Extend burn time? 100%=burn too quick/20%=smolder

[Jotel me this]

Are you supposed to see a constant flame even if its tiny?

After i stuff it full with wood, with the air vent open 100% it burns nice and bright and hot... but FAST.. ..not lasting more than maybe 1-2 hours (top picture)

With the air vent at ~20% it smolders (bottom picture..seconds later the flame went out).

Wanting to leave it unattended while at work (seeing the F-55 is a house furnace), and seeing i wont be home to adjust the air intake up/down to keep a flame..

..and seeing ive heard that smoldering fires create creosote and are lost BTUs...

is there a 'sweet point' you know of? its easy to have a roaring fire.. just keep the air intake open.

Ive read many in here who say the stuff it full, lower the air intake, and forget about it.. but i dont get how that works seeing when i try it, the flames die down.

Many in here talk about the secondary burn which burns the gases and that you need that for a 'good burn'.. but you cant burn the top gasses if you dont have a flame.

ideas?

 

[lsucet]

I believe that's secondaries. They burn on top not from the wood. Those stoves have other ports that supply air to the wood to make it out gas when the primary air is shut. Most of the time you will see flames on top from the secondary tubes and ghost flames around in the firebox. I am going for what I am seeing on the second picture.

 

[lsucet]

If you leave it 100% open you will be over firing the stove and that is dangerous.

 

[begreen]

How well seasoned is the wood being burned? Partially seasoned wood will need more air than fully seasoned wood.

The second picture shows a more proper burn. Don't run the stove wide open with a full load of wood, It will likely overfire the stove and stove pipe, sending a lot of very hot flue gases up the flue. Next time try it in increments, turn down the air to say 40% instead of 20%, then wait 5-10 minutes and turn it down again to say 30 or 25%. Slow wafting flames over the wood are ok.

Draft will vary with outdoor temps. As it gets colder outside you may be able to turn down the air more aggressively without stalling the fire. You are close, just need a bit more practice. A flue and stove top thermometer will help a lot to guide you with proper burning temp and timing of air shut down.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Temp outside and chimney height may influence the fire too.

 

[Jotel me this]

How well seasoned is the wood being burned? Partially seasoned wood will need more air than fully seasoned wood.

The second picture shows a more proper burn. Don't run the stove wide open with a full load of wood, It will likely overfire the stove and stove pipe, sending a lot of very hot flue gases up the flue. Next time try it in increments, turn down the air to say 40% instead of 20%, then wait 5-10 minutes and turn it down again to say 30 or 25%. Slow wafting flames over the wood are ok.

Draft will vary with outdoor temps. As it gets colder outside you may be able to turn down the air more aggressively without stalling the fire. You are close, just need a bit more practice. A flue and stove top thermometer will help a lot to guide you with proper burning temp and timing of air shut down.

good point. when it gets cold the draft will get better.
So here are the results 4 hours later..



..without stoking it at all (pretending like i would be at work), you can see the box is loaded with coals and ash.

is this what it's supposed to look like...so much coals built up that high?

THANKS!

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Could be, coaling can depend on wood species and moisture content.

Have you tested the moisture content of your wood?

 

[Jotel me this]

Could be, coaling can depend on wood species and moisture content.

Have you tested the moisture content of your wood?

yep. i test all batches of wood. reading at 19.3%. not sure of the species.

do you think im expecting 'too much'?

 

[begreen]

yep. i test all batches of wood. reading at 19.3%. not sure of the species.

do you think im expecting 'too much'?

How are you testing wood moisture?

 

[Jotel me this]

How are you testing wood moisture?

with a moisture meter with two prongs

 

[begreen]

with a moisture meter with two prongs

How are you using it? Are you testing end grain, middle of the log or splitting the log in half and testing on the freshly exposed face of the wood?

 

[Jotel me this]

How are you using it? Are you testing end grain, middle of the log or splitting the log in half and testing on the freshly exposed face of the wood?

split piece in half, test center.

 

[Jotel me this]

So when you have a bed of coals/ash like this... am i supposed to rake it/flatten it down and then add more wood?

after 4 hours burn time...

 

[lsucet]

So when you have a bed of coals/ash like this... am i supposed to rake it/flatten it down and then add more wood?

after 4 hours burn time...

View attachment 231436

I believe there is still a lot of usable heat from those coals. That is part of the burn cycle and should give you good heat. Is your house losing temp?

 

[Jotel me this]

I believe there is still a lot of usable heat from those coals. That is part of the burn cycle and should give you good heat. Is your house losing temp?

ahhh ok. thanks. this makes me feel better. yes, theres still alot of heat coming off. the top of the stove is reading 357 degrees.

does it create more creosote at this temp? i thought (and could be wrong) that it has to be over X degrees to prevent creosote.

 

[Jotel me this]

this is with the door open to get a good view of the coals with the air vent fully open. think i should rake them down?
im not trying to burn myself out of the house but want to maintain the 69 degree temp.

4.5 hours burn time no stoked yet...

 

[lsucet]

ahhh ok. thanks. this makes me feel better. yes, theres still alot of heat coming off. the top of the stove is reading 357 degrees.

does it create more creosote at this temp? i thought (and could be wrong) that it has to be over X degrees to prevent creosote.

At this stage of the burn there is no creosote creation. That is at the first phase of the burn when you reload. That is why is good to have a good burning practice at that point to minimize the creosote. At this point as mentioned before, no worries about it.

 

[Jotel me this]

At this stage of the burn there is no creosote creation. That is at the first phase of the burn when you reload. That is why is good to have a good burning practice at that point to minimize the creosote. At this point as mentioned before, no worries about it.

thanks for yours and everyone else's help.

so pretty much.. just let the fire go through the cycle, and when im ready... load more. repeat.

 

[begreen]

You have a choice at this stage. If temps outside are mild, then just let the coals continue to burn down. Different wood species will coal up in different ways. If the house is cooling down and you want to reduce the coal bed a little more quickly you can put a couple small 2" splits on the coals and open the air a little, say to 30%. Pine limbs work well for this, but any dry wood will work. They will provide a bit more heat as the coals burn down.

Looks like the stove will be ready to reload in about 30-60 minutes.

 

[lsucet]

I will say, yes. Burn down those coals more before reload. I do love the heat from coals. It feels different and clean.

 

[Jotel me this]

You have a choice at this stage. If temps outside are mild, then just let the coals continue to burn down. Different wood species will coal up in different ways. If the house is cooling down and you want to reduce the coal bed a little more quickly you can put a couple small 2" splits on the coals and open the air a little, say to 30%. Pine limbs work well for this, but any dry wood will work. They will provide a bit more heat as the coals burn down.

Looks like the stove will be ready to reload in about 30-60 minutes.

Thanks so much! So i guess 5 hour burn time and still giving off heat is pretty good then?

YOU HAVE 73,003 MESSAGES ON YOUR PROFILE!?

.. I only need 72,961 more to catch up.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

It'll get easier as you get used to the stove.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

When you get down to a few coals and want to reload, stir them with the poker to get the ash to fall and large coals to float to the top. Then pull them toward you to the front of the box. When the air moves over them it'll blow the hot air into the wood to light the new charge. Sometimes cutting a channel into the center of the berm helps.