What did you learn from "this season" of burning? Newbie Awards

One of the best things I learned this year (before my stove was installed) was this forum! I've only had one small problem with my stove thus far, the spark arrestor had become plugged! I removed the screen based on the groups recomendation and that of Blaze King. I have about 1/2 a cord left of wood which should get me though March since the weather has warmed up. The other item I thoughly enjoy is the electric bill savings (even with the 20% increase in the last 12 months). Thanks for all the great post in this forums...

I learned, what i already knew, have enough dry wood.......wet wood sucks. Also learned how much wood I will need annualy...8 cord.
Not 6, 8....

Lessons learned in the few short months I've burned...

1. Never load the stove up for the evening and lie down on the couch. The other night I fell asleep and woke 20 minutes later to find my stove top glowing red!

2. Wood stoves take time to warm up a cold house. It's best to maintain heat instead of "on/off" cycles like a thermostat.

3. I always thought 75 degrees in a house would be way too hot. NOT... I guess I never experienced 75 warm degrees from my oil burner.

4. Inserts require a soft or hard blockoff plate otherwise most of the heat will go up the chimney and absorbe into the cold concrete/brick/clay.

5. Small rounds gathered from the forest floor cut into log legnth make perfect filler wood when packing a stove tight.

6. Scrounging can be fun and rewarding. It's great exercise, stress releif and warmth when you need it. Just check for ticks when you come home.

7. Purchase a decent humidifier otherwise your hardwood and leather will show signs stress.

8. Cordless vac's are your friend around the stove.

This season taught me:

1. Putting in a new insert takes more than 3 hours planned time (Took 8 hours)
2. Catalytic stoves are my new favorite stove
3. Always keep an eye on ebay for stove part deals (search more than once a week)
4. Insulating a liner isnt that bad, the tricky part is getting it down the chimney
4. Insulating a liner and putting in a soft block off plate really does produce more heat & less creosote
5. That I like working on stoves and chimneys and would like to take my education further

ilikewood said:

BrotherBart said:

How many learned that no matter what you are going to do, always put the gloves on before you open the stove door?

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You mean you don't like the little burn "tattoo's" of having about a hundred little back circles on your forearms and wrists?
Yup, need to get some good gloves for next year.

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Alright, I feel pretty good about myself! I have yet to do this.

Burned in fireplaces growing up and as an adult. 1st wood burning insert installed in Dec. '05. 1st discovered this forum in fall of '07. 1st insert replaced by current insert in Jan. '08. If you found this forum prior to buying your first wood burning appliance, count yourself lucky. My learning curve was expensive...

I consider this to be my first complete winter learning how to REALLY burn wood. I have learned it all here.

1- Finally mastered the raking-the-coals forward technique in building a long lasting fire - resulting in hours worth of secondary flames and long burn burn times and fewer coals.

2- Learned that I have a 3rd source of air movement in my insert - the 'dog house'.

3- Our house is not an open floor plan so it is very hard to move the warm air. I learned that by placing a small fan on low at the end of our hallway will help get the cold air out of my daughter's room and allow the warm air to move in and warm things up a bit.

4- I learned that 700* is nothing to panic about and burn at that temp. on a regular basis without a rise in my blood pressure.

5- I also let myself turn the thermostat up for an hour in the mornings to help take the chill off of the back of the house and I don't feel guilty about it. (Thermostat usually set at 56* during the winter.)

6- I don't panic when I have white smoke coming out of my chimney. Learned that it is just steam and that it will dissipate within 30 feet - which it does.

7- Learned that COLD ashes can be used in our garden to add nutrients to the soil.

8- Learned that a small roasting pan with a lid is great for removing ashes from the firebox. When placed in the firebox it deletes all that ash that used to escape into the room.

My learning has resulted in:

1- A cleaner flue - did not need it swept mid-season.

2- Much less wood burned than in past years.

3- Only one small bag of ashes that had to be put out for the garbage man.

4- Much less ash dust in our house.

5- A sense of accomplishment - even old dogs can learn new tricks.

As others have said - Thank-you to all who share here. I couldn't have done this without your help and patience with all of my questions.

I learned there is a HUGE difference between seasoned wood and dead dry wood. Burned stuff that should have been held till next year(Out of necessity), and paid for it. Couldn't believe how bad the creasote was built up in the stovepipe! PS. I really hate moisture meters now. 22% moisture in unseasoned wood wrecks havoc on a chimney.

I thought wood would dry faster stacked inside a machine shed where it would not get rained on compared to outside. I learned i was wrong. I cut up the same species of wood later in the year and stacked it in a shady location with good airflow and it is drier than the stuff stored inside all year.
I learned that it is worth the extra effort to split smaller rounds that will fit inside your stove whole. split wood = drier wood = more return for your effort.
I learned that you can have a lot of flame and a lot of heat coming off the stove and still be safe. It is a little concerning having a fire inside the house at first.
I learned that even though my old job consisted of using a chainsaw all day long that cutting firewood is still enjoyable.

Things that i remember are that it is no use fighting a dull saw and to always wear safety equipment.

Well I am sure that I will forget something...

1.) I lost my fear of heights being on the roof when I installed my SS liner.
2.) Wood burning is definitely addictive.
3.) I let the stove die out way too much this year. It needs to stay hot to be truly efficient.
4.) Ya got's to have the welders gloves.
5.) The "ash can" brings out the worst in people.
6.) I enjoyed and am enjoying my new stove and didn't mind the work at all. That being said, I'm ready for spring!

The importance of "Boost Baffles", and how they work. Wowza !! I'm thinking about doing a "Thesis" on it, it's that mucho importante !! Title "The Effects Of Boost Baffles On Man In The Moon Marigolds" (60's/70's Broadway)

And I umptenth the importance of seasoned wood. Man, when I hit that fireplace wood that was 2 years old Made my head spin !!

You will burn way less wood your second year than your first, if you're smart.

Puppies like to chew wood. That's a bad thing. Bad puppy

Moving wood with a pulled hamstring (refer to above mentioned puppy), who is still alive because of his cuteness factor :coolsmirk: is not fun. Takes alot longer.

3-4" rounds are my stoves best friend for over nights.

Plow & Hearth has a mega deal on fat wood after the holidays ;-)

A year ago I added a second stove in our house. I thought for sure that 8 cords (1 cord for the smaller stove and 7 for the main stove) would be enough and this year I learned that I will be out getting 9 cords this spring and fall (the max our woodshed will hold). Also, somehow I, very egocentrically, thought that it was up to me to keep the stove fed. I am just returning home from 9 days away and my wife has told me that the stove has not gone out once and that she has been toasty warm all week despite temps as low as zero F (minus 18 C). So, I guess I have learned the most obvious of lessons on a planet populated by 6 billion people: that I am utterly, completely unnecesary and insignificant.

I learned that the stove paid for itself years ago but is rather sluggish on cutting checks for all the other bills.

On my first and late December entry to an EPA insert, I learned so much on this forum...Thanks guys!!

I learned that the perspective of Alternate Energy Alternates.... Prime heat is Propane until the Lopi insert is lit.. Cranking down the furnace thermostat, it then becomes the alternate energy...until the insert blower kicks off, then it alternates back..

I learned that a half a warm house is okay; even better when bedtime comes in a cool bedroom with flannel sheets.

I learned that feeding the EPA insert took less wood than I'd used in the past and that the 24" lengths made my three year old woodpile a wreck until I could recut the lengths....

I learned that a 3 cu.ft. firebox holds only so much and that overnight burning may still have the blower running with only coals left, but there's ALWAYS next year to try for longer burns.

I leaned the injection tubes make the mesmerizing floating flames, but burn the hell out of the tops of your hands.

I learned that sad feeling when after many days of feeding a warm fire, the weather warms and you don't need the warmth on your backside as you stand in front of flickering flames. Yet, the yearning of the company and the missing of the flickering flames makes you feel as if you've lost a friend....

I learned that old 3" diameter candles and a bandsaw are good friends... 1/2" thick slices of old and cheap wax makes great and almost FREE fire starters ;>)

Bill

-I learned that at 50F in the fall I want the fire going. At 50F in the spring I let it go out.
-I learned the basics of running a chainsaw and falling/bucking trees.
-I learned that 1/2 a plastic rooftop auto. luggage carrier, bought a yard sale for $1, makes a great sled for dragging rounds out of the woods.
It makes a nice ice fishing sled, too.
-I learned that wind can knock down a stack of firewood.
-I learned that my wife runs the stove better than me. I mess with it too much.
-I learned that a tightly-packed full firebox is easier to control than a few splits.
-I learned that I don't need a tangle of fireplace tools. This one does it all for me:
http://www.acehardware.com/sm-firep...ngs-price-8-99-28-ornate-key--pi-1278460.html

First year here... One thing I learned from this site is when you think you have enough wood cut and split more cords ! Thanks for the advice, I'll have plenty for the rest of the year
And I've become a BUG CONTROL EXPERT....

1st (full) year burner

- Stove is a family magnet, kids will do homework near fire, even teenagers
-HUGE difference in seasoned wood, ease of starting etc
-I stare at woodpiles a lot, and snow makes woodpiles even better looking
-BioBricks aint as warm as cord wood
-Feel great that I held back on burning this year , have 3 cords 'leftover' for next year
-I am sad when it gets 50 degrees like today

I learned that in an insert placed inside a masonry fireplace, it takes nearly a load of wood to get the stove up to temp and get the blower on. What a waste of wood!

In spring and fall, I might just let my furnace heat the house. The wood stove is much more efficient when it's cold enough to be run all day, every day.

I just learned today that I can make more of a mess without a fire burning than all season with fire, in just seconds. It was sort of stuffy in the house so I asked my wife to turn on the attic fan for a while. Flue was open and so were the fireplace doors. You figure out the rest. What a dumb butt.

Wood needs to be DRY, SEASONED, and then SEASONED SOME MORE

Slow1 said:

Key point: You get more heat by turning the air down than running it full open even though it doesn't seem to make sense at first.

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Yes, counter-intuitive.

I learned that even us old folk can still learn. It took me years to convince my wife that putting the thermostat on the gas furnace to the highest setting doesn't heat the house up any faster than setting it to the desired temp. She thought it worked like the gas burner on the cooktop... after all, water boils faster on Hi.

The air control on the stove involves many more factors and works neither like the thermostat nor the cooktop. She did finally learn to turn it down to get more heat for the most part but still wants to open it up at times. Kinda like the urge to step on the gas to get to a gas station faster cuz the gauge is on empty.

Now if she wants quick heat, I let her turn the gas furnace up (not all the way ). Cheaper than letting all the wood heat go up the chimney.

Here's one I didn't see anywhere else, and it's going to cost me either a lot of aggravation or a few hours with a chop saw to fix.

MAKE SURE YOU CUT YOUR ROUNDS SHORTER THAN YOUR WOODSTOVE! I've cut wood in the past for our hunting camp, and just assumed 22" would work in my new stove. Wrong!

First year woodburner. Here is what I learned:

1. This site was a huge help if you are willing to invest the time in learning. Saved me lots of time and money, for sure. Thanks everyone.
2. Most important purchased hearth tool were long welder's gloves (up to my elbows). Helps me stick my hands into a hot (and small 1.6 cu ft) firebox and pack the wood in as tight as possible. Couldn't do without them with a small stove.
3. I don't have to buy hearth tools. A piece of rebar works great as a poker. An old garden rake with a missing wooden handle (broke this past summer) makes a great coal rake. I could afford to buy them, but it's more fun not to.
4. Once the woodstove is on for the season, there is no reason to use the clothes dryer anymore - nature's cheapest humidifier is a drying rack.
5. I have a better wood guy than nearly anyone else on my site, from what I can tell.
6. I am oddly obsessed with getting onto my father's woodlot this spring and bucking up the downed hickory trees on his property.

Note to self: When leaving home for more than a day, turn off the well pump & water heater and any re-circulating pumps. I have in fact been doing this since I purchased my current home and when the previous owner moved out, they disconnected the washer without turning off the hot water. Walked out, locked the door and gave us the keys 3 days later. Splash splash... Our insurance company about did a back flip. It took 6 months before we saw a single $ in payout. My wife and I had to write a check for the clean up crew for $1000 on the first day. We were walking on OSB that was covered in staples for over 3 months (after tearing out all the carpet and underfelt) and finally started spending our own money getting things fixed.

BucksCounty said:

First year burner and I I actually only got to burn for a few weeks.
Learned how to install class a chimney with a rear wall pass through.
Learned how to build a hearth (only to see it pulled apart...I'll explain).
Learned how to build a rock wall behind stove.
Learned how to replace hearth with bluestone to match rock wall.

Now, all have this has been done but my wife and I are out of the house. We were away for 3 days over MLK weekend, had a pipe burst and shoot like a hose for 3 days. Majority of the house was ruined. Haven't been living there since and won't be for several more weeks....just in time for warm weather when I can't enjoy this stove I have had since November, took forever to install, and have been waiting to enjoy. There is always next year, right?

I am learning from reading, it seems you never can have enough seasoned wood!

When everything is finished, I will post pics of the process of install, hearth rebuild, and rock wall.

I enjoy reading all the posts!

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KeithO said:

Note to self: When leaving home for more than a day, turn off the well pump & water heater and any re-circulating pumps.

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Wow. Seems like a no-brainer when I read it but I've never done it. THANKS !