Hey all,
I've been a member here since 2018 and did a lot of my research on wood stove inserts using this site and forum. I finally pulled the trigger on a Blaze King Ashford Insert this past spring and I'm finally getting to use it after breaking it in with several small hot fires to cure and remove the new stove smell. I'm based in a suburb outside of Philadelphia, my home is a 2-story 2600 sq ft home. My primary heat is gas, and I purchased this stove to offset my heating costs. After installing the stove, I opened our living space and installed fans to distribute the heat throughout. I've been very happy with this purchase, with the exception of my short burn time. I've been using the stove in the mid-30s - low 50s (it's only November) and my longest burn was 3hrs, which is way short of the advertised 25 hour burn time on low. Now provided, I have not turned the thermostat down to the lowest setting, but I generally turn it down to 2 or 3 o'clock after the fire gets going.
In preparation for this purchase, I have accumulated a couple of cords of firewood, and here is where I think I went wrong. I started purchasing firewood 2 years in advance, some of the pieces range from 14" all the way up to 24" (can't fit them in) The wood is seasoned and maybe too seasoned, I've split wood and have taken several readings from 9% to 15%. The result is I can't keep the fire going longer than 3 hrs. I found this thread helpful, but I think my wood is definitely too dry instead of wet.
So here's what I'm doing, for a cold start - I generally load up the firebox with some kindling, that I burn down to coals, I distribute the coals evenly, and then prepare my main load. I have to pick through my supply to find 14-16" pieces which I load about 4 into the firebox North to South and then find 2 larger 18" long thick splits east to west. I leave the door open a crack to force some air in to get the load going. After about 10 min, I close the door. I wait for the thermostat to get just into the red to engage the combuster, I wait about another 10 min or so and then slowly lower the t-stat. Usually about 2-3 hrs I have a bed of coals.
I've searched this forum and found some threads that have helped me narrow down possible issues, but honestly, I think it could be my wood supply, but it also could be other factors that I'm not aware of. Draft too strong? Possibly not filling the firebox due to the size of my firewood?
Thank you so much!
I've been a member here since 2018 and did a lot of my research on wood stove inserts using this site and forum. I finally pulled the trigger on a Blaze King Ashford Insert this past spring and I'm finally getting to use it after breaking it in with several small hot fires to cure and remove the new stove smell. I'm based in a suburb outside of Philadelphia, my home is a 2-story 2600 sq ft home. My primary heat is gas, and I purchased this stove to offset my heating costs. After installing the stove, I opened our living space and installed fans to distribute the heat throughout. I've been very happy with this purchase, with the exception of my short burn time. I've been using the stove in the mid-30s - low 50s (it's only November) and my longest burn was 3hrs, which is way short of the advertised 25 hour burn time on low. Now provided, I have not turned the thermostat down to the lowest setting, but I generally turn it down to 2 or 3 o'clock after the fire gets going.
In preparation for this purchase, I have accumulated a couple of cords of firewood, and here is where I think I went wrong. I started purchasing firewood 2 years in advance, some of the pieces range from 14" all the way up to 24" (can't fit them in) The wood is seasoned and maybe too seasoned, I've split wood and have taken several readings from 9% to 15%. The result is I can't keep the fire going longer than 3 hrs. I found this thread helpful, but I think my wood is definitely too dry instead of wet.
So here's what I'm doing, for a cold start - I generally load up the firebox with some kindling, that I burn down to coals, I distribute the coals evenly, and then prepare my main load. I have to pick through my supply to find 14-16" pieces which I load about 4 into the firebox North to South and then find 2 larger 18" long thick splits east to west. I leave the door open a crack to force some air in to get the load going. After about 10 min, I close the door. I wait for the thermostat to get just into the red to engage the combuster, I wait about another 10 min or so and then slowly lower the t-stat. Usually about 2-3 hrs I have a bed of coals.
I've searched this forum and found some threads that have helped me narrow down possible issues, but honestly, I think it could be my wood supply, but it also could be other factors that I'm not aware of. Draft too strong? Possibly not filling the firebox due to the size of my firewood?
Thank you so much!
