I expect this is a silly question and I think I now the answer but would like it verified, please. A recent poster started his topic with the following...
Is he referring to building his stack by crisscrossing his wood by 90deg opposition? Is N/S then the stove as viewed from the front with N to the rear and E/W on the long axis L to R?
Another nug question if I may. I have read reference to a "split rule." Is there a 'rule of thumb' in which pieces of split wood are to be held to a certain ratio of the remainder? If so, what is the make up of the remainder??
I know about building a fire from the bottom up with tinder- dried leaves, wood shavings, paper, et al such, then kindling & smaller pieces of wood crisscrossed at 90degree intervals (if being formal about such things). Is that what the poster above was referring to? If so, since he refers to it rather as an exception, or so it seems to me, what other method would be the more commonly used?
My fires tend to be more haphazard. I use a lot of branch material cut to length. Split wood likely only makes up 20%- maybe 30% of my wood supply at best. I'll also chop up irregularly shaped pieces (such as branch forks for which there is no splitting) into various chunks of wood. So far I have found such handy on mild days when it is sometimes impractical to keep a stove to temperature by steady burn & coal bed so I just keep a small active fire going by tossing in smaller pieces and chunks using flame instead of coal bed and stove temperature for heat source. Not neat I know, but it has so far worked for me.
Oh. Being in a mild climate we often have to rely on lower fires. I am fully aware of potential for creosote build up. I will clean my chimney regularly during periods of mild temperature. Too, I usually put news paper into the smoke stack and fire it off before lighting my stove- serves two purposes- burns out most potential for creosote build up and by pre-heating my pipe/chimney (whatever the 'correct term may be) it makes getting a fire going very easy since (I know y'all know this- just stating the obvious for continuity) part of getting a fire going is heating the chimney sufficient for a good draft.
I note all the above so that someone might comment on what I might do better, where I may be going wrong or maybe even badly wrong. I have operated mostly old fashioned stoves (such as the Volgazang boxwood or ye-olde pot-belly stoves) other than a Jotul F100 which just didn't work out for us last year. This year we're starting out with a Jotul F500.
Any advice- pointers to sticky posts or other helpful sites welcomed.
Thankx! :cheese:
Is he referring to building his stack by crisscrossing his wood by 90deg opposition? Is N/S then the stove as viewed from the front with N to the rear and E/W on the long axis L to R?
Another nug question if I may. I have read reference to a "split rule." Is there a 'rule of thumb' in which pieces of split wood are to be held to a certain ratio of the remainder? If so, what is the make up of the remainder??
I know about building a fire from the bottom up with tinder- dried leaves, wood shavings, paper, et al such, then kindling & smaller pieces of wood crisscrossed at 90degree intervals (if being formal about such things). Is that what the poster above was referring to? If so, since he refers to it rather as an exception, or so it seems to me, what other method would be the more commonly used?
My fires tend to be more haphazard. I use a lot of branch material cut to length. Split wood likely only makes up 20%- maybe 30% of my wood supply at best. I'll also chop up irregularly shaped pieces (such as branch forks for which there is no splitting) into various chunks of wood. So far I have found such handy on mild days when it is sometimes impractical to keep a stove to temperature by steady burn & coal bed so I just keep a small active fire going by tossing in smaller pieces and chunks using flame instead of coal bed and stove temperature for heat source. Not neat I know, but it has so far worked for me.
Oh. Being in a mild climate we often have to rely on lower fires. I am fully aware of potential for creosote build up. I will clean my chimney regularly during periods of mild temperature. Too, I usually put news paper into the smoke stack and fire it off before lighting my stove- serves two purposes- burns out most potential for creosote build up and by pre-heating my pipe/chimney (whatever the 'correct term may be) it makes getting a fire going very easy since (I know y'all know this- just stating the obvious for continuity) part of getting a fire going is heating the chimney sufficient for a good draft.
I note all the above so that someone might comment on what I might do better, where I may be going wrong or maybe even badly wrong. I have operated mostly old fashioned stoves (such as the Volgazang boxwood or ye-olde pot-belly stoves) other than a Jotul F100 which just didn't work out for us last year. This year we're starting out with a Jotul F500.
Any advice- pointers to sticky posts or other helpful sites welcomed.
Thankx! :cheese:
