Care to Share your Pro-method?

[jimmieguns]

Hi Friend! I am so so happy I heard about and am able to be part of this great bunch of cool people. I only wish I knew much more about all the tricks and methods you all have found that work for you. I am becoming addicted to building a fire daily ! it bring FUN to the winter as a friend on the thread told me it would.

MY QUESTION- Can you share your "start to finish" method of your fire? Like, how you start yours(kindling,for how long before adding bigger(what size bigger) logs. When you close your damper? Basicall "your" method. I think its interesting since we all have different stoves (older,newer) and diff climates.. ALL replies appreciated

 

[swagler85]

I'm no pro but here goes.....
Rake coals forward and a lil to one side. Load splits, I start with bigger splits and rounds away from the coals. Then fill in the rest of the box putting my smallest splits over the coals. Currently burning mulberry and cherry. Cherry lights fast and gets the mulberry going. Wait for flue temps to climb up to 600 then start shutting the air down. Stabilize stove top temp at seized temps and sit back to enjoy.

 

[firefighterjake]

Hi Friend! I am so so happy I heard about and am able to be part of this great bunch of cool people. I only wish I knew much more about all the tricks and methods you all have found that work for you. I am becoming addicted to building a fire daily ! it bring FUN to the winter as a friend on the thread told me it would.

MY QUESTION- Can you share your "start to finish" method of your fire? Like, how you start yours(kindling,for how long before adding bigger(what size bigger) logs. When you close your damper? Basicall "your" method. I think its interesting since we all have different stoves (older,newer) and diff climates.. ALL replies appreciated

Cold start: Put some medium to large size splits in the firebox. Put some small to medium splits on top. Put some kindling on top. Place a quarter of a Super Cedar or alternatively I use some pine cones and/or crumled newspaper on top. Light with a match. Side door is left ajar a quarter to half an inch. Air control is open all the way. I burn until the flue thermometer (probe style) reaches the Goldilocks Zone (not too hot and not too cool) and shut the side door. I watch. If the thermo stays the same and the flames look good after a few minutes I will turn down the air control to the 3/4 or 1/2 way mark . . . and watch. If the thermo is good and the flames continue to do well I turn it down to the 1/4 mark or less . . . and watch.

Warm start with coals: Rake the coals around to let the ash sift down through the grates to the ash pan. Rake out the coals to level. Put some kindling or small splits on the coals. Put medium to large splits on top. Leave side door ajar . . . do the same thing with the air control until the stove is cruising.

 

[Jags]

Cold start:
Create "tunnel of love" in the ashes (basically making a channel from front to back that lines up with the dog house air)
Place firestarter of choice in tunnel but at the front of the stove.
Load the sucker like I mean it and light.
Primary air wide open, start up air wide open.
Wait for stove top to hit about 500F. Slam it down to about 5-10% open for the long haul.
Open another beer.

Hot start:
Pull coals forward.
Load the sucker like I mean it.
Primary air wide open
Watch for 500F stove top
Slam it down to 5-10% open for the long haul.
Open another beer.

 

[Wood Duck]

I light the stove with top-down fires. The top-down method seems a little bit slower from start to hot stove, but it is far less smoky and I figure far les likely to add creosote build up to my chimney. I start with some medium splits, maybe four or five of them, then sone smaller splits on top. I load the stove pretty full. On top is some kindling which I have stored inside for a few days so it is really dry. Then I put a piece of firestarter (super cedars are great) on top and light. I generally let it burn on full air with the door closed. It takes a while, probably half and hour or more, to get appreciable heat, but I get an almost smokeless start and I don't have to mess with the fire at all once I light it.

I let each load of wood burn down to coals before adding more wood, and when I add wood it is generally a full load. I rarely add just a few splits at a time. My stove seems to work better when i burn in cycles rather than try to keep the fire at a steady level by adding wood little by little.

I try to burn hot all the time. My main goals are to minimize pollution and minimize creosote buildup in the chimney, and the two goals are pretty much in synch - both require hot, clean burns.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Jimmie, you'll get lots of answers here so pick and choose and don't be afraid to experiment a bit yourself. I've tried a few different methods and even was talked into trying the top down but did not like it. However, ours is sort of a hybrid partial top down.

I lay 2 splits in the bottom of the stove and try to form a slight vee with the splits. I then place 1/4 of a Super Cedar in the vee and immediately light it. If I have any kindling, I'll use maybe 3 or 4 pieces and lay it on the lit super cedar then a split. If no kindling I'll just lay another split on top. Sometimes I may place 2 small splits on top rather than just one. Lighting a fire this way will give a fire for many hours and the only thing you have to do is to lower the draft setting once the wood all gets to burning.

 

[ailanthus]

Cold start: Put some medium to large size splits in the firebox. Put some small to medium splits on top. Put some kindling on top. Place a quarter of a Super Cedar .... and/or crumled newspaper on top. Light with a match.

Same thing except I put my homemade 'super cedars' on top of some suspended cardboard so that after the top kindling is lit, the cardboard burns & the super cedar drops to the bottom so it can start the bigger wood.

 

[Pallet Pete]

I use two methods of starting a fire.

1) lay a piece of bark on the bottom with 1/4 super cedar on that then two pieces of 2 or 3" kindling on each side. Then one row of kindling over the top E/W and load normally over top.
2) put a bunch of big splits on the bottom then 1/4 super cedar on top with a bunch of random kindling over top and light.

They both work great for our stove but yours will be different try everybody's then come up with your own hybrid.

Pete