As the wood dries the glass stays clean

[Got Wood]

Yesterday, with no football (the Pro Bowl doesnt count!) and 8 million feet of snow on the ground I found my self looking for chores to keep me busy. This usually takes me to something related to burning wood. After a morning of digging out a stack to be potentially be used late in the season (if this winter doesnt end) I headed inside and noticed a little bit of "brown" on the glass doors and decided to clean them. I got to thinking... this is my 3rd year burning... in year 1 I had constant issues with the glass getting black and was cleaning weekly and it could have been more often. In year 2 I recall a marked difference with maybe 2x/month for cleaning. Now in year 3, I probably have cleaned the glass 3 times (started burning ion Oct) although none of the cleanings had the glass more than partially brown (more like a small section).
The clear difference is the seasoning of my wood. This year everything is at least 2 years C/S/S.

 

[Battenkiller]

The clear difference is the seasoning of my wood.

Don't give the wood all the credit. You have three years experience under your belt now, that will contribute as much as anything.

 

[NH_Wood]

The clear difference is the seasoning of my wood.

Don't give the wood all the credit. You have three years experience under your belt now, that will contribute as much as anything.

But, not as much as well seasoned wood - unless you just love to smolder well seasoned wood! Good wood still rules! I clean my glass about once per week, or whenever the stove happens to be cool enough. No brown, just a light haze that detracts from the picture window - when the glass is super clean, I swear you can't tell that a window is present! Cheers!

 

[Battenkiller]

The clear difference is the seasoning of my wood.

Don't give the wood all the credit. You have three years experience under your belt now, that will contribute as much as anything.

But, not as much as well seasoned wood - unless you just love to smolder well seasoned wood! Good wood still rules!

Yes, good wood does rule, but there are lots of stories I've read here where people had good wood but unknowingly smothered it before they learned how to control the fire better, especially when the thing gets blazing and they start obsessing about overfiring their stoves. I know I'm in the overwhelming minority here, but I believe that proper air control (from the chimney cap right down to the air inlet) trumps just about every other factor. Marginal wood can be made to burn very cleanly with experience, while well-seasoned wood is no guarantee at all of burning success. No wood burns clean with an idiot at the air controls.

 

[oldspark]

Monkey-football, you know the rest.

 

[Got Wood]

The clear difference is the seasoning of my wood.

Don't give the wood all the credit. You have three years experience under your belt now, that will contribute as much as anything.

But, not as much as well seasoned wood - unless you just love to smolder well seasoned wood! Good wood still rules!

Yes, good wood does rule, but there are lots of stories I've read here where people had good wood but unknowingly smothered it before they learned how to control the fire better, especially when the thing gets blazing and they start obsessing about overfiring their stoves. I know I'm in the overwhelming minority here, but I believe that proper air control (from the chimney cap right down to the air inlet) trumps just about every other factor. Marginal wood can be made to burn very cleanly with experience, while well-seasoned wood is no guarantee at all of burning success. No wood burns clean with an idiot at the air controls.

There is definitely an element of experience involved too but I lucked into finding this web site early on and learned a lot. Biggest factor in my case is the wood but your point is well taken.

 

[Battenkiller]

I lucked into finding this web site early on and learned a lot.

Stumbling onto this site has probably kept a lot of new burners from giving up and selling their stoves. The learning curve is steep without a place to ask questions and get good answers, at least it was for me.

 

[PapaDave]

The clear difference is the seasoning of my wood.

Don't give the wood all the credit. You have three years experience under your belt now, that will contribute as much as anything.

But, not as much as well seasoned wood - unless you just love to smolder well seasoned wood! Good wood still rules!

Yes, good wood does rule, but there are lots of stories I've read here where people had good wood but unknowingly smothered it before they learned how to control the fire better, especially when the thing gets blazing and they start obsessing about overfiring their stoves. I know I'm in the overwhelming minority here, but I believe that proper air control (from the chimney cap right down to the air inlet) trumps just about every other factor. Marginal wood can be made to burn very cleanly with experience, while well-seasoned wood is no guarantee at all of burning success. No wood burns clean with an idiot at the air controls.

BK, I wish you'd quit sugar coating things. :lol:

 

[NH_Wood]

BK - I agree somewhat, but.....regardless of experience level and control of air, I can't see anyone keeping their glass clean (or chimney for that matter) if they are burning wet wood (sounded like the OP had pretty poorly seasoned wood during year 1). But, this is my first full year burning, and prepared for it by putting away a lot of wood a couple years ago - I've never tried burning wet wood - with luck, I won't have the experience . Cheers!

 

[Big Al]

I clean my glass about once per week, or whenever the stove happens to be cool enough. No brown, just a light haze that detracts from the picture window - when the glass is super clean, I swear you can't tell that a window is present! Cheers!

Agreed. Btw, you can keep your glass from turning brown with less than fully seasoned wood if you load EW and burn hot enough. Not sure that NS would yield as clean a glass witht the same wood.

 

[Battenkiller]

No wood burns clean with an idiot at the air controls.

BK, I wish you'd quit sugar coating things. :lol:

I was trying to be gentle. Should I make my point a little more forcefully? ;-P

FWIW I include myself right in there with the rest of the idiots. If there's a mistake I haven't already made, I want to know so I can suffer through that one as well. Live and learn as they say.