No it is not Macro Economics.. I have read threads about Top Down burning, but my Insert manual seems to indicate a bottom up approach. Are there pros / Cons to each method or is this more of a personal preference thing?
Bottom Up or Top Down ?
- Thread starter Garbanzo62
- Start date
-
Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.
We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.
We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Top-down burning gets the flue warmed up quicker. It also heats up the firebox faster with less fuel and thus produces less smoke.
Bottom-up starting is traditional and familiar. It's more of the way we always used to do it. However, heating up the entire mass of wood at once is going to outgas more, creating a lot of startup smoke before the firebox has warmed up enough for secondary combustion.
Bottom-up starting is traditional and familiar. It's more of the way we always used to do it. However, heating up the entire mass of wood at once is going to outgas more, creating a lot of startup smoke before the firebox has warmed up enough for secondary combustion.
EbS-P
Minister of Fire
On a reload I put a small piece of kindling on the top almost touching the tubes. It lights quick and gets my secondaries burning in a hurry.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Firm bottom-up believer. By the time I'm done playing stove Tetris, there'd be no room left for a fire starter and match to get the damn thing lit! 
Most times I just load up the stove with splits and put a fire starter somewhere between the splits middle front. The top splits start up first heating up the stove and flue then the fire works it’s way down to the lower splits. 15-20 minutes latter I’m turning down the air to desired output.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Oh no, you di'nt! "Middle-up"? Now we have a third option to argue.
My lesson learned this weekend....
Walk into a cold cabin, about 48 degrees out. Outside temp about 48 maybe even 49.
Start furnace immediately, then start fireplace. Fireplace was ripping via log cabin start, bottom up fire.
Well I started my stove about 10 minutes after those two appliances were going, bottom up fire like I normally do. Log cabin style kindling criss-crossed sideways as the stove front to back is very small. Then a wad of paper towels at the bottom and pieces of little bits of wood or cardboard on top of the paper towels. Then I light the paper towels and close the front door.
Well I noticed smoke coming from the front door. Nah, can't be. Probably just some lingering smoke from when I started it. Then I noticed more and it was coming from the bottom of the stove. Checked ash pan, sealed tight. Naw, can't be smoke from ash drawer, must be lingering smoke from when I started the fire. Then I notice more smoke at the top loader door. NAH cant be. I walked away to put something away or whatever...came back and smoke was pouring out from everywhere. I looked behind the stove and there is a pipe looking thing which is the fresh air intake. Smoke is POURING out of there. I open the door and the fire is just smoldering! Oh shoot, I dont have a metal tote to push this stuff into and toss it outside to figure out whats going on! So I thought quick, and grabbed a firestarter that we use for the fireplace occasionally, used a lighter to start it outside of the stove, then opened the top drawer waiting for more smoke to roll into the house while I looked for the top of the stack, and placed the starter on the top of the start. By now the starter has about a 4" x 1" flame and is starting to catch cardboard/wood on the top of the pile. And just like that, smoke stop billowing into the house.
So #1 dont start that other stuff first, maybe just the furnace as Ive done that many times before starting my stove. #2. Try heating the flue better or just do the top down fire even though it takes longer to get the stack started.
So here is a followup.... Stove was just installed and requires a burn in period to cure the paint. Still waiting on building permit and inspection, so right now stove is idle. For these first low burn fires can top down still be used with just less wood?
top down is only to get your fire / kindling and maybe smaller splits going. Has nothing really to do with the continuous fire you will burn during your break in period. Most break in periods on pizza ovens for example will say to get the stove to XYZ temp for ABC amount of time. My stove didnt dictate this information. So be aware if your stove has you only getting to say 300 stove top temperature, that you dont want to over do it. There are others in these forums MUCH more knowledgeable than I, however if I want my stove HOT and raging with fire (as best as it does raging), I would start with a kindling fire, then load it about half full with many gaps in between of small super dry fast burning splits using pine. If I wanted a cooler / longer burning fire I would load up a few pieces of oak. If it is only to cure the paint and not the cement inside, then each time you burn to a higher temperature it will smell again. And likely multiple times within that temperature range.
Good luck with your break in! Have a fan ready to exhaust the smell out of one window near the stove, and another window on the other side of the room to let fresh air in.
What stove do you have? Top down for tube stoves in my opinion is definitely the way to go. Did bottom up for 25 plus years. As soon as i tried top down, the bottom up was left in the dust. Simply no comparison in my stoves. Top down is Far superior and easier once you understand it and set it up for full burns. I light it, close the door right away and don't touch it again till just coals are left and it's reload time. The greatly reduced smoke output is also a big advantage in the suburbs with close neighbors.
Similar threads
