Reloading with DUDS!

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hardwood715

Feeling the Heat
Hearth Supporter
Nov 30, 2005
410
Hyde Park, New York
Had a decent fire going, nice hot coals left behind, got some splits from my wood pile,( since last november, stacked, split, ) mixture of maple, oak, and who knows what,-- however checked on ends dry, etc. So I open up the air inlets, rake hot coals to front , place one of these splits on coals, close the doors. Go about my business, after a while I check to close air inlets, and notice this split just barely burning, no hissing, no spitting, a charcoal type burn outer bark sides, but almost untouched wood surface where it was split in half. Hmmm, play with hot coals reposition wood, close doors, same thing. frustrated, I add a half of super cedar, nice hot roaring flames, close doors-half hour later, same thing with wood, what the...! I know, what kind of wood is it, who knows but its dry, checked on ends, and when ya whack em together sounds like beltran hitting a homer! Whats happening?
 
White oak, perhaps? I've heard of that not burning well at all. Maybe it's petrified? :)
 
hmmm, possibility! Only thing- that super cedar took off like a flaming blow torch, cardboard? Man I wasnt sure on that, but if ya can burn it, man I got a gold mine worth, daily deliverys in boxes, PIA to break down for recycler! yeah, why not right? thanks for tip!
 
hardwood715 said:
Had a decent fire going, nice hot coals left behind, got some splits from my wood pile,( since last november, stacked, split, ) mixture of maple, oak, and who knows what,-- however checked on ends dry, etc. So I open up the air inlets, rake hot coals to front , place one of these splits on coals, close the doors. Go about my business, after a while I check to close air inlets, and notice this split just barely burning, no hissing, no spitting, a charcoal type burn outer bark sides, but almost untouched wood surface where it was split in half. Hmmm, play with hot coals reposition wood, close doors, same thing. frustrated, I add a half of super cedar, nice hot roaring flames, close doors-half hour later, same thing with wood, what the...! I know, what kind of wood is it, who knows but its dry, checked on ends, and when ya whack em together sounds like beltran hitting a homer! Whats happening?

Bring me a peice of that wood and we'll see what happens in my stove. Forum member cross experiments.

Could work with us both in Hyde Park...Then we'll see if it burns in Kevin's stove.
 
What's the UPS rate on firewood? I've had charcoal delivered, so why not? Just slap the address form on the split, along with some "FRAGILE" and "LIVE ANIMALS" stickers. I've seen people mail live birds, so it's got to be OK.
 
From my house to Warren's not even a postage stamp, just a hop in the truck, and a 10 minute ride on a busy day! Ok Warren, I'll throw a couple in the truck some time, and let the Osborn have a go at it!
 
I get a "dud" load once in awhile. I give the wood a few jabs to reposition it and she lights off like someone just turned on the gas.

Maybe you didn't have enough coals? Seems peculiar to put just one split on top of a small pile of coals. Why weren't you putting a couple splits in there?

I know my stove is cooling off if I wait until all I have is just enough coals to scrape to the front. Maybe reload when you have a few more coals, and reload with a couple splits. I find I get a better dynamic when I have a couple pieces creating little pockets and "hot spots."
 
Dylan said:
Warren said:
hardwood715 said:
Had a decent fire going, nice hot coals left behind, got some splits from my wood pile,( since last november, stacked, split, ) mixture of maple, oak, and who knows what,-- however checked on ends dry, etc. So I open up the air inlets, rake hot coals to front , place one of these splits on coals, close the doors. Go about my business, after a while I check to close air inlets, and notice this split just barely burning, no hissing, no spitting, a charcoal type burn outer bark sides, but almost untouched wood surface where it was split in half. Hmmm, play with hot coals reposition wood, close doors, same thing. frustrated, I add a half of super cedar, nice hot roaring flames, close doors-half hour later, same thing with wood, what the...! I know, what kind of wood is it, who knows but its dry, checked on ends, and when ya whack em together sounds like beltran hitting a homer! Whats happening?

Bring me a peice of that wood and we'll see what happens in my stove. Forum member cross experiments.

Could work with us both in Hyde Park...Then we'll see if it burns in Kevin's stove.

There's NO WAY that you're gonna conduct a study such that the ONLY different variable is the stove. You may be able to convince yourselves that you are, but you'll just be deluding yourselves.

This is actually true...It's the system (stove, house, chimney etc...), the weather, brand of beer,

But the point it would make is that the wood is burnable or not. The one constant IS the wood. The proof that For some reason, I can burn it and Steve can't....says something about the wood. IF I've got a bunch of happy oak burning and we toss on one of those splits and it won't burn...then it's petrified. And he goes home with a truck load of pine to go burn.

Plus we get to shoot the S*** for an hour.
 
Maybe you didn’t have enough coals? Seems peculiar to put just one split on top of a small pile of coals. Why weren’t you putting a couple splits in there?

We were just taking the chill off the house, early AM ,still gets warm in daytime.
I had been up early 4AM, and just was finishing off the pile I had in the holder, then gonna let her die out. As far as raking coals to front, that guy John ??Guilland?? from the woodheat.org site had always gave that advice to reloading , rake coals foreward, place a split sideways on coals etc.
I had more hot coals in rear, just raked enough to place split on, again only wanted to burn the split then let her die down.
 
If I have a lot of coals, I just toss the split in and either open the air all the way or crack the door. Within a little bit its racing.

If I don't have much for coals i.e. the leftover from an overnight. I'd put a couple twigs in as well and blow on it for a bit until I get flames on the split. Then goto #1.
 
Did you have the bark side against the coals? Sometimes bark seems to take on a little mosture from the air or rain and can be hard to light. Afterall, it's job is to protect the tree from the elements. I generally try and place the wood side on the coals and the bark facing the back - seems like the bark likes to snap and pop more than the rest of the wood, so hopefully the sparks will be aimed at the back of the stove. If I'm making the last load of the night, I try for bark side down then because it seems to delay the start of the burn a little which means I get heat a little later into the morning.

Corey
 
cozy heat for my feet said:
Did you have the bark side against the coals? Sometimes bark seems to take on a little mosture from the air or rain and can be hard to light. Afterall, it's job is to protect the tree from the elements. I generally try and place the wood side on the coals and the bark facing the back - seems like the bark likes to snap and pop more than the rest of the wood, so hopefully the sparks will be aimed at the back of the stove. If I'm making the last load of the night, I try for bark side down then because it seems to delay the start of the burn a little which means I get heat a little later into the morning.

Corey
I've noticed this particularly with birch. As thin as that bark is...it protects the wood amazingly well.
 
Methinks seasoned wood is one thing but petrified wood is another . :lol:
 
what about cleaning the ash awy from the air ports might not be the wood
lot af variables there your older stove is designed to have an inch of ash remain on the bottom more than that could plug norman leaking air from age from bottom seals
Weather conditions? wood?

what a forum runaway overfires to duds
 
I have never understood why people take nice chunks of burning coals and smash them up and spread them out.

I do the opposite, I concentrate them into a nice pile, and reload the stove. Focus the heat on the fresh wood, not dilute it.
 
elkimmeg said:
what a forum runaway overfires to duds

All stuff a woodburner has to contend with. That and inspectors of course.
 
Elk, I was pondering that as i was raking the coals. I have always heard, read that leaving ash in the stove helps to insulate, radiate, etc. the air inlets on the 2 front doors 2 on each door, hmmm, under the split under the glowing embers was like a black pile of ash coal mix! where does the air get to the split?? I may have too much ash there! good thought! and breaking up the embers, also good point. that article on reloading burning over on woodheat says rake em foreward.
 
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