I've got coals

[Magus]

Merry Christmas all

I have an issue that I would like your opinion on.

Maybe I am doing something wrong.
While burning today, I cut the air damper down on the stove to get a slow burn and I believe I do this for a secondary burn.

At the end I end up with ash and the flue temp going into the danger zone (low)
Now my issue is I end up with a bed 4 inches thick of burning embers.

What do i do about this?
Is this something that I want to keep the stove hot/holding heat or should I be looking for a complete burn every time.

I do know if I leave it, it will burn down to nothing.

Is this the time I dont add anymore splits and just let it burn down a bit, empty out...what?

 

[katwillny]

I get this phenomenon as well when i cut the air all the way down. It starts out as having secondaries but eventually i end up with coals. So now what i do is that i dont cut the air all the way down but rather i cut the air to 80% and when i see that i start getting coals, i add two splits and open the air for about 15 minutes or so. Some of the folks here take some of the coals out to make room for the splits, but I use it all, why waste btu?

 

[Valhalla]

Hot coals are great BTUs. Why take them out? Add splits on top and some more air.
Then you are ready for another full burn cycle.

Merry Christmas to all wood and pellet burners!

 

[Hogwildz]

If you continue adding splits before the coals reduce to a more minimal amount, your only going to create a thicker & thicker bed of coals. Eventually limiting the amount of reload room you will have.
Pull the coals forward, open the air 100%, and let the coals burn down. In addition to pulling the coals forward, add a split or two or even 3 of soft wood on top, they will give fast heat and help burn the coals down.
But merely adding more splits after splits is going to create more and more coals. Burn the prior load down as much as you can, then refill with a full load and repeat.
As it gets colder and windier out, you may be tempted to throw more splits in to try and keep the house as warm as it would be a higher less windy temps. This is where most folks run in to too many coal issues.
Stick with the normal plan and you will be fine. Might just have to deal with a few degrees lower house temps during the later stages of the burns.

 

[northwinds]

If you don't need the heat, just let them keep burning down. The coals are not producing much smoke or creosote producing material.

 

[pen]

If the temp drops on the flue, and you know you are going to need more heat soon, then open the air back up to burn the coals down faster. If your home is warm enough, then just enjoy the coals as they will allow you to go a long while between reloads.

pen

 

[Backwoods Savage]

We do things a bit different and it works great for us. Watch the stove and a bit before (even 1/2 hour before) it is down to only coals, we open the draft to 100%. This will hold the stove temperature at the level it is when we open the draft. When the temperature starts going down we find that the coals have burned down to where they need to be and then just restock the stove. If we want just a little more heat when doing this we can just add one split on top of the coals and it raised the temperature a bit but still burns those coals down.

 

[firefighterjake]

We do things a bit different and it works great for us. Watch the stove and a bit before (even 1/2 hour before) it is down to only coals, we open the draft to 100%. This will hold the stove temperature at the level it is when we open the draft. When the temperature starts going down we find that the coals have burned down to where they need to be and then just restock the stove. If we want just a little more heat when doing this we can just add one split on top of the coals and it raised the temperature a bit but still burns those coals down.

I do the same thing . . . sometimes I wait a bit longer for smaller coals . . . and sometimes I add wood a bit earlier . . . depends on how badly I need the heat.

 

[tickbitty]

We do things a bit different and it works great for us. Watch the stove and a bit before (even 1/2 hour before) it is down to only coals, we open the draft to 100%. This will hold the stove temperature at the level it is when we open the draft. When the temperature starts going down we find that the coals have burned down to where they need to be and then just restock the stove. If we want just a little more heat when doing this we can just add one split on top of the coals and it raised the temperature a bit but still burns those coals down.

I do the same thing . . . sometimes I wait a bit longer for smaller coals . . . and sometimes I add wood a bit earlier . . . depends on how badly I need the heat.

That's about what I am looking at right now! But I find that adding a split (I don't have any pine or anything) just starts filling the box again, I like to get them to burn down more. Does anyone find any value in bashing up the big coals into smaller ones if I am trying to burn them down, or is it a wasted effort? Also, I open the air all the way to try to burn them off and get them to flame, but I am wondering if it would help to open the bypass damper up too.

 

[Valhalla]

I reload right on top of the coals, therefore continuing and extending the current burn cycle.

Go to full air to ignite the wood mass. Adjust the air as needed. We are then good for many hours to come.

All my coals eventually give up their heat as they become ash.