I wonder, wonder, wonder . . .

[HotCoals]

Just know that burning wood itself no matter how dry it is will produce some water..you're burning hydrocarbons.
You seem to be doing your home work jillybean and that is to be commended. Cheers!

 

[Swedishchef]

Sure you can. When you get right down to it, that's basically all any of us does. Just don't forget to shut the door before you walk away from that lit stove. Rick

AKA Don't do like I have done 1-2 times this winter....it gets the heart pumping, sweaty palms just like your first slow dance in high school (except has bigger risks!!).

Burning wood is easy, getting the darn wood is the hardest part! So I think you're further ahead of the game than you think!

Andrew

 

[blacktail]

It's not complicated. You'll just need to develop a feel for when and how much to turn the air down while maintaining secondary burns. Each load of wood is different depending on the splits and how they're piled in the stove.

 

[firefighterjake]

Yes . . . no . . . maybe.

I mean yes . . . it really can be pretty simple to run a stove and you can reach the point where you pretty much just load and go . . . but no, for some folks it is not intuitive and there can be a learning curve, but the pay off is pretty high in terms of a good view of the fire, the heat, burning clean, the heat, burning safely, the heat, etc.

Here's all you need to know (although there are a few other things maybe you need to know which I've forgotten.)

1. Install your stove to manufacturer's specs . . . don't cut corners or trust Uncle Joe who has been burning wood all his life when it comes to the installation.

2. Burn seasoned wood . . . true seasoned wood . . . not wood that someone tells you is seasoned.

3. Burn at the correct temp . . . Goldilocks temp . . . not too hot and not too cold. Using thermos helps you run the stove safer and more efficiently. Don't expect to be able to just eyeball the flames or tell by how warm you feel-- not at first at least.

4. Learn how to run the stove. It may take a bit. Eventually you'll learn the stove and know what works and doesn't work. Expect at least one or two nights staying up late when you realize loading it too soon with a full load of beech, black locust and sugar maple is a bad idea.

5. Inspect regularly and clean the chimney when needed.

6. Dispose of your ashes properly . . . covered metal pail outside . . . away from combustibles.