Got a load of small splits

[lml999]

My wood guy delivered a load of wood, warning me in advance that the splits are pretty small. He was right...

How do you safely run a stove with small splits. I've got an Encore 1200 insert.

Do I pack them together like they're larger splits, or do I just go sparse and run smaller fires?

Thanks!

 

[My Oslo heats my home]

If thats all you have is the smaller splits, burn it the same as the larger ones. Fill up the FB and burn away like you normally would.
Since I split my own, I do make a small amount of smaller splits to use in the stove. Some are used in the startups and others are used
to fill small cavities when I pack the FB tight.

 

[begreen]

If they are recently split it may help them dry out and burn better. If they are already seasoned I would get another load of thicker splits and mix them.

 

[Andy S.]

How do you safely run a stove with small splits.

This is really interesting. The 1200 has a 1.85' firebox. My HI200 has 1.4' and some of these guys have 3' beasts. To what extent is "small" relative to the firebox? My perfect split might be "small" for the 1200 and might be kindling for the T6. Is there a rule or formula?

 

[Nick Mystic]

When you say, "small splits" that can cover a lot of territory. Are you talking about kindling size splits (an inch or two) or 3" splits and bigger? A picture would help get better feedback. One word of caution, before you load the stove to the gills with small pieces of wood be aware that all the extra surface area afforded from such small pieces means a potentially super hot fire. I wouldn't want to burn such a load if I had any doubt my chimney was free of creosote. If you are going to burn these small pieces without large splits mixed in I'd start with smaller amounts and monitor how hot the stove is getting before you do a full load of the stuff.