tips?

[toyarmy]

we have a pleasant hearth (the one rated for 1800 sq. ft.)

our house is just under 1000 sq ft.
its old, but i feel like were doing something wrong.

we've put plastic on all the windows, blankets over doors, keep the 2 bedrooms closed. it's pretty much down to just heating 2 small rooms. probably around 300 sq. ft. total, and im still not super impressed.

not only that, but it's rated to have an 8 hour burn time. if its left untended for more than 2 hours, it all turns to coals.

how should we be loading the wood? (horizontal/stacked, diagonal/overlapping on in the middle)

should we load more wood, less wood? (i currently tend to load it up for the most part)

should the intake be open... closed?

what will give a longer burn? a hotter burn? smaller or larger logs?

we've also been going through wood a lot faster than i expected. whats normal? we got two "ricks" of firewood less than a month ago and are almost out.

how do you remove ash when burning 24/7?


I know this is a lot, let me know if i need to split it up, put it somewhere else, etc.

Thanks in advance!

 

[scojen]

I am not familiar with your unit....but the first thought that comes to mind based on some of your symptoms is wet wood or not properly seasoned wood. Are you ordering your wood or processing it yourself?

 

[Slow1]

Welcome to the forum!

First question on these things is always "How dry is your wood" - some would say "How well seasoned" is it. I'm sure whoever sold you the wood said it was seasoned, but in most cases (I'd like to say all, but there are a few exceptions) what you buy is not actually ready to burn.

Reason for this is that wood that is not really dry simply won't burn well and throw out the heat. SO many problems with heat output turn out to have their root cause be the wood moisture content - it cascades into all the other operation habits (you can't turn down air as much, achieve secondary burns as well, etc) and simply makes operating the stove far more difficult than it should be.

Rest of the questions will relate to your installation and operating habits.

Installation:
- What is the chimney/flue like? Is it lined/insulated/etc? If you are using an existing fireplace to run your flue, do you have a block-off plate?

Operating habits:
- How much air do you give and when do you turn it down? What stovetop temperatures do you get (do you have a thermometer?) Do you have a thermometer on your stove pipe and if so what temps are you running there?
- How large are your splits and how much do you load at a time now?

I found the following stove searching for "pleasant hearth", is it your stove? http://www.ghpgroupinc.com/fireplace/products/wood-stove-medium-pedestal/detail.asp

 

[firefighterjake]

we have a pleasant hearth (the one rated for 1800 sq. ft.)

our house is just under 1000 sq ft.
its old, but i feel like were doing something wrong. Probably goes without saying . . . but in the next few years it will most likely behoove you to try adding more insulation to the house if there is little or none in the home . . . otherwise you will be generating heat . . . and then letting all that nice, warm heat escape.

we've put plastic on all the windows, blankets over doors, keep the 2 bedrooms closed. it's pretty much down to just heating 2 small rooms. probably around 300 sq. ft. total, and im still not super impressed. Then something is wrong . . . a stove rated for 800 square more feet than your house should work fine . . . and if you're just trying to heat 300 square feet you should be walking around naked. Tell us more about the wood supply (when cut, split, etc.), your chimney set up and how you operate the stove (i.e. how do you adjust the air control, when do you load the stove, etc.)

not only that, but it's rated to have an 8 hour burn time. if its left untended for more than 2 hours, it all turns to coals. Just guessing here . . . but by any chance are you turning down the air control once the stove has reached its optimal temp . . . burning down to coals this quickly oftentimes turns out to be someone who is running the stove with the air control open all the way -- which results in lots of flames, but not so much heat since a lot of this heat goes up the chimney. Of course the secret is to get the stove up to temp (which is why a thermometer is very, very handy) and then start closing the air . . . in a secondary burner the combustibles in the smoke will be reburned resulting in more heat . . . plus less heat is sent up through the chimney to keep the chickadees warm.

how should we be loading the wood? (horizontal/stacked, diagonal/overlapping on in the middle) My own opinion . . . whatever way the wood fits in the stove. There have been a few discussions on how wood being loaded north/south equals a hot, fast burn and east-west loads equals a longer, slower burn . . . but the truth is with my stove I can only load east-west . . . I control the type of fire (fast and hot or slow and long) by the amount of wood I put in the stove, type of wood I put in the stove and how often I reload. Generally I like to loosely place the wood in the firebox . . . at least until I get a nice bed of coals.

should we load more wood, less wood? (i currently tend to load it up for the most part) Depends . . . load 'er up if you want a hot fire for a long time . . . load it with less wood if you just need a fire to take the chill out of the air.

should the intake be open... closed? Yes . . . Open to start with until the stove is brought up to temp and then slowly start to close the air to achieve that magical moment when it appears as though a portal to Hell has opened up in your woodstove. You'll know it when you see it. Do not panic. It's normal. Enjoy the heat.

what will give a longer burn? a hotter burn? smaller or larger logs?

we've also been going through wood a lot faster than i expected. whats normal? we got two "ricks" of firewood less than a month ago and are almost out. I have no idea what a rick is . . . or even a face cord . . . I only deal in real numbers . . . meaning a cord which equals 4 x 4 x 8 feet of wood or 128 cubic feet. That said, again I suspect if you are going through a lot of wood you may be not shutting down the air control enough . . . or at all.

how do you remove ash when burning 24/7? I have an ash pan . . . but the same rule applies for most folks . . . we remove the ash via shoveling or taking out the ash pan when the stove is at its coolest point . . . for me that is every 3-4 days after having an overnight fire and before I add more wood to get the fire going again.

I know this is a lot, let me know if i need to split it up, put it somewhere else, etc. Not at all . . . welcome to the forum . . . and if you have questions . . . keep asking . . . folks are pretty friendly here.Thanks in advance!

 

[par0thead151]

wet wood produces very little heat in my insert. mediocre wood produces so so heat. dry wood is AMAZING.
find yourself some dry pallets. break them up, burn those.
if you are not impressed with the temps, then you know it is not the wood source that is the culprit.
load the stove to the brim, will maximize the heat output.
also, dont stuff a new log on every time there is room, let the coals burn down by adjusting airflow(increase air when coals are no longer putting out a lot of heat)

 

[Delta-T]

looks like you've got some good suggestions for the "science" part of your problem....so I suggest a short prayer or offering to the fire god/gods of your choosing....couldn't hurt anyways.

 

[screaminDOHC]

Good call on the pallets. If I could burn them all the time, I wood (hardy har har)...they light up fast, and burn hot (but fast). That's what I've been using to get my stove up to a good temp is pallets. Then I put the splits in.