Breaking the "rules"

[fjord]

Not looking to pick a fight/argument. I think I'll make my sig say: "the above comment may or may not pertain to your stove given: house layout, geographic location, stove size, stove material/construction, wood species, moisture content of wood, size of split, orientation of split, flue height, flue diameter, prevailing wind direction, interior/exterior chimney, type of gloves used, hearth pad material, phase of moon, etc."

LOL I think you left out "sexual preference" which is where I think fj is trying to take this with the "sweet spot".

No.

Projection, projection.....

 

[corey21]

If i find a sweet spot for the air control i leave it there when i reload.

 

[dondude]

I usually open the door slowly to let air in the stove and then add wood without opening air supply. Occasionally I will open air supply if the fire has died down to embers letting the freshly added wood catch on fire.

 

[PapaDave]

Dennis, just this one time, I have to respectfully disagree with your position on when to put wood in. There are times when I may have a decent fire going, yet not quite enough heat to satisfy my "comfort level".
If I were to wait until the fire is down to coals, the house will be too cool, so I will load wood as needed, whenever needed.
Whether it's the most efficient way to do it is open to some interpretation, since for me, it would take more wood to warm the house back up after cooling rather than adding wood "before it's time".
If I were able to run the stove the way the newer stoves do, things would possibly be different.
Rules never apply to every scenario.

 

[Pagey]

Not looking to pick a fight/argument. I think I'll make my sig say: "the above comment may or may not pertain to your stove given: house layout, geographic location, stove size, stove material/construction, wood species, moisture content of wood, size of split, orientation of split, flue height, flue diameter, prevailing wind direction, interior/exterior chimney, type of gloves used, hearth pad material, phase of moon, etc."

LOL I think you left out "sexual preference" which is where I think fj is trying to take this with the "sweet spot".

Sexual preference, eh? Hmm. In that case, then yes...I prefer teh sexorz. %-P

 

[OhioBurner©]

This is no concrete rule. Just something that will work well with most stoves operated the way most here run em. Not worth starting a great Hearth.com debate over. Every situation is going to be different. I found little difference on my Rockland between opening up the air control or leaving it where it was so long as I open the door slowly. I have never got much smoke or flames out the door any way I have done it yet. However some folks stove will smoke unless every possible precaution is taken, just depends on the stove, the draft, etc.

As far as putting wood in only in cycles, yeah we usually do that on our new EPA stove, but not always, your not always around or able to get it on the correct schedule. You might have to step away from it for a while but knowing it doesnt have enough wood in it to last you have to put some more in, etc. Life isnt always an ideal situation.

On our old stove, it doesnt care much if we burn in cycles or not, I dont like messing with the huge screw-knob air control so I tend to keep reloading often and leave the air control on its usual setting. If I let it get too low I'm forced to open it up, and usually close back down in a few increments which isnt as easy to judge on that stove.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Dennis, just this one time, I have to respectfully disagree with your position on when to put wood in. There are times when I may have a decent fire going, yet not quite enough heat to satisfy my "comfort level".
If I were to wait until the fire is down to coals, the house will be too cool, so I will load wood as needed, whenever needed.
Whether it's the most efficient way to do it is open to some interpretation, since for me, it would take more wood to warm the house back up after cooling rather than adding wood "before it's time".
If I were able to run the stove the way the newer stoves do, things would possibly be different.
Rules never apply to every scenario.

Dave, I agree that rules never apply to every scenario. In other words, there are exceptions to every rule. Another rule: if it works, don't try to fix it.

 

[PapaDave]

Dennis, here's another one...."If it ain't broke, fix it 'til it is.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Dave, I personally know the man who either came up with that rule or else he made that rule to be his life's ambition.

 

[firefighterjake]

Back a couple of years ago, when our wood burning stove was first installed here, I had been asking all kinds of questions in here, and reading as much as I could, and looking at instructional videos.

I understand the "logic" of doing the following, ......but I'm wondering if I'm NOT the only one who has found this particular "rule" to be not necessarily required.........

Most of the instruction I had received about "adding a new split or two to an existing hot fire" was that you should open the damper all the way, before adding the new wood, and then dial it back after the wood was fully involved.

Sometimes, I cheat............and leave the damper in the "sweet spot" of an established fire, and just set the new splits in the box, without adjusting the damper. The new splits seem to light easily, and the fire balances out fairly quickly.

I know "fully opening the damper" is not a hard-n-fast rule, but...........anyone else find that you can add splits without having to re-set the sweet spot by opening and re-adjusting the damper?

-Soupy1957

Yes.

 

[fjord]

Ashley stoves were called The Creosote Factories by dealers and sweeps.
They tended to burn through the jacket when burnt hard.
Not a good choice with what is available now.

 

[OhioBurner©]

Ashley stoves were called The Creosote Factories by dealers and sweeps.
They tended to burn through the jacket when burnt hard.
Not a good choice with what is available now.

Were did that come from? I dont see anywhere on this thread folks are discussing whether or not to buy an ashley stove?

 

[tfdchief]

Were did that come from? I dont see anywhere on this thread folks are discussing whether or not to buy an ashley stove?

+1

 

[fjord]

Ashley stoves were called The Creosote Factories by dealers and sweeps.
They tended to burn through the jacket when burnt hard.
Not a good choice with what is available now.

Were did that come from? I dont see anywhere on this thread folks are discussing whether or not to buy an ashley stove?

IF you read PapaDave's post, one can quickly see that the poster OWNS .......an Ashley. Can you believe it ?
Is this a discussion about wood burning ......or.......................just time out to blog ?

 

[fjord]

Were did that come from? I dont see anywhere on this thread folks are discussing whether or not to buy an ashley stove?

+1

Another: "Read" .
+1 huh ?

PapaDave sig

Wife LOML
1985 Ashley, 2.44 cu. ft. with firebrick ST ,
3.0 without
Husky 455 Rancher-20” b/c
27 ton MTD Gold Series splitter-Horiz/Vert
Bunch of dogs
Pole barn with wood shop

 

[tfdchief]

Were did that come from? I dont see anywhere on this thread folks are discussing whether or not to buy an ashley stove?

+1

Another: "Read" .
+1 huh ?

PapaDave sig

Wife LOML
1985 Ashley, 2.44 cu. ft. with firebrick ST ,
3.0 without
Husky 455 Rancher-20” b/c
27 ton MTD Gold Series splitter-Horiz/Vert
Bunch of dogs
Pole barn with wood shop

IF you read PapaDave’s post, one can quickly see that the poster OWNS .......an Ashley. Can you believe it ?
Is this a discussion about wood burning ......or…....................just time out to blog ?

Yes, I did read it, and I did see that PapaDave has a 1985 Ashely. However, the thread was about adding splits to a hot fire, and how, and a discussion of that being "against the rules" even though it seems to work for some. I simply agreed that the comment was kind of off the subject. If PapaDave bought his stove new in 1985, an Ashley might have been a very good stove, and of course there is new technology out there but just not what the thread was talking about.

 

[OhioBurner©]

Another: "Read" .
+1 huh ?

PapaDave sig

Wife LOML
1985 Ashley, 2.44 cu. ft. with firebrick ST ,
3.0 without
Husky 455 Rancher-20” b/c
27 ton MTD Gold Series splitter-Horiz/Vert
Bunch of dogs
Pole barn with wood shop

Yes, I know 'papadave' has one... and so does 'dondude' above own an ashley. I fail to see what this has anything to do with this thread. I have an old pre EPA creosote factory in my sig as well. I suggest if you want to debate the quality of various members stoves that you start a new thread. Or PM papadave with your concerns directly. Otherwise we should not further derail this thread. Just sayin...

 

[fjord]

Another: "Read" .
+1 huh ?

PapaDave sig

Wife LOML
1985 Ashley, 2.44 cu. ft. with firebrick ST ,
3.0 without
Husky 455 Rancher-20” b/c
27 ton MTD Gold Series splitter-Horiz/Vert
Bunch of dogs
Pole barn with wood shop

Yes, I know 'papadave' has one... and so does 'dondude' above own an ashley. I fail to see what this has anything to do with this thread. I have an old pre EPA creosote factory in my sig as well. I suggest if you want to debate the quality of various members stoves that you start a new thread. Or PM papadave with your concerns directly. Otherwise we should not further derail this thread. Just sayin...

Knowledge 101: comes from what you know....or here, what you burn. Not difficult to understand. Called: "epistomology" for the Philosophy of Science geeks.

Or are rules made up for the particular post ? Gee, who woulda known:
splits are wood.
Wood goes into a heater.
Heater burns said wood.
Wood burns efficiently, partially burns, may create gases from incomplete burns called........creosote.
Ashleys were known as "creosote machines" by professionals and users.
Thread now make sense ?

Careful, we may even burst into song about this.......dude.