometer at all (I don't have one on my shop stove). So, I too have to agree with the others. Notice that we all have at least one thermometer. That's got to tell you something.
- rockwood
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Thermometers definitely help you keep stove temperature more consistent and in my opinion run more efficiently.Devil505 wrote:I would not want to run a stove with no thermometer at all. Why guess when thermos are so cheap??oliver power wrote:you don't need a thermometer at all (I don't have one on my shop stove)
- oliver power
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I would always recommend a thermometer, especially to newbies. Myself, I've been around wood and coal stoves since I was a little kid. That's been many many years ago. We never had thermometers back then, Nor did any of the neighbors. We simply knew how to run the stoves. Bought my first coal stove for my own house 13 years or so ago, and my first thermometer (for the house) about 9 or 10 years ago. Due to the fact of being around stoves all my life, I feel very comfortable with them, thermometer or not. That being said, I've often thought about buying a thermometer for the shop stove, and will one of these days.Devil505 wrote:I would not want to run a stove with no thermometer at all. Why guess when thermos are so cheap??oliver power wrote:you don't need a thermometer at all (I don't have one on my shop stove)
Last edited by oliver power on Mon. Feb. 16, 2009 1:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
You have me confused here. I am talking about a simple thermometer to read stove temps, but ...are you talking about a thermostat being unnecessary or a thermometer? (I have never run anything but a hand-fired stove & thus could never have used a thermostat either)oliver power wrote:We never had thermometers back then, Nor did any of the neighbors. We simply knew how to run the stoves. Bought my first coal stove for my own house 13 years or so ago, and my first thermometer (for the house) about 9 or 10 years ago. Due to the fact of being around stoves all my life, I feel very comfortable with them, thermostat or not. That being said, I've often thought about buying a thermostat for the shop stove, and will one of these days.
- oliver power
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You got me Devil! Glad someones paying attention. Signs of getting old.Devil505 wrote:You have me confused here. I am talking about a simple thermometer to read stove temps, but ...are you talking about a thermostat being unnecessary or a thermometer? (I have never run anything but a hand-fired stove & thus could never have used a thermostat either)oliver power wrote:We never had thermometers back then, Nor did any of the neighbors. We simply knew how to run the stoves. Bought my first coal stove for my own house 13 years or so ago, and my first thermometer (for the house) about 9 or 10 years ago. Due to the fact of being around stoves all my life, I feel very comfortable with them, thermostat or not. That being said, I've often thought about buying a thermostat for the shop stove, and will one of these days.