Burn Time

[Kevin Dolan]

This may seem like a stupid question but being a newbie I thought I could get away with it.
My question is what really is burn time?
Is when the logs ignite and then you are left with a bed of coals, or is it the time when the logs ignite until the fire goes out?
I have a new Jotul 400 and the manual says it has a burn time of up to 8 hours ( i assume that is optimal with wood, draft etc).
Also has anyone been able to get longer than 8 hours, if so how. 8 hours would be fine for me as is overnight.
Appreciate any thoughts,
Kevin

 

[begreen]

Typically stove makers measure from start time until there are no longer hot coals remaining to restart a fire. Instead of burn time, many here prefer to know the period of meaningful heat. That is say how long the stove stays at or above a certain temperature.

I had the Castine. Burning softwood, I was lucky to get an 8 hr burn time. For that reason, they were fairly rare. Burning dry hardwood like oak it should be possible to have good coals for a restart in a well packed stove after 8 hrs. As for period of meaningful heat, with softwood I had to restoke the stove about every 2-3 hrs in below 25F weather. That is not the stove's fault, the firebox was just too small for our house. Solution was to get a stove twice the size.

 

[fossil]

"Burn Time" is one of those terms that's tossed around without a generally accepted specific definition. Different folks quite often mean different things when they use the term. Bottom line for any stove owner/burner, IMO, is to learn by doing. Nobody else has exactly the same stove, in exactly the same system configuration, burning exactly the same fuel, with exactly the same location/climate conditions, sharing exactly the same requirements/epectations as you have. You'll figure it out.

 

[jeff_t]

'Burn time' is another marketing term, like 'xx,xxx BTUs' and 'heats x,xxx sq ft'. I like Hearthstone's 'Heat Life' too.

I've managed to find enough coals to light some very dry ash and soft maple splits, after 48 hours. Would I call it a 48 hour burn? Not really, because I didn't really need any heat for the last 36 hours. I turned it all the way down, and that's how long it lasted. The stove was just warm to the touch for the last twelve. I probably opened a window at some point, too. I add wood when I need to, to stay warm.