How to get the longest/hottest/most efficient burn?

[Dustin92]

We are heating our house (2300 sq ft combined upstairs and downstairs), with an Englander model 28-jc insert and are starting to exhaust our stash of seasoned wood, I am wondering how to get longer, hotter, or more efficient burns. I am usually loading the stove about half full during the day, and packing it full at night. About the longest I have gotten out of it during the day is maybe 4-5 hours. Obviously at night I am not watching it to see how long the wood lasts, but it is always completely gone, sometimes not enough ashes to restart. I run the air controls higher during the day, because we keep the house rather cold at night anyway, but it has really been cold here and the furnace is coming on before morning. Upstairs is usually around 65ish in the morning, and downstairs (where the stove is) is sometimes colder. We are getting the house up to about 71ish by evening. We are running the blower on a medium ish speed during the day, and turning it off at night because it is horribly noisy. If I get the stove really cranking for at least several hours, I have noticed the brick fireplace radiating heat the next day. Thanks!

 

[Isaac Carlson]

Bring a bunch of the driest unseasoned wood you have into the house and put a small fan on it. This will act like a kiln and dry it faster and will help a lot. If you can pile it near the fire, that will help, just not too close. We can dry out a half cord in about a week, but we stack it 4-5 feet from the stove. Keep some drying at all times and you will get through till spring. Just be careful not to start a fire.

 

[Dustin92]

I can bring about enough for a day in and put it in an enclosed porch, but there is no place to put wood in the same room as the stove.

 

[dafattkidd]

Generally for a long fire with coals after hours of burning the rule of thumb is large splits or rounds last longer. Dustin, is your chimney lined from the unit to the chimney cap? I understand the question is how can i get long burns with what I have, and that is an important question considering your current situation. But, if you can swing it, I think you will be much better off with a newer EPA unit. Good Luck!

 

[Dustin92]

Yes, I believe the chimney is lined with terracotta from the top of the fireplace up, which is inside a large brick chimney. I am using large logs at night, mostly rounds, some 6"+. The stove is already a cat stove, so Im not sure what you mean by "a newer epa stove". I packed it in about an hour ago for the night, some medium-large rounds, a couple splits, and some small rounds packed in the open spaces.

 

[dafattkidd]

Got it. Ok forgive me for being vague. I was talking about a stainless steel chimney liner that is connected to your insert and runs up the masonry chimney all the way to the chimney cap. I am referring to EPA units, these are units that are certified by the EPA. They burn very efficiently and cleanly. Your insert may be EPA certified being that it has a cat and was manufactured in 1990.

I know that I tend to get longer burns when i load EW (side to side) as opposed to NS (front to back). Packing the firebox full of medium-large splits and placing the largest splits or rounds in the back of the stove. Best I can say is that works for me in the two units I've burned in.

 

[jharkin]

It might just be me, but I'm very sceptical that wood that needs 1-2 years outside in the sun and wind can dry indoors in a week. Or even a couple months.

 

[remkel]

One of the things I like about having the stove in the basement is I can bring 2+ weeks of wood in at a time. I have two rows going and rotate the piles. Kind of helps with getting whatever exterior moisture that may be on the wood dry before using it.

 

[Isaac Carlson]

Piling wet wood next to the stove is like putting it in a kiln. The wood hits about 100° next to the stove and the air moving over it is bone dry. I didn't think it would work either when I did it last year, but once the wood has been next to the stove for a couple of days, you can tell it is getting dry fast. The radiant energy is pounding on the wood and dries it out fast. We only do this when we have to, but it works great.

 

[Dustin92]

My problem is not really with how much wood we have available, just how to make what we have last. I managed to get a great burn out of a relatively small load, I had mostly small logs/splits, loaded the stove about half full. I let it burn with the air controls open for about an hour, then cut the air controls to almost nothing, I think I got about 6 hours out of it. For some reason, our stove does not like a full east/west load, maybe a couple pieces, but mostly north/south. I have tried east/west and it went out. Half burned logs and completely black windows. The air inlets are in the doors and it doesnt like those being obstructed.