Burning while away from your home

I am not comfortable leaving the stove unattended until it has reached it's "cruising" state, or very close. This takes about 30 minutes in the morning if I am restarting off an overnight burn. So if I know I want to keep the fire going all day, I just reload first thing, and by the time I am ready to leave for work the stove is cruising along nicely.

I would not do this if I had to load E-W for fear of a log rolling out and breaking the glass. But I always load N-S.

Jim

On cold days I stuff the stove full 1/2 hour before I leave for work, let things settle in and turn the air down about 2/3 of the way. At noon I rake forward whatever I can, throw on a couple more and turn down until the wife gets home at 3. Once you learn how the stove likes to run there's really no concern.

I'd get a bigger stove and just not load as full if I wanted less heat. It's not rocket science; stoves been around longer than rockets.

We load up our Kitchen Queen before heading out if the house needs it. It is a good stove. Load it up, close the air down and leave....for a whole day if need be.

I had my stove installed 3 years ago. I was comfortable leaving home with the stove burning once I was familiar with the characteristics and attitude of the stove. Didn't take all that long.

I wait until the fire is rolling steady and my air is positioned where it needs to be for a long duration burn, basically all the way closed. No worries. Same hold true with overnight burns.

Good luck and enjoy.

A huge chunk of the regulars on this forum burn 24/7 for months on end. We also work hard to get good and dry wood. Dry wood is essential for good heat and safety as wet wood will increase creosote.

A large summit or Lopi would be a great choice. Go big!

You probably be comfortable very soon after starting to heat with a wood stove. They are very safe if basic care is taken, and judging from the fact that you have been reading on this forum, and the questions you are asking, I am sure you will take basic care. I don't think twice about leaving the stove heating my home when I am out. It is the only heat I use, as is the case with millions of other folks.

I agree, large PE, Lopi. I'd also recommend checking out the Blaze KIng and Woodstock lines. Both highest quality stoves capable of heating a large home. Each stove has different attributes and appearance. See which you like more, meets your needs. For instance, Blaze King can give really long shoulder season burns and has a thermostat; Woodstock has a cooking top, soapstone for more even heat. Woodstock Progress Hybrid & Ideal Steel, and Lopi Cape Cod are hybrid stoves, so you get both the long cat burn and a nice fire view from the secondary burn. PE is a beautiful cast stove with impressive performance. You really cannot go wrong with any of them, but your particular set up, taste and needs (central or external chimney, dedicated stainless chimney or insert in masonry chimney, height of chimney, exposure, temps, layout of the home, desire for fan on stove, or desire for no electric, ability to cook in the event of power outages, or even as a primary stove in winter) may make one more desirable than another.

If you care to post more info, then owners of or those experienced burning the various models can give a bit more pertinent advice.

begreen said:

You need to work within your comfort zone. It can take time to build confidence. There's no problem with burning when you're home. There will still be a notable savings. Many of us are comfortable with leaving our stove unattended. That is based on experience and a knowledge that the stove and flue system has been installed safely and properly. Give yourself time to get very familiar with wood heating before trying 24/7 burning.

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All great advice. Take your time to learn the stove. After three years with the PE, I'm comfortable with it's characteristics. At this point, if I know the house is going to be vacant for a great part of the day, I make sure to have the stove fully loaded and burning as it should before we leave. This can't be accomplished in 5-10 minutes, so it does take some time. But it is a good feeling to know that all is safe and when returning home, the house will be warm. .

One thing that may make you feel more comfortable with your install, read up on regulations in regards to install clearances and how everything should be connected and setup. Then watch the installers like a hawk so you can more easily recognize if they are taking shortcuts that may affect your safety. Just knowing its installed properly, and safely will make you feel better about leaving it unattended. Your paying them, they are working for you, so make sure they do it right if you see something you don't like raise hell till its fixed properly. Most of us on here have done our own installs not only to save money, but to know its done right.

Get up an hour earlier so you're not stuffing and running.

I've just started burning when not home over the last month after having my insert since October. It took me a good 8 weeks of burning and tinkering and learning from this forum to feel comfortable with the idea of running the stove when my wife and I are both gone. But it's worked out great and it's almost easier to manage the burn cycle when it's going non-stop for days at a time rather than starting cold each evening.

I'm just obsessive about checking my temps and closing down the air as I finish my morning coffee before leaving for work. Good luck with your choice and enjoy the new way of life!

eladdvf said:

I am considering purchasing a wood burner for my 100 year old old 2-story farm house (approx 2400 sq ft.). I am considering the Lopi Liberty or the larger Summit model (due to dealer support in my area... I am open to other suggestions as well). Hopefully I am not going too big with these models, but I fear this old farm house may benefit from a larger stove to get the job done.

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Unless your home had some major work done to improve insulation and airtightness, you are not going too big with those stoves. In fact, they may not be quite enough to keep the propane furnace off when it gets really cold outside.

Make sure you have plenty of dry wood (less than 20% internal moisture). Once you have your stove take your time to learn the ins and outs of the stove over some weekends. Soon you will feel confident enough to just let it go once the air is turned down and the stoves cruises along nicely. Smoke and CO detectors are still a good idea, though.

eladdvf said:

(i.e. throttle it to a slow burn while your away at work vs. just leave it off until you get home, etc.,

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A modern, secondary burn stove like the ones you are considering cannot be "burned slow". They will reach a cruising temp of usually 600 F to 700 F to burn clean and efficiently even with the air turned down all the way. For a lower, prolonged heat output you need to consider a catalytic stove like a BlazeKing (30 series, Princess or the King) or a Woodstock (Progress Hybrid, Ideal Steel).

Just bought a house with a wood stove this year. Not having one your whole life definitely makes you think. It seems very unnatural to have a fire going in your house unattended. Especially if you have ever developed a healthy respect for fire. I started out by making quick trips to the store and sleeping in the same room as the stove. I always remind myself of the people who burn 24/7.

Baby steps. Just build confidence and eventually you will sleep very well at night.

Oh and make sure you have the appropriate smoke and CO detectors installed for more peace of mind.

I can have mine at 'cruising temperature' in 20-30 minutes, and I'm comfortable leaving it unattended at that point. I just build the fire as soon as I get up & by the time I'm ready to leave, I can have it dialed in prety easily.

There are quite a few factors affecting how a given load will burn; Split size, type of wood (less dense wood species gas faster,) dryness of the wood (a load of damp wood can take off when it finally dries out,) outside temp (affects the strength of the draft,) etc. With experience, you'll be able to predict how a load is going to burn in your chosen stove with a reasonable degree of accuracy. IIRC, the Liberty likes to run warm...

It's just because having a stove is a new thing and you're cautious. No bad thing. When I first moved into my current home it was the first time I had ever had oil central heating and a boiler; I felt nervous then leaving the house with the oil boiler running - a fire hazard too, when you think about it, but we don't, because it's more familiar! I went through the same process when I got my stove last year.. but recognised it for what it was - part of the learning curve. As others have said, once the stove feels familiar to you, it will be a part of your routine.

I know of the following major risk factors (I'm sure others will chime in to add more):

1. Glass breaks/falls during a burn. This has definitely happened to a couple members, and even I had a window fall out of my old VC Resolute. Very scary and hard to predict.
2. Hot Embar escapes during reload and smolders. You have to be really careful when raking coals and reloading that hot embers don't end up where they do not belong.
3. Inadequate R value near Hearth/Mantle leads to Pyrolisis and a fire. I have heard of this happening - in fact in my own town many years ago.
4. Loading door gets left cracked open too long (usually unattended), leading to overfire.
5. Chimney fire due to unseasoned wood/failure to clean flue.
6. Improper chimney construction. Broken clay tiles, inadequate clearances
7. Sloppy ash disposal (many fires have started this way).

I don't mean to suggest not burning 24/7, (I do). Just be aware of the hazzards.

fire_man said:

I know of the following major risk factors (I'm sure others will chime in to add more):

1. Glass breaks/falls during a burn. This has definitely happened to a couple members, and even I had a window fall out of my old VC Resolute. Very scary and hard to predict.
2. Hot Embar escapes during reload and smolders. You have to be really careful when raking coals and reloading that hot embers don't end up where they do not belong.
3. Inadequate R value near Hearth/Mantle leads to Pyrolisis and a fire. I have heard of this happening - in fact in my own town many years ago.
4. Loading door gets left cracked open too long (usually unattended), leading to overfire.
5. Chimney fire due to unseasoned wood/failure to clean flue.
6. Improper chimney construction. Broken clay tiles, inadequate clearances
7. Sloppy ash disposal (many fires have started this way).

I don't mean to suggest not burning 24/7, (I do). Just be aware of the hazzards.

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I think this is a smart way to approach the topic of burning 24/7. If your installation is done properly and you are consistent in your process around the stove, loading, cleaning out ash, etc., then you'll be safe.

The post above, about comfort level with an oil burning boiler/furnace provides a good perspective. Why do we trust that contraption? Because everyone else does and it's rare to hear of an oil fired unit creating issues, although there are certainly examples out there. The same can be said for woodstove use.

begreen said:

You need to work within your comfort zone. It can take time to build confidence. There's no problem with burning when you're home. There will still be a notable savings. Many of us are comfortable with leaving our stove unattended. That is based on experience and a knowledge that the stove and flue system has been installed safely and properly. Give yourself time to get very familiar with wood heating before trying 24/7 burning.

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I bought mine with the intention of going 24/7. I did not do it right away took a few weeks of burning just when I was at home to get to see how things work. After a month it was down to a system, I load at 5 in the morning when I wake up to get it up to temp. Then turn it way down when I leave about 30 min later. A few splits at 6PM when I get home to get it good and hot. Then full load for the night around 9PM and turn it way down. You will find as you get into the swing of things you will feel more comfortable over time and it will become just as normal as a regular oil/gas furnace.

If my stove were installed at the limits of clearance to combustibles, I would probably worry every time I left the house with the stove burning. I believe that protecting the area around the stove is the single most important thing when it comes to feeling at ease with burning, at any time.

I'm completely comfortable at this point dialing in the stove and then leaving. I have the fan on a timer so the fan doesn't run continuously. I will admit though, it took me a few weeks to truly become comfortable with leaving a burning stove when I was new to it. I think it's normal for most folks to feel that way at first. The more you burn the less you spend on gas/electric. I love keeping the house toasty especially walking in from the cold to a warm house. Satisfying!

Before going big, make sure all that heat can get to where you want it. There are many threads here dedicated to moving warm stove room air to cold rooms.

it's a process and there is nothing wrong with a little concern but with some knowledge of the process and time to get through the learning curve you will find your personal comfort level with wood fired heat.

As mentioned above you have a fire kicking on and off day and night in your home heating with propane x2 if your water is heated with said propane and my biggest fear is my propane fired drier! That thing is an open flame and unless you store volatile fuels in your home drier lint is the #1 most flammable item in the house!! I leave and go to bed everyday with the stove running but NEVER do either with my drier running. Also, your drier is the #2 expenditure of propane so once mine dies I am going electric. I will replace the Water heater w electric as well when I need to. Only thing I will need propane for is the forge and oven after that.

Truth is, installed and used properly, a wood stove is safe. It's just a little freaky at first having the fire heating your home in the living room as apposed to tucked away in the corner of the basement. If our furnace was in out living room I think we would(in general) take that fire more seriously as well.