Daily commitment to heating with wood

[chutes]

Hello all.
As my post count will suggest I am new to this forum, but also will be new to heating with wood this winter. I have a Pacific Insert, and was wondering what type of daily commitment I'll need to make to burning wood. I have all the fuel I believe I'll need, and it is stacked and stored conveniently. Plus, I have two young sons who have been told that they have a new added chore of going out to get wood as necessary through the winter.

Luckily, I work from my home and my office is in the same room as the insert. My question is how much time will I spend maintaining my fire each day (once I've developed the skill of getting the proper fire going). In other words, will I find myself feeding this fire every hour, every couple of hours, etc.? Will I have an ash bed that needs to cleaned daily? Multiple times daily? Just brand new and trying to gauge my total daily commitment.

PS - assume that I am burning at the best, safe temperature in my stove to provide the maximum opportunity to heat the home and reduce my oil consumption.

Thanks

 

[Adios Pantalones]

I'll just wing it and say that with hardwood and a 6-8 hour or so burn- you'll load 3-4 times in a day.

Cleaning ash etc is onle every 4-5 days.

When I'm home I tend to throw in a couple pieces at a time more often because I enjoy it.

 

[chutes]

Thanks for the response.

And I agree about the enjoyment aspect. I'm a regular outdoor burner through the summer. I have a huge pit in my yard that we sit around most weekends - family and friends. Of course, when that thing really gets going you have to feed it constantly. I am definitely looking forward to the aesthetics and the "mood" enhancer that I find a fire brings. I've wanted to put a stove in for years. Guess the price of oil helped me to finally get off the fence.

 

[Vic99]

Welcome!

I agree with Adios.

In general you'll get a 6-8 hour burn with hardwoods. Pine will give you 3-6 hours, but if possible, it is generally a good idea to mix pine with some hardwood to both lengthen the burntime and prevent the fire from getting too hot too fast. For some folks, they have no choice but to burn softwood, but in your area you should have good access to many species of hardwood.

Ultimately, stove attention depends on you. Some people tend to a fire for 10-30 minutes, fill the stove and leave. Others throw a split or two in as it burns down and then repeat.

During the work week, I'm in the first group. Through a snow storm on weekend, I become boarderline obsessed with watching the fire (ooooo, so pretty) and adding wood.

Good luck.

 

[fossil]

I don't think that, cumulatively, you'll devote an hour a day to tending your stove, unless you just like fiddling around with it. I burn two stoves in separate buildings, and it's not like I spend my day running back and forth to take care of the fires. Depends on how/how much wood is in "ready service" near the stove, and a few other variables. Ashes...eh, maybe once a week or so if I feel like it and the stoves are relatively cool (morning, usually). You'll figure it out. Welcome to the forum! Rick

 

[Tfin]

I can't really add any more than what has already been said (since they pretty much nailed it). I'll just say welcome and continue to read on. There's a lot of great info here.

 

[gpcollen1]

Ill chime in on the ash - as it depends on if you have an ash drawer or not. I do my ash on my olympic once per morning. Just scoop out one or two scoops of ash and into the bucket. Then get her ripping again...

 

[chutes]

Thanks for all the responses, and for the kind welcome to the forums here. I have been reading through these forums for awhile before joining, and it is a wealth of info. It actually helped me to make the decision to take the leap and also helped me to pick out the stove I ended up purchasing (reading through threads and reading the reviews available here).

PS - no, I have no ash drawer. I'll assume the previous answers of every 4 or 5 days, or once weekly will apply, more or less.

 

[eba1225]

Chutes,

I being a relative newbi, last year was my first, spent about 20 mins a day total. Wood in the AM, PM and night, and ash clean out every 10 - 14 days. This does not include the moving of wood.

EBA

 

[gpcollen1]

Thanks for all the responses, and for the kind welcome to the forums here. I have been reading through these forums for awhile before joining, and it is a wealth of info. It actually helped me to make the decision to take the leap and also helped me to pick out the stove I ended up purchasing (reading through threads and reading the reviews available here).

PS - no, I have no ash drawer. I'll assume the previous answers of every 4 or 5 days, or once weekly will apply, more or less.

It depends on how you do it for sure. If you let the ash accumulate, you have to clean a good amount of ash out and it is more of an operation. I used to use a small metal garbage can with a lid, have my shop vac hooked up and running so that the dust I create when dropping the ash in gets sucked up and does not float around the room - use a HEPA filter. Everyone has their own way of doing it.

When you do a scoop or two a day into a steel can, it is a very simple operation in the AM when stoking the fire. I have stuck with the every day method.

 

[chutes]

It depends on how you do it for sure. If you let the ash accumulate, you have to clean a good amount of ash out and it is more of an operation. I used to use a small metal garbage can with a lid, have my shop vac hooked up and running so that the dust I create when dropping the ash in gets sucked up and does not float around the room - use a HEPA filter. Everyone has their own way of doing it.

That's good to know. I'll have to search the forums about cleaning ash, as I never considered the potential for dust. My youngest has some upper respiratory issues and I'll want to avoid releasing dust as much as possible. Thanks for the info.

 

[karl]

I must either be burning way more wood than you guys, or I have some weird high ash content wood.

Last year, I was cleaning a good amount of ash out of my Summit every day. I'm talking atleast one of those small metal ash cans(1-2 gallon size I'm not sure) everyday, Sometimes it was two of them. Am I doing something wrong? This was pure ash too, except for a few very, very cold spells, where I took some unburnt cinders out with it. It still was only a 5 minute operation. How big are the scoops you're talking about?

I burnt 5-6 cords between October and May.

 

[woodconvert]

I must either be burning way more wood than you guys, or I have some weird high ash content wood.

Last year, I was cleaning a good amount of ash out of my Summit every day. I'm talking atleast one of those small metal ash cans(1-2 gallon size I'm not sure) everyday, Sometimes it was two of them. Am I doing something wrong? This was pure ash too, except for a few very, very cold spells, where I took some unburnt cinders out with it. It still was only a 5 minute operation. How big are the scoops you're talking about?

I burnt 5-6 cords between October and May.

What kind of wood are you burning?. I've noticed I have to empty my ash pan a lot more when burning ash, maple and black walnut. If i'm burning oak I empty the ash pan every 8 days ish.

 

[Jags]

If you are like me, and around the stove, you will find that you spend LARGE amounts of time messing with it. Constantly monitoring it, add a split or two, adjust the air intake to maintain a stove top temp +/- 15 degrees of your ideal temp. Wondering if you turn "that" log, if the flame will "look" better.

Mind you, this is not "needed" at all, its just what I do when around the stove.

Other than that, stuff the sucker full 3 or 4 times a day, let the fuel load char, tune the air down to desired stove temp and let 'er cook. Ashes - once every 7 to 10 days.

 

[myzamboni]

Hello all.
As my post count will suggest I am new to this forum, but also will be new to heating with wood this winter. I have a Pacific Insert, and was wondering what type of daily commitment I'll need to make to burning wood. I have all the fuel I believe I'll need, and it is stacked and stored conveniently. Plus, I have two young sons who have been told that they have a new added chore of going out to get wood as necessary through the winter.

Luckily, I work from my home and my office is in the same room as the insert. My question is how much time will I spend maintaining my fire each day (once I've developed the skill of getting the proper fire going). In other words, will I find myself feeding this fire every hour, every couple of hours, etc.? Will I have an ash bed that needs to cleaned daily? Multiple times daily? Just brand new and trying to gauge my total daily commitment.

PS - assume that I am burning at the best, safe temperature in my stove to provide the maximum opportunity to heat the home and reduce my oil consumption.

Thanks

I'm assuming you are referring to wood already split/stacked/seasoning? Otherwise send your boys out now to start gathering wood for next year.

 

[chutes]

I'm assuming you are referring to wood already split/stacked/seasoning? Otherwise send your boys out now to start gathering wood for next year.

Yes. I am talking about them just carrying already seasoned wood from the shed and garage and into the house. They are also accustomed to gathering up kindling as we burn outside all summer and live on a very wooded lot. One day of heavy winds and my yard is filled with downed branches, some of which have long been dead (just waiting for wind to come along, I guess) and are already perfectly seasoned as kindling. They fill up garbage cans of that stuff on a pretty regular basis.

 

[fossil]

If you are like me, and around the stove, you will find that you spend LARGE amounts of time messing with it. Constantly monitoring it, add a split or two, adjust the air intake to maintain a stove top temp +/- 15 degrees of your ideal temp. Wondering if you turn "that" log, if the flame will "look" better.

Mind you, this is not "needed" at all, its just what I do when around the stove.

I figured "Pokey" was the one. (Me too, BTW, we'll have to fight over it). :coolsmirk: Rick

 

[Henz]

you will realize in short order how much you learn the very first year. Give yourself two weeks of burning and you will be a pro. Nobody can tell you how to do it cause every situiation is different. You will know. stoves burn differently, houses are built differently and people have different tolerances. The one thing that I will tell you is dont open the stove up when you dont have to. each time you do you are letting alot of heat go straight up your chimney

 

[Jags]

I figured "Pokey" was the one. (Me too, BTW, we'll have to fight over it). :coolsmirk: Rick

Parry, parry, thrust, appel, lunge. (or is it the other way around?)

 

[Henz]

I take it fossil is retired.

 

[Jags]

I take it fossil is retired.

Yes sir, and I am "Oh So envious."

 

[fossil]

...Parry, parry, thrust, appel, lunge. (or is it the other way around?)

Hell, I don't know. I give up, you can have it, I'll just stick with my funny name. Rick

 

[fossil]

I take it fossil is retired.

Eight years ago. Just keep paying your Federal income taxes and I'll be able to stay that way so long as I keep breathing. Rick

 

[Henz]

yeah, with this huge stock market loss and the big boys filing bankrupcy its not good!

 

[Tfin]

Last year I burnt 100% oak and pretty much burned 24/7. I only need to clean the ashes every 7-8 days. FWIW