Wanted to post this as a topic on its own as I mentioned it in another post.
This morning once again as I took a piece of my good dried white oak that looked like it would split into kindling easy and made some 1" approx square kindling.
As I have posted many times but I will repeat for any newbies that happen across this posting, that I raked my coals forward opening up the back of the stove all the way to the bottom of the stove so I could stack a big split on the bottom of my stove so as its not on any hot coals. This is my long burn time log. But since I am now able to start at the bottom of the stove I can usually with picking out sizes I need , I can get 3 splits stack on top of each other on that back row up to the secondary burn tubes.
Then I start the next 2nd row of splits and I usually can get the coals raked far enough forward so that second row is on hot coals. I usually get 2 pre-selected splits stack on top of each other on that 2nd row.
My stove is only 14.5" deep so I only have room for one more 3rd row but I leave it open as that row I am going to stack my kindling. As I like to get my stove heated up fast so I can get off to work in the mornings. Plus some of us our setups dont heat up quickly on restarts, so this info is for those hard to get the heat up stoves.
So I mention quality of kindling as we are always talking quality of the big stuff on Hearth.com. I have been using some poplar that seem to split up nicely into small kindling size sticks. Poplar isnt a high BTU wood. It will burn especially if split small so it acts like a good kindling, kind of fooled me. See all those flames but not always getting the stove heated up quickly like I wanted. I am a believer that getting things heated up quickly means burning less of your big stuff in the stove thats needed for your long burn times. Plus if you load up in the back on no coals all the way to the bottom your not going to be getting heat back there for your startup. So you want and need the front of the stove to heat up quickly so that only the front of the stove is burning hot letting the fire once you get things cooking , "burn front to back".
What has amazed me after I decide to sacrifice my good dry white oak for kindling is if I lay those 1" splits , 4 or 5 of them on that empty front 3rd row right on the hot coals that my stove takes off like a rocket. Up to heat and ready to shut down the air in like 10 or 12 minutes. Which I know many of you get that type performance with bigger splits but my setup with a little bit too big of a flue isnt so easily heated up that quick.
So I hope this helps someone that if you have hard a time getting things going on reloads that try some higher quality kindling as the BTU's are definitely higher making things take off quicker.
This morning once again as I took a piece of my good dried white oak that looked like it would split into kindling easy and made some 1" approx square kindling.
As I have posted many times but I will repeat for any newbies that happen across this posting, that I raked my coals forward opening up the back of the stove all the way to the bottom of the stove so I could stack a big split on the bottom of my stove so as its not on any hot coals. This is my long burn time log. But since I am now able to start at the bottom of the stove I can usually with picking out sizes I need , I can get 3 splits stack on top of each other on that back row up to the secondary burn tubes.
Then I start the next 2nd row of splits and I usually can get the coals raked far enough forward so that second row is on hot coals. I usually get 2 pre-selected splits stack on top of each other on that 2nd row.
My stove is only 14.5" deep so I only have room for one more 3rd row but I leave it open as that row I am going to stack my kindling. As I like to get my stove heated up fast so I can get off to work in the mornings. Plus some of us our setups dont heat up quickly on restarts, so this info is for those hard to get the heat up stoves.
So I mention quality of kindling as we are always talking quality of the big stuff on Hearth.com. I have been using some poplar that seem to split up nicely into small kindling size sticks. Poplar isnt a high BTU wood. It will burn especially if split small so it acts like a good kindling, kind of fooled me. See all those flames but not always getting the stove heated up quickly like I wanted. I am a believer that getting things heated up quickly means burning less of your big stuff in the stove thats needed for your long burn times. Plus if you load up in the back on no coals all the way to the bottom your not going to be getting heat back there for your startup. So you want and need the front of the stove to heat up quickly so that only the front of the stove is burning hot letting the fire once you get things cooking , "burn front to back".
What has amazed me after I decide to sacrifice my good dry white oak for kindling is if I lay those 1" splits , 4 or 5 of them on that empty front 3rd row right on the hot coals that my stove takes off like a rocket. Up to heat and ready to shut down the air in like 10 or 12 minutes. Which I know many of you get that type performance with bigger splits but my setup with a little bit too big of a flue isnt so easily heated up that quick.
So I hope this helps someone that if you have hard a time getting things going on reloads that try some higher quality kindling as the BTU's are definitely higher making things take off quicker.
