Weird late-season fire

[danham]

Well, late by "new normal" weather standrds, as in "February showers bring March flowers." [grin].

Lit the Regency last night with outside temps around 43. Took a little longer to get rolling than if it were in the 30s out, but that's to be expected. No difference in wood supply, draft, or other variables that I could detect.

But here's the weird part. I have NEVER seen so much secondary activity. And this fire was cleaner than any I have burned since getting the stove late last year. A wipe this morning with a damp paper towel barely darkened it, much less was there any visible gray smut on the window.

Why would this one burn be so clean? Not that all others have been super-dirty, but I usually get at least a pretty good smush of black or brown on the towel when I clean the window the next day. Why such dramatic secondary displays, front and rear? The stove did not seem to be burning any hotter than normal nor more vigorously (but I admit I don't have any temp gauges; this insert has nowhere to put them and the IR gun is on my list of future toys).

-dan

 

[jackatc1]

Sounds like you are burning seasond wood!

 

[ScotO]

Sounds to me like you may have had better quality fuel in it this past fire. Either a better burning type of wood, or it may have had a lower moisture content than the other stuff you've burned all season. The quality of your fuel means everything when it comes to a clean burn....

 

[danham]

OK, it does sound like I'm burning seasoned wood, but 'splain to me why all of the other wood from the same pile, same vendor, same load burned differently for the past four months. Did they deliver me hundreds of wet pieces and a half-dozen dry? Kinda doubt it, but I suppose it is remotely possible.

-dan

 

[ScotO]

OK, it does sound like I'm burning seasoned wood, but 'splain to me why all of the other wood from the same pile, same vendor, same load burned differently for the past four months. Did they deliver me hundreds of wet pieces and a half-dozen dry? Kinda doubt it, but I suppose it is remotely possible.

-dan

They very well may have! you may have gotten almost an entire load of greenish unseasoned wood with a handful of wood that was actually seasoned! That's why this guy cuts, splits, and stacks his own wood, and I keep a three year supply. The wood I cut and split this year won't be used until 2015!

 

[BrotherBart]

Wood is four months drier and stove operator has had four more months experience running the stove?

 

[jackatc1]

I rent a house every year in Truro on the cape.
Most of the fire wood I see there is oak, that is cut and sold the same year.
I think maybe your load had some soft maple mixed in.

 

[Gark]

Every burn season, it seems to me that the wood staged for the winter burns better at the end than at the beginning of the season. Didn't really think about it until your post. Maybe the wood sittin' around a few more months waiting to be used helps it somehow?

 

[Chettt]

Since it is warmer out, did you put less wood in and thus had more airspace above the splits? I've been burning short but hot fires myself lately.

 

[pen]

Has it been a while since you had your last fire and these pieces of wood got to stay in a nice cozy place in the house versus being outside for a longer than normal period of time?

Could there have been some wind involved changing your draft?

Even having slightly changing the way the wood is loaded in the stove can make a huge difference in burn quality.

pen

 

[danham]

All good points - thanks. Having burned again last night (43F and windy) and had a normal amount of gray smut on the glass, I think it is a combo of several of your comments. Tonight the forecast is for 20s and very windy, so we'll see. Burn season here is not over.

-dan