Intermediate Impressions
I've had 3 fires on 3 cold nights using the North Idaho compressed logs from Thomas at N.W. Fuels. I tried something different on each night to put them through their paces.
Night 1 (see: Initial Impressions thread: https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/1745/ -- you'll need to scroll down into the thread to the review post)
Night 2
Burned 5 compressed logs total.
Started up with 2 compressed logs. One in front and one leaned on top of it at a 90* angle. I placed one Super Cedar Starter in the gap below the one compressed log lean-to structure and set fire to it. After an hour there was a small and unimpressive glow. These things are slow to light. I added a piece of kindling leaned parallel on each side of the top log to get things going. About 30 minutes later I had a good two-log fire going. One hour later and we had two logs in full blaze glory. A half hour to 45 minutes later and I engage the cat. Lots of flames, lots of cat heat, everything is copasetic.
On the previous (and first) test, I started with 3 logs and put another log on at two-hour intervals. That was a nice gentle heat, plenty to keep me warm in my T-shirt sitting in front of it, but I wanted to see if I could heat the room up with these dogs.
For the next 3 hours I placed an additional log on each hour for an eventual total of 5 logs. I positioned them at varying angles to see how their orientation affected their ignition. Placing them alternately with an end touching one side within the stove (24" max log length of stove swallows these 12 to 13 inch compressed log lengths) tended to slow the burn a bit and allowed me to keep the primary air full open just like I always do without any overheating. I felt like there were essentially two logs burning at all times, rather than just one like the night before. There was heat-o-plenty! I loved it. The room got toasty warm and it's a big room with big windows and it was in the high 20's (a bit lower than recent nights around here).
The coals kept accumulating with each new log I placed in there until I had 3 full log sized coals with two logs still burning strong 4 or 5 hours later. Each log flames nicely for easily two hours, then coals for a LONG time afterwards. After the last log flamed out, and the box had 5 of these big coals in there, we were experiencing plenty of continued heat. I went to bed about 6 or 7 hours after getting things started and the room was very warm, warmer than usual at around 72*F - 74*F depending on room location.
When I got up the next morning, the room was warmer than it's ever been upon arising. I was surprised and delighted. The last of those coals was still present in a mini-log looking coal about 2 inches by 6 inches. Likely enough to rekindle using my regular kindling techniques, but not enough to start another one of these reluctant starting compressed logs. Since I don't rekindle in the morning anyway, this was simply an interesting observation. Still, it was quite a surprise to see ANY coals at all in there considering I'd thrown the last log on at around 11pm!
As I noticed on the first test, there was hardly ANY ash left in the box. Much less than when I wake up to a burned out cordwood fire. I'd estimate between 5 and 10 times less ash. And the ash had a different quality to it as well. It was much finer, lighter in weight, and lighter in color. More like fly ash than the ash I usually see sitting on the grate.
I just love these logs. And now that I discovered that throwing a couple little pieces of kindling in there when starting gets them going in short order, my next test is going to start out with some strategically placed kindling from the outset. I feel pinched that I only have 7 of these logs left. The fun is almost over.
Night 3
Burned 3 compressed logs total. Mandatory compressed log rationing in place...
I started with two compressed logs in the previously described 90* configuration. But this time I included two pieces of kindling, one on either side of the top log. Then I added two small (3 inch) pieces of intermediate sized wood angling backwards to each corner of the firebox. Then on top of all that I placed one more 3-inch piece of wood. My aim was to get the fire going quickly and supplement the heat of the compressed logs' slow startup with some faster burning splits to get the cat preheated quickly so as not to waste heat from the precious compressed logs. I only had 7 left, after all. Earlier, I had placed one Super Cedar Fire Starter in the air space below the lean-to structure I had created from the compressed logs and kindling and now set fire to it.
WOW! In 15 minutes I had a serious blaze going where it had taken a full hour (plus) on the second test, and around two hours on the first. At the 30 minute mark there was a roaring conflagration! In less than an hour the cat was engaged and blazing away. It lit off quickly and easily. THIS is the way to get these bad boys started. Utilizing the reflected heat from the kindling and smallish splits the compressed logs presented zero hesitation prior to igniting. Where I had watched my first test take two hours to get these logs to a full blaze, I had now mastered a technique that had them blazing away after only 15 minutes. The learning curve for startup had gone from a mountain to molehill. That was the one thing that had bugged me, but only a little bit, with these compressed logs. Getting them started seemed difficult, and now that issue was conquered. Nothing could stop me now.
If only I could find some compressed logs to buy here in St. Louis. I only have 4 logs remaining. Gollum (aka: Smeagol, aka: Mo) must have his Precious...
I've had 3 fires on 3 cold nights using the North Idaho compressed logs from Thomas at N.W. Fuels. I tried something different on each night to put them through their paces.
Night 1 (see: Initial Impressions thread: https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/1745/ -- you'll need to scroll down into the thread to the review post)
Night 2
Burned 5 compressed logs total.
Started up with 2 compressed logs. One in front and one leaned on top of it at a 90* angle. I placed one Super Cedar Starter in the gap below the one compressed log lean-to structure and set fire to it. After an hour there was a small and unimpressive glow. These things are slow to light. I added a piece of kindling leaned parallel on each side of the top log to get things going. About 30 minutes later I had a good two-log fire going. One hour later and we had two logs in full blaze glory. A half hour to 45 minutes later and I engage the cat. Lots of flames, lots of cat heat, everything is copasetic.
On the previous (and first) test, I started with 3 logs and put another log on at two-hour intervals. That was a nice gentle heat, plenty to keep me warm in my T-shirt sitting in front of it, but I wanted to see if I could heat the room up with these dogs.
For the next 3 hours I placed an additional log on each hour for an eventual total of 5 logs. I positioned them at varying angles to see how their orientation affected their ignition. Placing them alternately with an end touching one side within the stove (24" max log length of stove swallows these 12 to 13 inch compressed log lengths) tended to slow the burn a bit and allowed me to keep the primary air full open just like I always do without any overheating. I felt like there were essentially two logs burning at all times, rather than just one like the night before. There was heat-o-plenty! I loved it. The room got toasty warm and it's a big room with big windows and it was in the high 20's (a bit lower than recent nights around here).
The coals kept accumulating with each new log I placed in there until I had 3 full log sized coals with two logs still burning strong 4 or 5 hours later. Each log flames nicely for easily two hours, then coals for a LONG time afterwards. After the last log flamed out, and the box had 5 of these big coals in there, we were experiencing plenty of continued heat. I went to bed about 6 or 7 hours after getting things started and the room was very warm, warmer than usual at around 72*F - 74*F depending on room location.
When I got up the next morning, the room was warmer than it's ever been upon arising. I was surprised and delighted. The last of those coals was still present in a mini-log looking coal about 2 inches by 6 inches. Likely enough to rekindle using my regular kindling techniques, but not enough to start another one of these reluctant starting compressed logs. Since I don't rekindle in the morning anyway, this was simply an interesting observation. Still, it was quite a surprise to see ANY coals at all in there considering I'd thrown the last log on at around 11pm!
As I noticed on the first test, there was hardly ANY ash left in the box. Much less than when I wake up to a burned out cordwood fire. I'd estimate between 5 and 10 times less ash. And the ash had a different quality to it as well. It was much finer, lighter in weight, and lighter in color. More like fly ash than the ash I usually see sitting on the grate.
I just love these logs. And now that I discovered that throwing a couple little pieces of kindling in there when starting gets them going in short order, my next test is going to start out with some strategically placed kindling from the outset. I feel pinched that I only have 7 of these logs left. The fun is almost over.
Night 3
Burned 3 compressed logs total. Mandatory compressed log rationing in place...
I started with two compressed logs in the previously described 90* configuration. But this time I included two pieces of kindling, one on either side of the top log. Then I added two small (3 inch) pieces of intermediate sized wood angling backwards to each corner of the firebox. Then on top of all that I placed one more 3-inch piece of wood. My aim was to get the fire going quickly and supplement the heat of the compressed logs' slow startup with some faster burning splits to get the cat preheated quickly so as not to waste heat from the precious compressed logs. I only had 7 left, after all. Earlier, I had placed one Super Cedar Fire Starter in the air space below the lean-to structure I had created from the compressed logs and kindling and now set fire to it.
WOW! In 15 minutes I had a serious blaze going where it had taken a full hour (plus) on the second test, and around two hours on the first. At the 30 minute mark there was a roaring conflagration! In less than an hour the cat was engaged and blazing away. It lit off quickly and easily. THIS is the way to get these bad boys started. Utilizing the reflected heat from the kindling and smallish splits the compressed logs presented zero hesitation prior to igniting. Where I had watched my first test take two hours to get these logs to a full blaze, I had now mastered a technique that had them blazing away after only 15 minutes. The learning curve for startup had gone from a mountain to molehill. That was the one thing that had bugged me, but only a little bit, with these compressed logs. Getting them started seemed difficult, and now that issue was conquered. Nothing could stop me now.
If only I could find some compressed logs to buy here in St. Louis. I only have 4 logs remaining. Gollum (aka: Smeagol, aka: Mo) must have his Precious...
