ok so last year i had a pellet stove. if never burned right. the flame was always lazy and it always made a train like noise. so this year i am about to have a baby and wanted a wood stove.the englander 13.and i cant get it to burn more than half piece of wood without a fight the stove will never get to 300 degrees. our house is air tight so i put a fresh air kit in with the stove.if i open the door to the stove it helps burn the wood but not like it should never a goof flame. i am not sure what to do . maybe its the wood being a little damp. its seasoned wood i have tried alot of different pieces. guys i really need help.
help new stove and it does not burn right!!
- Thread starter spoolie25
- Start date
-
Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.
We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.
We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
TheIndian
Member
Yeah, wood could be moist.
Is your air intake fully open when trying to start fire?
How’s the air flow through your stove pipe/chimney. You said it’s pretty new, right? So unless an animal built a nest in there, it should be good.
Have any pics of your set-up?
Is your air intake fully open when trying to start fire?
How’s the air flow through your stove pipe/chimney. You said it’s pretty new, right? So unless an animal built a nest in there, it should be good.
Have any pics of your set-up?
Sounds like wood that isn’t seasoned well enough with a combo of temps that aren’t really cold enough yet to get a good draft in many chimneys.
What sort of chimney is your stove hooked to? How tall is it? Pics always help.
Pen
What sort of chimney is your stove hooked to? How tall is it? Pics always help.
Pen
Sounds like you have a good stove and setup, but working with poor quality fuel.
Maybe try checking out your local farm store for some bio bricks, envi logs, or other stove fuel logs meant to be burned as wood, and give those a go, or mix in, to try and get things going until you get your wood quality up.
Maybe try checking out your local farm store for some bio bricks, envi logs, or other stove fuel logs meant to be burned as wood, and give those a go, or mix in, to try and get things going until you get your wood quality up.
Basement install by the looks of it? Outside air is fed from? Is it by chance above the stove air intake location? May consider 2 X 45* elbows in place of the one 90*. 30" of horizontal from the 90 to the wall? Seems like a long horizontal run + wall pass through and "T". Is there a 1/4" of elevation per foot of horizontal run? Other than those considerations your wood moisture content should be verified. Can you re-split a few splits and test with a moisture meter? Things that come to mind.
@bholler
@begreen
@bholler
@begreen
basment install. the air intake is above the stove i used the old pipe from the pellet stove . i am going to have to get a moisture meter
How close is the horizontal pipe to the floor joists? Two 45's as @moresnow said will also help get that long run away from the joists.
Is any part of the basement a walkout? Maybe run intake at floor level to outside there.
My guess would be wet wood but the intake above the stove could cause problems. And get rid of that 90. Check the baffle placement as well.
It also looks like the top of the chimney is pretty far out of plumb. It may need more support
It also looks like the top of the chimney is pretty far out of plumb. It may need more support
A few things:
1. Is the OAK pulling air from above the stove?
2. Does the wood hiss and/or bubble on the ends?
3. Where was the pellet stove located, same location?
1. Is the OAK pulling air from above the stove?
2. Does the wood hiss and/or bubble on the ends?
3. Where was the pellet stove located, same location?
yes its a walk out. i am going to get one of the pre made logs from walmart when i get home, i have no hissing or bubbles from the logs. thing i cant wrap my head around is the pellet stove has a hard time burning too. the house next door is about 30 foot away and a 2 story mine is single with walk out basement . there is a fence between the yards.
weatherguy
Minister of Fire
Try some wood you get at convenience stores they sell in a 7-8 pack or construction cut offs. Worse thing is you may have to get a pallet of bio bricks to mix with the wood you have. Moisture meter from home depot is inexpensive and does the job.
i just called one of the local wood stove places and going to pick a meter up after work. bio brick are like 300 a pallet
I thibk I have a few problems at the same time. The middle log in the pictures below is a start log and I bought some wood from the store. I went a biught a mosture meter and my woods was over 30 . The picture blow the forst one is door closed. The second in door cracked open. Remember there is a starter log in the middle
Did you check the wood from the store? Most of the time it isnt dry either it is just run through a kiln to kill bugs.
This is after the starter log burn out I don't think the air i let is working the only air inlet this thing has are two holes in the front the size on a pen 
35+ is not nearly seasoned wood. That is close to fresh cut and split for some species of wood. I'd give the seller a call on that. Was the store wood tested the same way, split and tested on the freshly exposed face of the wood?
.yes split and tested. Also a big problem is it's been taking here in NJ for months every day or every other. I have tried wood from. The astor a friend brought wood over. All the same. The only time it burned was with the big starter log and the things was great for two hours. It just does out with 3 half burned logs. I tried all the windows and walk out door open. If the chimney was the problem would the starter log and few logs I had in there burn like they did and as soon as it went away it slowly died I put a log in. I am not an expert but I am honestly thinking it's something to do with air intake. As soon as I crack the door .it lights up again.
Last edited:
It is very common for new stove owners with problems to assume something is wrong with the stove. The air intake is almost always their prime suspect. Truth be that the air control is a simple mechanism and not prone to failure. The most likely issue is either poor draft or damp wood. Hang in there, this is pretty common. You will get the hang of it, most likely by finding good wood and altering the starting technique. YouTube appears to be down right now, but when it is back up there are some videos of how to start a fire in the 13-NC.
Similar threads
