2 part question.

[skinnykid]

On my Quadrafire I have noticed during some of my "fun" fires (like tonight) I have been playing with the air intake slide. And it seems to me that there is no happy middle.
It is either full open or pretty much closed where I am afraid that I will lose the fire. I am sure some of it can be uncompletely seasoned wood but what is the deal with that?

And, I am always looking to what the next stove will be for us. I need a small sized stove but would like to get the biggest fire box I can to be able to put more wood in for over night burns. Any ideas one who makes that kind of stove? Of course looks and price have to play in.

Thanks for any info that will help!

 

[begreen]

You will have nothing but problems burning unseasoned wood. It needs all the air it can get. Anything less is probably not enough to support the fire.

 

[fossil]

In response to the first subject only...be patient, make a tiny adjustment to the air control and then sit back and wait to see what effect it has. Give it 10 or 15 minutes. This is not a gas range burner...you've loaded and ignited the fuel already, now all you're doing is futzing with the air...the firebox is already full of air that it's trying to use for combustion, and it's not going to respond intantaneously to your movement of the damper. Also, the damping of air into a stove isn't a linear function of the damper control position. You might, with some practice, find sort of a "sweet spot" in the damper travel where you can kind of fine tune the burn rate to some degree. But above all, be patient and learn your stove. Burn on, skinny! Rick

 

[skinnykid]

that makes sense, that is what is happening. thanks

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Until the fire gets going well and there's a coal base, you won't get good secondary burn. In fact, I would bet that a lot of folks don't get good secondary burn when doing break in fires because it's not run hot enough. Unseasoned wood- well- enough said on that.

A small stove with a big firebox... was there a woodstove on the Tardis?

 

[skinnykid]

A small stove with a big firebox... was there a woodstove on the Tardis?

your confusing me now!!

I know it is a weird question,,,

 

[Adios Pantalones]

might look into a cat stove for longer burn out of a small firebox

 

[skinnykid]

stopped at a local stove shop that I didn't know was there until recently. The guy told me that a 1.7 cubic foot fire box is probably the biggest in a "small" stove.


I will just keep my eyes open for when I am ready to get something new.

 

[begreen]

Why a "small sized" stove? Is this a clearances issue or house/room size constraint?

 

[skinnykid]

it is mostly clearance. The stove is kitty cornered in my family room. I need it to be as far in the corner as possible. I would like to go medium but have not really measured it out.

 

[Tfin]

My Englander 13 has a 1.8 cf firebox, so I guess it could be considered a small stove. I have it kitty cornered in the living room as well, and with the side heat shields, the two back corners are withing 9 1/2" from the wall.

Burning well seasoned oak I can get 6-8 hrs of burn time out of her (not bad for the size of the stove). Of course its not as "ornate" :roll: as some others out there (which is one of the reasons why I chose it) but its also more reasonably priced than others.

A buddy of mine has a stove (forget the make/model), and I swear it looks just like Darth Vader's helmet! :lol:

 

[skinnykid]

ya those Englanders are nice stoves.

 

[begreen]

Take a look at the mid-sized Napoleon, Quadrafire or Pacific Energy stoves. They have tight corner clearances. The Jotul Castine or the Hearthstone Shelburne with the rear heatshield get pretty close too. They are shallower stoves, so the hearth intrusion can be a bit less.

Just a suggestion, but I would think heat first and maybe reducing the furniture in the family room by a piece or two and try to get a 2 cu ft stove in there.

 

[savageactor7]

skinny the newer stoves burn best when supported by a good bed of hot coals...your 'fun fires' probably probably don't get the chance to get there...like fossil said be patient.