Done my break in burns....can I let her roar?

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Status
Not open for further replies.

Elle

Burning Hunk
Apr 20, 2012
182
North East Pennsylvania
Just finished my final break in burn today on my new stove. Wow..this is going to take some learning but it's great fun at the same time! Certainly not like tending a camp fire, fire :)

So can I burn now? I don't intend to start burning 24/7 yet as it is still pretty cozy outside, but tonight it is going to get into the hi 30s and I might want a little something to take out the chill.

Can't believe I'm finally a part of this wonderful club!
 
Go for it. And we want to see some pictures of FIRE!
 
If you haven't had the stove up to 550F yet, this is the time to go for it. Expect some more paint smell, so open a nearby window.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Elle
Loosen the reins and give that steed its head, Elle. Enjoy the ride!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Elle
If it turns you on, go for it! Just don't roast yourself out of the house. Sometimes folks need a bit of caution too depending on how much wood they have ready to burn. It is sad to see new burners burn a lot of their best wood early in the fall then come January they start hurting a bit.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Elle
Once you load up and heat all the cast up I think you'll find out how well of a chill breaker you have there :)
Keep it at or under the heat limit and enjoy !
New stoves are more enjoyable than a new vehicle to most on here.
 
If it turns you on, go for it! Just don't roast yourself out of the house. Sometimes folks need a bit of caution too depending on how much wood they have ready to burn. It is sad to see new burners burn a lot of their best wood early in the fall then come January they start hurting a bit.

using my junky wood right now...wood that is shaped in a V and in other odd shapes, end butts and such. Of course maybe I'm not getting an accurate idea of the stove, but it is letting me play around with the air intake and draft a bit before the winter gets here. Now roasting myself....that I might do, but I can always open a window :)
 
Once you load up and heat all the cast up I think you'll find out how well of a chill breaker you have there :)
Keep it at or under the heat limit and enjoy !
New stoves are more enjoyable than a new vehicle to most on here.

I found that out today after the last break in burn. I was done around 10:30 am and the fire was pretty much going out, but the room temp kept going up and up and up for several hours afterward. I didn't expect that. I have cast iron radiators and that is partly why I chose a full cast iron stove, but wow, this is putting the radiators to shame the way the heat keeps coming off this thing. Of course....it isn't 20 degrees outside either, lol.
 
Congrats on the new stove and the first burn.

I also want to say that is a great looking dog.
 
Yes I know the logs are not stacked proper, but I really just wanted to make a fire tonight to enjoy. This is with the screen that no one here seems to use ==c but I love it. The smell...the sound...can't get any better than that-at least for this time of year. Then took a pic with the door on. I'm just sort of having fun right now learning about this "secondaries" and draft stuff. I've read it all before but now that I have a stove and can actually see and do some stuff...it will sink in a little better.

Stove seems to burn great with the door cracked...then when the door is shut it slows considerably for about 15 mins, then it seems to really pick up and burn just as if the door was open. Little things like that are interesting to learn!


fire5_zps622e13b1.jpg


fire6_zps70409f76.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: Billybonfire
Congrats on the new stove and the first burn.

I also want to say that is a great looking dog.

he's my boy!! thanks
 
Once you load up and heat all the cast up I think you'll find out how well of a chill breaker you have there :)
Keep it at or under the heat limit and enjoy !
New stoves are more enjoyable than a new vehicle to most on here.

can't really what else I have been this excited about-except finding my first egg from my chickens :) But I think this tops that.
 
  • Like
Reactions: begreen
OH...and BTW....one BIG mistake I made making my hearth is that.....I centered it perfectly on a 4x4 stud !!! I guess I could have stood my ground and let the installer cut out and put in a header, but we decided to move the stove over a few inches so I had to extend the hearth on one side by about 8 inches and going to extend it about 32 inches on the other side. Will take pics later this week when it's finished.
 
Excuse the copy/paste, but I thought this would be helpful to you too.

Closing down the air will intensify secondary burning and will get the stove hotter. Load it up and get the fire going well. Then incrementally lower the air supply. Lower it until the fire just starts to get lazy and stop. Let it burn like this until the flame grows regaining intensity. Then repeat the lowering of the air supply until the flames are lazy again. By now you should be down to about 3/4 closed. Repeat if you can (depending on draft this may be the ideal running spot for the air control).
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Elle
OH...and BTW....one BIG mistake I made making my hearth is that.....I centered it perfectly on a 4x4 stud !!! I guess I could have stood my ground and let the installer cut out and put in a header, but we decided to move the stove over a few inches so I had to extend the hearth on one side by about 8 inches and going to extend it about 32 inches on the other side. Will take pics later this week when it's finished.
You may find that you like the bigger hearth anyway. I had to offset mine also and make a larger hearth than I'd anticipated, but I found it looks better the way it ended up and gives more room for a wood box and other items.
 
You may find that you like the bigger hearth anyway. I had to offset mine also and make a larger hearth than I'd anticipated, but I found it looks better the way it ended up and gives more room for a wood box and other items.

actually I think subconsciously I did want a larger hearth. I will be going to a local fair this week to find some decorations for it. :)
 
Excuse the copy/paste, but I thought this would be helpful to you too.

Closing down the air will intensify secondary burning and will get the stove hotter. Load it up and get the fire going well. Then incrementally lower the air supply. Lower it until the fire just starts to get lazy and stop. Let it burn like this until the flame grows regain intensity. Then repeat the lowering of the air supply until the flame are lazy again. By now you should be down to about 3/4 closed. Repeat if you can (depending on draft this may be the ideal running spot for the air control).


Thanks!! I will go thru all the posts in the FAQ about draft and such. Right now I have it just about all the way closed (as closed as you can get with that lever) and it is making a nice secondary flame. What I didn't remember is the stove gets hotter during this burn....so now I will be up all night to make sure the stove doesn't get too hot. Been hovering around 450-500 for the last hour since I turned the air down so maybe I'm ok. The wood is just about gone as well...so I guess if there is little fuel there will be little fire.
 
Go to sleep. It'll be fine. When you go for your first full load, do it in the morning so that you can watch how the stove performs throughout the day.
 
Go to sleep. It'll be fine. When you go for your first full load, do it in the morning so that you can watch how the stove performs throughout the day.

I'm there already :). Thanks all for sharing this awesomeness with me.
 
actually I think subconsciously I did want a larger hearth. I will be going to a local fair this week to find some decorations for it. :)
Ah you must be going to the fair in Bloomsburg.
Big, crowded fair. Might go over just for some funnel cake.
 
Stove seems to burn great with the door cracked...then when the door is shut it slows considerably for about 15 mins, then it seems to really pick up and burn just as if the door was open. Little things like that are interesting to learn.
I had nearly the exact same experience during my first burn-in last weekend. Sometimes I think I just need to leave it alone:). I like your dog too.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Elle
Ah you must be going to the fair in Bloomsburg.
Big, crowded fair. Might go over just for some funnel cake.

yepper to the Bburg fair. Can't wait to stuff myself with goodness...and badness!
 
You may find that you like the bigger hearth anyway. I had to offset mine also and make a larger hearth than I'd anticipated, but I found it looks better the way it ended up and gives more room for a wood box and other items.

+1. I wish I had built a wider hearth - I really like the way mine looks, but some extra room for stuff would've been nice.
 
so now I will be up all night to make sure the stove doesn't get too hot

I have (had?) OCD when it comes to checking the stove - but I'm a bit over the top worrying about just about everything. Following the great advice around here, even a paranoid freak like me can get it dialed in, and go crash and sleep good.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.