Loading question

[hamsey]

Is this the proper way to load up a stove? https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/documenting-our-first-night-heating-with-wood.132132/ photo 2

I have done some n/s burns in my stove but it is mostly a e/w burner but I put in nowhere that much wood. I would be too nervous about over firing it. Maybe that is why I only get 2 or 3 hour burns. Do I pack it pretty tight or leave gaps? I get temps 600 - 700 but not very long burn times and I want to improve those. Most of my splits are in the 2 - 4 inch range and mostly oak. One time I did put in a 6 inch piece of oak I over fired it and something was glowing red. Since then I only put in a 3 or 4 pieces and do not stack it full like that.

Thanks, Norm

 

[Grisu]

That's how I do it:

Once the stove is warm and a bed of hot coals is established, I rake the coals forward towards the door. I put 2 to 3 short splits E-W in the back to make a level surface with the coals in front. Then I load more splits N-S on top close to the baffle. In my baffle there is a row of air holes in the center going from the back to the front; there I leave a gap in the wood for the secondaries. Otherwise, I fill in as much wood as possible. I almost close the door which will "fan" the coals and usually ignite the wood quickly. I wait until a good part of the wood has caught fire, then I close the door shut. Over the next 10 to 15 min I will close the air stepwise by looking at the flames: Reduce air until flames become lazy, wait a few minutes until flames are strong again, close air again some until flames become lazy and so on. At the end, my air is usually fully closed and the stove cruises at 600 F to 700 F. Burn time on a full load of ash is ~12 hours when I still have plenty of hot coals for an easy restart.

When you have those small splits, make sure to pack them tight or you may risk on overfire. Several larger splits should be better for a full load.

 

[Seanm]

I do it the same as Grisu with the exception of the bottom row of E-W. Ive never done it with small splits like you have described but use two larger ones (usually spanning the bottom of the fire box) and continue with a mix of sizes until the fire box is full but not touching the baffle. The key here is to avoid having to many of the splits sides exposed to flame as this is where you can get into trouble. You could also face two splits against each other to cut down on exposure to flame (making a complete circle with your two splits) There are always holes in between my larger splits so I will fill those spaces with smaller and smaller splits right down to kindling size if I can. I was nervous about doing this at first but my local chimney store and installer told me to fill it up! Just remember to watch the stove closely while you are turning the air down. Keep in mind that once the air is closed down you will still see an increase in temperature before she levels off.

 

[hamsey]

Thanks Grisu! I did not split my wood so it came that size. Kinda figured that the smaller splits might be a problem. Some stuff that I recently purchased (Spring 14) is bigger but that wood is for 15/16. Will pack it tighter and see what happens. I did try that last year but did not like the way it burned. Lots of smoke wood could have been wet. Purchased the stove in Jan 14 so I have not had much time with it. We just had our first fire and I need to go back and reread threads and material that I printed to refresh on proper burning.

 

[hamsey]

Sean,

That I believe is another problem with the wood I purchased. They are 14 - 16 inch long. I started cutting them longer but I need to go through the 2 cord I bought. Eventually I will cut my own but I am in the process of building a shed/wood storage outdoor structure which has prevented me from splitting my own. Next year. I have some wood being delivered that is suppose to be long for 15/16/17 but we shall see.

 

[Grisu]

I do it the same as Grisu with the exception of the bottom row of E-W.

That's something I just came up with last winter. I always had the problem with the pile of coals in front not allowing me to put in splits level and thereby wasting valuable firebox space. First, I was looking for short splits to put them in N-S behind the coals and then it hit me that it would be much easier to load them E-W in the back. With that I can really stuff the firebox and I am thinking I get another hour or so of burn time out of it.

 

[Seanm]

That's something I just came up with last winter. I always had the problem with the pile of coals in front not allowing me to put in splits level and thereby wasting valuable firebox space. First, I was looking for short splits to put them in N-S behind the coals and then it hit me that it would be much easier to load them E-W in the back. With that I can really stuff the firebox and I am thinking I get another hour or so of burn time out of it.

That certainly makes sense to me. I should try that when the weather permits. Have you found that magic size for the E-W that works or do you just go with whatever is around that levels you off? You dont think having that air space between those back splits and the raked forward coals up front creates to much of an air gap? or maybe youre filling that space right up? My problem would be that I have almost all my wood bucked up to 17-18 inches. I was thinking of doing one more trip to the bush and drop some standing dead so I will keep this in mind when bucking it up.

 

[Grisu]

That certainly makes sense to me. I should try that when the weather permits. Have you found that magic size for the E-W that works or do you just go with whatever is around that levels you off? You dont think having that air space between those back splits and the raked forward coals up front creates to much of an air gap? or maybe youre filling that space right up? My problem would be that I have almost all my wood bucked up to 17-18 inches. I was thinking of doing one more trip to the bush and drop some standing dead so I will keep this in mind when bucking it up.

The E-W will actually block the air flow and my hunch is that this may also contribute to the longer burn times. Previously, the air was going through the coals in the empty space under the wood that I loaded on top of the coals. I never overfired the stove but the wood may have burned up more quickly.

I don't want to get to anal about filling each last cubic inch. I just look for some shorter splits that fit E-W in my firebox. I have various lengths so it's rarely a problem to find some that are right.

 

[Huntindog1]

Hamsey,

You can get a feel for it after you have used the stove for a while. You will be able to tell if the firebox is heating up quicker on ya and to get the primary air shut down quicker but the feel is not to shut it down so quick you kill the fire and secondary flames. So you have to learn your stove and your wood and your wood loads. Use some larger splits. Filling the stove full of 3 and 4 inch splits of good dried oak will get the stove pretty hot. If you load those on a relaly hot big bed of coals your asking for trouble. Let your coals burn down a little mores so your not loading on such a hot large bed of coals. Raking coals forward leaves you room in the back to load wood east/west that isnt sitting on hot coals, which helps the stove burn in a more controlled manner. You get a longer burn time raking coals forward also.

One thing I like about my Drolet Myriad is that it has extra input air control range and allows me to snuff the fire out with the input air control fully closed.

You should start turning your input airdown in increments of 1/4 or 1/3rd ways and learn how quickly you can do that with out killing your fire. You can usually start when your stove top is around 350 degrees but all stoves are different. Keeping an eye on the fire and learning your stove will give you the feel for how to operate the stove but it takes time to learn.

 

[ckitch]

How grisu is explaining is exactly how I do it. I picked up that technique somewhere around here can't remember who was describing it. I loaded it above the fire brick which the manual says not to but it seems to be ok. Not sure if its good practice but that extra wood extends the burn time a bit

 

[hamsey]

I usually start cutting the air when the stove top is above 400 and keep shutting it until it is 3/4 closed. Have not been able to get it closed all the way. Some loads burn great with the secondaries others I can barely get them engaged. Have not figured out why yet. I do not think I closed it down enough because my flames do not get lazy. I use to rake my coals forward but started raking them to the sides so I do not block the fresh air inlet and because I get lousy left side burn where the splits do not burn. Next fire I will have to pack it tighter and see what happens.

Please keep the suggestions coming.

Norm

 

[Grisu]

The lazy flames should be the ones directly coming from the wood. The secondaries above it can light off and burn quite vigorously during a reload. I also do not pay as much attention to the temp as to the look of the fire. The temp is good to know if the stove is hot enough when cruising but can lag behind the firebox temp quite a bit when turning down the air.

If shutting down the air does not make the flames lazy, have you checked your door gaskets?

 

[hamsey]

Have not checked the door gasket. Pretty new stove but I will. Planning on changing it every other year. I do not burn 24/7. If I do shut it down all the way flame goes out on the left side.

 

[russb]

Hamsey, it was eye opening for me when I saw that pic as well. I'm now looking forward to slowly working my way up to filling up my Regency F2400 and letting it run (haven't run it at all yet; glad to conserve the wood, but disappointed I don't get to play with fire at the same time).

A related question, hope you don't mind me hopping into your thread: The poster in the linked thread looks like he started the fire with it loaded that full. Is that common? I thought top-downers build the fire in this order (bottoms-up): small splits--large kindling--small kindling--paper? Then, after a couple hours, rake the coals and load it up. am I wrong about that?

 

[BSH1F]

Hamsey, it was eye opening for me when I saw that pic as well. I'm now looking forward to slowly working my way up to filling up my Regency F2400 and letting it run (haven't run it at all yet; glad to conserve the wood, but disappointed I don't get to play with fire at the same time).

A related question, hope you don't mind me hopping into your thread: The poster in the linked thread looks like he started the fire with it loaded that full. Is that common? I thought top-downers build the fire in this order (bottoms-up): small splits--large kindling--small kindling--paper? Then, after a couple hours, rake the coals and load it up. am I wrong about that?

That's how i have always loaded my stove, i never really thought much into it other than getting dryer wood for easier starts. That looks like a lot less effort in the beginning.

 

[laxin213]

Sorry, but does the term "secondaries" refer to small fires that are started from combustible gases on not flames on the wood themselves?

 

[BrotherBart]

"Secondaries" is a termed coined here for the gases burning above the wood load using the secondary air at the top of the firebox.

 

[Colorado Boy]

That's something I just came up with last winter. I always had the problem with the pile of coals in front not allowing me to put in splits level and thereby wasting valuable firebox space. First, I was looking for short splits to put them in N-S behind the coals and then it hit me that it would be much easier to load them E-W in the back. With that I can really stuff the firebox and I am thinking I get another hour or so of burn time out of it.

I like your idea. Why not just load them E - W all the way to the front though? Or do you just prefer the N -S loading?

 

[Grisu]

I like your idea. Why not just load them E - W all the way to the front though? Or do you just prefer the N -S loading?

The Super is a N-S loader. I get about 19" split in N-S while the firebox is only 14" wide. Thus, for the 2 to 3 splits in the back I have to look for some really short ones. There is also no real risk of logs rolling against the glass when loading N-S and it is generally easier because you don't need to reach into the firebox all the time.

 

[Colorado Boy]

The Super is a N-S loader. I get about 19" split in N-S while the firebox is only 14" wide. Thus, for the 2 to 3 splits in the back I have to look for some really short ones. There is also no real risk of logs rolling against the glass when loading N-S and it is generally easier because you don't need to reach into the firebox all the time.

Sounds good. I have the Osburn 2400 so I can load either way. I like the idea of putting 2 in the very back east west then filling the rest north south to the top though. Thanks

 

[Cynnergy]

I load like grisu often - but we have cut our wood to 14-16" so I can load entirely e-w if I'm trying to get an extended burn with the softwoods out here. I can also load a row e-w on the bottom (leaving room for coals), a 'column' e-w in the back, and then stuff as much as I can in n-s. Nothing falls on the glass that way. Looking forward to honing my burning technique further this year!

 

[hamsey]

russ,

I did start my fires top down after seeing it here on hearth. Never heard of it and it works. Stopped doing it when I started using super cedar starters. My wife still does it and I am going to start doing it again.

My stove is an e/w loader. I have done n/s and I did cut splits so I can load n/s. Definitely burns hotter and faster so again worried about over firing. At the end of last season we were doing pretty good. When we first got the stove we just kept stuffing wood into it once it got to the coaling stage. At the end of the season we would let it burn down and added wood when the stove top temp got around 400* (read that on here). We burned much more wood than we needed to. But it is a learning process. Just cannot remember what we did towards the end of the season. Still new to it. I do remember that we needed bigger splits so it does not burn soo fast. Thanks Grisu for reminding me. Now if I can just remember the other things.

Might get another fire going Saturday and will try the loading methods mentioned here and see how it goes.

 

[Huntindog1]

Secondaries up around secondary burn tubes looks like a gas burner in some stoves:

 

[Huntindog1]

These stoves do burn better in cycles. Loading full loads on hot coals leaves just a small space left up top by the burn tubes or baffles. This smaller space is much easier and quicker to get heated up. Much easier than a half loaded stove with a large open space to heat up. Dry wood will allow much quicker heat up and light off of the secondary flames. Loading mostly big splits then a few smaller ones with some kindling to boot will speed tings up also as the thinly split kindling will burn hot and fast heat things up quickly adding to the heat of the hot coal bed. Some people use super cedars instead of kindling. Its all about building he heat up in the firebox. If you leave the door cracked as the wood has enough moisture to be problematic then your unable to build heat in the firebox as the heat is flushing up the flue with the door cracked open. So thats were the super cedar and kindling comes into play is they will burn hot with the door shut allowing heat to build up in the firebox as your not flushing heat up the flue.

 

[FionaD]

Hi everyone,

I'm just entering my second year as a stover and have learnt a lot from here... Still more to learn and loving it all!

On the subject of loading up.... I'd like to hear if any of you feel it makes a marked difference, on an EW load, if there is space between the sides of the logs and the sides of the stove? My current log size is around 14", which leaves me almost 2" space on either side of the stove. It's in these spaces that the fire first takes hold after reloading, so I'm wondering if the space is good (so the fire had at least somewhere to breathe in a tightly packed space) or if it would be better to burn logs that are long enough to touch the sides?