I want to throw more wood on the fire

[mike1234]

Mostly just to say thanks for everyone posting on here. I've learned a lot from you all.

In November, when the first real cold of the season hit, every 4 hours I was loading the furnace up. Wake up, load it up (and I mean to the gills). 4 hours later, load it up. Kept the house at 74 (the temp of choice by the fam) but produced tons of ash, creosote, back aches, crabbiness from lack of sleep, ...

Now it is 12 outside, I have 3 fairly small pieces of wood burning on a couple inches bed of coals, and the house is 74. The old habit of adding too much wood wants to kick in, I walk out to the furnace, see the air supply fan is not even running, the stove pipe is 300, the furnace is 550 or so, and keep having to remind myself, don't put more wood in, it's working fine.

I went through over 4 cords this winter, good thing I have some left, but I bet I burned at least twice as much as I needed to in October, November and maybe December. More is not alway better. It gets stuffed to the gills once a day now, at 10 or 10:30, I blacken the wood, turn the thermostat down to 70, and then when I get up at 5:30, it will have 3 or 4 inches of coals left.

Also, I had a lot of trash wood, stuff that has been seasoning or laying around dead on the property for years. It is great wood for October, and I guess is will be great for late Feb and March, but I should of been using the good stuff, hedge, oak, locust, a few other hardwoods every time it got under freezing, what was I waitiing for?

How many of us new burners write - "going through too much wood", or "not enough heat" or "too much creosote" or "not long enough burn times"? Thank you all for your help and insight when we ask.

Now I can go load it up to the gills and go to bed. :cheese:

 

[ashpanannie]

Also, I had a lot of trash wood, stuff that has been seasoning or laying around dead on the property for years. It is great wood for October, and I guess is will be great for late Feb and March, but I should of been using the good stuff, hedge, oak, locust, a few other hardwoods every time it got under freezing, what was I waitiing for?

Here is a good chart to see which woods will put out the most BTUs, and around here I always like the oak for the coldest days because it is dense and long burning as well as pretty hot stuff!

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/articles/heating_value_wood

I must say that after many years of running our old Boss stove for supplement and never fussing...just filling and forgetting until you feel a chill in the house -- this new see through the window, don't use damp wood creature takes getting used to! When you can see the flames and the secondary burn -- you tend to fuss more and I probably poked more wood in there than necessary for awhile, too! I ran us out of the room a few times getting the thing too hot.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Mike, it sounds like you are a good learner. Don't stop now though!

Good luck.

 

[johnsopi]

I have a Yucon big jack so it is smilier to the super jack. You char your wood then close the door on the forced air fan ?

 

[mike1234]

If I am throwing a few pieces on, no, I don't char it. But if I am filling it for the night, then I turn the thermostat way up 76 or so, and open the cover on the air fan as far as I can, and let it char.

My whole overnight routine is - I have 3 thermometers, one above the door, one on the plenum, and one in the stove pipe, 18 or so inches above the barometric damper. After I have loaded it up, and opened it up, when the stovepipe hits 400, I close the secondary heat exchanger lever (poorer draft, helps retain the heat). When the thermometer above the door hits about 500 or 550, then I shut the air fan cover (how much depends on how cold it is) and turn the thermometer down to 71. In the morning, 6 hours later if it is really cold (-5), 7 hours if it is cold (10), 8 or more hours later if it is not cold (20 or above), I come in, throw a few pieces on the 2" of coals and turn the thermometer back to 74.

I also have found, that I can burn anything during the day, I have to just pay attention to how fast it burns, but at night, if I want my beauty sleep, I really need good wood.

 

[johnsopi]

Thanks, when you close the air fan cover how do you leave it open? I keep mine about a inch open.

 

[mike1234]

Just depends on the heat I need out of it. The warmer it is out, the more closed I put it. Last night it was 1/2 inch open, on those -5 nights mine needs to be almost 1/2 way. The more closed I can leave it the more sleep I get!