Going through wood too quickly?

[tg27]

Hi there!

First off, I'm sorry for posting this...I'm sure you get a lot of newbies like me asking this very question. BUT...I was struggling to find answers elsewhere.

So here goes...I recently moved into a new house that had a Jotul Firelight 12. I was so excited, having grown up in a house with a wood stove. I had the stove inspected and the lining in the chimney replaced, and I was good to go!

That was mid January. Since then, I've been burning Friday through Sunday, and I LOVE it. I look forward to firing it up all week. But, as the title indicates, I'm shocked at how quickly I've gone through my wood. I started off with a cord, and I have one...maybe two...weekends left.

I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong (or maybe this is normal). I know there are a lot of variables. The wood was allegedly seasoned (I don't have a moisture meter). As far as operating the stove goes, I fire it up, let it get hot, close the damper, then back off the air flow. I'm not sure what else I should be doing.

Any advice? I appreciate the help.

 

[alivegas99]

You could be burning low btu wood. You’d certainly get more out of a cord of oak than pine.

Also, a fire is going in my stove 90% of the winter and we are going to probably go through almost 5 cords when its all said and done. That is with a new cat stove. It goes fast, especially in the dead of winter when you keep the stove pumping out big heat

You also may not have had a full cord of wood. Do you have a shed with known dimensions you measured against or just eyeballing?

 

[mark cline]

Where are you located? Northern Ontario , you would use more wood than the Carolinas.

 

[ShawnLiNY]

Hi there!

First off, I'm sorry for posting this...I'm sure you get a lot of newbies like me asking this very question. BUT...I was struggling to find answers elsewhere.

So here goes...I recently moved into a new house that had a Jotul Firelight 12. I was so excited, having grown up in a house with a wood stove. I had the stove inspected and the lining in the chimney replaced, and I was good to go!

That was mid January. Since then, I've been burning Friday through Sunday, and I LOVE it. I look forward to firing it up all week. But, as the title indicates, I'm shocked at how quickly I've gone through my wood. I started off with a cord, and I have one...maybe two...weekends left.

I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong (or maybe this is normal). I know there are a lot of variables. The wood was allegedly seasoned (I don't have a moisture meter). As far as operating the stove goes, I fire it up, let it get hot, close the damper, then back off the air flow. I'm not sure what else I should be doing.

Any advice? I appreciate the help.

Be sure gasket for ash door is sealing well ( some people leave the try full which reduces the blast furnace effect ) #2 maybe the catalyst needs to be changed typically only last 4-5 years

 

[kennyp2339]

Whats your definition of a cord of wood? 4ftx4ftx8ft = 128sq ft is what a true cord is, many people don't understand that concept and think (2) racks or a mason dump load dropped in the driveway is a cord of wood.
4 weeks of burning 3 days a week seems like wood usage is high if its truly a cord of wood, a cord should last approx. 4 wks of 24/7 burning on average, some people can stretch that longer.
What are your stove & stack temps, stove top should be between 500 - 650 deg f and chimney temps should be 450 deg f or so.

 

[ShawnLiNY]

Alivegas99 has a great point a full cord is 4x4x8 feet , down here it's very common for Craigslist sellers to show up with a pickup truck bed of wood which is not even close to 1/2 cord if just thrown in a pile

 

[Kwehme09]

A few suggestions to build on what the others have said. I'd get some sort of thermometer for the stove and learn how to read it. There will be different suggestions for what to use for a thermometer and where to put it, and you'll want to research this separately, but the idea is coming up with a way to monitor what the fire is doing.

If even after you damp your fire down, your stove runs really hot, your stove probably has some air leaks somewhere and your overfiring it which is killing your wood consumption. If your fire is running in the temperature range it should (not too low though!), it may be a wood issue. Either the wood is wet and you are wasting BTU's on drying it while you burn it, or its low BTU wood and you are needing to use a lot to get a little.

I'd say more often than not, the problem is the wood.

 

[tg27]

You could be burning low btu wood. You’d certainly get more out of a cord of oak than pine.

Also, a fire is going in my stove 90% of the winter and we are going to probably go through almost 5 cords when its all said and done. That is with a new cat stove. It goes fast, especially in the dead of winter when you keep the stove pumping out big heat

You also may not have had a full cord of wood. Do you have a shed with known dimensions you measured against or just eyeballing?

I'm embarrassed to say I don't even know what kind of wood it is. I'm going to email the guy to find out.

Regarding wether or not it's a full cord...I don't have a shed, but I this 12 foot rack that allegedly holds almost a full cord. When I got my delivery, 90% of my order fit on the rack. So, I assumed the order was accurate.

Either way, I'm going to find out what kind of wood it is.

 

[tg27]

Be sure gasket for ash door is sealing well ( some people leave the try full which reduces the blast furnace effect ) #2 maybe the catalyst needs to be changed typically only last 4-5 years

Good call about the door. I don't really pay much attention to it. How would I know if the gasket needed to be replaced?

The catalyst, I assume, was inspected along with the stove. Is there anyway I can check it? I also saw a receipt for a new one in my paperwork for the stove. I have to dig that out and see when it's from (hopefully it's not from 2004 or something like that).

 

[Mech e]

How high was the wood stacked on the 12' rack and how long are the pieces cut?

 

[tg27]

Whats your definition of a cord of wood? 4ftx4ftx8ft = 128sq ft is what a true cord is, many people don't understand that concept and think (2) racks or a mason dump load dropped in the driveway is a cord of wood.
4 weeks of burning 3 days a week seems like wood usage is high if its truly a cord of wood, a cord should last approx. 4 wks of 24/7 burning on average, some people can stretch that longer.
What are your stove & stack temps, stove top should be between 500 - 650 deg f and chimney temps should be 450 deg f or so.

The majority (I'd say about 90%) of the "cord" I ordered fit in this 12-foot rack. Think that sounds legit?

Regarding the temps, I have a magnetic thermometer on the stove pipe. When I light or reload, I let the temp get up between 400 and 500. At that point, I close the damper to engage the catalyst. After everything is running okay, I keep a couple of logs in there burning around 300.

 

[tg27]

A few suggestions to build on what the others have said. I'd get some sort of thermometer for the stove and learn how to read it. There will be different suggestions for what to use for a thermometer and where to put it, and you'll want to research this separately, but the idea is coming up with a way to monitor what the fire is doing.

If even after you damp your fire down, your stove runs really hot, your stove probably has some air leaks somewhere and your overfiring it which is killing your wood consumption. If your fire is running in the temperature range it should (not too low though!), it may be a wood issue. Either the wood is wet and you are wasting BTU's on drying it while you burn it, or its low BTU wood and you are needing to use a lot to get a little.

I'd say more often than not, the problem is the wood.

After it's all fired up and going, I've been running it with a couple of logs the majority of the time, and the thermometer on the stove pipe is usually around 300.

 

[ShawnLiNY]

In the specs for that rack it says it holds 3 5ths of a cord so you have used approximately 1/2 a cord

 

[tg27]

How high was the wood stacked on the 12' rack and how long are the pieces cut?

Stacked about 3' high. The pieces range from maybe 12" to 18".

 

[tg27]

In the specs for that rack it says it holds 3 5ths of a cord so you have used approximately 1/2 a cord

I had a second stack that wouldn't fit on the rack. Maybe about 3' x 4'.

 

[jatoxico]

Get the manual and read here to make sure you're running the stove correctly. Maybe new thread specifically about operation.

 

[tg27]

Get the manual and read here to make sure you're running the stove correctly. Maybe new thread specifically about operation.

I did read the manual (previous homeowner saved EVERYTHING). But great idea about the operation thread...only because I'm new here, is there a specific forum I should post a question like that in?

 

[ShawnLiNY]

I did read the manual (previous homeowner saved EVERYTHING). But great idea about the operation thread...only because I'm new here, is there a specific forum I should post a question like that in?

Did the seller represent that he gave you a full cord? You have used less than half of what you originally speculated . You would need to have the rack stacked 8' high x 12 in order to store 1 cord , additionally you should spen the 15- on a meter as 90% of the time wood which is called seasoned /ready to burn is only 3-6 months cut and split

 

[Woody Stover]

That's not even half a cord.
@Ashful

 

[tg27]

Did the seller represent that he gave you a full cord? You have used less than half of what you originally speculated . You would need to have the rack stacked 8' high x 12 in order to store 1 cord , additionally you should spen the 15- on a meter as 90% of the time wood which is called seasoned /ready to burn is only 3-6 months cut and split

Holy cow. Yes...the invoice absolutely says 1 cord. I got ripped off!

 

[Woody Stover]

the invoice absolutely says 1 cord. I got ripped off!

You gotta watch those guys like a hawk. They will also tell you it's "seasoned" wood...all they did was grind a bit of pepper on it. It's almost never dry. And if you're burning wet wood, you will use more because you have to burn it hotter to get the same stove temp.

 

[ShawnLiNY]

Holy cow. Yes...the invoice absolutely says 1 cord. I got ripped off!

It has happened to most of us , ( that's actually a really serious crime if he is licensed . ) your county may have a weights and measure s dept your state definitely will . Hard to prove after the fact but he may have numerous complaints already . It's pretty much guaranteed that if he shorted you a half cord that was wet wood . Stock up with a different seller so it will be ready for next season

 

[ShawnLiNY]

Holy cow. Yes...the invoice absolutely says 1 cord. I got ripped off!
[/QUOT It is possible that it was an employee who diverted the wood elsewhere so it might be worth calling the company ( unless you dealt with the owner last time )

 

[showrguy]

Holy cow. Yes...the invoice absolutely says 1 cord. I got ripped off!

Noooo... You got a lesson !!

 

[MAD MARK]

Take a picture of the wood and we will tell you what it is.