NATE379 said:
How big is your house? I'll end up burning 3-4 cords it looks like to keep my 1,200sq ft house in central Maine heated to 68-72F and we still use a bit of oil. Course, I'm burning "junk" wood (willow, pine, alder etc).
Controlling a wood stove
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How big is your house? I'll end up burning 3-4 cords it looks like to keep my 1,200sq ft house in central Maine heated to 68-72F and we still use a bit of oil. Course, I'm burning "junk" wood (willow, pine, alder etc).
Martin Strand III
New Member
Controlling a wood stove is analogous to controlling a motor vehicle.
* The operator should be in charge of what happens, not the apparatus.
* The wood put in the stove is akin to the fuel put in the tank.
** Burning unseasoned wood equals getting a tank of water-in-the-gas
** Burning dry wood equals uncontaminated, even premium, gas
* Adjusting the air-in and exhaust-out of the stove is like using the
accelerator and brake in the vehicle.
** Stove air adjustment mix air with fuel for 'the right' burn
as the accelerator causes the EFI do the same for 'the right' speed
* Keeping out of trouble with burning a stove is similar to getting driver's
training, using experience and good judgement on the road.
** Performing routine maintenance on both decreases disappointments
** Both can be a bit messy
** Breathing fumes from either is bad for your health
** Being prepared for the unexpected with both can save your life
** Coming soon for wood burners: obeying the law will save you money
* Just like some shouldn't use a wood stove at all, some shouldn't get behind the wheel
Aye,
Marty
Grandpa used to say,
"Marty S, you're a poet
and don't know it,
but your feet show it,
because they're Longfellow's."
* The operator should be in charge of what happens, not the apparatus.
* The wood put in the stove is akin to the fuel put in the tank.
** Burning unseasoned wood equals getting a tank of water-in-the-gas
** Burning dry wood equals uncontaminated, even premium, gas
* Adjusting the air-in and exhaust-out of the stove is like using the
accelerator and brake in the vehicle.
** Stove air adjustment mix air with fuel for 'the right' burn
as the accelerator causes the EFI do the same for 'the right' speed
* Keeping out of trouble with burning a stove is similar to getting driver's
training, using experience and good judgement on the road.
** Performing routine maintenance on both decreases disappointments
** Both can be a bit messy
** Breathing fumes from either is bad for your health
** Being prepared for the unexpected with both can save your life
** Coming soon for wood burners: obeying the law will save you money
* Just like some shouldn't use a wood stove at all, some shouldn't get behind the wheel
Aye,
Marty
Grandpa used to say,
"Marty S, you're a poet
and don't know it,
but your feet show it,
because they're Longfellow's."
eclecticcottage
Minister of Fire
And for us tube stove owners...it's all about the secondaries, just like the old four barrel carbs. Go WOT and open those secondaries up...and you better have good control, lol.
Martin Strand III
New Member
eclecticcottage said:
Back to the analogy.
It's always control first.
Speed comes later.
Get that reversed or messed up,
you shouldn't be using either.
Aye,
Marty
Grandpa used to say that.
eclecticcottage said:
It's actually an inverse comparison to vacuum operated secondary carbs. With the carb, it opens the secondaries at WOT, with the "tube" stoves, it kicks the secondaries when the stove is damped way back, forcing the stove to pull in air through the tubes because the primary is shut down.
Martin Strand III
New Member
joecool85 said:
This sounds like it came from Modern Wood Stove Burning School.
This is good.
This man understands his machine, an example for others.
Aye,
Marty
Huntindog1
Minister of Fire
I would add that you can have more control by turning your stove into a 2 chamber burner. What you here so much on here about rake your coals forward for a East/West load or rake your coals to door latch side for a North/South load.
For the East/West load raking coals forward gives you the area in the back of the stove to load on the bottom of the stove not on any hot coals. This allows you load more wood in the back since it starts on the bottom and not on a pile of hot coals.
For example in my 2.2 cubic 20" by 14.5" box East/West load, I get 3 medium splits "~4 inches" loaded on the back row, next row I get 2 splits load on coals. Then the last row towards the front of the box is on hot coals loaded with small kindling that gets to burning really fast and hot.
What this gets you is a 2 zone heating as the front area of stove on the hot coals small kindling gets to going and heats the stove up so You can get the secondaries going and start to turning the air down as you build the heat up. The small stuff does this so fast that the big wood in the back not sitting on any hot coals isnt even started burning yet and will be there for a long burn time.
For the East/West load raking coals forward gives you the area in the back of the stove to load on the bottom of the stove not on any hot coals. This allows you load more wood in the back since it starts on the bottom and not on a pile of hot coals.
For example in my 2.2 cubic 20" by 14.5" box East/West load, I get 3 medium splits "~4 inches" loaded on the back row, next row I get 2 splits load on coals. Then the last row towards the front of the box is on hot coals loaded with small kindling that gets to burning really fast and hot.
What this gets you is a 2 zone heating as the front area of stove on the hot coals small kindling gets to going and heats the stove up so You can get the secondaries going and start to turning the air down as you build the heat up. The small stuff does this so fast that the big wood in the back not sitting on any hot coals isnt even started burning yet and will be there for a long burn time.
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