fire poking?

[APersonalMatter]

another ridiculous question from me.

im very much enjoying the new napoleon 1402- but im a bit curious as to the benefits of poking the fire. im a tinkerer by nature, and feel the need to poke the fire when the flames die down a bit! the fire is reading around 600 degrees, but the flames have died down to a bluish aura-type look, which is also ok! i suppose what im asking is whether or not my poking the larger logs into a billion small bright red coals is needed or counter-productive!

i included a photo just for fun! (note: the blue is my computer screen, not the fire!).

 

[BrotherBart]

Counter productive. You are just disturbing the burn cycle and sending a shot of cold air up the flue.

But what the hell, it is your stove. Play!

 

[LLigetfa]

The only time I run my poker through the coals is when it's really cold out and I have too many coals that need to be burned down so that I can get more wood on and more heat out. Any other time, I just rake the coals to the front and pile on more wood.

 

[ecocavalier02]

i'll sometimes poke it to brake it down after 10 or 11 hours just some small chunks i that might be in there. defiantly no advantage to doing it midway into the burn.

 

[fallsfire36]

I concur...probably slightly counterproductive....but I tend to tinker as well - its kinda what makes heatin with wood fun. If we wanted to heat conventionally, we would set a thermostat and let the furnace maintain everything. Have fun - poke, tinker, and stay warm.

 

[APersonalMatter]

bwajajaja! many thanks for the prompt input! i'll see if i can at least limit myself!

 

[pen]

I too never poke the fire. Just load and let it roll.

If you see the fire dying down and need to get yours dying chunks of wood burned down so you can reload try opening up the primary air for a while to help you rather than beating them up if they still have something to give.

pen

 

[Mad Tom]

I never poke the fire. I would think that would hurt.

 

[golfandwoodnut]

yea the poker is becoming obsolete with the new stoves. Only time I poke is if a log rolls on the glass or after a burn and a split is black and still intact. What you need is a rake, to rake the coals forward. You might want to check a thread on that, a bunch of us have made our own rakes to move the coals forward.

 

[ecocavalier02]

yea the poker is becoming obsolete with the new stoves. Only time I poke is if a log rolls on the glass or after a burn and a split is black and still intact. What you need is a rake, to rake the coals forward. You might want to check a thread on that, a bunch of us have made our own rakes to move the coals forward.

+ 1 on the rake. The rakes kick butt. Pokers suck for stirring the coals.

 

[Quinte]

And once again, excellent post as I too have been poking from time to time. Recently (thanks to this forum) I just started opening up the airflow about 30 minutes before re-loading. I'm on my way to the store today, so maybe they will have a rake on sale too.

 

[branchburner]

A poker is the main tool I need for my type of stove - can't have logs blocking the rear shoe brick. Quite often if the afterburner stalls I can poke the fire back into a good burn.

 

[corey21]

I don't poke the fire very often that is if a log don't burn up i poke the fire.

 

[northwinds]

I've never used my poker but will poke at the fire with my rake at the beginning to move a piece of wood into a better position or at the
end to rake the coals forward. This time of year, I do less poking because restarts are on a nice bed of coals

 

[woodchip]

There is one really irritating thing, well it irritates me to the point of madness at times...........

Certain types of visitor like to poke about with my fire when I've popped out of the room for a moment, pushing bits about and breaking down the bigger coals.

I almost feel like putting a sign on the fire saying "Don't poke my fire, it makes me angry".............

 

[Backwoods Savage]

yea the poker is becoming obsolete with the new stoves. Only time I poke is if a log rolls on the glass or after a burn and a split is black and still intact. What you need is a rake, to rake the coals forward. You might want to check a thread on that, a bunch of us have made our own rakes to move the coals forward.

With all due respect, we've burned wood for a while now but have never found the need for anything but a poker for this.

When reloading the stove, the first thing I always do once the door is open is to rake the poker though the coals. Sometimes I'll shift the coals forward but most times I simply leave them where they are and do the reload. If it requires, then I'll just use the poker to slide the coals forward. That is best done by turning the poker handle so the pointed end is not down, but sideways. Then moving the coals is easy.

 

[pen]

yea the poker is becoming obsolete with the new stoves. Only time I poke is if a log rolls on the glass or after a burn and a split is black and still intact. What you need is a rake, to rake the coals forward. You might want to check a thread on that, a bunch of us have made our own rakes to move the coals forward.

With all due respect, we've burned wood for a while now but have never found the need for anything but a poker for this.

When reloading the stove, the first thing I always do once the door is open is to rake the poker though the coals. Sometimes I'll shift the coals forward but most times I simply leave them where they are and do the reload. If it requires, then I'll just use the poker to slide the coals forward. That is best done by turning the poker handle so the pointed end is not down, but sideways. Then moving the coals is easy.

That's what I do to, I just use a rake. I did the same w/ the poker in my old fisher, but switched to the rake because of the soft baffle boards that this new stove uses. My buddy pops his boards a few times (he bought a 30 before me) and knocked a hole in them w/ the poker. He switched to a rake and hasn't had a problem since. Now, I assume (since I know him) that's he a drunk ox most of the time and that was the problem, but for the hell of it I decided to take the end off my poker and just add a piece of 1/8 flat steel that's 4in by 6in instead and bolt it on and try it if it. I liked it and have kept it on. I like it most for pushing the ashes away from the front of my stove when removing them w/ the shovel. It scrapes them off the bottom and moves them around for easier cleaning IMO.

But hell, I've used a damn broken axe handle before. Really, use what you like. It's like ribeye vs new york strip.

pen

 

[BrotherBart]

I have torched a few splits in my life myself. And one of the best things I ever did was walk out on the deck one night and throw that damned poker into the woods. The rake I made does it all except for the occasion when I want to move a large split. And the tongs are perfect for that. They don't slip off of or out from under a split and bang against anything.

RIP poker. Wherever you are out there.

 

[Kenster]

And once again, excellent post as I too have been poking from time to time. Recently (thanks to this forum) I just started opening up the airflow about 30 minutes before re-loading. I'm on my way to the store today, so maybe they will have a rake on sale too.

I found a really good, child's size leaf style rake at Lowes. All metal, including handle. Most child/fireplace size are plastic. This one has a handle that is about 30 inches long. At first, I thought I would shorten the handle but the more I've used it the better I like the longer handle.

Rakes are good.

As far as poking the fire.... I don't do too much unless it is to move a log that has rolled down. I think the attraction of poking at a fire comes from the fact that, as adults, no longer is anyone telling us that we can't play with fire.

 

[branchburner]

There is one really irritating thing, well it irritates me to the point of madness at times...........

Certain types of visitor like to poke about with my fire when I've popped out of the room for a moment, pushing bits about and breaking down the bigger coals.

I almost feel like putting a sign on the fire saying "Don't poke my fire, it makes me angry".............

The worst is when someone goes and pokes a fire you have only just finished poking yourself - such re-poking is not just irritating, it's insulting! But to be honest, sometimes I look at a fire on to which someone has just thrown a few logs, and I think "they've done that all wrong." Then I have to consider, is this my fire or theirs, and resist the temptation to become a meddling re-poker myself.

 

[pen]

I think as a general rule, it's best not to poke what belongs to other people. Unless they ask you to :gulp:

pen

 

[BrotherBart]

I think as a general rule, it's best not to poke what belongs to other people. Unless they ask you to :gulp:

pen

Am I the only one that keeps thinking of the mini-series Lonesome Dove every time I see this thread?

 

[golfandwoodnut]

yea the poker is becoming obsolete with the new stoves. Only time I poke is if a log rolls on the glass or after a burn and a split is black and still intact. What you need is a rake, to rake the coals forward. You might want to check a thread on that, a bunch of us have made our own rakes to move the coals forward.

With all due respect, we've burned wood for a while now but have never found the need for anything but a poker for this.

When reloading the stove, the first thing I always do once the door is open is to rake the poker though the coals. Sometimes I'll shift the coals forward but most times I simply leave them where they are and do the reload. If it requires, then I'll just use the poker to slide the coals forward. That is best done by turning the poker handle so the pointed end is not down, but sideways. Then moving the coals is easy.

Gees Dennis, it looks like this is one time alot of folks are disagreeing with you. You learned to use firestarters this year, maybe you should try rake next. It is worth a try. You cannot tell me you can push the ash back and move the coals forward as easy with a poker as you can with a rake.

 

[davidmc]

BrotherBart.......Your not the only one. Guilty

Not only with this thread....a grin comes to my face

 

[firefighterjake]

I think as a general rule, it's best not to poke what belongs to other people. Unless they ask you to :gulp:

pen

. . . and even then it may not be a good idea to poke.