First True Shoulder Season Burn

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I have had my stove going for a few weeks, but today I got to work and it was 62 inside; 32 outside. I have been able to burn all day with only a short time with the window open. Took about 4 hours to warm the space, but I loved every minute of it. I like it being a little brisk while the stove warms up. Occasionally, I warm my backside by the stove while waiting for the room to warm. With my stove, you have a long wait until the stove is kicking alot of heat, but once she's going, she holds the heat well until the fire goes completely out and the stove cools for several hours.

I imagine a barrel stove would be perfect for instant heat, but I have no real desire for anything like that...especially when aesthetics are considered.
 
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That Canadian air has been wonderful down here...hasnt been cold enough for a fire for me, but sure has felt good. The warming has started and by the weekend it will be back in the mid 80s.... That is one downside to an efficient stove...takes a while for it to warm up and then you have to open the windows...ha
 
That Canadian air has been wonderful down here...hasnt been cold enough for a fire for me, but sure has felt good. The warming has started and by the weekend it will be back in the mid 80s.... That is one downside to an efficient stove...takes a while for it to warm up and then you have to open the windows...ha

My stove is slow because of all the stone. The glass heats up and radiates quickly, but the real warming power comes from the mass and surface area being hot, which takes time. On the flip side, she's easy to keep warm for days once rolling.

I threw in some overseasoned oak that is starting to lose mass due to age. That took off quick and hot. Love the hardwoods.

I've been burning cottonwoods and some lower end junk too. That tends to go to coals quickly, but the overall heat output isn't there, perfect for shoulder season.

Arkansas will get cold soon enough. Think of all the wood you save. My sister lives in Charlotte, NC and never gets much of a winter. She has poisonous snakes and termites to worry about. I'll take a northern climate for that reason. Can't stand critters and vermon too much.
 
Not sure how long those Heritage stoves take to warm up but the Fireview throws heat in good time. We were told that it would take an hour to get heat. That his hogwash.
 
Wow! That truly is amazing as we are really cooking within 1/2 hour here. Maybe the difference between Hearthstone and Woodstock stoves. No doubt the catalyst aids in this.
 
My Woodstock gas heats quickly, but the soapstone panels basically surround a metal box. Not the same design at all to compare. Much less mass.
 
From a cold start, I was able to get heat within 30-45 minutes at times. Other times, it was longer.
 
From a cold start, I was able to get heat within 30-45 minutes at times. Other times, it was longer.

I start with the Supercedar, then a couple pine 2X4's over that, then I criss cross some smaller splits of various hardwood. It's probably an hour before the stove top is warm enough to do anything. It's about 3 before the stove can bring the room from 62 to 70.

An Equinox can achieve this feat in less than an hour. It also has double the box size though and way more surface area obviously.

 
I have watched that just for the heck of it.

Great looking stoves.
 
I have watched that just for the heck of it.

Great looking stoves.

I like watching different stoves. I have watched Blaze King videos and Jotul. I need to check out Pacific Energy as many love them.
 
Firecracker, I'm wondering how you set the draft when starting the cold stove. We've found that many leave the draft full open, which will impede the heating process. Once the fire gets started and the flue temperature raises to 300-400 degrees (single wall pipe), we turn the draft down. This keeps the heat in the stove rather than simply sending it all up the stack.
 
Firecracker, I'm wondering how you set the draft when starting the cold stove. We've found that many leave the draft full open, which will impede the heating process. Once the fire gets started and the flue temperature raises to 300-400 degrees (single wall pipe), we turn the draft down. This keeps the heat in the stove rather than simply sending it all up the stack.

I start with the side door open and a supercedar quartered; then comes a few pieces of small 2X4 pine, then a few small splits laid on top.

Then, I close the side door with draft fully open. After about 20 minutes depending on how she's taking off, I slowly dial back the air control in small increments till I have a roaring fire. Then, my temps start to climb. This process takes about an hour. About 2 + hours before I'm getting any noticeable heat into the room.
 
I start with the side door open and a supercedar quartered; then comes a few pieces of small 2X4 pine, then a few small splits laid on top.

Then, I close the side door with draft fully open. After about 20 minutes depending on how she's taking off, I slowly dial back the air control in small increments till I have a roaring fire. Then, my temps start to climb. This process takes about an hour. About 2 + hours before I'm getting any noticeable heat into the room.

After about 2.5 - 3 hours, she's rocking and the stone is hot. At that point, secondaries are going nuts and my face is wearing a big grin.
 
I don't know about the Woodstock, but my stove is happiest when she's kept going for days. I don't like letting it cool but once a week when it's really cold for that reason.
 
Not a problem with our stove. It really does not take long to heat up. After a couple small fires using lumber cut-offs yesterday, it got hot so I opened the door. Then did not keep a fire overnight. Fire was basically out when I went to bed. The 30 degree night cooled the house a bit but it was not uncomfortable in here. I did eventually light another fire mid morning. Not sure if we'll have more tonight or not. Depends upon the temperature.
 
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Not a problem with our stove. It really does not take long to heat up. After a couple small fires using lumber cut-offs yesterday, it got hot so I opened the door. Then did not keep a fire overnight. Fire was basically out when I went to bed. The 30 degree night cooled the house a bit but it was not uncomfortable in here. I did eventually light another fire mid morning. Not sure if we'll have more tonight or not. Depends upon the temperature.

I checked last night, and I had heat sooner than I thought. About 1.5 hours before she was throwing alot of heat. Still...not instant or anywhere near it.

I have very good results when starting with very small splits and alot of surface area. The faster I can get the secondaries, the faster the heat. It's the secondaries which heat the stone the most. The coals once established obviously are the high heat, but initial start-up heat starts to kick in with secondaries.
 
Right. With ours, once the stove top gets up to 200 and we engage the cat, then the temperature climbs super fast. This is long before any coal bed.
 
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Right. With ours, once the stove top gets up to 200 and we engage the cat, then the temperature climbs super fast. This is long before any coal bed.

I imagine that cat gets super hot once engaged. I have no experience with them. That will be the next stove I think. A cat with really long burn times. Like a progress hybrid or blaze king. For now, I'll just enjoy what I have.

You have been burning 50 years? What were the stoves like 50 years ago? No Catalytics back then.
 
We had our 1st fire tue night...used willow that I save for shoulder season.

Big dummy that I am I forget that we like willow Mostly and only in the morning shoulder season. In the morning it quickly warms up the cool house and will go out quickly as the sun warms things up or we exit the house to live life as God intended.

But at night we want the longer lasting hard wood burn. DOH!

...well it was the 1st fire of the year.
 
We had our 1st fire tue night...used willow that I save for shoulder season.

Big dummy that I am I forget that we like willow Mostly and only in the morning shoulder season. In the morning it quickly warms up the cool house and will go out quickly as the sun warms things up or we exit the house to live life as God intended.

But at night we want the longer lasting hard wood burn. DOH!

...well it was the 1st fire of the year.

Yeah...I hear you. Shoulder season is tough to gauge. I don't mind a little over heat at night.

I don't know all the woods well enough, but willow is a fast burn for sure.
 
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