I am freezing, glass is dirty, but I am scared I will damage my stove by overfiring.

[fredarm]

It takes a little while to get used to the burning characteristics of your particular stove. The thermometer will help--glad you have one on order. You might want to get a cheap moisture meter as well (about $20 from Northern Tool or Harbor Freight). These EPA stoves require really dry wood and a moisture meter really helps in determining if the wood is dry enough. I'd leave the beech for later in the winter--give it a chance to dry out.

 

[HotCoals]

Are you getting flame off your secondary burn tubes?
Are you loading your wood n+s(front to back)?
When you say damper are you referring to the air lever at the bottom left?

 

[Dix]

Def use the seasoned wood to get this going. You can play with the unseasoned stuff later.

FYI, I was afraid of to much fire at first, but quickly learned other wise.

 

[Half Moon Ranch]

I am sorry, but what is a secondary burn tube and what is the primary?

Damper is now half and I have a lazy flame, but inside temp is still only 61 it has come up from 58 at 8am this morning. It is 9:30.

Wood is being loaded onto hot coals, E to W and one piece is N to S There are only 3 slpit logs in the stove do I need more?

The oak was from a dead tree, I think one that died and then we cut it down in May, then split it a month ago.

 

[oldspark]

Have you got any scrap lumber, 2X4's or 2x6's to see if that will get you a higher temp?

 

[sebring]

In my house it takes awhile to raise the temperature with my woodburner, not like my oil furnace that can raise the temps 5 degrees in 5 minutes.

 

[snowleopard]

I am sorry, but what is a secondary burn tube and what is the primary?

Damper is now half and I have a lazy flame, but inside temp is still only 61 it has come up from 58 at 8am this morning. It is 9:30.

Wood is being loaded onto hot coals, E to W and one piece is N to S There are only 3 slpit logs in the stove do I need
more?

The oak was from a dead tree, I think one that died and then we cut it down in May, then split it a month ago.

Secondary burn tubes are the silver tubes in the ceiling of your firebox. They support secondary combustion--ignition of the gases thrown off by the burning wood. The secondary burn is going when you see slow dancing `gaseous' flames near the top of the stove, or coming out between the logs. Hypnotic, colorful. Often these are triggered when you reduce the air flow--you'll know it when you see it after awhile.

Load that baby up. After you get the fire going, run your splits the same direction. It depends upon the size of the splits. This is definitely a `pictures would help' situation. Crack the stove door if you have to in order to get the fire cranking, but stay with it. Do not leave the stove unattended with door open.

I don't have oak around here, but I'm guessing from your description that your oak is not overseasoned. Moisture meter will help. What shape is your poplar in?

To put this in perspective, I am heating a 2000sf house with a Heritage, and I had several consecutive weeks of -30 and colder weather last winter, saw some weather down in the -40's. Our stove is the gathering place on cold winter days--kids, dog, cat, me--it puts out a glorious warm that soaks into your bones, loosens the tongue, and leaves you with a `life is good' feeling. Here's hoping we can have you there before the day is out.

 

[certified106]

I am sorry, but what is a secondary burn tube and what is the primary?

Damper is now half and I have a lazy flame, but inside temp is still only 61 it has come up from 58 at 8am this morning. It is 9:30.

Wood is being loaded onto hot coals, E to W and one piece is N to S There are only 3 slpit logs in the stove do I need more?

The oak was from a dead tree, I think one that died and then we cut it down in May, then split it a month ago.

Now we are getting somewhere, there is a huge misconception that wood standing dead is dry. In order for wood to really start drying it needs to be cut, split, and stacked for a minimum of a year and oak should really have about 3 years to dry. Chances are your wood is less than ideal.

As to what the secondaries are look up at the top of your stove and you will see tubes with holes in them. As you char the wood and begin to shut the air down the stove super heats the air coming out of the tubes. The air coming out of the tubes at the top of the stove then ignites the offgassing/smoke coming out of the wood. When your secondaries light off you will most likely see flames coming out of the tubes until the wood burns down to the point it isn't off gassing anymore. The secondaries will only light off as you shut the damper down on a well established fire. If you leave the damper open during the whole burn you will send the majority of your heat right up your chimney by allowing the stove to draft to hard and not get the secondaries fired up.

 

[Todd]

Wood is being loaded onto hot coals, E to W and one piece is N to S There are only 3 slpit logs in the stove do I need more?

The oak was from a dead tree, I think one that died and then we cut it down in May, then split it a month ago.

Fill that stove up as full as you can get it. Even if the Oak tree is dead it can still be full of moisture. Splitting it a month ago probably wasn't enough time. I'm betting the wood is the majority of your problem. Your going to have to find some dry wood or some dry pallets to mix in.

 

[Dix]

I am sorry, but what is a secondary burn tube and what is the primary?

Damper is now half and I have a lazy flame, but inside temp is still only 61 it has come up from 58 at 8am this morning. It is 9:30.

Wood is being loaded onto hot coals, E to W and one piece is N to S There are only 3 slpit logs in the stove do I need more?

The oak was from a dead tree, I think one that died and then we cut it down in May, then split it a month ago.

Really getting somewhere


Crystal, can you run down to the 7=11, Piggly Wiggy, Whatever and buy some of the firewood in bags there? Maybe 2?

 

[HotCoals]

As others have said..load that baby up with as much wood as you can get in it!
Get it going good and close the air down slowly till you get your secondary tubes to fire off...then adjust from there.
Buying some seasoned wood from a store or wherever would be a good idea to see what happens..maybe even some eco-bricks.
We won't give up on ya!

 

[HotCoals]

Just for comparison..I'm on 30 hours with my last load..2500sq.ft. two story house..insulated well.
Still 80 in room with stove..70-75 elsewhere.
I raked all the coals and some wood to the front and that will heat for another few hours..then I'll reload.
It just about has to be your wood..sounds like you have a good draft.
When the wood is unseasoned it takes a lot of btu's just to convert the water to steam...the water is trying to cool your fire in a way.

 

[DexterDay]

Oak that has only been split a month ago will be a problem. As it needs another 2 yrs or so before its Ripe. Even Ash that has been split a month ago will be tough to burn and it has a low M/C to begin with.

Go to the store and buy a little bundle of wood. Burning that should give you an idea of how your stove should operate. Or look into Envri Bricks/Blocks...

 

[oldspark]

As others have said..load that baby up with as much wood as you can get in it!
Get it going good and close the air down slowly till you get your secondary tubes to fire off...then adjust from there.
Buying some seasoned wood from a store or wherever would be a good idea to see what happens..maybe even some eco-bricks.
We won't give up on ya!

Are you sure you want to give that advice to a person new to wood burning!

 

[HotCoals]

As others have said..load that baby up with as much wood as you can get in it!
Get it going good and close the air down slowly till you get your secondary tubes to fire off...then adjust from there.
Buying some seasoned wood from a store or wherever would be a good idea to see what happens..maybe even some eco-bricks.
We won't give up on ya!

Are you sure you want to give that advice to a person new to wood burning!

It's a wood stove!
Seems like he or she has a grip on it.
You want her/him to put pine scrape in it..that will burn even more wildly! lol

Maybe you're right..maybe 2/3 would be better.

 

[fredarm]

My experience is that some standing dead oak can be ready to burn right away, it depends on how long the tree has been dead and what part of the tree it is from. I burn a lot of standing and fallen dead oak. I find that the branches are usually ready to burn right away, the top half of the trunk will dry in a few months after being split and stacked but the bottom half of the trunk needs a year cut, splt and stacked to dry out. As noted above, wood really doesn't start to dry until it's split, unless its pretty small in diameter. I had the same problem my first year burning and bought a ton of BioBricks to mix in with the not-ideally-dry wood. It worked so well that I still burn about a 50/50 mix of bricks and wood (currently burning Eco Bricks from Tractor Supply). Get a moisture meter and check your wood. Anything over 25% moisture will cause problems, under 20% is ideal. To get a quick idea of what your stove is capable of, I agree with the suggestion of buying a couple of bundles of kiln-dried wood from the supermarket.

 

[oldspark]

As others have said..load that baby up with as much wood as you can get in it!
Get it going good and close the air down slowly till you get your secondary tubes to fire off...then adjust from there.
Buying some seasoned wood from a store or wherever would be a good idea to see what happens..maybe even some eco-bricks.
We won't give up on ya!

Are you sure you want to give that advice to a person new to wood burning!

It's a wood stove!
Seems like he or she has a grip on it.
You want her/him to put pine scrape in it..that will burn even more wildly! lol

Maybe you're right..maybe 2/3 would be better.

Holy Moly, I was not telling her to load it up full , I just ask if she had some scrap lumber, have you read the many many posts on here about over fireing of stoves AND she mentioned she was worried about it.

 

[ScotO]

WOW!
First: I have never used a forum before.
Second: I cannot believe the quick and helpful response!

Thank you, now that I know I have help details below:

Wood: Beech green
Oak overseasoned
Poplar is seasoned

Due to lack of wood I am burning all three at the same time. I don't want to spend the money on wood when we have tons of it on our land. The Equinox and installation nearly broke me. I hope this wood will work.

Chimney: Duratech doublewall black pipe straight out the top of stove 20 ft up and straight out the roof into a ss chimney, which is a little short in my opninion it does not rise above the roof pitch it is 4 ft below it, but I have more ss chimney to add to it asap. Seems to draft well, no smoke coming in the house.

The meat thermomter is stuck between to soapstone tiles on stove top.

This am i woke up to no fire, just hot coals and inside temp of 55 outside 37.

Put 3 logs of different wood types and it is flaming big and I think that it is roaring I hear a little sound when the door is cracked. Damper wide open and has been for 30 mins and stove top is not over 225 yet. Urgh

you first need to relax, get yer composure, and listen to these guys and gals on the forum....you have a good stove, sounds like a proper installation, but you got a problem if you are burning green beech....you better throw that stuff aside and let it out of the picture, cause beech is a wet wet wood when it is green, takes a good amount time to season, and I can guarantee you that is what is dirtying your glass...if you have lots of wood on your property (i am assuming it is still in log form), and it is an only option for you, look for standing dead trees with no bark, but that look and sound solid...take a hammer and hit the trees with no bark, a solid tree will sound a lot like a board, and the hammer will bounce back, these will burn good enough to get you going; a punky (or rotted tree) will not, in most cases the hammer will sink into the tree, these are terrible to burn. Although the standing dead trees will not be 100% seasoned, they will burn good and get you through this winter but you don't want to burn the ones that still have all of their bark.......that is the kind of wood you need to have for burning right now, if you are running thin on cut stuff and refuse to purchase any.....but definately STAY AWAY FROM ROTTED AND GREEN, esp. beech, you are just gonna have headaches with green stuff....and a kitchen thermometer is not a very accurate way to get a good reading on temp, get an IR (infra red thermometer at Lowes, Harbor Freight, etc).....that will give you an accurate temp...and don't be afraid to get it going good, like these other guys said you gotta get that firebox pretty warm to sustain a good heating fire, find out what your stove's manufacturer says about how hot the stove should be at it's optimum etc....with cathedral ceilings you gotta use a circulator (I.E. ceiliing fans) to drive that heat back down, or else it will stay at the top of the ceiling.....good luck ,keeps us posted, you'll get it figured out.....there is a learning curve and if you stay with it, you will master it.....

 

[oldspark]

There are some stickys on this page that all you new wood burners need to read, might answer some of your questions.

 

[HotCoals]

As others have said..load that baby up with as much wood as you can get in it!
Get it going good and close the air down slowly till you get your secondary tubes to fire off...then adjust from there.
Buying some seasoned wood from a store or wherever would be a good idea to see what happens..maybe even some eco-bricks.
We won't give up on ya!

Are you sure you want to give that advice to a person new to wood burning!

It's a wood stove!
Seems like he or she has a grip on it.
You want her/him to put pine scrape in it..that will burn even more wildly! lol

Maybe you're right..maybe 2/3 would be better.

Holy Moly, I was not telling her to load it up full , I just ask if she had some scrap lumber, have you read the many many posts on here about over fireing of stoves AND she mentioned she was worried about it.

You didn't say not too to load it up either..just sayin'.
She is no where close to over firing that stove..and she does know how to work the air control.
From reading what i read the wood is wet and won't d much anyhow..now if she said the wood was seasoned for 2 or 3 years that would be somewhat diff..but even then the stove is designed to be loaded up.
Her having a grip on the air control made me feel comfortable saying to load it up.

 

[oldspark]

I was waiting for an answer on the lumber, I know she is no where near over firing it AT THIS POINT, best to stick with small hot fires to start out with, if the stove is drafting correctly you will be able to get a good temp out of a small hot fire with out the chance of getting it too hot. Only one thing worse than a small load of wet wood and that is a big load of wet wood, much more moisture to burn off, stick with a small hot fire.

 

[Battenkiller]

The meat thermomter is stuck between to soapstone tiles on stove top.

Welcome, Crystal!

You might as well guess at the temp using that setup. No way that kind of thermo can be even close to accurate used that way.

You say the poplar is seasoned. How long cut and split? Poplar dries quickly and burns hot and fast. If you can't get that baby up to 550º with seasoned poplar something is definitely wrong somewhere.

 

[ScotO]

The meat thermomter is stuck between to soapstone tiles on stove top.

Welcome, Crystal!

You might as well guess at the temp using that setup. No way that kind of thermo can be even close to accurate used that way.

You say the poplar is seasoned. How long cut and split? Poplar dries quickly and burns hot and fast. If you can't get that baby up to 550º with seasoned poplar something is definitely wrong somewhere.

agreed Battenkiller, but if she has all the poplar in the box and puts in a couple of green beech, she's shooting herself in the foot.....she needs to forget about the beech for this season....

 

[Half Moon Ranch]

ok, I get the wood situation. Too bad I loaded our deck up with Beech

The other wood is split and stacked outside. We have had trees down since last Summer, but not split until about month ago when we started researching woodstoves.

The the rain blows in on the stacked wood, how long before it dries?

I am afraid I am going to have to buy wood--bummer.

No more beech tonight I will only burn the poplar and see what I get. Should I get rid of some of my coals before tonights burn?

 

[jatoxico]

Welcome to the forum Crystal, you will get excellent advice here.

Open the air and burn the coals down, waste to toss them.

Pick up a proper stove thermometer they are only a few dollars.

Maybe you can get some pallet wood or lumber scraps and mix in a little of the less well seasoned wood here and there.