Fires occasionally difficult to get going

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Backwoods Savage

Minister of Fire
Feb 14, 2007
27,811
Michigan
As most on this forum know, our wood is well seasoned. Yet, occasionally we have a problem getting the fire going.

Last night when I loaded, or almost loaded up the stove for the overnight burn it did not want to get going very well. I left the door open a bit and it got started. After about 20 minutes I closed the door. Within 2 or 3 minutes there was no flame at all and I had the draft set on 1. So, I opened the door again for about 10 minutes. It was really going good then and the thermometer on the flue read 500 with the stove top thermometer at 275. So, I closed the door and turned the cat on. Bingo. The fire went out again with the draft on 1.

Once more I opened the draft and bypassed the cat. When the flue hit 500 I engaged again and all was well. We had good fire all night. House was really toasty this morning and still is. Actually it is too warm in here right now!


This sort of thing does happen from time to time and I relate it to our chimney being a little short. It has been our experience that when this happens it means there could be a storm on the way. Sure enough, 4-8" of snow on the way for tomorrow.

We've been having some really great sunny skies and warm temperatures in the mid 30's lately. I guess we have to pay for those nice days somehow.
 
My "mentor" who has been heating with a wood stove for the last 25 years says this is just something that happens when there are weather changes coming, and is at it's worst when cold fronts or low pressure fronts move thru. We had it happen about 3 days into our burn time.. talked to him then and he said watch the weather.. snowed 6 inches that night.
 
Your mentor methinks is very correct.
 
It is the fuel, of course. :lol:
 
Bad air day. We all get 'em from time to time.
 
I am having trouble this morning with mine also & we have a snow storm coming any minute! It is like my wood is no good today.
 
BrotherBart said:
It is the fuel, of course. :lol:
Ja, and pilot error.
 
East wind has that effect sometimes.
 
Dennis,
I've encountered the same thing at times and instead of bypassing I just turn the air up to #2 to keep the flame going and turn it down later on. It's definetly weather related, lately we have had calm sunny warmish days in the 30's, but it cools down fast at night and then we have that freezing fog stuff in the early mornings. Whenever you have calm foggy weather draft seams to suffer.
 
I agree. Please realize I started this thread more to help the new wood burners. I have no problems for sure but if it helps someone else, then that is the goal.


Fuel and pilot error are always possible. lol
 
Wood is over-seasoned! %-P
 
Yep, after turning countless trees into ash, I can never figure out when I am gonna have that one stove load that doesn't want to burn. Sometimes its from a cold start, other times it is a reload, but once in a while it just doesn't want to burn....go figure.

I blame it on planet alignment.
 
I was also thinking it might have something to do with the way you were holding your mouth while loading the stove. Have you ever watched one of those fellows who appears to be trying to bite his tongue off while doing something. Maybe that is the trick to it all.
 
Backwoods Savage said:
This sort of thing does happen from time to time and I relate it to our chimney being a little short. It has been our experience that when this happens it means there could be a storm on the way. Sure enough, 4-8" of snow on the way for tomorrow.
.


Now you know when to send someone up to suck on the chimney.
 
Todd said:
Dennis,
I've encountered the same thing at times and instead of bypassing I just turn the air up to #2 to keep the flame going and turn it down later on. It's definetly weather related, lately we have had calm sunny warmish days in the 30's, but it cools down fast at night and then we have that freezing fog stuff in the early mornings. Whenever you have calm foggy weather draft seams to suffer.
Yep. We had that last night, in fact. Rainy, drizzly, slightly foggy weather. Still air. Not real cold outside. Our chimney is just a tad short. Our setup, which usually drafts well enough, seemed lacking last night. Same seasoned wood as ever, nothing green gets burned here. But it felt like a 'bad batch' of wood. Added more air than usual and it ran OK enough. "Bad air day" indeed. ;-)
 
When my Isle Royale acts up I sit and manually use the ash pan door to help add air...Im finding the start air really doesnt add that much even all the way in. I crack the ash pan door and the air comes up from the bottom, through the fire and creates a nice blaze...I watch very close and vary the opening to monitor that it doesnt get too hot under there...but boy does it work!!! I never leave the stove until I make sure the ash drawer is locked tight again. VERY usefull if done correctly...and can overfire quick if not controlled....

any Isle Royale burners do this technique as well?

Again...I NEVER leave the ash pan door open and leave it...I monitor it until it can keep going on its own with the ash pan door shut.
 
hoverp said:
any Isle Royale burners do this technique as well?

After a flashback that came down the chimney, rattled the entire house, and caused Jags to change into clean drawers. NO!

And mine was not on purpose, the ash pan drawer was not latched properly (by my dumbass) and I noticed that I didn't have control of the fire. Found the door open, and secured it. Starved the stove of oxygen for the amount of flame and it sucked the oxygen from the top of the stack - down to the fire box. KER-WHOOOMPF.

I will guarantee that if it ever happens to you, you will not use the ash pan door for startup air ever again. I promise.
 
had the same thing happen here last night and yes we are about to start in on a tues to sat 2 storms in a row. my wife will ask why i am getting up to fool with the stove so often and my answer to her is i'm triying to burn bricks again.
 
Backwoods Savage said:
This sort of thing does happen from time to time and I relate it to our chimney being a little short. It has been our experience that when this happens it means there could be a storm on the way. Sure enough, 4-8" of snow on the way for tomorrow.

We've been having some really great sunny skies and warm temperatures in the mid 30's lately. I guess we have to pay for those nice days somehow.

Wow, this sure is a timely post for me. I have a non-cat and a superb draft, but when I decided about an hour ago it was time to get the stove going, it burned, but more sluggishly than I'm used to. Outside temps just around freezing, small pieces of kiln-dried wood, so I really was puzzled and a little concerned. It gradually got going and is putting out heat now, but not as enthusiastically as usual.

Read your post-- sure enough, we're just getting the beginnings of what's predicted to be a moderately nasty storm, yada,yada, yada on the radio about low pressure troughs and the like, etc. We haven't had significant snow here since December, so this is the first time those conditions have existed in quite a while.

Thanks, Dennis!
 
Jags said:
hoverp said:
any Isle Royale burners do this technique as well?

After a flashback that came down the chimney, rattled the entire house, and caused Jags to change into clean drawers. NO!

And mine was not on purpose, the ash pan drawer was not latched properly (by my dumbass) and I noticed that I didn't have control of the fire. Found the door open, and secured it. Starved the stove of oxygen for the amount of flame and it sucked the oxygen from the top of the stack - down to the fire box. KER-WHOOOMPF.

I will guarantee that if it ever happens to you, you will not use the ash pan door for startup air ever again. I promise.

Did the top loading door blow upward?

This scenario blew the top load door open on mine.... If I didn't have that door I may have had a facefull of ceramic glass. This is especially scary since the first two years I operated the stove, I did not know it was a top loader, and neither did the previous owner apparently. The shipping bolts that hold the griddle cover down were still in place.
 
karri0n said:
Jags said:
hoverp said:
any Isle Royale burners do this technique as well?

After a flashback that came down the chimney, rattled the entire house, and caused Jags to change into clean drawers. NO!

And mine was not on purpose, the ash pan drawer was not latched properly (by my dumbass) and I noticed that I didn't have control of the fire. Found the door open, and secured it. Starved the stove of oxygen for the amount of flame and it sucked the oxygen from the top of the stack - down to the fire box. KER-WHOOOMPF.

I will guarantee that if it ever happens to you, you will not use the ash pan door for startup air ever again. I promise.

Did the top loading door blow upward?

This scenario blew the top load door open on mine.... If I didn't have that door I may have had a facefull of ceramic glass. This is especially scary since the first two years I operated the stove, I did not know it was a top loader, and neither did the previous owner apparently. The shipping bolts that hold the griddle cover down were still in place.

I can't say for sure, but there was a heck of a bang/thud that could have been the top door dropping back down. I actually had my back turned to it walking away.
 
I'm in the same boat as Gry, only looking at rain, which is good, because it'll wash away the snow. But it stinks, because right now draft is an issue.

It stinks. I'm adding pine to get the draft going. Running at warp factor 10 with the booster dialithium crsytals for back up.
 
I never even use the ash door on mine. More trouble than it's worth. But that's interesting about the bad air days, I never really thought about it before when that happens (which it has lately). Just figured the #$$@! stove was doing it just to tick me off. :) I generally tend to take things personally. LOL!

Poult
 
Funny, because I'm getting the best burns of the season right now, stormy weather and all. Must be Smoke Dragon weather.

Whenever I have this problem, I always seem to be able to trace it to either improper loading technique (i.e. smothering the inlet air with too much wood too soon), or to...

... when the moon is in the seventh house, and Jupiter aligns with Mars.
 
Doing The Dixie Eyed Hustle said:
I'm in the same boat as Gry, only looking at rain, which is good, because it'll wash away the snow. But it stinks, because right now draft is an issue.

It stinks. I'm adding pine to get the draft going. Running at warp factor 10 with the booster dialithium crsytals for back up.

scotty i need more
eye captain
 
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