Burning down the hot coals & chunks, b-4 reloads

[bogydave]

"Brother Bart" posted a great picture last season, of burning down the hot coals.
1. Rake the coals to the front, lay a flat small- medium dry split on top of the coals & burn on high.
Helps burn off some of the black on the glass too.
You get a few hours of good heat, coals go to ashes & more room for the re-load.
2.:
I also do it just before I clean out the ashes (every 10 days or so). Step 1, then move what's left of the coals to one side, shovel ashes out into a metal bucket.
Move the coals to the other side, get those ashes. spread hot coals around up front.
IMPORTANT:: Haul out the ashes out side right away (giving of CO), ( mine go to the garden & get dumped)
Then re-load the stove. Up & running again in no time.

Allow about 3 hours to burn down the coals good, I get lots of heat during the burn down.

BB, if you can you find that picture & post it again?
Helped me allot ; Few extra hours of heat, more room for wood on reloads & reduced the ash emptying volume.
Some newer members may want to use the procedure, It's a good one.

 

[HotCoals]

I pretty much do the same!
Good advice!

 

[ScotO]

that's pretty much what we do to a "tee"....and it is great advise, glad this is posted up, I hope a lot of people check this out because this will help them burn their wood entirely and more efficiently.....we do the "burn down" around two hours before bedtime, let the draft open around halfway, to really get the coals stoking, lots of blue flame and tons of radiant heat on the glass.......then right before bed, a fresh load of dry white oak, red oak, and locust....that happens around 11:30 pm and it's good till 6:00am......then load her up for the day, and that evening repeat the process.....clean out around once every 7 to 10 days (when we are burning lots of cherry and ash, we have to clean out a little more often).....great advise, another reason this is a fantastic site for woodburners both novice and expert.....

 

[BrotherBart]

That is how I get the night burn coal bed ready. Gets rid of a bunch of coals and gives me just that row of hot coals at the front that I want under the front of the night load to light it off with a 300 or so stove top. Same in the morning. Drag what is left forward and do it again.

Works best with N/S loading. The way God intended wood to be burned.