Okay, so you guys coached me through picking a stove for my particular install, you helped me install it, now I'm hoping that you can give me advice on USING it! Sorry in advance for the long post!
I recently started a thread on my difficulties burning with not the most seasoned wood. Great advice but I'm having some difficulties with good stuff too!
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/81745/
My fires even with dry wood have been very lethargic, almost like the stove isn't getting enough air. My setup is as follows:
- Englander 30 w/outside air kit
- 6 ft of double wall stove pipe
- 17 ft of double wall SS chimney pipe going through the interior of the house. About 6ft is exposed after it pops out of the roof. It is 2ft above the roofline, which is 7ft away.
- A 45 degree offset in the stove pipe right before the ceiling to dodge a floor joist.
- A 15 degree offset in the chimney pipe right before the roofline to dodge a rafter.
- Before I installed the stove I could see daylight when I looked up the stovepipe/chimney pipe...so I think its almost
a straight up-and-out install.
Here is my method of starting fires from a cold stove. I make a layer of small scrap 2x4 pieces on the ash bed. I then put a super cedar on the middle of the 2x4 pieces. I then put some oak kindling (about a half inch thick) going N/S next to each side of the super cedar. I then put some more kindling E/W on top of the kindling. (Yes I am leaving space between the pieces). Then I put a good size split of very seasoned cedar or pine on top of the kindling going N/S, a few inches above the super cedar. Then I put some smaller splits of oak also going N/S next to the pine/cedar.
Dissapointing.
Even with the door open it takes about 30 minutes to get going. Then when I close the door, I have to leave it fully open to maintain a descent fire. The secondary's will light off but the stove struggles to get to a 550 stove top, 600ish flue. That is about the highest it goes. If I back it down from fully open, those temps just decrease.
The wood in the front of the stove is actively burning/coaling. The wood in the back of the stove is smoldering, even at full blast. Then if I open the door for a few seconds, everything catches on fire and I get a blazing inferno. Then once I close the door, I get a good secondary light show but then it settles into being lazy again. (Burning in the front, smoldering in the rear) If I close the air down past halfway the fire almost wants to snuff out. It is almost like the fire isn't getting enough air!
I'm perplexed because I'm not entirely new to wood stoves. My parents have a Quadrafire 4300 insert which I use regularly. I just put one of those QuickStart firelogs on there, pile some small splits on top, and pile some larger splits on top of that. Then we just close the door and within minutes have a nuclear fire! And this is with poorly seasoned OAK, about 15ft of chimney exposed to the elements, and an outlet which is below the roofline!
What am I doing wrong?!?!?!? And again, sorry for the long post....I'm just frustrated.
I recently started a thread on my difficulties burning with not the most seasoned wood. Great advice but I'm having some difficulties with good stuff too!
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/81745/
My fires even with dry wood have been very lethargic, almost like the stove isn't getting enough air. My setup is as follows:
- Englander 30 w/outside air kit
- 6 ft of double wall stove pipe
- 17 ft of double wall SS chimney pipe going through the interior of the house. About 6ft is exposed after it pops out of the roof. It is 2ft above the roofline, which is 7ft away.
- A 45 degree offset in the stove pipe right before the ceiling to dodge a floor joist.
- A 15 degree offset in the chimney pipe right before the roofline to dodge a rafter.
- Before I installed the stove I could see daylight when I looked up the stovepipe/chimney pipe...so I think its almost
a straight up-and-out install.
Here is my method of starting fires from a cold stove. I make a layer of small scrap 2x4 pieces on the ash bed. I then put a super cedar on the middle of the 2x4 pieces. I then put some oak kindling (about a half inch thick) going N/S next to each side of the super cedar. I then put some more kindling E/W on top of the kindling. (Yes I am leaving space between the pieces). Then I put a good size split of very seasoned cedar or pine on top of the kindling going N/S, a few inches above the super cedar. Then I put some smaller splits of oak also going N/S next to the pine/cedar.
Dissapointing.
Even with the door open it takes about 30 minutes to get going. Then when I close the door, I have to leave it fully open to maintain a descent fire. The secondary's will light off but the stove struggles to get to a 550 stove top, 600ish flue. That is about the highest it goes. If I back it down from fully open, those temps just decrease.
The wood in the front of the stove is actively burning/coaling. The wood in the back of the stove is smoldering, even at full blast. Then if I open the door for a few seconds, everything catches on fire and I get a blazing inferno. Then once I close the door, I get a good secondary light show but then it settles into being lazy again. (Burning in the front, smoldering in the rear) If I close the air down past halfway the fire almost wants to snuff out. It is almost like the fire isn't getting enough air!
I'm perplexed because I'm not entirely new to wood stoves. My parents have a Quadrafire 4300 insert which I use regularly. I just put one of those QuickStart firelogs on there, pile some small splits on top, and pile some larger splits on top of that. Then we just close the door and within minutes have a nuclear fire! And this is with poorly seasoned OAK, about 15ft of chimney exposed to the elements, and an outlet which is below the roofline!
What am I doing wrong?!?!?!? And again, sorry for the long post....I'm just frustrated.