Yes dafattfit that is why it is not working I am on a sinking ship.........................lol,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Merry Christmas to you to
Cannot start fire in wood stove
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Hogwildz
Minister of Fire
Check for clogged screen.
Start with small fire to get the stove to temp and get some coal base going.
Add wood on established coal bed, get to temp.
Cut air back. Enjoy.
Might be as simple as reverse draft condition on a cold stove.
Start with small fire to get the stove to temp and get some coal base going.
Add wood on established coal bed, get to temp.
Cut air back. Enjoy.
Might be as simple as reverse draft condition on a cold stove.
brenndatomu
Minister of Fire
Sounds like his house is in outer space, no oxygen!
No seriously, I know there is nothing more frustrating than trying, unsuccessfully to get a fire going, or having smoke coming in the house! I was gonna suggest trying something really dry, like pallet wood, or ECO bricks, but if you can't get a SuperCedar goin, well, nevermind, Houston, you gots a real problem!
Your moisture readings sound really low. almost too low, are you sure your MM is working correctly? Will it read 30-33% against your palm?
How long have you had this stove? Has it worked good for you before? Ever try cracking a nearby window while you build the fire?
Try lighting a piece of a SuperCedar outside, you'll see, they light and burn very well!
Anybody here live in the Pittsburg area would be willing to swing by Damiens house, see WHAT THE HECK!?
BCC_Burner
Feeling the Heat
When I had a similar issue it was a result of a clogged cap screen. It doesn't have to be fully blocked to smother the draft enough to cause this problem. My Super Cedars would smolder when this was the case, but fatwood, seeming to defy the laws of physics, would burn brilliantly well despite the lack of oxygen. Of course, as soon as I cracked the stove door, my house was full of fatwood smoke. Not recommended.
brenndatum you had a good suggestion to read humidity level on my palm. I just did that read at 33.5% so my MM is working correctly
gyrfalcon
Minister of Fire
I'm almost tempted to drive down from Vermont just to find out what's going on.
I am shutting down wood burning completely it is 48F right now in the house and my Spouse wants real heat. So we are going back to electrical heat.
I know the wood is OK. When my Wife came home I was on the roof checking the chimney. I used the sooth eater and got less then a cup out of an 18 foot chimney. So I know now that they are no blockage. She told me that saving money by burning wood
was not worth my losing my life. So I am done using wood to heat my house. I will do it like in the pass for fun that is it.
I guess the wood burning thing is not for me.
So sorry I have bothered all of you over the last few weeks with my stupid questions.
I know the wood is OK. When my Wife came home I was on the roof checking the chimney. I used the sooth eater and got less then a cup out of an 18 foot chimney. So I know now that they are no blockage. She told me that saving money by burning wood
was not worth my losing my life. So I am done using wood to heat my house. I will do it like in the pass for fun that is it.
I guess the wood burning thing is not for me.
So sorry I have bothered all of you over the last few weeks with my stupid questions.
HotCoals
Minister of Fire
Well you have been burning wood so I don't see why you can't start another fire.
There is no way you can burn a cord in a week..(4'x4'x8')maybe a face cord(4'x8'x16") but even that I doubt.
I really doubt the wood you are having dropped off is at 20% MC or less.
You have to check after splitting a split.
There is no way you can burn a cord in a week..(4'x4'x8')maybe a face cord(4'x8'x16") but even that I doubt.
I really doubt the wood you are having dropped off is at 20% MC or less.
You have to check after splitting a split.
HotCoals
Minister of Fire
Don't give up!
Maybe take a break and re-group but we can figure this out!
I was in same boat at beginning. Now I can't imagine doing anything else. Their is something wrong going on here and I hate to be the guy saying maybe it's the wood. When the wood is even half ok I can get a fire and get heat. I had to upgrade my fire place. There is something wrong and you will find it. But don't quit the wood heat. Nothing beats it
I am done it is way to complicated. I had no problem the first month and now all of the sudden it does not work anymore. This is well above my paygrade. I checked many logs by splitting them so I know the wood is less then 20%. Several weeks ago I had to much now I do not have enough. The choice to stop mine it us my Spouses. She wants to be warm. Wood heat right now is no longer part of the equation.
gyrfalcon
Minister of Fire
He says he can't get either kindling or a supercedar to burn. It's not the wood, or it's not just the wood.
gyrfalcon
Minister of Fire
No clue, but I would think your air intake must be blocked somewhere. (Were you able to see all the way down the chimney? It's not impossible that some critter got in there and its body is stuck at the bottom of the chimney. It's happened.)
If it were me, I'd maybe wait a week to let the frustration die down a bit, then call somebody who knows what they're doing to come have a look at it. It it worked fine and then suddenly you can't so much as get kindling to burn, something is blocked somewhere. A good chimney sweep/installer would be my first choice. Or try a local dealer, if there is one, for your stove. You'll have to pay somebody to do that, but that's better than just letting your stove go to waste.
And please trust me and everybody else here-- yes, it can be complicated to diagnose what's causing a problem, but once things are going right, heating with a stove is no more complicated than using the microwave oven, maybe less complicated.
Smoke Signals
Burning Hunk
Wait, if you have gone through a cord of wood in a week, lighting the stove is not the issue. Do you mean a face cord or a full cord of wood?
Hi Damien. Sorry to hear about your frustatration. I Know it's not fun. Is it possible for you to post a picture of your stove and a pic of the inside? My stove has a baffle at the top of the burning box. The exhaust rolls around the front of the baffle and to the back of the stove to the chimney. Is it possible there is a blockage there? I also had an instance that our dryer was running and the vent hood over the stove top. This created a reverse draft and I had a heck of a time lighting a fire. We'd hate for you to give up on wood heat. It has to be so much cheaper than electric heat. Patience my friend.. All the best of luck PB
HotCoals
Minister of Fire
Open the air control up..light up some paper in the stove and close the door..if it dies right out and won't burn you prolly have a problem with blockage of some type. Either with exhaust or intake air. If you open the door a little and it takes back off and burns well with with smoke going up the flue it must be intake air.
PolareBear you made a good point. About a week ago I added 1" of kawool on top of the baffle so the secondary would warm faster. That maybe the problem right there. I guess it maybe time to remove it because it is reducing the draft. Thanks for the tip
MrNoBuddySpecial
New Member
going through a cord of wood that first week... maybe there is too much draft?
once you get the big problem fixed, check your elevation and see if 18' is too much draft.
- is that 18' TOTAL or just chimney outside the house/roof?
if it's 18' just outside and you have another 6' inside... it may be too much. rule of thumb is 2-3% add for every 1K in elevation.
- what size flue? (6", 8")
- does it match what your stove calls for?
- flue damper, built in stove damper or both?
- when it was working, was the stove very hot, cold or average?
- when you added a piece, did it instantly ignite? or sit there?
18' from stove to top of chimney and the flue is inside the house.
flue size 6"
flue damper I have one on stove and one on flue
when it was working the stove was running between 350 and 700F
When it was working the wood started almost instantly.
Now it just sit there
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