differant woods make for a better fire

[johnsopi]

Mixing differant kinds of wood seems to help control how hot the house gets. Poplar to start then moving to the hardwoods as the sun goes down and it gets colder. Last night I was able to keep the house in the 73-75% range. I'm hoping that the sun will warm the house during the day and keep it in the 70's.
Last year I only had oak and walnut and over heated the house offon.I'm trying to not open window as much this year. P.S I do really enjoy the whole wood burning experince. Before heating with wood I did not like the cold nowI look forward to it.

 

[Todd]

That's the art of wood burning. Using the softer woods for take the chill off fires or start ups, and the hard woods for the overnighters. I have found that during these swing months of fall and spring, I can get away with a single load fire and keep the house warm till the next day. It is tempting to burn more, but it would just be a waste of firewood and heat.

 

[Corey]

I've found that size is as important, or more so than species. If I want a small fire, just throw in some small sticks or very small splits of about any wood, burn it, and let it die down. A good hot fire usually comes from 3-4 splits in the 3x4" range all burning at once. A long overnight fire comes from 1-2 very large splits (nearly square if possible) laid in the stove for a tight fit.