dross or ash

[chiggyfenton]

HI guys this is my first winter with the country kiln stove. It's not very sophisticated but heats pretty well with hardwood. It's a multi-fuel burner but i only use wood as I can use the ash in the chicken coop and in the gardens. I know for a coal fire to keep it burner long and slow you bank it up with some wet dross (coal dust). What is the equivalent for purely wood? I dont want to contaminate it with fossil fuel. Any tips on keeping it burning all night?
And is it true to open the vent above a wood fire and below for coal?

thanks

Chiggy in gloucestershire

 

[zzr7ky]

Hi -

About all one can do to keep a fire burning cleanly is pack more fuel in. So one needs a larger firebox. Failing that (like my stove) an hour and a half or better before bed I add a load of wood, and run it a bit hard (more air), get a deep bed of coals, then re-load with some nice straight heavy splits of Oak, Hickory, or Locust. Once they're burning well I damp it down, but not so much that I'll see soot deposit on the glass in the morning.

All the best,
Mike

 

[Wood Duck]

Loading a stove with wet coal dust is going to waste a lot of heat - sure maybe it burns longer, but you're evaporating water and sending it up the flue instead of heating the house. The equivalent for wood burning is to throw some big unseasoned rounds in the stove. You'll get a long burn, not much heat, and lots of creosote in the chimney. I'd rather just start a fresh fire in the morning.