Why is it so difficult to burn wood.......

DamienBricka · Jan 31, 2014

I am trying hard but I am not succeeding.
So far this year I am in the red burning wood compared to heating with electricity.
Last few days used bricks from Lowes cannot even get them to start.
Maybe it is time to sell the stove. Anyone interested in a CFM - FW240007?
If you are contact me. I am at the end of the road. My Wife says stop the money hemorrhaging
Time to move on.

Enjoy your FIRES because I have learned to hate them.

bholler · Jan 31, 2014

well what chimney is it installed in to start?

Hogwildz · Jan 31, 2014

You started out with this in November on the cheap, and got what you paid for.
So how much actual hemorrhaging is there?
Or is it mostly the frustration talking?
If you can't even get bricks burning, then I agree that wood burning may not be for you, and maybe you should go back to enjoying the convenience of electric heat.
Wood heating is not for everyone.

Phoenix Hatchling · Jan 31, 2014

I thought that your problems were solved when the members here diagnosed your issue with kaowool stuffed in your baffles? Then you couldn't start a fire with a top down method and they talked you through that! How much wood did you burn through in a week? One cord? Sounds like you were able to burn wood then! If all else has been fixed, your wood is good, and you learned how to start a fire.... What went wrong!? I think hog is right and electric is best for you. Maybe a back up generator for when the lights go out.

mnowaczyk · Jan 31, 2014

I'm not sure how much we are saving on our bills, and if the going rate for a cord is $150 and I have burnt two this month, I'm not sure the math works out for me either. I looked at your first post and see you mention "calculations". I think there's no doubt that if you calculate everything, including your time, it's going to be a lot cheaper to let the pros (electric company, gas company, propane company, oil man, etc) pump the heat into your home. You've got to enjoy the heat when and where you get it. You've got to enjoy gathering and splitting the wood for it to work out.

I bet that most wood burners set their thermostats much lower than they would if there wasn't a 500 degree block of steel in their hearth. That heat warms you to the bone and you can take the colder spots in the house, and go outside to get wood in your t-shirt.

It takes time and seasoned wood to learn how to burn in your stove, and consistent feeding. 4 hours is a very long stretch for me. I try to make sure I feed it every 2 hours, and only throw big wood on when it's hot.

I get occasional flames in the morning, but most often just have a few coals and I'm basically starting from scratch after 8 hours. Stove cold, but I just don't need a match to get it rolling again.

I was also very frustrated when I started a few years ago and was ready to ditch the stove and go back to a regular fireplace. Bad wood has a way of working itself out. You get frustrated trying to burn it and stop. Next year it all seems easier for some reason.

You may need to figure out how to get a draft if you really can't get even dry wood burning. Do you get smoke in the basement?

Ram 1500 with an axe... · Jan 31, 2014

Starting a fire can have a learning curve, but really, it becomes quite simple the more you do it, it's like riding a bike, yo may fall off a few times in the beginning but if you don't give up it becomes a breeze and fun..... Good luck...
Oh, please describe how you try to start your fires...

mnowaczyk · Jan 31, 2014

Reading back through some of your previous posts (see quote below), I'm guessing that your splits are too big for your stove, or at least the ratio of coals to the size of the splits you are tossing on. I think as a rule of thumb you might need to have 1-2x the volume of red hot coals as you do of wood you are loading on (for easy take off). And if the splits are thick or full rounds, like more than 4" on the shorter dimension, I never expect them to burn without some smaller "helpers".

"Once I have started the fire top to bottom everything is fine. Later when I reload the stove with wood, it has difficulty to light up again. They are plenty of coals in the stove and I leave the door open about an inch. Once the wood is burning I close the primaries slowly and after 30 minutes the fire dies. I opened the door to check the wood it has not burned all the way and it start again to burn sometimes. I am frustrated"

mnowaczyk · Jan 31, 2014

Also, don't wait for it to get cold to load. If I let my stove get below 400, I usually feel like I missed a critical window.

tarzan · Jan 31, 2014

If it's not for you, then it's not for you. Just turn up your thermostat and be glad you weren't born 120 years ago.

DamienBricka · Jan 31, 2014

Hogwildz said:
You started out with this in November on the cheap, and got what you paid for.

I think you have a lot of balls saying that not everyone is a millionaire and get to buy a $5000 stove. And I am not sure the $5000 stove with a $10000 chimney would solve the problem. And even if I did have that kind of money it would take me several lifetime to reimburse my investment. I need and ROI of 18% a year or I am not interested.

Phoenix Hatchling said:
I thought that your problems were solved when the members here diagnosed your issue with kaowool stuffed in your baffles? Then you couldn't start a fire with a top down method and they talked you through that!

Now I am back to where it does not work anymore. And I have changed nothing. All I can say is my Father who has burned for decades told me the other day that it is very difficult to get good results in wood burning if the house was not designed for it originally. And I tend to agree with him. I will eplore wood burning in a few years when I built the house to make it wood burning efficient.

mnowaczyk said:
If I let my stove get below 400, I usually feel like I missed a critical window.

Only if I could get the stove temperature at the 400F mark it would be great. The only time I was able to do that was several month ago when I filled the stove full of wood and the temperature went all the way up to 900F since then I only put one or two logs at a time because I do not want the temperature to go out of control.

mnowaczyk said:
, I'm not sure the math works out for me either. I looked at your first post and see you mention "calculations".

I do not calculate my time that is the least thing I am worried about.

But if I know the heat load of the house and the degree days and the type of wood I burn then I should know the amount of wood I am burning. And since the begining of the burning season I am way off. Numbers do not lie. And until I figure why the numbers do not work it will bother me and drive me nuts.

mnowaczyk said:
4 hours is a very long stretch for me. I try to make sure I feed it every 2 hours, and only throw big wood on when it's hot.

I thought I read that you should not reload on a 400F stove that is was dangerous and that by doing it that way you burn even more wood. So I let my fire die to about 150-200F put the coals in front reload and hope it restarts. If it does not I curse and get upset. And most of the time it restarts from the back of the stove not the front.

mnowaczyk said:
You may need to figure out how to get a draft if you really can't get even dry wood burning. Do you get smoke in the basement?

When the stove is started I have no draft issue. You may be right not enough draft at the start of the fire. Have no clue on how to correct that. I tried with an open door and it made no difference. (I did leave the door open no more then 10 minutes because I was so cold and I did not see any results)

Hogwildz said:
Or is it mostly the frustration talking?

I will agree there is a lot of frustration talking too

Shmudda · Jan 31, 2014

Damien,

If you are going to give up and throw in the towel what kind of fire wood equipment do you have for sale?

Shmud

mnowaczyk · Jan 31, 2014

DamienBricka said:
I think you have a lot of balls saying that not everyone is a millionaire and get to buy a $5000 stove. And I am not sure the $5000 stove with a $10000 chimney would solve the problem. And even if I did have that kind of money it would take me several lifetime to reimburse my investment. I need and ROI of 18% a year or I am not interested.

18%? Fughettaboutit.
Are you reading sales brochures or something?

I think hogwildz has provided a lot of people with solid feedback. If he has read all your posts...

DamienBricka · Jan 31, 2014

Shmudda said:
If you are going to give up and throw in the towel what kind of fire wood equipment do you have for sale?

Regardless of what I decide to do after I vent on the forum. The stove is going bye bye and it is a CFM - FW240007. Sorry does all I have to offer

DamienBricka · Jan 31, 2014

mnowaczyk said:
18%? Fughettaboutit.

Since I have been out of college my average rate of return on my investments has been 18%

Jean-Claude · Jan 31, 2014

If I was that nervous about using a stove and learning how it works I'd probably put it up for sale as well. But getting all frustrated because a fire doesn't start can't be a good sign either. When I have the occasional issue getting a good fire going I walk over to the thermostat and let the burner go through one cycle. The house is comfy for a bit and the stove usually catches up before the air cools down too much. But I don't grumble and groan about it.

Hate to say it but I can't see wood heat being ideal for you.

BrotherBart · Jan 31, 2014

I never could get the hang of water skiing.

But I am pretty good at heating a house with a wood stove and I have one sitting in the basement with about the same size firebox as your stove and I would never dream of trying to heat a house with it. And I have no concern at all about filling its firebox with wood.

mliiiwit · Jan 31, 2014

DamienBricka said:
When the stove is start I have no draft issue. You may be right not enough draft at the start of the fire. Have no clue on how to correct that. I tried with an open door and it may no difference. (I did leave the door open no more then 10 minutes because I was so cold and I did not see any results)

Do you have a fire going now? If not, gather what you would normally use to start a fire and take a picture of it all on the floor. Then load as you normally would and take a picture of the firebox loaded before you fire it off. Post the pics here in the thread. Be sure the lighting is good a the pics good quality so we can see what you're using and how you're loading.

BrotherBart · Jan 31, 2014

Decision made. Stove going away. Thread closed.

DamienBricka · Jan 31, 2014

Jean-Claude said:
But I don't grumble and groan about it.

Oh I do mostly because my Father never has had an issue he makes it so simple. And I feel then I am failing again because I cannot get a simple task done.

begreen · Jan 31, 2014

Dude, you are doing an awesome job of investing. Buy a natural gas fireplace or freestanding stove and be happy. A happy wife is important too.

Why is it so difficult to burn wood.......

Feeling the Heat

Chimney sweep

Minister of Fire

Minister of Fire

Feeling the Heat

Minister of Fire

Feeling the Heat

Feeling the Heat

Minister of Fire

Feeling the Heat

Burning Hunk

Feeling the Heat

Feeling the Heat

Feeling the Heat

Member

Modesterator

Member

Modesterator

Feeling the Heat

Mooderator

Similar threads