Fisher Grandma Bear doesn't like to start?

[the_highest_elf]

Hello all, my girlfriend and I spent the last year living in a tiny cabin with a train stove in it and that was interesting and easy enough to work with, but now we've moved into a much nicer place and it came with a Fisher Grandma Bear.

The issue I've been having here is getting the fire actually started ok, I've been starting the fire with paper and kindling with maybe one or two larger logs on top, but with the flat bottom it seems like the wood on the bottom won't ever burn properly. Additionally, unless I get a really strong fire going it won't stay lit unless the front doors are cracked open whether or not there's a good bed of embers.

I've tried it with the intakes and flue wide open, but no matter what, it'll go right to smoking and smoldering if I shut the doors all the way. The only success I've had is starting a larger fire than we need, almost driving us out of the house, leaving the doors cracked for an hour or so, and then maybe adding more kindling and shutting them... but that doesn't seem to be the intended operation... I'm halfway considering throwing some spaced out firebricks into the bottom just to leave a gap for air, but I'm completely new to this so I want to see if I'm just doing something wrong.

 

[brenndatomu]

Sounds like you are trying to burn wood that is not dry/ready to burn...for best results burn only wood that is less than 20% internal moisture content, verified with a moisture meter by probing the center of the wood, right after it has been resplit, testing on the fresh face.
Testing the outside or ends is worthless, means nothing as far as internal moisture.
Depending on what species of wood you have, it can take between 1 and 3 years to get it dried well enough to burn well in a stove, and that's after it's been cut to length, split, and stacked, preferably with a cover over the top, sides open for ventilation.

What is the outdoor temp there now? Most chimneys don't draft well, especially from a cold start, once outdoor temps get much over 40 or 50*F. And the chimney draft is what makes the stove work, without it, you have a small black steel box to store wood in.
Might be a combination of wet wood and too warm?
Also, how tall is the chimney...short chimneys (let's say below 15') tend to do poorly in warmer weather too.

 

[CatfishHunter]

I was also going to suggest that it is a draft problem. If you are closing the door and the fire is dying, that's because it is starving for air.

First crack a window/door somewhere in the room, then set up your kindling in the stove bottom. Next light a big piece of newspaper or even a piece of cardboard. Hold it in the bottom of the chimney opening in the stove. The hot air will rise and combine with the open door/window to draw air through the house and up the chimney. Once you notice the air flowing up, use the newspaper/cardboard to light your kindling. It should stay lit.

I have an early 90s stove. I leave the door open for the first 5-15 minutes while I am building up the fire bed, then close the door.

If you're struggling with the kindling, I'll also echo the advice to ensure it's very dry and very small kindling at first. Each fall I make some emergency fire starters - those paper ketchup cups, cedar wood shavings, and paraffin wax.

 

[Murray01]

Anything in the chimney that shouldn’t be there?

 

[the_highest_elf]

We've inherited the last tenants wood, but it comes from a company that delivers seasoned wood to the area, so I'm fairly certain that shouldn't be the issue, the outside temperature might be the issue, I think the lows have been just around 50 and we're mainly burning to keep the cabin warm overnight and in the morning instead of purely relying on the propane heater. The chimney seems to be right around 15' from the top of the stove, so the weather warming up may be it.

Sounds like you are trying to burn wood that is not dry/ready to burn...for best results burn only wood that is less than 20% internal moisture content, verified with a moisture meter by probing the center of the wood, right after it has been resplit, testing on the fresh face.
Testing the outside or ends is worthless, means nothing as far as internal moisture.
Depending on what species of wood you have, it can take between 1 and 3 years to get it dried well enough to burn well in a stove, and that's after it's been cut to length, split, and stacked, preferably with a cover over the top, sides open for ventilation.

What is the outdoor temp there now? Most chimneys don't draft well, especially from a cold start, once outdoor temps get much over 40 or 50*F. And the chimney draft is what makes the stove work, without it, you have a small black steel box to store wood in.
Might be a combination of wet wood and too warm?
Also, how tall is the chimney...short chimneys (let's say below 15') tend to do poorly in warmer weather too.

 

[the_highest_elf]

Anything in the chimney that shouldn’t be there?

This is the next thing I plan on asking the owners, I'm not sure when the chimney was cleaned last, but that's about the only thing I think could be an issue other than the outside temperature being a bit warm

 

[the_highest_elf]

I was also going to suggest that it is a draft problem. If you are closing the door and the fire is dying, that's because it is starving for air.

First crack a window/door somewhere in the room, then set up your kindling in the stove bottom. Next light a big piece of newspaper or even a piece of cardboard. Hold it in the bottom of the chimney opening in the stove. The hot air will rise and combine with the open door/window to draw air through the house and up the chimney. Once you notice the air flowing up, use the newspaper/cardboard to light your kindling. It should stay lit.

I have an early 90s stove. I leave the door open for the first 5-15 minutes while I am building up the fire bed, then close the door.

If you're struggling with the kindling, I'll also echo the advice to ensure it's very dry and very small kindling at first. Each fall I make some emergency fire starters - those paper ketchup cups, cedar wood shavings, and paraffin wax.

We've got a decent space and a lot of windows, so I don't think the overall draft is a problem... once it gets going it seems fine, windows open or not, I just have to leave the door cracked for an hour or two until it really gets a big bed of embers going which seems a bit excessive. At this point I'm thinking it's gotta be the chimney or the outside temps, I think my plan will be to find some firebricks and/or a grate to lay on the bottom and give it extra space to pull air, kinda like burning charcoal but not haha

 

[bholler]

We've inherited the last tenants wood, but it comes from a company that delivers seasoned wood to the area, so I'm fairly certain that shouldn't be the issue, the outside temperature might be the issue, I think the lows have been just around 50 and we're mainly burning to keep the cabin warm overnight and in the morning instead of purely relying on the propane heater. The chimney seems to be right around 15' from the top of the stove, so the weather warming up may be it.

Get a moisture meter. Its probably not dry.

 

[bigealta]

Wet wood (not yet seasoned enough) 95% sure that's the problem. It almost always is the problem.

 

[Whitenuckler]

We've got a decent space and a lot of windows, so I don't think the overall draft is a problem... once it gets going it seems fine, windows open or not, I just have to leave the door cracked for an hour or two until it really gets a big bed of embers going which seems a bit excessive. At this point I'm thinking it's gotta be the chimney or the outside temps, I think my plan will be to find some firebricks and/or a grate to lay on the bottom and give it extra space to pull air, kinda like burning charcoal but not haha

Can you get any wood (maybe buy some) and get a nice softwood fire going, then add dry hardwood. Forget the stuff you have now for the experiment. Probably getting too warm now? That is one thing I'm liking with my pellet stove now...turn on - turn off

 

[brenndatomu]

Very likely the wood is not really dry...that coupled with low draft from warm outdoor temps would definitely cause trouble for most people!

 

[the_highest_elf]

thanks for the replies everyone, I think getting a moisture meter is probably a good call, so far it's been working fine if I leave the doors ever so slightly cracked but we'll have to see what the wood looks like.