log burner not producing much heat?

[roglog]

i have a 5kw aarrow sherbourne but have tried every setting for vents open and shut but it never seems to produce much heat.

I have had some good seasond oak and now using ash, what size logs are recomended?

at this rate i will need to have the radiator on in the room to when it gets cold!!

[Paul Smith]

Is it burning efficiently? Have you checked the rear baffle is in correct, is it a flue and when was it swept? Has the fire got a draw?

 

If the fire burns correctly and is getting enough oxygen it has to get hot.

[Hill-Billy]

i have a 5kw aarrow sherbourne but have tried every setting for vents open and shut but it never seems to produce much heat.

I have had some good seasond oak and now using ash, what size logs are recomended?

at this rate i will need to have the radiator on in the room to when it gets cold!!

 

Getting the right combination/ratio of log to kindling/twigs is the secret art of getting a good hot log burner IMO. It's taken me ten years and countless cold nights to have learnt this and I still forget sometimes and try using just large logs or wet kindling. The radiators do get good and hot when you get it right! Of course a good, ash-free air flow under the wood is essential and a good flue draft as well.

[Graham]

Getting the right combination/ratio of log to kindling/twigs is the secret art of getting a good hot log burner IMO. It's taken me ten years and countless cold nights to have learnt this and I still forget sometimes and try using just large logs or wet kindling. The radiators do get good and hot when you get it right! Of course a good, ash-free air flow under the wood is essential and a good flue draft as well.

 

You need a good flow over the wood and a bed of ash.

[muttley9050]

As paul said, first thing to do is check the draw, take some crumpled newspaper and light it, let it burn a moment then blow it out whilst it is outside the door, most of the smoke should be sucked in through the door. If there is no draw then sweep chimney, if there is a draw then you check the baffle, this should be covering the flue outlet of the stove, but not blocking it(stopping flames and heat shooting straight up the chimney/flue). I this is all ok check there is no damper fitted. If all is correct then i can only assume you have a back boiler fitted and this is sapping all the heat. Most likely cause imo is a misplaced baffle allowing too much heat straight up chimney.

James

[Farmer Tom]

And remember there's a world of difference between trying to use properly seasoned logs and green stuff. The heat goes to evaporating the water first.

- Google Latent Heat of Evaporation.

It takes 2257 kJ to evaporate a kilogram of water.

That heat then goes up the flue as steam.

 

BTW, What colour is your glass? if it's going black then the problem is damp logs for sure.

 

As an experiment you could try burning heatlogs, which have a guaranteed low moisture content ( the reconstituted wood ones, not the waxy ones).

[roglog]

ive had all the fire bricks out a few times and im sure its all in correct, the liner was new when the stove was fitted but it was never insulated with hermiculite, would that help???

there seems to be a good draught as i can hear the wind threw my stove.

my radiators are run from the central hearting not my stove, thank goodness!

thanks for the advise so far

[roglog]

there is a very bit of light brown on the edges of the glass but overall quite clean i would of said, but im no expert!

[Paul Smith]

The Glass could also be black if the secondary or air wash isn't open.

[muttley9050]

Just googled your stove and it looks ok no back boiler though. Go through things systematically as above but dont expect immediate heat. takes a little time to get going.