Wood burning stoves are an excellent way to heat your home during those cold winter months.
Not only can you pretend that you live in a log cabin in the middle of a town or city (just us?), they also look great and emit a long sustainable heat over hours and hours, but what temperature does a wood burning stove reach?
We’ll look at the details to make sure you know exactly what you’re dealing with.
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What Temperature does a Wood Burning Stove Reach?
Most wood burners have a temperature range of 375 degrees Fahrenheit to 650 degrees Fahrenheit.
Below we will explain how wood burning stoves get too hot, what can happen if it gets too hot and how to cool down an overheated stove.
What is a Wood Burning Stove and How do they Work?
Put simply, a wood burning stove is a heater that burns logs to warm your home.
They create a controlled space for wood to be burned, which means that it heats the area surrounding it in a safe and confined way. The user places wood inside the stove firebox, which is surrounded by fireproof walls. The air vents control the amount of airflow to the firebox which allows the wood to burn efficiently and slowly. The enclosed environment allows the fire to burn hotter and the metal body of the stove radiates heat out from the stove and into the room.
As a result of the design, stoves are generally much more efficient than open fires, and they can also sustain a fire over a longer period of time (due to the air vents and oxygen control) such as overnight.
Can Wood Burning Stoves get Too Hot?
Yes, wood stoves can get too hot. If you burn a stove too hot for long periods regularly, it can damage some of its components in the long run and building fires too small for your stove can lead to an inefficiently burning fire.
There are various reasons why your wood burning stove might be getting too hot:
- Too much airflow to the fire
If there is too much airflow getting to the fire, it may be sucking air more quickly into your stove, leading to a faster and hotter burning fire.
- Having too much wood on the fire at any one time
Large wood stoves may be able to hold more wood than smaller stoves, but you should still only put in the maximum amount of wood for your model and the size of the stove. Increasing the amount of wood on the fire can cause the stove to burn too hot.
- Air vents are too open
To help prevent your stove from burning too hot, ensure you close the air vents on the stove until the fire is burning in a calmer fashion, without closing the vents too much which can cause the fire to struggle or burn out.
- Stove door not properly closed
The stove door being left open can cause the stove to burn too hot as the airflow to the fire can’t be controlled. An open stove door will cause larger amounts of air to get to the fire and can lead to the fire burning hotter as a result. It is recommended that you close the door to the stove as soon as possible after the fire has been started.
- Wood stove is oversized for the space it’s heating
Too much heat can be generated if the wood stove is oversized for the space it is heating within your home.
What can Happen if my Wood Burning Stove gets Too Hot?
If your stove gets too hot over a prolonged period of time, it can cause metal components to become permanently damaged through weakening and cracking. It also can pose a risk of a fire in the stove pipe.
All wood burning stoves should have a thermometer installed on the stovepipe.
This will allow you to closely monitor the temperature. If your thermometer is broken, make sure you avoid using the stove until you can install a replacement thermometer. Keeping an eye on the temperature of your stove can help prevent your stove from being too hot for long periods.
How to Cool down a Wood Burning Stove that is Burning Too Hot?
To cool down an overheated wood burner you should close the stove’s vents completely.
The lack of oxygen reaching the fire will cause it to die quickly. You should avoid taking extreme measures such as throwing water on the fire as the quick change in temperature may harm the stove.
How to prevent overheating?
To prevent overheating in the future, you should ensure that you keep the chimney and pipes clean and well maintained. If the pipes have a build-up of soot and creosote, then heat from the stove will not be able to escape.
Not only does this cause overheating, but it could also cause a fire. Please note, that the National Fire Protection Association recommends that chimneys should be cleaned at least once a year.
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We hope that this has helped you understand all about wood burning stove temperatures and how to prevent overheating.
Always remember to read your manual and find out what the recommended temperature is for your stove and also keep an eye on your thermometer. This is a very important step to ensure you are using your stove as safely as possible.
Now that you know what to do, you can start using your wood burning stove at a safe temperature and enjoy it properly.
For everything else home heating, stick with CosyWarmer.com