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Woodstove Overfiring

Q: We just bought a new, EPA approved woodstove from our local dealer, and while reading the owner's manual, we noticed a precaution against 'overfiring'. Our dealer says he has no idea what this might mean. Do you suppose the term 'overfire' means to get the stove too hot? How can that be? Doesn't a woodstove have to get hot in order to heat the house? If the stove can be damaged by over-heating, please give us some input from your experience as to what are the indicators it is getting too hot, and what sort of damage can result in getting it too hot. Finally, is overfiring an issue with the woodstoves you sell? We hate to think we bought a woodstove that must be babied for fear it might self-destruct!

A: Ever seen a Blacksmith's forge? The concept is simple: hit enough burning fuel with enough oxygen and you can melt iron and steel like butter. Since all woodstoves have iron or steel components, they can all be damaged by overfiring if given too much fuel and too much air.

This doesn't mean you have to 'baby' your stove. Today's non-catalytic woodstoves burn hotter than the stoves of yesteryear, so they incorporate high-refractory and stainless steel components not found in older models. Nonetheless, even though your new stove is built to withstand the 1200+ degree temperatures created by burning fuelwood in a controlled burn, it could be damaged, as can all woodstoves, if you fill the firebox chock-full and leave the draft control wide open for extended periods of time. For the same reason, you should also avoid burning super-hot materials like mill ends, treated lumber, plastic, trash, and large quantities of paper. You'll find this cautionary info in the owner's manuals of all of today's woodstoves.

Indications of an overfiring woodstove include red-hot stove panels and a LOUD whoosh of excessive air being drawn through the intake. In worst cases, the stove can actually vibrate on the hearth. You can read about this phenomenon, which we call whuffing, here.

A little common sense is all that is required here: if your stove is glowing, screaming or dancing around, turn the draft control down gradually, a little bit at a time, until you bring your fire under control.

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