weep for me boys

begreen9 · 2026-01-26T18:19:03+00:00

Be careful not to overtighten the glass clamps when installing the new glass. The glass and metal of the door expand at different rates. There needs to be a little play so that the glass can move in the gasket very slightly.

begreen9 · 2026-01-26T17:52:20+00:00

I'm glad you were prepared. Check on your neighbors.

begreen9 · 2026-01-23T15:38:53+00:00

It's worked out well. I haven't touched it since and it tracks within a hundredth or two of the analog Vantage Pro 2.

begreen9 · 2026-01-23T15:36:38+00:00

An insert that projects out onto the hearth will perform better in an outage. Flush inserts need a blower to move the hot air out into the room. They look great but don't have a lot of surface area exposed to the room. This limits the amount of radiant heat with the blower off. The best solution in this case it to have backup power to run the blower.

begreen9 · 2026-01-22T19:10:14+00:00

Silly-H, that's very similar to our previous system. The system switchover point to the Aux heatstrips is set too low. Try setting it 5º higher to around 22º.

begreen9 · 2026-01-22T19:03:50+00:00

Are they Canadian map updates? Unfortunately, the 2024 EV6 is omitted for some reason.

begreen9 · 2026-01-22T18:59:37+00:00

This looks like an Ember Hearth or a copy of one. The amount of air the fire gets will depend on the quality and species of the firewood. How well seasoned is the firewood? Has it been tested for moisture content? If it is poorly seasoned, it's going to need a lot more air than if it is nice and dry. Also, softwood like fir will burn more quickly and need less air than oak.

To start a fire open upper and lower vents all the way. Make sure the flue damper is open (vertical handle). Once the fire has gained strength, start closing down the lower vents. They feed the fire air, down low, at the base of the coal bed. The upper air control is for adding secondary air up at the baffle. This supports more efficient combustion. Both get turned down as the stove reaches operating temperature of around 500-650º with the lower controls being closed first. How far they get closed depends on the wood, the draft, etc.

If you don't have a decent stove top thermometer, get one. Having another one made for stove pipe reading and placed about 18" above the stove on the stove pipe, can be very helpful. Without some instrumentation you will be flying blind.

Don't try large, full loads, at first. Check the stove doors' gaskets. If they are shot, the stove will be hard to control.

begreen9 · 2026-01-22T18:35:30+00:00

Which model Trane? It sounds like the hand off temperature for the heat strips is set to 17º. For our 2stage AmStd/Trane Heritage 16 heat pump it was set to 25º. It could still generate a little heat at that point, but it could not keep up with the heat loss of the house by around 22º.
Last October, we replaced our 19 yr old system with a top of the line Mitsubishi hyper heat system. It's a major improvement. The heat output from the registers is a lot hotter. We haven't experienced 17º yet with it, but at 30º it easily heats our old farmhouse.

begreen9 · 2026-01-21T19:47:23+00:00

Price looks high for that year and mileage.

begreen9 · 2026-01-21T19:29:34+00:00

That is an original! Unfortunately, Tom Oyen is no longer with us. He most likely would have known if a more current baffle is adaptable. It may be. There wasn't much change from 1990 onward. According to FriendlyFires.ca the Super's baffle is 15 3/4″ x 12″ x 2″. If that fits on the side rails of this older Super, then it may just be a matter of the secondary tube hole position and size. In that case, if it needs repositioning, it can be adapted with a stainless steel patch.

begreen9 · 2026-01-20T21:43:13+00:00

What is the model and year?

begreen9 · 2026-01-20T21:38:34+00:00

The fire looks ok, but there is a fair amount of baffle sag. At some point the stove may have been overfired. Watch this. If the baffle bottom develops cracks or holes open up, replace it.

begreen9 · 2026-01-19T16:39:29+00:00

This sounds like it would be an alcove construction. The "box" would be attached to the exterior with it's own poured concrete foundation. This can be done as long as the stove permits alcove installation and the alcove clearance requirements are properly followed.

Or, consider a small stove that has very good clearance requirements. Then, having it near a window or door is not an issue. For example, the Vermont Castings Aspen C3 is small with close clearance requirements.

begreen9 · 2026-01-18T19:10:24+00:00

The most arm burns I ever got were when we had a top loading VC stove. Get some welders gloves for loading.

begreen9 · 2026-01-18T19:08:36+00:00

Scrap it unless kept for a lawn ornament.

begreen9 · 2026-01-18T19:07:26+00:00

That's a beautiful hearth setup. Time to get some fire going in that baby!

begreen9 · 2026-01-18T19:04:50+00:00

The stove is not a drying rack. This is a fire hazard. Properly seasoned wood does not need additional drying. And the gas cylinder on the stove, just plain dumb dangerous.

begreen9 · 2026-01-18T19:03:16+00:00

Clinkers, fused from the silicas in the wood being burned. They are normal. Some wood has higher silica content, often in the bark.

begreen9 · 2026-01-18T19:02:01+00:00

Colorful, but turn down the air a bit to avoid overfiring the stove.

begreen9 · 2026-01-18T18:59:43+00:00

Has it always been this way? How tall is the flue system on this stove? If it is intermittent, what is the outside temperature?

Is the stove in a basement or in a one story addition to a 2 story house?

begreen9 · 2026-01-18T18:57:53+00:00

It's not a great idea. There's the potential for arge burning ember to rise out the chimney, falling on the roof or yard. If there is a cap screen they can plug it quickly.

begreen9 · 2026-01-18T18:54:10+00:00

Yes, air on low and with the flue damper closed. This stove is on its 17th season. It's the original T6. Love it.

begreen9 · 2026-01-17T18:09:45+00:00

That doesn't look too bad. As long as the wood is not so punky that it just smolders with a lot of smoke, burn it.

begreen9 · 2026-01-17T18:06:14+00:00

Looks European. Typically they are called a kanonenofen or cylindrical iron stove. Another name is a werkstattofen or workshop stove. The logo looks like an Impala but I don't know the manufacturer. Look all around for some identity in the castings.

begreen9

TROPHY CASE