I've been using pieces of duraflame log to start these fires too. I cut them off the log and form them into the size of a golf ball. Works well unless you advise it's not a good idea. Thoughts?
I've been using pieces of duraflame log to start these fires too. I cut them off the log and form them into the size of a golf ball. Works well unless you advise it's not a good idea. Thoughts?
It says don't burn the log in the insert because of higher burn temperature and wax in the logs but I figured a small piece just to start the fire couldn't hurt. It only burns for about 15 minutes then the wood takes over.Read the do's and dont's on the package, seems like I bought some of those before and it said not to use in a wood stove, I could be wrong. I ended up getting rid of the ones I had bought.
So far pretty good. I'm getting used to what this thing can do and how the moisture in wood can be a pain in the @ss. I had some problems with the wood I got but was able to find a guy close to me who has some truly seasoned wood on a 15 foot pile. Nice and grey from the sun and I was getting 8 to 12% readings on the moisture meter. I had some decent wood last week but needed more so I called the guy who cut my tree down and he said he had some "seasoned" wood. He dropped it off this past Saturday while I was at work. I came home and when I saw the pile, I thought there is no way that wood is ready by the color. I was right, I took some readings and it was hovering around 23 to 25%. No big deal again, I'll use it next year. In other words, I have about 2 cords of wet wood stored. For comparison, I checked the moisture on the Oak I had taken down a few weeks ago and it was reading 40 to 45%. Man, I never realized there's a science to burning wood. Before the insert I was a campfire guy and all I needed was a full wax log, about ten pieces of any kind of wood and a beer.....whoosh!.....heat......lol. That in no way applies here.You should be fine Curly. Hows the insert treating you? Getting good burns?
So far pretty good. I'm getting used to what this thing can do and how the moisture in wood can be a pain in the @ss. I had some problems with the wood I got but was able to find a guy close to me who has some truly seasoned wood on a 15 foot pile. Nice and grey from the sun and I was getting 8 to 12% readings on the moisture meter. I had some decent wood last week but needed more so I called the guy who cut my tree down and he said he had some "seasoned" wood. He dropped it off this past Saturday while I was at work. I came home and when I saw the pile, I thought there is no way that wood is ready by the color. I was right, I took some readings and it was hovering around 23 to 25%. No big deal again, I'll use it next year. In other words, I have about 2 cords of wet wood stored. For comparison, I checked the moisture on the Oak I had taken down a few weeks ago and it was reading 40 to 45%. Man, I never realized there's a science to burning wood. Before the insert I was a campfire guy and all I needed was a full wax log, about ten pieces of any kind of wood and a beer.....whoosh!.....heat......lol. That in no way applies here.
One more thing and let me know if this happened to anyone else as a new burner. My right arm, between the elbow and the bend in my arm, now has a few "tattoos" from the insert door. Yup, I made a mental note to always open the door all the way but forgot a few times while loading wood. By the time I hear the sizzle, it's to late, lol
Sounds like you could create a solar wood drying kiln there Dave... How is the humidity at your location?A lot of these guys say 2-3 years on oak, but I use oak that is 12-18 months old. It was 111 degrees here this summer and it was over 100 most of July. My oak is perfectly dry. There are a lot of factors on how dry your wood is, air flow around it, dryness around it, etc... The 2-3 years is a guestimate. YMMV.
Ed, I had to laugh when I saw the pic..... I feel better now, I'm not the only one. You have the nice long burns and mine look like a connect the dots puzzle. Now if I can only stop scratching them. You look like you have behavior problems and I look like a junkie that needs a fix.Like these? I have made up a sleeve since my burns. I look like I have behavior problems LOL
Ed, I had to laugh when I saw the pic..... I feel better now, I'm not the only one. You have the nice long burns and mine look like a connect the dots puzzle. Now if I can only stop scratching them. You look like you have behavior problems and I look like a junkie that needs a fix.
Damn. Cleaned out the ashes today and noticed the two bottom fire bricks where they meet dead center are crumbling. I thought they lasted longer than that. For now until I hear from the dealer, I just flipped them over. Thoughts?
Still waiting to hear from the dealer. I've been burning about 5 nights/days a week since around the middle of November. I have wood that is dry (8 to 12%) and I usually split it once more and use it to start and get the fire going. I have wood that is around 20% or less moisture that I split and throw on the fire when I have a nice hot bed of coals. I usually run it with the draft about 50% closed. If the wood doesn't burn as well as I thought it would, I'll open the draft all the way. I can't get an all night burn without getting up to load more. The box is small, 1.4 cubic ft. The crumbling I'm talking about is dead center right in front of the draft port. I figure that area gets the hottest with the air coming in. The area is about the size of a silver dollar and about 1/8 of an inch deep. If I don't hear from the dealer, I'll just have to go to him and try to get a satisfactory result. They treated me very good and I don't expect there will be any problems. In the mean time if necessary I'll buy my own bricks and cut them myself. I already looked online and a replacement set for my insert is close to $70. They can shove that price especially since I didn't get 3 months out of the first set. Well, not the whole set but the two bottom bricks. Thanks all.
I talked to the dealer and he said it's not unusual for the brick to become brittle in front of the draft port and to make sure I have an inch of ash on the bottom. I've been cleaning most of it out everyday. Me? I think it's BS but not enough of a big deal to make a major fuss. I just kept the same side up and turned them so the brittle part is against the far right and left of the stove. Other than that, the only other minor issue is that circular cataract I get right in the middle of the glass after about 5 to 6 hours of burning. It wipes off in the morning and I'm sure some of the wood is a little damp causing the fog. Other than that, it's been working fine especially during the cold spell last week.Curly, I have the same insert and the same exact issue with firebrick (about 3 months usage or so). I haven't contacted anyone regarding this, but maybe I should. I also saw these at Northern Tool, and I believe they are the same size and can be cut to fit.
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200325974_200325974
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