Oak can be a little slow to get going any way and if a little high with the moisture yu have 2 strikes going against and packing it tight might be the 3rd strike.Huntindog1 said:
Hot Coals and a Full Load of Wood............
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Ok, when I got home I split a few of my 4 and 5 inch splits and they read 15 to 20 % moisture , this is the wood thats been setting by the stove for a few days. I keep about 3 wheel barrel loads in a crate close to the stove.
The stove burns great once it gets going its cruising right now 400 on the pipe and 700 on the stove top and air is completely closed and pipe damper is almost completely closed.
I just wanted to be able to throw some big splits on and it takes off and up to temps in 20 minutes so I can damper it down and go to work thats all.
I am going to keep working on it to see if I can the heat up in the stove faster.
Tonight after startup top down method burnt down to coals I reload 3 good sized splits with a inch or so in between and stove was still pretty hot like 300-350 and it took off fast this time with less wood and temps already pretty hot. So I learned something there.
The stove burns great once it gets going its cruising right now 400 on the pipe and 700 on the stove top and air is completely closed and pipe damper is almost completely closed.
I just wanted to be able to throw some big splits on and it takes off and up to temps in 20 minutes so I can damper it down and go to work thats all.
I am going to keep working on it to see if I can the heat up in the stove faster.
Tonight after startup top down method burnt down to coals I reload 3 good sized splits with a inch or so in between and stove was still pretty hot like 300-350 and it took off fast this time with less wood and temps already pretty hot. So I learned something there.
Wood Duck
Minister of Fire
If I pull the coals to the front and make a groove through the coal bed to allow air to flow under the splits I can get any of my wood to light right up. If I don't get air flow under the splits the fire is a lot slower to take off. For my stove the primary air comes in at the top front, flows down the glass, then back into the firebox, so a groove from front to back through the coals will usually pull a lot of air through the coals.
Its really cold out wind chill like 10 right now. Getting ready for bed so I decided to go a head and reload the stove. The 3 5 inch splits where not completely burned down but they were already in the coal stage but still looked like a split. I broke them apart shook things around and spread it all out so this made me a good 3 to 4 inches of very hot coals. The stove top temp at the coal stage had dropped to 475 and stove pipe temp around 375. I loaded up 3 good sized splits east west again but this time with the deep coal bed its put them about 2 inches from the secondary tubes. The 3 new splits east west come out all the way to the front of the stove but the front row closest to the door I was able to load a 4th split on top of it so I got 4 good sized splits loaded that fill the stove and left very little head room so as to build heat in the top quick.
Ok now get this with this scenario I closed the door for about 2 minutes and the things is going so good that I already shut it down fully again. I hope it doesnt get too hot now but like one guy said on a night like this " Let The Big Dog Eat"
Ok now get this with this scenario I closed the door for about 2 minutes and the things is going so good that I already shut it down fully again. I hope it doesnt get too hot now but like one guy said on a night like this " Let The Big Dog Eat"
That many coals.. At that temp... Is when things get away from you... The Big Dog must eat, Yes.
But you need to know when to feed him. The splits needed to be broken and you had a huge coal bed.. Seems to be a bad scenario waiting to happen. IMO
Timing your burns, so you dont have 4" of coals is pretty hard. But you don't want the wood to heat so fast, that it does not burn long (out-gases to fast).
But you need to know when to feed him. The splits needed to be broken and you had a huge coal bed.. Seems to be a bad scenario waiting to happen. IMO
Timing your burns, so you dont have 4" of coals is pretty hard. But you don't want the wood to heat so fast, that it does not burn long (out-gases to fast).
Dexter, Your right, it did get really hot so I had to plug all the wholes in the stove. Stacking it high in the front is almost a for sure over heat plus adding wood when its that hot, As I learned last night.
Yup - too deep a coal bed + high stove top temps + adding wood for overnight = a run away stove.
But - you want heat over night - so what to do?
Well, heating with wood is a way of life. You have to adjust 'yourself' first before you can adjust adjust the stove for over night.
If you've got a huge coal bed you can't just load more wood - you have to burn down those coals first.
Rake up the coals to get them on the top away from the ash. Make sure your intake air area is clear. Dig a little tunnel if you want, front to back on the stove bed in front of the air intake. Add one sacrificial split and place it spanning the tunnel you just made (east/west). Close the door. Open air all the way and wait until the coals subside and stove top temp is somewhere south of 400 - I don't think I've ever added splits until stove top is below 380 degrees.
Once your sacrificial split is burned down your coals should also have burned down somewhat. When stove top temp is again below 380 you should be good to go to 'feed the beast' and begin a new burn cycle. Bring your stove top temp up to cruising levels decreasing air intake down incrementally as the temps go up. Once the temps level off and start to incrementally decrease you can now retire for the night. Note I said the temps are incrementally decreasing - I don't retire until this point therefore my bedtime somewhat varies.
But - you want heat over night - so what to do?
Well, heating with wood is a way of life. You have to adjust 'yourself' first before you can adjust adjust the stove for over night.
If you've got a huge coal bed you can't just load more wood - you have to burn down those coals first.
Rake up the coals to get them on the top away from the ash. Make sure your intake air area is clear. Dig a little tunnel if you want, front to back on the stove bed in front of the air intake. Add one sacrificial split and place it spanning the tunnel you just made (east/west). Close the door. Open air all the way and wait until the coals subside and stove top temp is somewhere south of 400 - I don't think I've ever added splits until stove top is below 380 degrees.
Once your sacrificial split is burned down your coals should also have burned down somewhat. When stove top temp is again below 380 you should be good to go to 'feed the beast' and begin a new burn cycle. Bring your stove top temp up to cruising levels decreasing air intake down incrementally as the temps go up. Once the temps level off and start to incrementally decrease you can now retire for the night. Note I said the temps are incrementally decreasing - I don't retire until this point therefore my bedtime somewhat varies.
Thanks Shari for the info. Some good info.
Take note that the other issue is when stacking wood high up front on the front row east west will tend to lead to super hot conditions. Tends to hold the heat up top too much.
Take note that the other issue is when stacking wood high up front on the front row east west will tend to lead to super hot conditions. Tends to hold the heat up top too much.
Sometimes when I need more wood on a hot stove with good coals I just open the damper and leave the primary air at the low setting and throw more wood in, works great, no big spike in temperture the secondaries kick in almost right away, its just a continuation of the fire you already have going, smooth as butter. Running these stoves like you are supposed to is good but running them so they work for you is even better.
Bub381
Minister of Fire
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