Ready to Join The Gang - Time For a Wood Stove!

[Squisher]

When my load is off gassed and I'm looking to settle in with good secondaries my air control is set between closed and maybe 3/4" of an inch open. Depending on the weather and the size of the load. The load will cruise 300-450f single wall magnetic thermometer. My stovetop will stay pretty steady in the 500-600 range with a magnetic thermometer. Sometimes a bit higher but 650plus seems to be in danger of a 'runaway'. Espescially if stovepipe temps are real hot too.

This is with seasoned Douglas fir and depending on the size of the load I'll see 4hr to a overnight burn.

Usually the stovepipe temp will be in that higher range as I was burning the new load of wood hot and getting everything up to temp and over the life of the load it'll creep down to 300 even as low as 230 sometimes at the very end if I hadn't adjusted my air up at all near the end of the load. Near the end of the load the stovetop temp will start to fall off a bit too.

At the end of the load I crank my air open for a couple/few minutes to get temps coming back up a bit and get the coals a bit roasty, the. On goes the new load of wood.

 

[Log Splitter]

Finally got a thermometer and have faced in on the facing of the stove above the door.

One thing I've noticed is I have not been running hot enough before tapering down the air flow. I would typically lower it just a few minutes after the stove was under heavy flames. But I'm now realizing the stove needs quite a bit more time in that zone to hit a proper burning range.

The problem I'm having is, it seems to take a while to get there, and by the time the stove is finally there, the wood is halfway burned down. Once I begin to lower the air flow, the box doesn't seem to maintain temperature, but continues to drop instead. I tend to load 4-6 decent size splits in the stove at a time. I could certainly load more than this, but then again, it has only been 30-50 degree range, so hasn't been too cold.

Any thoughts on this? Am I not loading enough wood? Should I try different things with the air control? Is it not that big of a deal to run the oven for extended periods at 300 rather than say 450?

EDIT: Full disclosure, just bought a moisture meter. Most of the wood I'm currently burning is in the 20-25% range. Not sure how much of a hinderance this could be, but it's what I have now. I can buy some wood if this 5% difference is the deal breaker.

 

[Squisher]

It is the deal breaker. Unfortunately. You'll never get a good burn and temps with wet or even marginal wood. Be careful buying 'seasoned' wood. That's a highly interpretive phrase in wood selling circles.

I always tell people it's called 'wood burning' for a reason. You can have the fanciest stove in the world, but if the main ingredient isn't cured. Your SOL.

I always load N/S.

 

[Log Splitter]

I have some wood from last year that I thought would have been seasoned by now, but apparently not.

I have been doing a little bit of both, putting a layer at the bottom E/W and then loading some N/S on top of that.

So in the meantime, what's the best "bad" choice? Do I just keep loading the thing up like crazy and let it roar away to keep it in the hot zone, or should i just let it peak in the hot zone and slowly simmer off?

 

[begreen]

I have been doing a little bit of both, putting a layer at the bottom E/W and then loading some N/S on top of that.

I would do the opposite with less seasoned wood. You air to go under the logs front to back for the best ignition. Or just load N/S.

Do I just keep loading the thing up like crazy and let it roar away to keep it in the hot zone, or should i just let it peak in the hot zone and slowly simmer off?

What do you mean by the "hot zone"? If the weather is cold enough then load it once and let it go through the complete burn cycle. This would be say from 300F on reload back to 300F as the coals burn down.

 

[Log Splitter]

I've had some wood from last year that I thought would have been seasoned by now, but apparently not.

So in the meantime, what's the best "bad" choice? Do I just keep loading the thing up like crazy and let it roar away to keep it in the hot zone, or should i just let it peak in the hot zone and slowly simmer off?

I would do the opposite with less seasoned wood. You air to go under the logs front to back for the best ignition. Or just load N/S.

What do you mean by the "hot zone"? If the weather is cold enough then load it once and let it go through the complete burn cycle. This would be say from 300F on reload back to 300F as the coals burn down.

Sorry, I should have been more clear. By "hot zone" I meant the zone you're aiming to run in. Not in creosote zone, or the "too hot" zone, but right in the middle. I think my thermometer suggests 400 as minimum, but you're saying let it drop down to 300 and then reload? And on the reload, when/if I open the air, at what temp do you typically close it down again?

 

[Squisher]

if your wood can't get your stovetop temp over 300, and won't support secondaries I think you're going to have a rough time producing much substantial heat and you're going to have lots of creosote and smoke out the chimney.

Here's a halfish to two thirds load all settled in (couple hours into the load) for the long haul from one of my loads last night.

Where are you placing your thermometer on your summit insert? Maybe snap a pic?

 

[begreen]

What thermometer did you get and where is it placed?

On reload I usually don't go by temp. I go by eye. When the wood starts burning robustly I start to close down the air. How quickly depends on the wood, heat of the coal bed and strength of the draft. On a cold winter day with good dry doug fir I can close down the air within a few minutes of the wood igniting. On a mild day the air may get closed down over 10 minutes, 50% at a time, and maybe never closed off all the way if draft is weak.

 

[Log Splitter]

I have it on the face of the stove, which is what appeared the be the only part of the actual firebox exposed.

I'm about 2/3rds open now. It's high 40's outside, low 70's inside. Chimney without any visible smoke.

 

[begreen]

OK, that's a good thermometer for this application. Let's refer to temps, not zones. Try closing the air to 1/4 and see how it behaves. Ideally you want the flames to be wispy, almost wraith-like, and lazy.

Those splits are fairly small, good for shorter, mild season burning.

 

[Log Splitter]

Dropped it down 1/4 a little before you said to. Been about 30 minutes now, and surprisingly (compared to last time), temperature has still continued to climb another 50 or so degrees up to about 500.

I have since lowered air to the lowest setting.

 

[Log Splitter]

 

[begreen]

Dropped it down 1/4 a little before you said to. Been about 30 minutes now, and surprisingly (compared to last time), temperature has still continued to climb another 50 or so degrees up to about 500.

I have since lowered air to the lowest setting.

That's as expected. Closing down the primary air causes the air to be drawn more through the secondary manifold. This leads to more complete combustion and more heat. The blue wispy flame is an indication.

 

[Log Splitter]

As quickly as I say that, it now seems to have begun its slow decline.

So at this point, you would advise to wait until it hits 300 degrees and then reload, open the air, and then slowly close it again?

 

[Log Splitter]

In this case, would you just let it go through it's cycle naturally, or would you raise the airflow at any point before it hits 300?

 

[begreen]

Usually I don't touch it with smaller fires, especially if I am going to let the fire burn out. When burning 24/7 though I will usually turn up the air about 30 minutes before reloading to burn down the coal bed first. 300F is not a hard fast rule. 250F or even 200F may be fine during mild weather. There's no danger of creosote buildup during the coaling stage.

 

[Log Splitter]

So what's the trick to running the stove in milder weather? If the stove is at it's sweet spot say 300-600, but you're only looking to raise the temperature of the house up maybe 10 degrees, how do you safely burn at a lower temperature for a longer duration?

 

[Ashful]

Finally got a thermometer and have faced in on the facing of the stove above the door.

One thing I've noticed is I have not been running hot enough before tapering down the air flow. I would typically lower it just a few minutes after the stove was under heavy flames. But I'm now realizing the stove needs quite a bit more time in that zone to hit a proper burning range.

The problem I'm having is, it seems to take a while to get there, and by the time the stove is finally there, the wood is halfway burned down. Once I begin to lower the air flow, the box doesn't seem to maintain temperature, but continues to drop instead. I tend to load 4-6 decent size splits in the stove at a time. I could certainly load more than this, but then again, it has only been 30-50 degree range, so hasn't been too cold.

Any thoughts on this? Am I not loading enough wood? Should I try different things with the air control? Is it not that big of a deal to run the oven for extended periods at 300 rather than say 450?

EDIT: Full disclosure, just bought a moisture meter. Most of the wood I'm currently burning is in the 20-25% range. Not sure how much of a hinderance this could be, but it's what I have now. I can buy some wood if this 5% difference is the deal breaker.

As I read this, my first thought was, "wet wood". Then I saw your edit. Yes, the more water in your wood, the longer you need to burn at WOT to expel that water.

Mixing something ultra-dry in with your wood is a cheap and easy way to knock down net MC%. Think pallet wood, framing lumber scraps, etc. Just a few pieces of dry wood will make a notable difference in a load that would be otherwise 25%.

Also, when measuring with your moisture meter, don't forget to correct for temperature, or warm your wood to 70F before testing. Wood will always show falsely low, as you move to colder temperatures below 70F.

 

[Log Splitter]

As I read this, my first thought was, "wet wood". Then I saw your edit. Yes, the more water in your wood, the longer you need to burn at WOT to expel that water.

Mixing something ultra-dry in with your wood is a cheap and easy way to knock down net MC%. Think pallet wood, framing lumber scraps, etc. Just a few pieces of dry wood will make a notable difference in a load that would be otherwise 25%.

Also, when measuring with your moisture meter, don't forget to correct for temperature, or warm your wood to 70F before testing. Wood will always show falsely low, as you move to colder temperatures below 70F.

Good tip on adding in the dry wood.

And I was not aware of that. I'll be sure to bring a few pieces inside to warm up to get a more accurate test.

 

[begreen]

So what's the trick to running the stove in milder weather? If the stove is at it's sweet spot say 300-600, but you're only looking to raise the temperature of the house up maybe 10 degrees, how do you safely burn at a lower temperature for a longer duration?

Ten degrees is a lot. It will take a decent sized fire to do that. You are not just bringing the air temp up, but all the mass of the room too. That includes walls, furniture, brick, flooring, etc.. We don't burn until it gets cooler and in the 40's, except for an occasional chill-chaser. In mild weather we pulse and glide with smaller fires and if the house is warm enough we let the fire go out.

 

[Log Splitter]

I guess 10 degrees was an overstatement. Probably more like going from 65 to 70, so only 5 degrees.

But I guess the same remains true. Hit it hard and hot and then ride it out.

 

[begreen]

It also depends on how well insulated the house is and how much glass area it has. If the temps are mild you might just do a half-load of wood, then add a few more if necessary once that load burns down. Hitting it hard means a full load of wood to me and a 600-650F stove. I still haven't done that this year.

 

[Woody Stover]

Hit it hard and hot and then ride it out.

As was mentioned, as the load catches and the fire builds, you cut the air. I aim for lively flame with the air closed as much as I can, not a roaring fire which eats through the load faster and sends more heat up the flue. As you get ahead on your wood supply, you will have drier fuel and you can get the stove up to temp quicker, with less of the load consumed.

 

[Log Splitter]

One of my two dogs has found a comfortable new home...

 

[begreen]

They find that warmth quickly.

You'll be needing some better hearth protection there. Embers can and will pop out sometimes. Is there a plan to extend the hearth?