How long do you Kindle Burn

[soupy1957]

Just how long do you burn kindling before you add larger pieces to it? I'm having a hard time gauging how big an ember bed I need, before putting the big boy wood on there. Do you burn a lot of kindling wood for quite a while, or just jam a "big boy" log on there while the kindling is cranking? What's YOUR method?

I'm learning that timing is everything, ...........from the development of the start up bed, to the adding of wood during a long burn.

Then there's times like last night, where it just so happened that the two pieces of dry wood I put on the fire were such a hard wood, that they burned internally, and barely showed any flame at all. Esthetically, not all that appealing, and I was constantly trying to re-adjust the logs to get flames (I know, I know......the flames are not as desirable as the hot burn..........after all, it's the heat that we benefit from).



-Soupy1957

 

[Bobbin]

If I'm starting cold I twist up a few newspaper "bowties". Then I lay a few pcs. of kindling over the "bowties" (maybe 3 pcs.), often the bark falls off my splits and I'll use that for kindling. (I like to see how little kindling I can use to get a fire started easily). I light the newspaper and while it's beginning to catch the kindling on fire I add a couple of small splits. That's it. So, I don't really strive to have an ember bed before adding splits. Once the fire is established and the surface temperature is rising predictably I add more wood and engage the catalytic combustor and damper the stove down when the stovetop thermometer indicates it's OK to do so. The stove in my studio doesn't have a window so I use the stovetop thermometer and the sound of the fire to guide me.

 

[woodgeek]

I find that opening the door always slows the process (and think slow starts are smoky and wasteful). That is, I think the key point is the kindling heating the stove and flue AND the larger splits. Can't do that with the doors open, and the splits on the hearth. That's why I build a full load with the kindling/paper in there with plenty of splits and get it going in one shot. After the first round, I will use bigger splits on a coal bed, and get a higher stove temp, but the first cycle is def a satisfying, >60 min hot burn.

Oh yeah, with splits, you have the follow the 'three splits rule'.

 

[pen]

Try checking out this video put out by Canada regarding top down fire building and loading the stove.

BTW, what kind of stove do you run Soupy? Not sure if your stove can be loaded N/S or E/W

Click on the word "Video" near the top of the page.

http://www.ec.gc.ca/cleanair-airpur...ood_stove_operation_video-WS8011CD70-1_En.htm

pen

 

[grommal]

+1 on the top-down. Definitely watch the video. The good-sized wood is there from the start, and there's no risk of collapsing splits smothering the kindling fire.

The first wood that goes in my cold stove are a few medium splits (4-8 inches thick). Then a handful of thin splits (2-3 inches thick) on top of that. Then a SuperCedars firestarter (or some kindling plus newspaper knots, if you don't use firestarters). Light the SuperCedars (or the paper), and let it rip. With the Oslo, I can close all the doors right away, but that's a function of the stove airflow pattern and the draft strength. Next loading, somewhere between 1-3 hours later (depending on how many medium splits you started with), there's a nice bed of coals ready for whatever you can throw at it.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Some like that top down method; some don't. I'm one of the don'ts.

You need only enough kindling to make the splits start to burn. Burning kindling is just that, for kindling a fire, not to build a coal bed. Starting with a cold stove I'll use maybe 6-10 pieces of kindling and add some small splits on top of that. I add the splits before I light the fire. Kindling on the bottom, splits on the top (because the flame and heat go up, not down).

 

[pen]

I am in the same camp with backwoods as that I really am not a big fan of the true top down method. I use a modified version that works well for me. I do swear by Vanessa's newspaper knots however!

Point is, whether or not you use that method it is still good food for thought.

Just remember, the number 1 problem that first time burners have is wood that is not properly seasoned. If you are having trouble getting med-large splits to take, then that may be your issue.

If you are buying wood rather than cutting and splitting your own, I'd be getting on the phone now and calling around to get all of the wood ordered that you will need for next winter within the next few weeks.

If you do so, stack it and allow it to season properly, you won't believe how easy burning wood will be next year!

Nothing more frustrating than trying to burn wet wood because it doesn't burn!

pen

 

[PapaDave]

Soupy,
Not much kindling here, unless doing a cold start. Cold starts are 2 @4" splits n/s spread apart, with 2-3 more splits e/w on top of that. The tunnel in the middle gets a couple sheets of balled up newspaper. Leave the door ajar just enough to keep the draft going. That usually gets things started in just a minute or less. Close the door and watch for the flames to stay steady and the thermometer to climb.
Once it hits about 350-400, turn the air down almost closed. Adjust as needed.
Once the coal bed has developed, I add splits as needed to keep stove temps up based on outside conditions.
The 3 splits rule doesn't always apply, since once I have a good coal bed, I can put in a good sized split and it'll keep the stove at 600 for almost an hour.
There's more, but you guys don't need a dissertation on how my stove works.
Helps to have DRY wood.

 

[LLigetfa]

No need to wait. I fill the stove right full from the start. I turn a top-down fire on its side. Big stuff in the back, medium in front of that, and kin'lin at the front. A quarter piece of Super Cedar by the doghouse, set the air, toss in a match and close the door. No pain, no paper, no mas.

 

[Battenkiller]

Some like that top down method; some don't. I'm one of the don'ts.

You need only enough kindling to make the splits start to burn. Burning kindling is just that, for kindling a fire, not to build a coal bed. Starting with a cold stove I'll use maybe 6-10 pieces of kindling and add some small splits on top of that. I add the splits before I light the fire. Kindling on the bottom, splits on the top (because the flame and heat go up, not down).

Same here for me. I build a fire in a cold stove the same basic way I build a campfire. That's how I learned about fire - back as a Cub Scout and then years in the Boy Scouts. Old habits die hard, particularly if they are reinforced by success.

I use a small scrap of birch bark (newspaper if I have to) on the bottom and 3-4 tiny split pieces that come on the wood delivery truck (I have boxes of them). After these are burning well, I add progressively larger pieces of split wood, criss-crossing each kindling piece, and adding a fresh one only when the last one becomes fully involved with fire. With the draft inside the stove and the containment of the firebox, this goes about twice as fast as it does with a campfire - less than 5 minutes. Once I'm up to splits about 2", I lay two splits horizontally and one diagonally across the top (size of splits vary according to state of fire, type of wood etc.) and shut the door. No need to crack the door, the fire is already burning well if I used dry wood. This will give me a fire that will last about 1/2 hour and pre-heat the flue up to about 500ºF. I come back and load the stove with 2-3 splits according to how things are burning. I let it rip until the flue pipe is at 6-650ºF for at least 15 minutes, and then shut it down once the stove is hot. I now have a stove top thermometer, but I always used to just judge these things with the back of my hand. When it feels hot, it is hot. The thermometers just allow you to fine tune things.

I don't have any formula that I follow. Fire is chaotic in behavior - there's no way to accurately predict what will happen inside the box. I base everything on how it presents itself each time I look at it. I don't think about it at all, I just trust my intuition as to how much to put in and when to do it. And I never putz around with the placement of the splits once they're in place. That just grinds up the coal bed, and I believe in letting the coal bed have all the air it can get. It gets compacted bad enough all on its own.

When I camp, I have a rule - No wood added until the fire shifts. That's because you never can be sure where the new flame paths will appear after it shifts. Of course, with a campfire I'm just sitting there watching it, and I don't really do that with my stove since I don't have glass doors, but I would feel the rule applied to the stove as well. Let it burn the way it wants to burn, and stop farting around with it. Heat rises, wood settles and fire needs air. That's all you really need to know. Especially the last part. To me, it's not about the quality of the wood, it's about the delivery of the air.

 

[Hurricane]

I use larger wood right from the start. I use the kindling to get the larger splits going.
The larger wood is not like my overnight stuff but it is larger than any kindling.

 

[soupy1957]

Next, I'm waiting for someone to tell me they use a cup of gasoline on it as well...........(lol)

-Soupy1957

 

[LLigetfa]

Next, I'm waiting for someone to tell me they use a cup of gasoline on it as well...........(lol)

-Soupy1957

No gasoline, but I do use fuel oil and used sump oil to start my outdoor brush piles.

 

[Bobbin]

Yup, we save "accelerants" all year long just waiting for the late winter/early spring burn of accumulated yard/brush waste. After sun down (and hot dogs and beer) we sometimes dance around naked...

 

[LLigetfa]

Yup, we save "accelerants" all year long just waiting for the late winter/early spring burn of accumulated yard/brush waste. After sun down (and hot dogs and beer) we sometimes dance around naked...

Times like these, I'm thankful this board doesn't have the same smilies that MTF has.

 

[cycloxer]

I make my own kindling out of old construction scraps - 2x4's, siding, basically anything out of pine. I've even burnt plywood even though some people say the glue is not so good for you. The only wood that is really dangerous to burn is pressure treated lumber as the ash is poisonous and deadly. Then I have a huge bin that I fill with this stuff. I typically ball up some newspaper, brown paper bags, trash mail, anything paper and then grab a nice arm of my pine kindling. Lighting this gets you one rager of a fire. Then I start to add my hardwood, smaller pieces first, and larger pieces as the fire gets going. The more kindling you have, the faster and hotter you can get your fire going. If my bin is full, I tend to use more. As I get to the bottom, I go a bit easy because it means it's time to go make some more kindling.

Before the snow falls, I also use fallen brush, twigs, sticks, etc as I can easily fill up the bins just by grazing the woods in back of my house. It's free and easy to gather.

 

[Valhalla]

Use natural kindling! It is all over and seasons
fast when stored in the shed, or some cover.

All those branches and twigs contribute greatly
to the cold start burn.

 

[soupy1957]

Naturally you avoid pine for kindling, right? And any branches and twigs you use, have been allowed to dry and age somewhere before using them I assume?

-Soupy1957

 

[North of 60]

Naturally you avoid pine for kindling, right? And any branches and twigs you use, have been allowed to dry and age somewhere before using them I assume?

-Soupy1957

DRY is king for any wood that you are putting into your stove, and well for Pine.... it shouldn't even be brought into your house or on your property.

 

[Valhalla]

Any dry natural kindling is my preference. It falls from
the sky. I just have to pick it up.

But, why do some of you guys hate pine?

 

[grommal]

Any dry natural kindling is my preference. It falls from
the sky. I just have to pick it up.

But, why do some of you guys hate pine?

I was wondering that, too. Pine makes excellent kindling.

 

[cycloxer]

Dry pine is a preferred kindling as it burns real easy, burns hot, and burns fast. It is exactly what you want to use to start your fire. As soon as the fire starts to rage, you can start loading on the hardwood. This should only take 5-15 minutes. People freak out waaaay too much about putting pine in theirs stove. It is perfectly safe provided it is dry.

 

[grommal]

Pine is also an ok primary fuel in a woodstove. It doesn't have the btu content of hardwood, and doesn't last as long for an overnight burn, but it's still good fuel. Anybody who has a lot of pine laying around and can't stand the thought of using it is welcome to drop it off at my house. I'll make sure it's disposed of properly!

 

[Wood Duck]

This forum needs a few guys who will defend the idea that pine should not be burnt indoors, and outdoors only in forest fires. We'd have better discussions and could explore new and innovative emoticons.

 

[grommal]

Why should pine not be burned indoors?