Anyone Burning Their Woodstocks Lately?

[Todd]

This little cold snap we've been having lately has got me burning 24/7. I have my Keystone on a 2 load schedule feeding it every 12 hours. If I fill her up with 5-6 splits of Oak and burn at .5 I have plenty of coals after 12 hours with a stove top at 200+. The glass gets a little dirty on the sides burning this low but there's no flame show to watch just a glowing cat.

 

[Craig S.]

Yep ... turned cold here yesterday, so we're going 24/7 for the time being.

 

[Todd]

I installed a cat probe down through the top vent. Had to put a bend in the stem to get it close enough to the cat. Works pretty well but I think it catches a lot of heat when in the bypass mode since its so close to the exhaust.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

We've been burning somewhat regular here too. Not sure if I would want to put 5 splits in at this time of the year. We usually stick to 2 or 3 splits in the Fireview. Yesterday, for example, the stove was going all day. I added 3 splits around 4:00 pm. This morning the house was still at 75. Laid 3 more splits in there and they started with the left over coals. Still going on that and it is getting a tad bit warm in here! Saw my wife removing some clothing so guess the stove doesn't need more wood just yet.

 

[weatherguy]

We've been burning somewhat regular here too. Not sure if I would want to put 5 splits in at this time of the year. We usually stick to 2 or 3 splits in the Fireview. Yesterday, for example, the stove was going all day. I added 3 splits around 4:00 pm. This morning the house was still at 75. Laid 3 more splits in there and they started with the left over coals. Still going on that and it is getting a tad bit warm in here! Saw my wife removing some clothing so guess the stove doesn't need more wood just yet.

Dennis, shouldn't you have added a couple more splits when this happened?

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Dennis, shouldn't you have added a couple more splits when this happened?

Nope. It did the job very nicely. Thank you.

 

[Firedancer]

I started this fire Wednesday. New insert-learning as I go. Much different than throwing wood into an open fireplace! By different, I mean better!

 

[chipsoflyin]

PH up and running, new 2 post cat, still waiting on the "stove changeout". Cant wait to try the upgraded stove

 

[Craig S.]

Took some advice from above ... this is three splits with the air turned all the the way down.

 

[Flamestead]

Not a serious 24/7 enterprise yet, but becoming more than just for the fun of it as the temps drop. Had been having evening fires and only adding morning wood on the weekends. Cows' pasture waterline was frozen this morning, and we both felt a bit more fire this morning was welcome. First year with 20"+ wood in the PH, as I had a couple of years of 18" to burn through.

 

[Woody Stover]

Anyone burning their Woodstocks lately?

Unfortunately, I've only got one Woodstock.

Just a few days of once-a-day loads, now for the last couple days, two loads a day. Really glad to have the Keystone back in there. Haven't messed with any ashes yet. There's a lot less to remove when you leave the coals in the stove. When I do finally pull the pan, I'll be done in about half a minute. I'm at the end of a load I put in around 10AM. A couple of 4" BL rounds stretched the burn out nicely.
We've also got my old Fv rockin' over at my BIL's, so they are basking.

Got a cat frame and gasket set coming for my other SIL's Fv tomorrow. I'll simmer out the cat and try to get her up and running by tomorrow night.

I guess I'll load the Ks after I finish this Cardinals victory beer.

Looking at the forecast, we may be going back to one fire a day for a while. Then I'll clean the glass, which is still slightly gunked up from the first burn of the season.

Two 4" BL rounds and three Black Cherry splits are catching fire as we speak. When the Fv air lever was all the way closed, the top of the lever is even with zero. On the Ks, the top of the lever is below the zero. Tonight before I lie down I'll set the air to about negative .1.
EDIT: Just cut the air all the way to see if the cat will glow a bit less intensely. It's 32 outside, so plenty of draft at 17'. Lots of glowing under the load, so maybe the BL is starting to catch.
EDIT: Glowing has subsided a bit, stove top seems to be headed to 450.

I installed a cat probe down through the top vent. Had to put a bend in the stem to get it close enough to the cat. Works pretty well but I think it catches a lot of heat when in the bypass mode since its so close to the exhaust.

Where is the tip of the probe in relation to the cat (center, just over the back edge, or what? How close?) Is the Tel-Tru a surface thermo with a magnet?
Wish I could find a probe longer that 8" somewhere. Don't want to mess with a thermocouple if I don't have to, but the nerd in me needs a true cat reading. Gotta be higher when first lit off and glowing orange than the 800 it's showing in the pic, right?

 

[Todd]

Where is the tip of the probe in relation to the cat (center, just over the back edge, or what? How close?) Is the Tel-Tru a surface thermo with a magnet?
Wish I could find a probe longer that 8" somewhere. Don't want to mess with a thermocouple if I don't have to, but the nerd in me needs a true cat reading. Gotta be higher when first lit off and glowing orange than the 800 it's showing in the pic, right?

The probe is 6" and I got it just in front and above the cat heat shield. I think it's a bit short and I'm thinking about getting the 8" probe from WS to get it a bit closer. I should of set this stove up for rear exhaust so I could of drilled through the top like my other KS.

The cat temps go well over 1000 in the first few hours, that pic is 5 hours into the burn. At an air setting of .5 she seems to cruise around 1250 for a couple hours then fall off. After 12 hours its down to 400.

The teltru does have a magnet and can be used for stove pipe.

 

[Flatbedford]

The Fireview has been going 24/7 since Tuesday night. We were out of town on a long weekend so it took a day or so to catch up. I think we can stretch t to 2 loads a day now that we are caught up. Nice to have the warm stove in the house again. I'm burning my shoulder Ash now. Red Oak and Black Locust next month.

 

[teutonicking]

The Fireview has been going 24/7 since Tuesday night. We were out of town on a long weekend so it took a day or so to catch up. I think we can stretch t to 2 loads a day now that we are caught up. Nice to have the warm stove in the house again. I'm burning my shoulder Ash now. Red Oak and Black Locust next month.

I've been burning my PH for the past couple of days. I had a nice 13 hour burn last night (6pm-7am). Its good to be burning again--gives me an excuse to start some more scrounging. Almost picked up a load of maple yeserday.

 

[Todd]

Woody,
You burn your Keystone at 0? I've tried it a couple times but it left a big unburnt chunk in the back of the fire box. Glass gets pretty gunked up as well. .5 is about as low as I go and it will snuff out the flame and give me a good 12 hour cat burn.

 

[Todd]

I've been burning my PH for the past couple of days. I had a nice 13 hour burn last night (6pm-7am). Its good to be burning again--gives me an excuse to start some more scrounging. Almost picked up a load of maple yeserday.

Almost? No excuse for that. Lol

Do you get pretty consistent 12+ hour burns with your PH? Seems like all the Woodstocks get about the same burn times but put out different BTU's while doing it.

 

[teutonicking]

Almost? No excuse for that. Lol

Do you get pretty consistent 12+ hour burns with your PH? Seems like all the Woodstocks get about the same burn times but put out different BTU's while doing it.

Ha! I know, I should have gotten that wood! Had my son with me in the car and I was watching my kids all day, so I just couldn't. But next time I'm all over it!

Burn times in my PH depend. Besides how much wood I put in (and the type of wood), the biggest factor is whether I shut the air down and engage the cat at the right time. If I get distrated at home and wait too long, the fire burns a bit hotter and burns out faster. Generally, though, if I put enough wood in it and engage the cat in a timely manner, I will have plenty of coals for a restart 12 hours later (one time I even went 19 hours between reloads).

 

[Woody Stover]

The probe is 6" and I got it just in front and above the cat heat shield. I think it's a bit short and I'm thinking about getting the 8" probe from WS to get it a bit closer. I should of set this stove up for rear exhaust so I could of drilled through the top like my other KS.

The cat temps go well over 1000 in the first few hours, that pic is 5 hours into the burn. At an air setting of .5 she seems to cruise around 1250 for a couple hours then fall off. After 12 hours its down to 400.

I think the probe in the Buck 91 must be 1/2" or less from the surface of the cat; Had 1200 about twenty minutes after closing the bypass tonight. I had my MIL check it about an hour later, and she reported 1500 (I feel terrible that I occasionally make a 91 year-old woman walk to the other side of the house to satisfy my nerdy curiosity.) Not really...I'm just trying to find out what effects my inputs have on the burn and weather they prevent the cat from going high. That's my story, anyway. I have a couple ways I can determine how far away the tip is... Shoulda checked it last time I had the cat out....
The cats of the Buck and the Keystone are glowing with similar intensity so I've gotta think they are close in temp as well.... Were you getting higher temp readings with the drilled-top setup? Did you drill through the heat shield as well, placing the tip very close to the cat?

Woody,
You burn your Keystone at 0? I've tried it a couple times but it left a big unburnt chunk in the back of the fire box. Glass gets pretty gunked up as well. .5 is about as low as I go and it will snuff out the flame and give me a good 12 hour cat burn.

I'm going on nine hours with a soft Maple/Cherry load and the chunks are still burning. It may be that different species or varying moisture content determine weather the chunks stop burning, but they usually stay lit for me. I have some brown in the lower corners of the glass but I think some of that is from the first burn of the season, as I mentioned above. The rest of the glass has a slight haze but not what I would call 'pretty gunked up.' We probably all have different ideas of what that means. That pretty much burns off when I start the next load, as I keep quite a bit of the flame up near the glass as I'm stepping down the air. I can run with no air, but usually have it bumped up a little bit above 0. Of course as it gets colder I'll be feeding it more air.

 

[Todd]

I think the probe in the Buck 91 must be 1/2" or less from the surface of the cat; Had 1200 about twenty minutes after closing the bypass tonight. I had my MIL check it about an hour later, and she reported 1500 (I feel terrible that I occasionally make a 91 year-old woman walk to the other side of the house to satisfy my nerdy curiosity.) Not really...I'm just trying to find out what effects my inputs have on the burn and weather they prevent the cat from going high. That's my story, anyway. I have a couple ways I can determine how far away the tip is... Shoulda checked it last time I had the cat out....
The cats of the Buck and the Keystone are glowing with similar intensity so I've gotta think they are close in temp as well.... Were you getting higher temp readings with the drilled-top setup? Did you drill through the heat shield as well, placing the tip very close to the cat?

I'm going on nine hours with a soft Maple/Cherry load and the chunks are still burning. It may be that different species or varying moisture content determine weather the chunks stop burning, but they usually stay lit for me. I have some brown in the lower corners of the glass but I think some of that is from the first burn of the season, as I mentioned above. The rest of the glass has a slight haze but not what I would call 'pretty gunked up.' We probably all have different ideas of what that means. That pretty much burns off when I start the next load, as I keep quite a bit of the flame up near the glass as I'm stepping down the air. I can run with no air, but usually have it bumped up a little bit above 0. Of course as it gets colder I'll be feeding it more air.

It's good to keep those old folks moving lol. I let the stove die out yesterday and rechecked the cat probe. It's almost hitting the top front edge of the heat shield so it's just about right. Maybe if it was a half inch longer it would sit half way between the shield and cat frame but I don't think the readings would be much different. My old KS seemed to read a little higher but it had a brand new cat, this one is going on year four.

Currently burning 4 splits of Oak. I engaged, let her burn at 1 for 30 min and the cat temp peaked at 1400. I backed her off to .5 and the temp fell to 1200 after about 30 min. Currently she's at 1000 with a 500 stove top 2 hours into the burn.

 

[dylskee]

I started burning a few days ago, getting cold at night and we just had our first frost. Nice and toasty inside now.........

 

[ddddddden]

I'm in!
Lit off the season Thurs night.

 

[Todd]

Got it too dang hot in this house! I have to let her burn out tonight. No more 24/7 burning til were down in the 30's!

 

[BrotherBart]

Sounds like time to use the new gas stove.

 

[toddnic]

Burning 24/7 now. Most mornings in the 20's or 30's. Have the air almost all the way off on the PH and it is holding around 400 degrees for hours. Great having so many coals after 12 hours to get the fire going again.

 

[Woody Stover]

Got it too dang hot in this house! I have to let her burn out tonight. No more 24/7 burning til were down in the 30's!

I'll toss on a few splits tonight but I may be going back to one fire a day. Outside temps are rebounding over the next few days.