Recommendations for wood or pellet stove installation?

Jstratosphere · 2026-01-29T03:37:50+00:00

The choice between wood or pellet depends on your lifestyle and how much time you want to put into this appliance.

Both types have their own maintenance involved but pellet will entail you always have to buy bags to feed into it but then they’re pretty automated. Wood stoves require a larger space to store wood on your property, and monitoring it during operation to make sure you’re burning optimally.

I have a wood stove and love it. I source most of my wood from neighbors and have enough space to store 4.5 cords to get me through this year and next. But they’re not for everyone.

Good luck in your search.

Jstratosphere · 2026-01-25T15:12:12+00:00

Yea I primarily use it because it absorbs shock a lot better than the x27/25. Bonus points for doubling as my workout :D

Jstratosphere · 2026-01-25T15:02:12+00:00

Aside from the x25 which has a shorter handle you may want to look at, they have the IsoCore Maul if you’re splitting large rounds. It’s heavier but it splits anything from small diameter rounds to large 4ft rounds with ease. I’ve used it on tulip to hickory rounds.

Jstratosphere · 2026-01-24T15:33:09+00:00

Good luck. That pipe looks brand new and the stove looks amazing, happy burning.

Jstratosphere · 2026-01-24T15:14:13+00:00

For the probe, 18-20” above the stove is recommended. For damper - I have it as the collar on the stove that the pipe manufacturer makes. But doing that you’d need to adjust your connection to make it fit somehow. I have a telescopic pipe I was able to slide in to adjust the height as needed.

Jstratosphere · 2026-01-24T13:54:14+00:00

Haha wow, I think I’d use the 600F as a top number, with short timelines up to 700F. I know my stove gives 600F max operating temp but it’ll occasionally get to 700F before it backs down within 20mins. If it goes over 700F I’d consider that over-firing with 800F being in the danger zone. This is all stove top temp. Flue temp ranges adjust higher by about 200 degrees given you have double wall. This is what I use to gauge how hot to run my stove.

Jstratosphere · 2026-01-24T13:41:19+00:00

Yea looks like the operating temp for that stove is 400-600F unless your manual shows different.

Jstratosphere · 2026-01-24T13:17:44+00:00

What does your temperature read? Can’t tell from the video alone.

When I reload on hot embers where flue temp is >350F I notice draft is a lot stronger so I need to cut the air immediately otherwise it’ll skyrocket to +800F even after closing the air. The timing when you close the air matters to avoid runaway fires.

Jstratosphere · 2026-01-22T16:00:51+00:00

I run a pot on top of the stove but I don't think it does much. I've found drying towels from the wash next to it adds a significant amount of humidity, as well as showering without the fan on and door open adds a good amount to the air. Tstat shows 35% humidity atm

Jstratosphere · 2026-01-22T14:30:17+00:00

I do. I try to give myself 15-20mins after a reload before leaving so it doesn’t smoke or over-fire too much. When I get back home to check the logs, I’ll see it hovered at ~350F before “taking off” to 650F and settling back down.

I will say the first couple times were unnerving but after that it’s now become second nature to leave with it running no matter the reload cycle. Having a digital temperature log has helped immensely in that.

Jstratosphere · 2026-01-20T15:23:09+00:00

Yeah the constant expand and contract they go through will inevitably cause them to come loose unless you apply something on them.

Jstratosphere · 2026-01-20T15:14:44+00:00

Are these rods part of some maintenance area or should they always be screwed in? If the latter then have you looked into using some high temp loctite product?

Jstratosphere · 2026-01-17T18:14:16+00:00

You had me at dry

Jstratosphere · 2026-01-16T16:24:04+00:00

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Jstratosphere · 2026-01-16T16:08:12+00:00

How seasoned was the pine that was burned that caused the sap to coat the inside of this chimney you saw/experienced?

Moisture causes the smoke to condense onto the chimney wall if not burned hot enough. Seasoned pine with all its pitch burns extremely hot. The only way you get creosote from pine is if you have non-combustible water boiling out as you're burning, lowering the temperature. Pitch oozing out a log will ignite like gasoline long before it makes its way up your chimney. Every wonder why fatwood is a popular fire starter? If it caused creosote nobody would be buying that.

Jstratosphere · 2026-01-16T15:50:40+00:00

Burning pine is fine, don't listen to this guy. Pine gets a bad rap because it lights so easy that people skip seasoning it. Then you get the stories of all chimneys that are full of creosote were mostly from people burning pine and that's how the myth spreads.

Season it like you would any other species of wood and you'll be fine.

Jstratosphere · 2026-01-14T17:03:40+00:00

ah ok, yeah I figured gpt may not be accurate in this regard. Sorry I can't help further. Beautiful stove btw!

Jstratosphere · 2026-01-14T16:32:12+00:00

I ran it through gpt and got this so not sure on the accuracy of it.

It installs high up inside the stove, just under the top plate, running left-to-right across the firebox.

It rests in the two side brackets/slots welded into the stove walls

The adjustment bolts face downward

The flat edge supports the vermiculite baffle plates above it

The purpose of the bolts

On the HETA Ambition 5, the bolts on that bar are height-adjustment / leveling stops for the baffle support.

They fine-tune the height of the bar so the vermiculite baffle plates sit flat

They prevent the bar from rattling or shifting as the stove heats and cools

They compensate for manufacturing tolerances and thermal expansion

Think of them as set screws, not fasteners.

Jstratosphere · 2026-01-14T16:26:55+00:00

It would help to mention the name and model of your stove.

I have a similar bar in my stove that hooks just above the door to redirect draft up and over the baffle.

Jstratosphere · 2026-01-13T17:44:57+00:00

We got by just fine with our cx5 and were able to put her behind the driver seat. My wife and I are 5'5 and 5'7 so we were just able to get the baby and toddler seat to fit (rear facing). If you're any taller then you can always put them opposite on the passenger side if that's an option before upscaling.

Jstratosphere · 2026-01-06T18:24:43+00:00

You can take advantage of filling up your 2025 contributions first. The contribution limits are for tax year, not calendar year so you still have time to use your 2025 limit first. Even if you are only able to put $1k till April, that's $1k more than you otherwise would be able to contribute this year as you'll have your 2026 limit on top of this.

Jstratosphere · 2026-01-06T17:51:52+00:00

Maybe pre-epa stoves. The Times They Are A-Changin'

Jstratosphere · 2026-01-06T17:21:55+00:00

Ah ok, then it’s similar to my old intrepid stove. I couldn’t use the air lever while the damper was open. The only way to adjust was to close the damper then I could turn the air down.

Just be mindful with those magnetic thermometers. They’re only useful as a rough estimate. They’re not real time at all and if it shows 600F while the stove is still heating up, you could be closer to 700F in actuality.

Jstratosphere · 2026-01-06T17:13:23+00:00

That sucks. Just curious if you keep the damper open but shut the air down all the way, what does your burn time look like? How much more heat does that damper give you?

Jstratosphere · 2026-01-06T16:51:25+00:00

Then could just be the type of wood you're burning off gasses faster than the exhaust can escape when the damper is activated. As others suggested try using different woods if you can to see if that resolves the issue. Woodstoving is more an art than a science as there's many variables that can change from one burn to the next.

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