Waking up to refill

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I am also running a Castine and average about 5-6 hours between reloads when filling the firebox to capcity (N/S and/or E/W) exclusively using hardwoods. I always reload once in the middle of the night. My last load for the day is loaded between 10-11pm and I am up and loading between 3-4am.
 
I can just about get an all night burn using oak if needed, but we have far more birch to burn than oak.

I had a record 6 hour burn (for me) with birch a few days ago, it's not the end of the world putting paper and kindling on in the morning if the fire went out 2 hours earlier.

The residual warmth is still in the air, and unless we had an unusually cold night I wouldn't worry too much here.

Knowing that I can do an overnighter if really needed is more important than just burning my best wood when not really needed...... ;-)
 
I typically do my final load at 9:30 p.m. and don't get up until 4:30 or 5 a.m. . . . usually there are still some coals for me to work with, but the woodstove is not throwing much heat.

If the outside temps are not bad (20 degrees or higher) the oil boiler doesn't kick on (I have the thermostats set to kick on at 60 degrees).

If the outside temps are in the teens or below the oil boiler may kick on before I normally wake up . . . and the sound of the boiler and/or water coursing through the radiators (along with the ticking noise) wakes me up earlier . . . and sometimes just feeling a bit cooler than normal is enough to wake me up.
 
if i load at 10 or 11 pm im good till 6 or 7am no prob. ash oak and blk locust.
 
Many, many years I got up during the night and loaded the stove. I did it for so long it just became habit. I'd stay with the stove just long enough to get the fire established, turn it down and hit the sack again. Haven't done that for a while now.

As for the water pipes in mobile/mfg. homes, there is a good reason why some redo their water pipes and run them inside the house along an outside wall. It is easy to insulate the pipes as they are installed but you also still need to have some ventilation to them to keep them from freezing when the temperature plunges way below zero. It really does not cost a lot to make this easy fix and is well worth it. In the meantime letting the furnace kick on in early morning is not a bad thing if it keeps the pipes from freezing. Thawing those suckers is not fun.
 
It's a rare thing for me to get up to load the stove. If anything, I'll put 2 splits on the coals at 3 or 4 a.m. and set the air at half then go back to bed but that's only when it's really cold outside.
 
When the temps plunge in January/Feburary, I'll be getting-up to reload the stove. It's one thing to get 8 or 12 hr burns, it's another to get 8-12 hrs of significant heat output vs coals to restart the fire. My problem with the old part of this house is that I loose a ton of heat out of it due to lack of insulation - so I need to crank out abnormal amounts of heat. If one can capture the heat, I can see letting the stove go to coals overnight.

Happy burning!
Bill
 
For those of you who do get up in the middle of the night.....how long do you wait until you can close it down a bit? I always have hot coals to start with, but I gotta wait till the new wood goes a bit. This can be a challenge, cause so sleepy. If not, its a low temp burn, glass gets dirty, ect. I guess throwing on 2 smaller splits would be a good idea, and turn it half closed (or half open %-P ) like a previous poster stated. That way, less chance of over fire, and less chance of smolder too.
 
Backwoods said:
Wood Duck said:
I frequently get up at night to reload. On cold nights I always get up. Tonight will be only about 32 and I'll probably not bother get out of bed and reload. I generally wake up once or twice per night even if there is no fire to mess with, so it isn't a big deal to get up and reload. I fall back to sleep as soon as I want to. If I don't reload the stove will be pretty cold in the morning. With one reload I have a warm stove with some coals in the morning.

Woodduck....we have similar fire box sizes, when you load in the middle of the night, so you go right back to bed, or baby sit it? I trend to wait until the new stuff catches, and then turn it down again, but this sometimes takes awhile.

I have to babysit for a while until I can get the fire going well enough that I can turn down the air at least halfway. I cannot leave my stove with a full load and the air open all the way or it will overheat. With nice hot coals I am up only about ten minutes. If the coals get too small I may be up longer - I am not really sure about the ten minutes but that is what it feels like. If I feel like getting back to sleep quickly I just put a log or two on the fire and go right to bed with the air open full.
 
A few times recently, the wife had insomnia and I'd wake up in the morning to a large base of coals. Maybe you could try giving your wife some Red Bull.
 
Backwoods said:
Am I the only one who gets up in the wee hours of the night just to add more wood?
Anyone else with similar situations, or who just reload in the middle of the night?

Has been 5+ yrs now since Ive had to do that. Its all about the magic.
 
Big firebox, load @ 10:30 PM house @~ 75* bed room @ 65* shop @ 70* @ 7:30 am still have usable heat & the blower is still cycling. House temp is usually 68* bedroom a little cooler, & shop about 65*. Big improvement from years past due to better insulation. We'll see what happens if it gets real cold here. We've only had one nite in the teens & just a few even in the 20's.

Short answer no I don't reload @ nite, & the gas valve is off to the propane. So far, so good. A C
 
I don't reload no matter what ...lol sleep is to precious when I can get it. My summit is good from about 9 to 430-5 when I get up.. if its still around 400 I won't refill till about 6.. I get a good 10-12 hrs from it ... But when its coldest is morning so I like to fill it at 9 and not close it allll the way down as I will have very little heat and bunch of coals... So I give it a lil extra air so its ready by 530 to reload and still 300+
 
Get up to reload!? Ain't gonna happen. On really cold nights I will get up at six or seven like people that actually have to work for a living and then I will put some splits on the coals. Otherwise, no way. 68-70 at nine am is fine with me. I loaded it at nine the night before, why hurry.
 
Backwoods,

East west burn is for a longer burn. North south usually gets more air and burns faster but some stoves can load more wood that way so you get a compensation for the more air fast burn with more wood maybe more heat over a longer period.

The idea for a long burn is get those coals burned down just before bed. So as to be able to rake the coals forward to open an area in the back of the stove all the way to the bottom so as to put a big split in the back all the way to the bottom with no coals underneath this big split. This way its going to increase the stoves burn time as the stove is going to be burning front to back on a east west load. With putting this split in the back all the way to the bottom sometimes you can get 3 splits stack on top of each other all the back against the back of the stove. Make sure these are good quality splits. Then after getting 2 or 3 splits up against the backk of the stove all the way to the bottom with out coals underneath, now load a second row of splits but this second row most likely will be on the coals as you will not be able to rake the coals far enough forward for this second row froom the back. You should be able to stack two splits on top of each other for a second row since they are on the coals. Then the third row you leave open as you will be up by the front window of the stove. This area is to stack a bunch of 1 inch or less kindling to get burning hot and fast. But hey if you got 3 in the back row and 2 on the second row you got 5 medium sized (4") splits iin the stove. That front row is important with the kindling as to get the stove up to soome very hot temps fast before the stove gets to burning all that wood in the back. The kindling will burn hot and fast and hopefully secondaries get to burning really good if you put enough of the small stuff in there. If it doesnt work the first time put more small stuff on that front row but be carefull it wont roll out on you if you open the door. If the kindling is really dry you will get flue temps up to 400-500 and stove top up to 600 to 700 quick and this will get the front surfaces of the back load of big stuff and the tops up by the secondaries going as you only want the surfaces out front and tops a going to perserve most of the back stuff for a long burn time. Even if you have coals you could use news paper also for a really fast rise in flue temp. Crack the door to get the kindling burning fast then close it, if it needs to be cracked again then open it again to keep the kindling going hot and fast as the stove heats up you wont need to keep the door cracked. Some stoves fire up nicely with the door closed.

Most people are burning up their big stuff to get the stove up to temp then what is left is a short burn time. That back row with no coals underneath to burn it from the bottom is key. Plan your split sizes to get 3 splits in that back row then plan it to use sizes to get one really big one or 2 mediums size in that second row.

After getting the stove going really hot and getting secondaries burning good I have opened the door and added a split to the third row closet to the door east west as if the stove temps are really hot that additional piece wont put much of a dent in the stove temps but will fire off nicely if its good and dry.

Backwoods sounds like your wood is a little bit high moisture as your not able to damper down as much because your boiling water and cooling your secondaries so you have to leave the intake air a little too open for a long burn.
 
I get a kick out of you guys that get up at night to reload the stove. I did that growing up in my parents house, when I was a teenager. Now, I would rather cut off my big toe than get up in the middle of the night to reload. Every time I cut and split I have the overnight burn in mind. Big, fat, long splits for the back and midlle of the firebox, smaller ones for the front. It's all I think about when I,m splitting... Sleep is good.
 
Hunting dog 1,


I'm going to first say that the wood I'm using is for sure seasoned. I have a smaller firebox, so I can't use the 3 high method unless I use smaller splits, so I went two high they way you explained, and loaded up the front with kindlin, right after I raked all the coals forward. The kindlin went up fast, and the stove accomplished the proper temps for secondaries. I closed the air up to 50% and then to almost completely closed. Secondaries still roaring. I have been able to close down completely now and we have beautiful flames pouring out of the chambers like a fighter jet. This is probably the best fire yet. Its late, and I'm going to bed now and will see what we have in 8 hours. Thx for your informative post.
 
I'm with those who find sleep sweet. That having been said, when it's colder than -20 or so, I will sometimes wake up in the night to the awareness that it's colder than it should be in the house, and I will go down and tend the fire. Even funnier is that sometimes I will be awakened by the cat who will lead me downstairs, sit down in front of the cold stove, and look at me expectantly. That's my alarm system.

Dennis gave wise advice, I think. I live in a very cold climate, but would have to have a major problem here for the plumbing to freeze, because the water comes into our house from a buried tank, and enters the wall 6' underground, so below the frost line. Virtually all of my plumbing is on interior walls. If you moved your plumbing so that it was protected, you could sleep easier. Obviously a project for a summer day or two, but I think it's wise considering the level of concern you have.

If it's truly the pipes you're worried about, wouldn't it be easier to get up and run the water at the far end of its run for long enough to get the pipes cycling? Esp if you have the hot-water and cold-water pipes adjacent, they should make it through the night at the temps you're describing. I'd look into that at least. With all the skirting and the heat tapes, etc., you're pretty safe. Get a battery backup system like they make for computers if you're worried about power failures.

Get some sleep.
 
To Sly Ferret they do make a wireless indoor-outdoor thermometer with alarm.....I got mine at walmart, it is an Acu-Rite and it was only $17.00 I have a mobile home and I put the sensor underneath to moniter how cold it gets where my pipes are.....
 
Taking one for the Team:

I was up late reading last night, which included cruising around h.c, and posted in this thread. A bit later went downstairs to check on the fire, which was burning low. Instead of building up the fire, I let it go out, simulating a long night with no wood added. When I went downstairs this a.m., the house was 60 upstairs and down, and the stove was cold. Temp outside is zero.

Laid a match to the fire almost an hour ago. It's now four degrees warmer in the hearth room, not a whit warmer upstairs yet, 325 on stovetop. I just shut the air intake, put in another split, and shut the pipe damper. I am going back to sleep for awhile (gotta love Christmas vacation) and when I awaken I am confident that the house will be toasty.

While 60 is not a comfy temp for being up and doing, it certainly does not put any of my systems at risk. I'll still want to check on things in extreme cold, but this is not that.
 
It really depends on how cold it is out. I have a natural alarm system that gets me up between 1-3 pretty much every night no matter what so if it's cold enough I'll reload the stove. Usually we load when we get home around 6 so there's usually a good fire still going when we go to bed, which is why I usually end up reloading when I wake up. If it's shoulder season though, I leave it since we have a waterbed and we're warm enough anyway. Then we load for a long burn in the morning around 6 so it's set for the day when we're not home. When we are home, it's more random and whenever it's needed.
 
I'll go ahead and pile on my comment as well. I usually load around 10:30 and I am happy if I just have a nice bed of coals in the morning at 7. I let the furnace keep it above 66 so it's within "non-complaint range" by the time my wife and kiddos get up.

I am not sure what everyone is talking about with 12hr burns... I've never even come close to that. I'm happy if I can squeeze out more than 4 hours between reloads. If I can go 6 that is stellar. My assumption is that my poorly insulated stone house is to blame because it sucks the heat right out of that stove even when cranking at 600-700 degrees. It has to be a very mild night to make it overnight without the furnace kicking on.
 
The only time I reload at night is if something else gets me up - like a bathroom break or one of my kids fussing, then I'll check and retop the stove.

Having lived in two mobile homes over my life and having been involved in the mobile home industry for about 12 years, I will make these points. Your supply line (from the ground to the home) must have a heat tape and insulation - that's a given. Get a good safe one - as these will short and burn a home down in a jiffy. Skirting is mostly for appearances. Mobile homes don't lose to much heat down. Skirting might trap some heat - but it's still mostly for looks. It's gonna be cold under the home - even if you use insulated skirting much like a crawl space or worse.

I'm guessing you have a gun type oil heater? If you are only heating with a wood stove, your oil heater blower fan is not operating, then it's not drawing the heat from the wood stove back thru the returns. Many of the MH's I am familiar with are plumbed along the heat duct, so below the sub floor, plumbing will benefit from heat running thru the ducts. Running a wood stove - you're not getting any heat below the floor, pipes will freeze. You could run your blower some to help with this on days when you know it's gonna be really cold. Open cabinet doors and run the blower. This will draw the wood stove heat below the floor.

Yeah, nothing sucks like frozen pipes. Some will leave a trickle on - that's the worst thing you can do! Then you'll get a frozen sewer pipe (from the trailer to the ground) and if you leave it prolonged - it will back up and you'll come home to a flooded home! I can't tell you how many times someone would go on vacation and turn off the heat to save money and leave a trickle on. They'd come home to a skating rink in their living room! When pipes burst, we always routed the new pipes INSIDE the duct work, to keep them warm. The beauty of a MH is they are so easy to work on and get access to stuff.

Mine used to freeze up in the water meter crock. My heat tape stopped at the frost line. It was thought the ground warmth in the crock would keep the meter yoke from freezing - but it didnt on really cold days. It would freeze. I would scoop and pan of water from the toilet tank and boil it on the stove. Take it out and pour it over the pipes in the crock and hear the water free up. I've seen old ladies out in their ropes trying to thaw lines with a hair dryer! Which doesn't work!

Also be careful if you get a deep snow on the roof. If you kick on your oil heat (which hasn't been running) your cold stack could be blocked by snow and might choke out your burner or cause harmful exhaust into the home. I had this happen once and hit the reset more times then allowed, opened the view port and vented the puddle of oil and blew my stack about three homes down the street. Fire shot out the view hole aluminating me in the wee hours and my face was black with soot. My significant other was not impressed.

Good luck, run your heater blower on cold days!
 
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