Getting more heat from your stove - how do YOU do it?

[Battenkiller]

Also consider your split size. Generally smaller splits have more surface area and will burn faster and hotter compared to larger splits.

So it might make sense to resplit some if you're more concerned with getting a lot of heat and aren't going for the longest possible burn.

Yes, smaller splits, and also, more space between the splits inside the firebox promotes faster burns without actually opening the air intake more. Drier wood burns a lot faster than wetter wood as well.

 

[Corey]

The biggest key for me is getting the air just right. The stove is like a carburetor - too much or too little air will give bad performance. Too much air and you're cooling the stove by flushing cool room air through it plus make-up air has to be heated. Too little air and you get smoke, incomplete combustion and cooler temps as well. The air setting will change in relation to other variables such as outside air temp, humidity, type of wood, size of split, etc.

 

[Beave]

And, if you have an insert, get a blower. Even if you run it on low, just getting the air moving is helpful in quenching the cold. My insert is next to useless without it, but can conquer the furnace even running on low.

 

[Wood Duck]

I can't really add much to what the previous posts have said, except that it is worth keeping in mind that part of what you are looking for is heat when you want it, not just an increase in overall BTU output. I find that when the room is cold I want heat fast, so faster burning woods and smaller splits are what I choose. I know that on a daily heat output basis I could probably get more heat out of the stove with larger splits of harder wood and longer, more consistent heat, but that isn't really what I want. The smaller splits or lighter woods heat the stove and the room and me up faster, and are therefore the best way to get 'more heat' from my stove. Once I am warm I go with larger splits and tune the air down more for a longer burn.