Identifying a "smoldering fire"

[soupy1957]

Since "smoldering fires" are something to avoid, I'm wondering about some woods like Cherry wood (for example) that tends to burn inside the log, not showing much flame. I don't have segregated types of wood in my wood pile, and I'm not THAT much of an "outdoorsman" that I can identify all types of wood at a glance, therefore I'm most likely going to burn a mix of woods.
Since some woods tend to burn more internally, than externally, wouldn't it be possible to falsely identify a smoldering fire, exclusively by a lack of strong evident flames?
So the question occurred to me: what are some of the definitive signs of a smoldering fire, and what's the easiest way to fix them?
I can guess the solution for the second part, fairly easily............give it more air, and stoke it a bit....

-Soupy1957

 

[Pagey]

In a non-cat stove that uses the preheated air/air tube design, you will almost almost have an active flame until the wood enters the charcoaling stage. In my stove, with a fresh load on a thick, hot coal bed my secondary combustion starts out looking like the bowels of hell. You sit there and think, "I'm going to melt this stove." As I adjust the air down, the secondaries slowly adjust to flames above the wood that sometimes seem to "squirt" out of the holes in the burn tubes and at other times are like "ghost" flames that appear out of nowhere and then disappear just as quickly. I have checked my flue, and if I don't have SOME type of active flame during the outgassing phase of combustion, I have smoke.

The only time I've had a smoldering fire in my stove it went down like this: I had gone to my grandmother's for the morning, and my wife was in bed sick. Our oldest daughter (13), who has no experience running the stove, just opened it up, tossed in some splits and shut the door. I got home to a stove full of wood, a 300F stove top, and a glass so black that I couldn't see into the stove.

You'll easily recognize a smoldering fire in today's EPA certified stove, trust me.

 

[golfandwoodnut]

Two things.I think you have unseasoned cherry. My Cherry flames more than almost any wood I have(It does not take very long to season either, when did you get that wood?). Second, If you see alot of smoke coming from your chimney it is not up to speed. Also look at the temperature, I am not happy if my stove is under 400 degrees. The locust I burn is the only wood I have that burns more like coal than any other species. I seem to need a good bed of coals to get in flaming well.

 

[BrotherBart]

There are no woods that "burn internally". If it ain't flaming on the outside it is wet and smoldering.

 

[Martin Strand III]

Simply burn dry wood.

Aye,
Marty

 

[soupy1957]

Master of Fire: Is it truly that only? I thought a smoldering fire could occur even WITH "dry wood" if it wasn't getting enough air???

Frankly, I'm concerned about "proper draft" and getting the temps right, and circulating the heat, than I am about a smoldering fire, but I thought it worth talking about anyway.

I guess I'm thinking too hard about issues that will probably all go away after about a week of trial and error. I'm anal that way. (Probably why I make such a good "QC" person...........lol)

-Soupy1957

 

[Battenkiller]

Two things.I think you have unseasoned cherry. My Cherry flames more than almost any wood I have(It does not take very long to season either, when did you get that wood?).

Just today in another thread, I described how cherry burns like natural gas in my stove. Clean, quiet and with plenty of flame. I'm burning cherry that was on the stump in early November and is brought inside about a week in advance of burning. Your cherry must be soaked.

 

[rdust]

I always try to keep a flame in the stove. Most times I have no choice, with a 30' chimney I can shut the primary air off and still have plenty of flames. Today was different though, I loaded the stove and turned it down faster then I like since I needed to get outside and bring some wood into the garage before it was dark. After I was done moving wood around I decided to take a walk around the yard, when I got away from the house I looked up at the chimney and seen smoke coming out. I pick up my cell, called the wife and ask her how the fire looked. She said "there isn't much left just some coals" hmmm that can't be the stove was only loaded an hour or so ago! I told her to pull the air out a little, by the time I walked to the back of the yard and started coming back toward the house the smoke was gone. Turned out there was still plenty of wood in the box I just turned it down to fast, when I came in the stove was full of flames, nice secondary burn and 600+ on the stove top.

 

[fossil]

I can make any wood smolder. Get it nice and hot...maybe let it burn brightly for a bit...then throttle back the air to it big time. Soon, what you've got is black and glowing red and orange and yellow and all...becoming charcoal. It'll try like hell to burn, but just can't quite catch its breath. Maybe the firebox fills with white smoke (DANGER!). What it's doing then is outgassing combustible gases, and if you don't burn them off, then you're either headed for a little explosion in your firebox when you eventually do open it up, or you're just gonna send untold amounts of crap up your flue to condense out as creosote deposits. (or both) Rick

 

[North of 60]

Soupy, how about listing the wood stove your running in your signature. It will also help people trying to help you, so you get a successful burn out of it.

 

[Valhalla]

Don't let this happen. Your heating value is reduced and the flue
temp risks excessive creosote buildup.

Overall heating efficency suffers greatly.