Am I starting my fires right?

[MainePatsFan]

Hello all. I'm a woodstove newbie. I bought this small Century stove at Lowes when they first stocked them in August in anticipation of a bad heating oil season. I'm glad I did, but now I wish I had bought another cord of wood for this winter with my last oil delivery at $3.15 a gallon.

Anyway I don't think I have gotten the hang of getting a good fire started with this stove. It seems like I have to burn through 2 or 3 logs with the door cracked open before the fire will get going enough to continue to burn well with the door closed completely. If I just try to start it with the door closed, even with the air control fully open, chances are it will die out. It seems like there is not enough air inside the firebox for a fire to really get going. But it seems like I am wasting a lot of wood in the beginning burning with the door cracked open.

Am I doing something wrong? Once the fire is going, this stove burns really nice, and I love not hearing my oil boiler coming on every 15 minutes.

Thanks.

 

[philaphire]

Are you using enough kindling? Firestarters make a big difference. Could also be that your wood is not seasoned properly - do you get a lot of smoke? is your wood hissing/smoldering?

 

[Corie]

All of the things above are very valid questions, and I definitely agree that any one of them can cause the new style of wood stoves to be difficult to operate. I've noticed a lot of the same problems when using questionably dry wood and try to skimp on the kindling. The nice part is though, that once you get the stove hot and operating well, a lot of those problems disappear, as long as you are reloading at the proper intervals.

 

[MainePatsFan]

I have wondered exactly how seasoned this "seasoned" wood that I bought really is. There have been a number of logs that once put on the fire emit a quiet sizzling sound. This morning's fire went pretty smoothly. I think I also have trouble with the tight confines of the firebox.

Like I said, once the fire is going and the stack temperature is around 300 degrees all I have to do is stick another log in and it ignites easily. I was just a little concerned that I burn quickly through at least two logs with the door cracked open before I can get to that point.

 

[Gene K.]

I think what you're encountering is the differences in pyrolysis.

Wood doesn't burn. Instead, it breaks down in heat by a process called pyrolysis, creating flammable gases. If you have a low-temperature fire, the breakdown isn't complete, so a smoldering, cool fire results, whereas high-temperature coals on the bottom will cause the wood above them to break down rapidly and more completely, which is why you've observed that other wood ignites easily once the temperature climbs.

There are a couple of tricks to get around this. First of all, surface area is important. You'll notice that several small sticks stacked together will catch faster. One of the reasons is that there is a lot of surface area for the hot gases to heat and break down. Furthermore, as more breaks down, that releases more hot gases which burn, which in turn heat exposed wood further up the stick. Secondly, this exposed wood acts as a "flame holder," which is just a fancy way of saying that it protects the flames from being blown out by any gusts of air.

Another handy trick is to to get to the high-temperature pyrolysis zone quickly. Small, dry tinder is the traditional way. You can even use some of those wood logs or firestarters from your local hardware store. Another way is to put a cup (no more) of kerosene on a paper plate underneath of the grate and put some newspaper in the kerosene to act as a wick. Now you have a homemade kerosene lantern to heat the wood. Close the doors and open the bottom draft holes. This will cause the fresh air to first rush over your heater and create a small blowtorch. The hot vvapors from this torch should pass through the wood you have stacked above it, breaking it down.

Finally, what about your draft? If you're starting a fire on a cold day, the chimney isn't hot, so no draft is taking place. Crumble some newspaper and burn it underneath of your damper before starting a fire. The hot air rushing up will start a draft, which helps to pull fresh air into the fire.

I have wondered exactly how seasoned this "seasoned" wood that I bought really is. There have been a number of logs that once put on the fire emit a quiet sizzling sound. This morning's fire went pretty smoothly. I think I also have trouble with the tight confines of the firebox.

Like I said, once the fire is going and the stack temperature is around 300 degrees all I have to do is stick another log in and it ignites easily. I was just a little concerned that I burn quickly through at least two logs with the door cracked open before I can get to that point.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

You have wondered about the seasoning of this wood. You answered your question when you stated, "There have been a number of logs that once put on the fire emit a quiet sizzling sound." That sizzling sound is your answer that indeed your wood is still green and full of moisture. Once wood is properly seasoned you will not get that sizzling and also will not get as much smoke and your fire will start easily. Good luck to you.

 

[rdrcr56]

Another thing you might want to check is for any air leaks at the chimney to stove adapter, it will pull air there and not through the stove. It does sound like your problem is wet wood though.

 

[wahoowad]

More DRY kindling! Stock up on DRY dead branches and cut up pallets and stuff. You need to really get it going fast and hot with your initial load of wood. Search the board for "top down" fire starting method and use LOTS of DRY kindling and newspaper to get it going.

 

[CountryGal]

Maybe I am just a worry-wart, but using kerosene to start a wood fire doesn't sound like a safe idea and I have seen this posted a few times here. How can that be a safe practice?

 

[begreen]

Starting with kerosene is not a safe practice and has been discouraged.

If it's any consolation, I have to start my fresh fires with the door slightly ajar until a good fire is established. No problem with the kindling or wood, it's bone dry. The stove just admits a meager amount of startup air. I grumbled about this at first, but now it's just routine.

 

[Hogwildz]

Country Gal & BeGreen said it right. Kerosene is NOT the way to start a fire.
Choose the advice you take carefully, A person with few posts is not someone to take unsafe advice from.
And to further that point, there is no grate in a Century stove. Not many stove these days have grates.
Read up and learn a few things before giving out unsafe advice. Use of big words does not make poor downright unsafe advice any safer.

 

[MainePatsFan]

I do think my trouble is that a lot of this wood was not seasoned enough. Seasoned firewood shouldn't sizzle at all right? If I were a wood-burning veteran I would have probably recognized this after the first burn. I did notice that the guy changed his newspaper ad from delivering seasoned firewood for this winter to delivering green firewood for next winter around the time that I finally got my wood delivered. I wonder if I got the borderline stuff? I may go with the guy my neighbor uses next year.

In the meantime, I guess I need more kindling.

 

[begreen]

If the wood is not burnable, I would call the wood seller and tell him so. Especially if you didn't get what you thought you paid for.

 

[Hogwildz]

If its sizzling, its wet. Try and pick through it and separate the wet stuff from the dry or dryer stuff, Get a good fire going with the dry stuff and add a couple pcs of the wet stuff after its good and hot. Or as Begreen said, call the chump that sold it to you and tell him you want dry wood.

 

[thebuffman]

I want to say that I appreciate your posting concerning this and all of the veteran replies as well. I am having this exact issue and am a newbie as well. I too believe the problem I am having after 3 days of burning is that the 2 face cords of wood I purchased is not seasoned enough. This is proven first by the sizzling noise I hear coming from the wood and its refusal to ignite. Then it will have a consistent blue flame licking around it. It takes the fires of hades to get some of this wood going, goodness! I have seen this wood sit in a blazing inferno and still not burn - good grief. Very frustrating. Secondly, I went and picked up some of the .75 cu bundles firewood at the local gas station and that stuff goes right up when placed over some newspaper - VOOM! So it taught me how properly seasoned wood should react to fire.

Now I have to put the wood from the gas station in with the big split oak logs I bought from the firewood place to get a good fire going. And even after burning a few hours, once the wood purchased from the gas station is burned up, the wood from the fire wood place goes out. It will still have red burning in it but I have to open the door of my firebox to even try to get it ignited (even opening the damper fully wont kick the flame back up). This is a nightmare and taught me a valuable lesson about who I buy "seasoned" firewood from. I also plan to call them tomorrow morning and give them a piece of my mind or call them back over to my home and give a hardy slap. I hate getting hustled.

 

[begreen]

Yeah, it really sucks to get damp wood. Some states have very strict regulations governing wood sales. You might want to check to see what your state regulations are with regard to wood moisture.

 

[babalu87]

I agree, wet wood sucks!
If you can get any satisfaction out of the supplier, try that route first.
As any here have suggested the best thing to do is get a two year supply, buying in the Spring is your best bet. This allows YOU to control the drying/storage process. Face as much of it as you can to the South and Southwest. Use prevailing winds to your advantage as well.
If you cant get anywhere with the supplier, tell him GFY and try to get some pallets. You can mix those in with damp wood and usually do OK.

KEEP AND EYE ON YOUR CHIMNEY!
Fighting with wet wood is a chore but dont forget to keep the chimney clean. It is surprising how quickly it can load up with creosote.

 

[thebuffman]

is creosote buildup a major concern if you have a stainless steel liner?

 

[babalu87]

is creosote buildup a major concern if you have a stainless steel liner?

YES!
Creosote build-up is a concern under any circumstances when burning wood. If it hasnt been cleaned in the last year either clean it or call a Chimney sweep.
Use the nylon bristle brush on stainless liners and clean while its cold.

 

[thebuffman]

okay. i should be fine for now since everything is newly installed and i've only used the insert 3-4x. hmmmm how good are those cleaning logs?

 

[Wildrose]

Hi, I'm a new Jotul 400 owner, and am venturing out of lurkdom to share a video that I found very useful in learning how to use my stove. I'll admit it's been more of a learning curve than I anticipated, but now I'm getting the hang of things, my wood stove is really very easy to use.
http://www.ec.gc.ca/cleanair-airpur/default.asp?lang=En&n=8011CD70-1 This site Environment Canada's Clean Air Online site, with this page part of the wood heating section. Click on the video link.
I hope you find this as useful as I do.

L.

 

[BrotherBart]

Right there in that video is the answers to 90 percent of the "how do I burn" questions that show up on the Forum.

WATCH IT!

 

[Heat Miser]

Here are the things that helped me when I first started burning wood:

1) My first load of wood was not well seasoned. I was dumb and didn't know any better because it looked dry. A good way to see if wood is dry enough is to pick up two pieces and hit them together. Wet wood makes a "thud" sound. Dry wood makes a nice "clack" sound. Think of the sound that banging two pieces of dry 2x4 lumber would make. That's the type of sound you want to hear.

2) Look at the end of the rounds and splits. Dry wood will have cracks radiating around the edge as the wood dries. Wet wood doesn't have these cracks yet.

3) It may take you a season or two to find a good reliable wood supplier. I found a very good source for wood the second year. It probably pays to talk to your wood burning neighbors or wood stove store. They usually know people that are good sources for wood.

4) If your wood supply isn't good then think about trying Presto logs. These are compressed sawdust logs you can buy by the pallet. They ARE NOT the logs you buy at the supermarket that are wrapped in paper and make pretty colors. Those logs will kill your stove if you run a catalytic because they contain a lot of chemicals and binders. Presto logs are usually sold where they sell pellet fuel and are just compressed sawdust. Presto logs burn very hot and they are relatively clean to handle. They need to be stored absolutely dry though or they'll fall apart. They are perfect for storing inside your house as they have no dirt and bugs. You can also chop them into smaller pieces to make kindling to start your fire. I personally prefer burning real wood because it coals up better in my stove, but several other people I know burn Presto logs only. It's all personal preference.

5) Don't use fuel of any type ever to start your stove. If you run a catalytic stove it will contaminate the element. You could also cause an explosion or fire hazard.

6) My preferred technique: Rack the cold coals from the previous fire (if available) into a pile in the middle of the stove. Place several pieces of rolled up news paper across the coals. Place your kindling on top of the paper. Take another piece of paper or two and crumple up one end and place it near the paper on top of the coals. Leave the other half of the paper uncrumpled and hanging out from the sides.

Light the paper that is uncrumpled. The paper will go up fast and get a lot of heat moving up your chimney to hopefully get a good draft going. The paper will then burn down and ignite the other paper on top of the coals. The paper will then ignite the kindling and re-ignite the coals which will get quite hot and hold a good flame. Keep the air going to it with a cracked door and add wood as needed.

Using the above technique I can have a good fire going in 10-20 minutes and be able to engage my catalytic converter on a cold stove within 30-45 minutes max. This is with a top-loading Vermont Castings Defiant stove. Different stoves will work with different techniques.

 

[Gooserider]

okay. i should be fine for now since everything is newly installed and i've only used the insert 3-4x. hmmmm how good are those cleaning logs?

Depends on what you want them to do... If you want to get the crud out of your chimney, they don't do much. The only known reliable method of safely removing creosote is mechanically scrubbing with a brush - which isn't as bad as it sounds, usually one or two passes up and down the flue is all it takes.

OTOH, if you have lots of extra green paper cluttering your wallet, those cleaning logs will remove it quite efficiently......

Gooserider