How long does it take for an Eco log to take off?

[faye smith]

I have used 3 fatwood sticks under it and two Lightening Nugget firestarter nuggets, one at each end. Once those burnt out the Eco log just sat there all blackened and with a blue flame licking out from the end nearer to the air thingy. The air is wide open and the door was closed until those starter helpers burnt out then I opened the door latch which let a little more air in to keep feeding the flame, but now only the kindling is smoldering under the Eco log and there is NO FIRE! I'm so upset!! My wood is not seasoned, that I know. I've tried desperately to keep a fire going and get it hot enough so that it's not smoking so much. I've tried lots of fatwood and firestarter nuggets (they're not cheap!)---I've got Super Cedar on order---newspaper, kindling. And I just bought the TSC Eco logs today to try to help out my unseasoned wood---my cat is on the top of my wood stove as I type, which lets you know how hot it got. I've read the forum every day since Friday for HOURS until my eyes are rolling back in my head and I've tried everything I've read. How can I get this damn thing stay lit??? Thank you in advance for your help and I apologize for whining. BTW, it's out now.

PS. I started another thread last week that I still wanted to post pics to and will get to that eventually. Sorry.

 

[Squirrel]

Compressed logs are very dense and heavy and thus take more heating than regular wood to start burning.
Try this. As your stove is fairly small break an eco log in half (drop it flat onto a piece of kindling near the middle to break it). Light a kindling fire using 8 or so small sticks and wait until it is burned mostly to hot red coals with a few flames left. Then wearing gloves try to place the two halves of the log front to back in the stove with about a half inch gap between them and the coals underneath at the front, leave the air open but close the door as you want as much heat as possible on the logs.
After a few minutes the logs should slowly start to burn and gradually build up a fire between them. You should then turn down the air to control the heat and speed of the burn.

 

[faye smith]

Thanks. I did try to "saw" one in half with a serrated machete---(I know, I am seriously tool-compromised)---but well, that was like trying to saw a rock. Like you said, it's dense. I will try what you said next time, however, and drop it. From all I've read about these things, I guess I got the impression they would take off like really dry wood with a little help from newspaper, kindling and/or a little firestarter. And that they burn super hot, which made me almost afraid to try it because of my wood which I've "tried" to burn being so unseasoned...smoke, smoke, smoke, so I was afraid of a chimney fire.

In the last 3 days, it would take literally hours, like four hours before any fire I tried to start would sustain a flame, and then only for a brief time... Right now I have fire because I took the damn thing (Eco log) out, all blackened and smoking and started over with kindling and another nugget. Then I added on top a charred piece left over from last night, and believe it or not, after the beautiful fire from the nugget flamed out, the charred piece is what's flaming now and the Eco log is smoldering on the bottom beneath it. I bought a stove top thermometer yesterday from TSC, not the best I know, but I've ordered the Condar Inferno from Amazon. Anyway, between last night and tonight, my stove has yet to reach the Burn Zone temperature (I've been working on this one for the past 2 hours)...it stays just below it, but then maybe I've been to wimpy about adding wood. It's just that it's not that good of wood right now so I'm concerned with the creosote build up. I am totally new at this and naturally, didn't realize what a science it is. But I'm willing to learn and do my best to do it right. Thanks again. (Just as I'm about to send this, I notice the flame getting less and less...)

 

[Squirrel]

Sounds like you're trying to burn one log at a time, that will not work, even with dry wood. Two logs side by side with a gap between them will keep each other hot enough to burn, but you have to have them on a hot bed of coals (burning charcoal left from burned kindling) to get them started properly.

 

[faye smith]

Actually I'd been at it for over 3 hours tonight, not 2.

No, not burning one log at a time, but adding one at a time to already smoldering/barely flaming, charred logs...that may be wrong, but with my wood, I don't know the best way. Last night (and typically as I've been reading the forum and trying different things), I started with kindling, lots of kindling to get the stovepipe heated up, then made a bed of kindling, criss-crossing, log cabin style, plus fatwood and firestarters (always fatwood and firestarters, lots of that, though not all at once), then two logs north/south on top of that. The fatwood, kindling, etc burn nicely, the logs smoke, I keep adding small stuff to keep some coals going, and at some point hours later, a log will start burning, and when it burns to the point where it looks like the flame is going out I add another log, east/west. I usually use 4 logs each night, not that I don't want to use more because we haven't been really warmed by what I've burned so far, but I worry about all the smoking... And then there's the temperature thing, it not getting hot enough. That was the whole point of getting the Eco logs, to help my wood and enable me to burn more to get my stove temp up.

I'm going to buy a full cord of wood in a little while to put by for seasoning to at least have half a cord well seasoned in 2 years. Our winters are short and can be on the mild side (it was in the mid-70s Christmas Day), so I don't anticipate using more than a half cord per season but this week the lows have been in the 30s, highs in the 40s-50s. The temp inside the house all weekend has been in the 50s, except today when the sun came out and it got up to 64 inside on the south side of the house. Most of my house is unheated except for electric space heaters in the bedrooms rooms, so I'm really counting on this stove to keep us tolerably comfortable on the coldest days. I just need to learn how to make that happen and make the best of my wood situation for now.

PS. Still not in the burn zone on the thermometer...

 

[Babaganoosh]

I had to burn a lot of these last year. If possible break one in half lengthwise. That gets the fibers free and those areas light better. Now what I did was lay the halves if you can half them or 2 of them side by side north/south. Leave a small gap between them. In that gap put a fire starter. I used Rutland squares but I'm betting those super cedars will be better. Get that going. Then slowly add a few pieces of the fat wood. Now before the flame gets too big take another eco brick and put it on top of the other two. Do that north/south as well and bridge them. It will make a tunnel with the fire starters and fat wood in the tunnel. Leave the door cracked for a bit. It's going to be slow but they will eventually take off. It sounds confusing because I am probably explaining it wrong but once you get it you will see hat I mean. The bricks are hard to get going and are really meant to be loaded on top of hot coals. That's not always possible so sometimes you gotta make due.

I had to burn a ton of these last year so I'm very familiar with having to start and run the stove with them. I'll make an example video or pics if you still need help. No worries we will help you figure it out.

 

[faye smith]

Thank you so much. I'm glad you posted this because I was beginning to think I should take them back if I wasn't going to be able to make them work for me. How were you able to split them in half lengthwise? If you have pics of how you did that, that would be great! No, your description makes sense, and I will do that next time. I didn't exactly make a tunnel like you describe with what I started tonight (when I took the Eco log out and started over), but I arranged the kindling lincoln log style and put a firestarter and fatwood inside the "square" opening of that arrangement with the Eco log on top, but not smothering the fire/coals.

And just now, I'm getting a feeling that probably my kindling is too small also...it's more like sticks, stuff I've picked up out in the yard from fallen tree branches, etc. So I probably need to use more of it when starting a fire next time.

 

[Wood Wules]

Faye you sound like Jane fonda from barefoot in the park. My question is how big are your logs? We know they are wet. Can you cut them in half? Pine and cedar usually burn better. The other thing you might try is to go to your local store and buy a package of wood the smallest ones and see if you can get them going.

The eco logs are for after you burn one round and you have hot coals. They will immediately burst into flames.

In Texas is Bob Wills still the king?

 

[DanCorcoran]

Is this a new stove installation? If so, have you ever been able to get a good fire going? I understand that your wood is not sufficiently dry to burn, but if you have never gotten a good fire going, there may be an issue with the installation (insufficient draft, blocked vents in the stove, etc.) Just trying to help identify the problem, not to scare you. Sounds like you are having an inordinately hard time getting a good fire going. Keep posting on this site...there are a lot of knowledgable people here willing to help.

 

[OhioBurner©]

Agreed with Dan and Wules above... Is this a good working stove that you have run before and got the hang of it, or are you starting from scratch here? And I would not recommend trying to get the stove going on Ecos. They are very hard to ignite, some even try blowtorches and fail. Put them in on a well established coal bed. If I was starting up a stove from cold and needed to pack in some Ecos I'd put some small and medium splits on the fire first and line the top with Ecos. If your wood is not even dry enough to get rolling at all, you may want to just wait until next year. Ecos will help if your wood is marginal like 25% but if its recently cut it will be an exercise in futility still unless you get some kiln dried stuff and get a fire going - and never let it go out.

 

[faye smith]

Sorry for not getting back with anyone today. I just got home a short while ago (it's after 9 PM central time here), so it's too late to even try to get a fire going even though it's in the 30s right now (went below freezing last night and will again tonight). Anyway, I will try to get something going tomorrow evening when I get home from work and log back in to let you know how it goes. Thanks everyone for the advice and tips. Until tomorrow...g'night.