What could I possibly be doing wrong? Fires suck! Pictures and everything!

[begreen]

Short flue, warm outside temps can combine to make for weak draft insufficient to pull enough air into the stove.

 

[Dix]

Didn't I say that???

Just askin' ?

 

[begreen]

Yes, so did others. But sometimes you can lead the horse to water and still...

 

[rdust]

Fastest way I've found to get a cold stove going is burning a load a kindling first to build coals then load it up with my full sized stuff. I usually burn the kindling in a typical teepee fashion, after that has burned down to coals pull them to the front of the stove and load it up. For my stove I can usually burn a half a 5 gallon bucket worth(maybe a little less) to get a good coal bed, I like to have 1x1 or 1x2 size pieces max, similar to the small pieces you have in your pictures if I had to guess.

 

[Dix]

Yes, so did others. But sometimes you can lead the horse to water and still...

Get on & ride ;-)

 

[sebring]

Trying a top down fire... LOL.. welcome to the cant start top down fire club....

 

[Dairyman]

How are you operating your air control?

 

[dafattkidd]

Are you sure the wood is dry and I mean really dry like a popcorn fart, cause if the wood aint dry your life will suck and the wife will leave you and the kids will throw rocks at your head. :lol:

This might be my favorite post ever! Holy crap I was cracking up when I read this.

 

[wowser]

WOW, first off, thank you everyone. I was at my daughter's school performance so couldn't respond.

Yes, I live in Southern California, so a wood stove isn't a necessity but is nice to take the chill off the house. Right now I am just trying to learn how to use the stove and, hey, it's a new toy...

I think you've all taught me how to burn this thing right. Get her hot and a bed of coals, then load her up with lots of wood. I thought you could load it up at the start. It's going great now! Not sure I'll get 6 hour burns, but I'll keep trying. How long do you guys get flames on your stove? Since this stove is for more show than heat, it's nice to see a flame instead of some coals.

How do I use the air control? I let the stove get flaming for about 10 min and then try and throttle down in 1/4 increments. If the secondaries are going, I figure I am good. If I throttle down too much and the flame dies out, I turn it back up. I was able to throttle all the way down after I took everyone's advice. First time :>)

 

[nate379]

Sure you can load it up and light it. That is what I do. I don't use kindeling or small wood. I fill stove, throw in a fire starter at the bottom and it's burning in a few mins.

I wouldn't do that if it's warm out thought, I would just use a couple logs so house is not 100*

 

[dafattkidd]

Sure you can load it up and light it. That is what I do. I don't use kindeling or small wood. I fill stove, throw in a fire starter at the bottom and it's burning in a few mins.

I wouldn't do that if it's warm out thought (over 30*) I would just use a couple logs so house is not 100*

I think it's also worth noting this is far more difficult if you do not have fully seasoned wood. Start ups can be frustrating with less than perfect wood.

 

[dafattkidd]

Also, here's a thread I started last year that turned out to be really fantastic and full of useful information about burning in a smaller firebox.

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/63883/

There are some really great tips in this thread. Hope that helps.

 

[weatherguy]

Did you split your wood and test the middle of the split piece?

 

[woodgeek]

Lot's of newbs make the mistake of giving the fire too MUCH air once its going--fire looks great, but all the heat goes up the flue+short burn time.

 

[tcassavaugh]

Are you sure the wood is dry and I mean really dry like a popcorn fart, cause if the wood aint dry your life will suck and the wife will leave you and the kids will throw rocks at your head. :lol:

:zip: :lol: That was funny.....

 

[wowser]

okay, I'm starting to get this thing now. I got a great burn overnight thanks to your help. I fed the box nearly full at 9 pm last night and woke up to a big pile of hot coals and the stove was about 170°. Didn't take long to get it fired up again. Not sure how many hours that is though. Wondering what a "six hour burn" means? Is that 6 hours of flames, big coals, 400° stove temp, what?

Also, nobody mentioned where the intake is on my stove. The lever is at the top and there are some covered louvers next to it. I assume air goes in there but does it channel to the bottom, front? What I want to know is if the bottom air intake can get clogged.

 

[begreen]

WOW, first off, thank you everyone. I was at my daughter's school performance so couldn't respond.

Yes, I live in Southern California, so a wood stove isn't a necessity but is nice to take the chill off the house. Right now I am just trying to learn how to use the stove and, hey, it's a new toy...

I think you've all taught me how to burn this thing right. Get her hot and a bed of coals, then load her up with lots of wood. I thought you could load it up at the start. It's going great now! Not sure I'll get 6 hour burns, but I'll keep trying. How long do you guys get flames on your stove? Since this stove is for more show than heat, it's nice to see a flame instead of some coals.

How do I use the air control? I let the stove get flaming for about 10 min and then try and throttle down in 1/4 increments. If the secondaries are going, I figure I am good. If I throttle down too much and the flame dies out, I turn it back up. I was able to throttle all the way down after I took everyone's advice. First time :>)

You folks are just recovering from some very unusual weather conditions. Try again on a cool night when the winds have died down a bit and the temps have dropped. And consider extending the chimney by a couple feet. This product may help you extend it and yet still look good. www.extendaflue.com

 

[thechimneysweep]

I'm surprised nobody has jumped on the reported 7% - 12% moisture content in your wood. We shoot for 20% - 25% moisture content because at that point most of the free moisture (water) has evaporated away, leaving the bound moisture (wood resins) behind. When a fresh load reaches about 500 degrees, these wood resins begin to gasify, and the gases ignite, which provides the fuel for Stage 2 of your burn. This is when the secondaries light up, and provide up to 50% of the heat from that load.

If your wood is truly at 7% moisture content, much of the bound moisture has evaporated away, taking its fuel value with it. When fueled with wood that dry, your fire progresses rapidly from Stage 1 (kindling the load) to Stage 3 (charcoaling), resulting in disappointing heat output and short burn times (sound familiar?). Yours is a common complaint we hear from folks who burn mill ends, because much of the resin content has been baked out in the kiln.

The solution? To start with, do exactly what you've been doing: chop the extra-dry pieces into small splits, and use them to start your fires. But from now on, try this: once the fire is going, fuel it with larger pieces that aren't so over-seasoned.

 

[weatherguy]

I'm surprised nobody has jumped on the reported 7% - 12% moisture content in your wood. We shoot for 20% - 25% moisture content because at that point most of the free moisture (water) has evaporated away, leaving the bound moisture (wood resins) behind. When a fresh load reaches about 500 degrees, these wood resins begin to gasify, and the gases ignite, which provides the fuel for Stage 2 of your burn. This is when the secondaries light up, and provide up to 50% of the heat from that load.

If your wood is truly at 7% moisture content, much of the bound moisture has evaporated away, taking its fuel value with it. When fueled with wood that dry, your fire progresses rapidly from Stage 1 (kindling the load) to Stage 3 (charcoaling), resulting in disappointing heat output and short burn times (sound familiar?). Yours is a common complaint we hear from folks who burn mill ends, because much of the resin content has been baked out in the kiln.

The solution? To start with, do exactly what you've been doing: chop the extra-dry pieces into small splits, and use them to start your fires. But from now on, try this: once the fire is going, fuel it with larger pieces that aren't so over-seasoned.

Actually I did, I asked him if he split the wood and measured the middle. I have a feeling his reading is from the outside of the wood.

 

[oldspark]

I'm surprised nobody has jumped on the reported 7% - 12% moisture content in your wood. We shoot for 20% - 25% moisture content because at that point most of the free moisture (water) has evaporated away, leaving the bound moisture (wood resins) behind. When a fresh load reaches about 500 degrees, these wood resins begin to gasify, and the gases ignite, which provides the fuel for Stage 2 of your burn. This is when the secondaries light up, and provide up to 50% of the heat from that load.

If your wood is truly at 7% moisture content, much of the bound moisture has evaporated away, taking its fuel value with it. When fueled with wood that dry, your fire progresses rapidly from Stage 1 (kindling the load) to Stage 3 (charcoaling), resulting in disappointing heat output and short burn times (sound familiar?). Yours is a common complaint we hear from folks who burn mill ends, because much of the resin content has been baked out in the kiln.

The solution? To start with, do exactly what you've been doing: chop the extra-dry pieces into small splits, and use them to start your fires. But from now on, try this: once the fire is going, fuel it with larger pieces that aren't so over-seasoned.

I am saving this post (where were you on "can wood be too dry posts" :lol and hoping others get something out of it.

 

[wowser]

uh oh, I didn't split the wood before testing!! I just split a rather large dark piece of wood and it read 49%! WOW! Fortunately I tested other lighter wood and it read just under 20%, so I'll hold the darker wood for next year. I'll be testing the wood I put in the stove from now on. Can take a reading from the cut end of the wood? I've been having to chainsaw off around 5-6" off the end because it won't fit in the firebox.

 

[Dix]

Are you sure the wood is dry and I mean really dry like a popcorn fart, cause if the wood aint dry your life will suck and the wife will leave you and the kids will throw rocks at your head. :lol:

This might be my favorite post ever! Holy crap I was cracking up when I read this.

Put it in your sig, D

 

[dafattkidd]

Are you sure the wood is dry and I mean really dry like a popcorn fart, cause if the wood aint dry your life will suck and the wife will leave you and the kids will throw rocks at your head. :lol:

This might be my favorite post ever! Holy crap I was cracking up when I read this.

Put it in your sig, D

Just did.

 

[jharkin]

If it was 60F outside I'd have the windows open, not the heat on.

Not if you live in Southern California. The ridiculous assumption everybody makes here is that everybody else lives where they are with the same weather. People that deal with 90 degree summers can be freezing their ass off on a sixty degree night. All houses aren't built like they are in Alaska. Not everybody has five kids and the oven in the kitchen running four hours a day. It is different stuff for different folks.

Somebody in South Carolina trying to keep their house from being 50 degrees inside does not give one damn what ya deal with in Fairbanks when the temp may only vary ten degrees in twenty four hours. That is wood burning heaven. Try 50 at noon and 22 by morning. That is a wood burning challenge.

Sorry if I caused any offence. I DO understand he is in a different climate. It just seemed like using a stove when outside temp is that warm was counterproductive. Even a minimally insulated house will often maintain a +10f temp differential from appliances and bodyheat usually.

I guess I do forget that some folks like 80f inside. Took hot for me

 

[jjs777_fzr]

okay, I'm starting to get this thing now. I got a great burn overnight thanks to your help. I fed the box nearly full at 9 pm last night and woke up to a big pile of hot coals and the stove was about 170°. Didn't take long to get it fired up again. Not sure how many hours that is though. Wondering what a "six hour burn" means? Is that 6 hours of flames, big coals, 400° stove temp, what?

Also, nobody mentioned where the intake is on my stove. The lever is at the top and there are some covered louvers next to it. I assume air goes in there but does it channel to the bottom, front? What I want to know is if the bottom air intake can get clogged.

Just "and I mean just" installed the century insert stove in my parents house.
The air slider adjusts the amount of primary air that then washes over the glass (the angle steel just inside).
This feeds the combustion and washes the glass of soot etc
I dont know where the secondary air enters from...or if a seperate secondary air entry exists at all.
This stove is very similar to my free standing Century stove in my house.

fyi I think I read somewhere this Century insert is 'not' a 2 cubic foot firebox as you listed in your sig line - its a little less.