Kevin Dolan
Burning Hunk
Fire man, I wonder why you have to cover the top of the pile. I never have and don't understand what it would do to keep the wood drier. The rain runs off my stacked wood and does not seem to be absorbed, just wondering
Stove doesn't like to burn, tube falls out, short burn times?
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Not fireman but I thought like you, never covering my firewood and getting away with it til this year. I blame it on the rain then freeze then rain, freeze thing that happened here in November. Long story short I now have about a cord of Poplar that has turned black and could be marketed as non-combustable overfire stoppers.Fire man, I w to cover the top of the pile. I never have and don't understand what it would do to keep the wood drier. The rain runs off my stacked wood and does not seem to be absorbed, just wondering
Kevin Dolan
Burning Hunk
Wow that is not good, still don't understand why covering is better than nothing. Obviously your experience would lead to covering but did you get a lot of snow cover and melting that kept some of the stack wet?
Is the poplar really wet?
No. We got rain in November, then the temps would drop into the teens. This process was repeated till my poplar was incased in ice. Not the kind of froze where you tap the wood apart with another split but the type that took the blunt side of a splitting mual to separate the splits.
Our oak doesn't seem to be effected by this though but I'm sure fresh split, green Poplar would be better than what I have one year seasoned.
Our oak doesn't seem to be effected by this though but I'm sure fresh split, green Poplar would be better than what I have one year seasoned.
Kevin Dolan
Burning Hunk
I agree on the oak but would not want to burn fresh split poplar unless for survival,lol
I have not burned poplar but would expect it to be a shorter burn wood similar to silver maple. Do you burn poplar all the time or just in shoulder season?
fire_man
Minister of Fire
Fire man, I wonder why you have to cover the top of the pile. I never have and don't understand what it would do to keep the wood drier. The rain runs off my stacked wood and does not seem to be absorbed, just wondering
It's entirely climate and locality related whether or not you have to top cover your stacks. If I don't top cover I end up with a slimy fungus mess of wood after a couple years of "seasoning". I have poor wind, lots of shade, and tons of rain. Others may live in a dry, windy, sunny climate and never need to cover their wood.
In any case, I don't think anybody should ever completely cover their stacks, always allow the sides to breathe.
Update on our burning issue. We've been trying some different things which is why I didn't update sooner. Here is what we have found:
1. We bought a couple of bags of over-priced kiln-dried hardwood from Home Depot. It did burn a lot better than our firewood. We found that we had not stacked or covered our firewood properly,which was causing it to be covered in moisture and ice. We have been bringing stacks of it inside to dry for a few days ahead of time, even using a fan blowing on the stack inside to help. We have noticed a huge difference.
2. The biggest thing that is different seems odd to us, but I'm hoping maybe someone can explain why this is? We have a blower on our stove. When we turned the blower off, we no longer appear to have any airflow issues. The fire lights, and the fire stays lit. Before, we had a terrible time with this.
3. Finally, we questioned why a 2000 model stove wasn't adequately heating our home, which is approximately 2000 square feet in total. The stove is located in the center of the basement. The basement is a daylight basement that is 1/4 finished and the remaining 3/4 is concrete floor, concrete foundation walls. When we go outside and walk around the house, the snow is melted / pulled away from the outside of the foundation EXCEPT in the corner where the walls & floors inside are finished. Interesting? Possibly the heat is being leached out through the concrete? Its not like it feels warm to the touch, but the heat has to be going somewhere.
Either way, I'm enjoying a nice fire this morning with a cup of coffee & and look forward to hearing any new ideas with this information.
Thanks, all!
1. We bought a couple of bags of over-priced kiln-dried hardwood from Home Depot. It did burn a lot better than our firewood. We found that we had not stacked or covered our firewood properly,which was causing it to be covered in moisture and ice. We have been bringing stacks of it inside to dry for a few days ahead of time, even using a fan blowing on the stack inside to help. We have noticed a huge difference.
2. The biggest thing that is different seems odd to us, but I'm hoping maybe someone can explain why this is? We have a blower on our stove. When we turned the blower off, we no longer appear to have any airflow issues. The fire lights, and the fire stays lit. Before, we had a terrible time with this.
3. Finally, we questioned why a 2000 model stove wasn't adequately heating our home, which is approximately 2000 square feet in total. The stove is located in the center of the basement. The basement is a daylight basement that is 1/4 finished and the remaining 3/4 is concrete floor, concrete foundation walls. When we go outside and walk around the house, the snow is melted / pulled away from the outside of the foundation EXCEPT in the corner where the walls & floors inside are finished. Interesting? Possibly the heat is being leached out through the concrete? Its not like it feels warm to the touch, but the heat has to be going somewhere.
Either way, I'm enjoying a nice fire this morning with a cup of coffee & and look forward to hearing any new ideas with this information.
Thanks, all!
Charles1981
Minister of Fire
I have a 1000sq foot ranch (2,000 sq feet if you count the basement). Stove is also in the basement. I have a spiral staircase next to the stove which is centrally located and two floor registers cut over the stove leading to the 2nd flood.
Having a basement install is less than ideal. I get pretty decent results however (i feel because of the spiral staircase with ceiling fan directly over it and the registers over the stove). Combine the difficulty of moving heat upstairs with wood that needs to have the moisture burned off first before it will throw real heat and you got yourself a double whammy. I also think the 2000 you have is just under 2cubic feet. That is a smaller firebox. The 2000sq feet would be the maximum rating, with the BEST wood, in the BEST conditions. So another strike against unfortunately.
Come April/May start calling and looking for a forester that will deliver 5-10 chords on a semi. Look for Ash. Cut, Split, and Stack (c\s\s) it immediately. Don't bother covering it until snow is a threat and then only cover the top so that you don't get snow on top of your stacks. If you c\s\s ash in April/May it won't quite be 100% ready to burn but it will a heck of a lot better than what you are burning now. Don't get oak or you will find yourself in the same boat again. If you order 10 chords you'll go through 5 this year of ok burning and then next year have 5 chords 100% ready to burn at max BTU's.
I think with dry wood you could adequately heat your house if its BTU loss is minimal and the basement is finished. I think you would be happier with a bigger stove (after making sure you have dry wood first thought)
Having a basement install is less than ideal. I get pretty decent results however (i feel because of the spiral staircase with ceiling fan directly over it and the registers over the stove). Combine the difficulty of moving heat upstairs with wood that needs to have the moisture burned off first before it will throw real heat and you got yourself a double whammy. I also think the 2000 you have is just under 2cubic feet. That is a smaller firebox. The 2000sq feet would be the maximum rating, with the BEST wood, in the BEST conditions. So another strike against unfortunately.
Come April/May start calling and looking for a forester that will deliver 5-10 chords on a semi. Look for Ash. Cut, Split, and Stack (c\s\s) it immediately. Don't bother covering it until snow is a threat and then only cover the top so that you don't get snow on top of your stacks. If you c\s\s ash in April/May it won't quite be 100% ready to burn but it will a heck of a lot better than what you are burning now. Don't get oak or you will find yourself in the same boat again. If you order 10 chords you'll go through 5 this year of ok burning and then next year have 5 chords 100% ready to burn at max BTU's.
I think with dry wood you could adequately heat your house if its BTU loss is minimal and the basement is finished. I think you would be happier with a bigger stove (after making sure you have dry wood first thought)
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Update on our burning issue. We've been trying some different things which is why I didn't update sooner. Here is what we have found:
1. We bought a couple of bags of over-priced kiln-dried hardwood from Home Depot. It did burn a lot better than our firewood. We found that we had not stacked or covered our firewood properly,which was causing it to be covered in moisture and ice. We have been bringing stacks of it inside to dry for a few days ahead of time, even using a fan blowing on the stack inside to help. We have noticed a huge difference.
2. The biggest thing that is different seems odd to us, but I'm hoping maybe someone can explain why this is? We have a blower on our stove. When we turned the blower off, we no longer appear to have any airflow issues. The fire lights, and the fire stays lit. Before, we had a terrible time with this.
3. Finally, we questioned why a 2000 model stove wasn't adequately heating our home, which is approximately 2000 square feet in total. The stove is located in the center of the basement. The basement is a daylight basement that is 1/4 finished and the remaining 3/4 is concrete floor, concrete foundation walls. When we go outside and walk around the house, the snow is melted / pulled away from the outside of the foundation EXCEPT in the corner where the walls & floors inside are finished. Interesting? Possibly the heat is being leached out through the concrete? Its not like it feels warm to the touch, but the heat has to be going somewhere.
Either way, I'm enjoying a nice fire this morning with a cup of coffee & and look forward to hearing any new ideas with this information.
That is where you heat is going. Heat transfers to cold.
For us, a basement install is not only ideal in the long run (we plan to finish the remainder of the basement and our bedroom is already down here), but it is also where the chimney is located. Our home is 5 years old and was built with a dedicated woodstove chimney in the center.
We do plan to get some wood asap in the spring. We will be ordering pre-cut wood, though. Cutting and splitting it ourselves is not an option currently.
Charles1981
Minister of Fire
Yea we sleep in the basement as well! Very toasty! Try to find someone that will deliver ash as it will season quicker than oak in general. And again, it will be advertised as "seasoned" but chances are slim it will actually be under 20% moisture content if you cut a split piece and measure it from the inside.
Heaterhunter
Member
I wouldn't worry about upgrading stoves yet. With all the deficiencies in your wood heating system right now you can't get a real feel for your true heating need. Getting the wood as SOON as possible is #1. Just because it's winter doesn't mean you can't get very valuable drying in right now! Ash is great because it will dry for you quick but I would also want some Oak because it is the best(if it's dry enough) as far as BTU's go. A mix might be good for you right now; ash, maple, oak. Just use the Oak last. Buy it, stack it, and cover the top ASAP! Also the fact that your insulating the basement will be a dramatic improvement on heating the house. If you get a bigger stove now it may be too much stove. Dry wood and insulation could be all you need. Worst case, I would guess you will consume 1/4 of the oil or propane next winter with these improvements. If the stove isn't enough after dry wood and insulating then you can make a better decision on the upgrade. Good luck and welcome to the Hearth!
Kosmik
Member
Right now it sounds like your concrete is exposed to earth (non insulated).
And wet soil transfers heat much better than dry, so double whammy!
Unless you're basement is surrounded by dry sand, then you are going to have unacceptable heat losses (even with dry sand, still probably not good for ME). And the earth doesn't stabilize to avg ambient temp until about 10' below grade. So above that the earth is even colder in the winter/ hotter in summer.
Well, ideally your basement would have been installed with insulated sheathing or foam boards on the outside edge of the concrete walls and footings and under the slab...
But it sounds like they just poured concrete.
So if you insulate on the inside, you'll keep in that heat, but you will lose some of the ability to use all that concrete as a thermal mass to help regulate the temperature swings.
But digging, insulating and backfilling is work (and if they didn't insulate under the slab, you ain't). If you stud the basement, just know that the studs become the avenue of thermal transfer in your envelope. If really wanting to isolate that you can always put up a layer of foam board between stud and drywall, but I'm sure there is someone in your area who knows building codes and stuff with that.
I've started to always turning off my stove fan until it's heated up (startup/ reloads). Seems to help. Sometimes I shut the ceiling fan off too.
And wet soil transfers heat much better than dry, so double whammy!
Unless you're basement is surrounded by dry sand, then you are going to have unacceptable heat losses (even with dry sand, still probably not good for ME). And the earth doesn't stabilize to avg ambient temp until about 10' below grade. So above that the earth is even colder in the winter/ hotter in summer.
Well, ideally your basement would have been installed with insulated sheathing or foam boards on the outside edge of the concrete walls and footings and under the slab...
But it sounds like they just poured concrete.
So if you insulate on the inside, you'll keep in that heat, but you will lose some of the ability to use all that concrete as a thermal mass to help regulate the temperature swings.
But digging, insulating and backfilling is work (and if they didn't insulate under the slab, you ain't). If you stud the basement, just know that the studs become the avenue of thermal transfer in your envelope. If really wanting to isolate that you can always put up a layer of foam board between stud and drywall, but I'm sure there is someone in your area who knows building codes and stuff with that.
I've started to always turning off my stove fan until it's heated up (startup/ reloads). Seems to help. Sometimes I shut the ceiling fan off too.
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