Grandma bear running time

[ajbildeaux78]

I'm wondering what the average run time you’re all getting in your grandma bear stoves? Mine is a ‘76, so it’s older with solid doors.
I can usually get 5-6 hours at a time before I have to reload, but it is exceptionally cold this weekend and I think it might be affecting it. It was close to -50F below this morning!
Any ideas how I can increase my burn time, or is that about average?

 

[coaly]

The easiest way to increase your burn time is to move to PA ! A Grandpa would help too..... No wonder your doors are white !
You're doing great.

 

[ajbildeaux78]

The whole reason I found this forum was because we were looking to upgrade to something bigger! But it’s good to hear that we’re doing well with it. I had never used a wood stove until 2012, and it had a bit of a learning curve.

 

[coaly]

A baffle plate inside is the best improvement and simplest. Did you find the baffle thread? Later double doors had what Fisher called the Smoke Shelf Baffle, but they could only make them so the stove would work with larger chimneys they may be connected to, wasting more heat than necessary up smaller chimneys. Fine tuning a baffle to your chimney flue and connector pipe configuration makes a huge difference.

 

[Todd67]

I run a ceiling fan on low setting all winter, pushing air down. I get much longer burn times and more efficient heat (burn less wood) than if I don't run the fan.

Besides a ceiling fan, and a baffle plate as coaly suggested (it makes a HUGE difference), do you have a stove pipe thermometer?

When I load my stove, I first open the draft caps all the way. Then I load the stove and close the doors. I leave the draft caps open all the way until the thermometer reaches 400-500 degrees. Then I close the draft caps all the way, then I open the draft caps a 1/4 turn (barely open), or open a half turn if it's crazy cold in the morning. It's minus 10 right now, with a -30 wind chill and my draft caps are open 1/4 turn.

The quality of your wood will make a big difference too. I am burning some mixed mystery firewood that came with a stove I bought less than a month ago. I can only get 6 hours burn with this wood. It is over-seasoned, and doesn't give the 10-12 hour burn times that I get with properly seasoned ash and maple.

 

[Todd67]

It's -13 this morning with a -30 wind chill (10 mph wind). At the 6 hour burn time my stove had a very nice bed of coals, at least 3-4" deep.

This is cordwood that someone purchased, and all of the splits are 14-16" long, which is too short for my stove. I cut all of my wood to 18-20" long, some smaller rounds I will leave up to 24" long, so I can fit more wood in n my stove that way.

 

[ajbildeaux78]

I see how adding a baffle plate would help. I’ll check into it and see what we can do. Thanks!
The temp finally went back up to above zero, but then we got 5 inches of snow. Now the bitter cold temps are on they way back in. Friday is supposed to be a high of -8, with a low of -29. Throw in some wind chill and we’re back in the -40’s.
Winter in MN can be tough, but the other 6 months of the year make up for it!

A baffle plate inside is the best improvement and simplest. Did you find the baffle thread? Later double doors had what Fisher called the Smoke Shelf Baffle, but they could only make them so the stove would work with larger chimneys they may be connected to, wasting more heat than necessary up smaller chimneys. Fine tuning a baffle to your chimney flue and connector pipe configuration makes a huge difference.

 

[Todd67]

I think this is the Baffle Thread coaly was talking about. I used 5/16" thick plate steel to resist warping.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads...d-fisher-more-heat-less-smoke-under-25.74710/

 

[Todd67]

My baffle plate had to be bigger than coaly's because my Mama Bear doesn't have that nice shelf under the rear vent pipe like his does. So my plate sits on top of a sideways firebrick in the back.

Make a template out of cardboard so you know what size plate you need.

 

[Piney]

I get the same times burning pine. We added the baffle. Our ceiling fan blows up all winter. Our Grandma has white doors too. It was only -5F this morning. Unseasonably warm. The stove burns 24/7 for 7 months of the year and heats a 1300 sqft house.
When it is really cold the kitchen wood burning cook stove helps as Grandma is in a far corner in a vaulted room with 16ft high ceilings and the ceilings are cathedral with about 1/2 the insulation they should have (only R20). The house is architecturally odd and the stove is probably in the worst place for a single point heat source to be.
But we survive.

 

[Todd67]

I get the same times burning pine. We added the baffle. Our ceiling fan blows up all winter. Our Grandma has white doors too. It was only -5F this morning. Unseasonably warm. The stove burns 24/7 for 7 months of the year and heats a 1300 sqft house.
When it is really cold the kitchen wood burning cook stove helps as Grandma is in a far corner in a vaulted room with 16ft high ceilings and the ceilings are cathedral with about 1/2 the insulation they should have (only R20). The house is architecturally odd and the stove is probably in the worst place for a single point heat source to be.
But we survive.

Vaulted ceilings were a deal breaker when we were house hunting in 2008. The heat goes straight up and gets trapped there, and is never really a factor in heating the "living" spaces in the house. Our mud room had a vaulted ceiling, and it was the farthest room away from the woodstove. So we left that ceiling and insulation in place, then added a lower ceiling and more insulation, and now the mud room is only a few degrees cooler than the rest of the house.

Have you tried running your ceiling fan so that it pushes the warm air down instead of pulling the warm air up? We have our ceiling fan above the woodstove pushing air down all winter, because it seems to work better than if it's pulling air up.

It was -23 here yesterday morning, with a -38 wind chill. Our 2 story house is poorly insulated and drafty around the windows. When the wind blows, the curtains blow. No part of my Fisher stove is white from over-firing. I never leave my draft caps open more that half a turn, not half way open, but half a turn open.

 

[Piney]

Oh yes, vaulted ceilings bite. I could easily extend the loft floor making a normal ceiling height, getting a bonus room and improving the heat flow but there is this wife that likes the look of the high ceilings ......
We are a 1 1/2 story according to the assessment board but the house is weird. The central part has the loft and true vault and the 'spurs' (for lack of a better term) are all cathedral from 12' to 8'. The most distant room has stairs down to a cold room. It's all 2x6. It has a weird foot print - as if someone said 'let's build a spread out rancher laid out to be extremely difficult to heat adequately with a single point heat source and let's put the stove over in a far corner in the only room with 16' ceilings'.
Sigh.
I suspect I'd be using two or three modern EPA stoves to heat this monster if I didn't have the fisher.
The white door patches are just me overfiring on occasion when I ramp it up at lighting to consume creosote. I have let it go too high once in a while because of distractions - children, wife...... but I don't worry because the chimney system is top notch and I get back before it's ridiculous.
I have switched the fan direction from time to time. Blowing down is satisfactory except when I let the house cool for some purpose of my own and then the moving air is annoying to the family. We have been -63 but that isn't common any more so we know the fisher heats the house fine. It's only -5 F again today (oddly warm). The overnight burn was 8 hours using softwood with the dampers just under 1/4 open. It's running as it should. As it always has.
The high vaulted ceiling thing is a bone of contention. The stove should be moved but, really, if I haven't done it after all these years it's safe to say I never will.
Fwiw: I use the same lighting procedure you do. Works great, helps the chimney stay clean. Never found a better system.

 

[Todd67]

Oh yes, vaulted ceilings bite. I could easily extend the loft floor making a normal ceiling height, getting a bonus room and improving the heat flow but there is this wife that likes the look of the high ceilings ......
We are a 1 1/2 story according to the assessment board but the house is weird. The central part has the loft and true vault and the 'spurs' (for lack of a better term) are all cathedral from 12' to 8'. The most distant room has stairs down to a cold room. It's all 2x6. It has a weird foot print - as if someone said 'let's build a spread out rancher laid out to be extremely difficult to heat adequately with a single point heat source and let's put the stove over in a far corner in the only room with 16' ceilings'.
Sigh.
I suspect I'd be using two or three modern EPA stoves to heat this monster if I didn't have the fisher.
The white door patches are just me overfiring on occasion when I ramp it up at lighting to consume creosote. I have let it go too high once in a while because of distractions - children, wife...... but I don't worry because the chimney system is top notch and I get back before it's ridiculous.
I have switched the fan direction from time to time. Blowing down is satisfactory except when I let the house cool for some purpose of my own and then the moving air is annoying to the family. We have been -63 but that isn't common any more so we know the fisher heats the house fine. It's only -5 F again today (oddly warm). The overnight burn was 8 hours using softwood with the dampers just under 1/4 open. It's running as it should. As it always has.
The high vaulted ceiling thing is a bone of contention. The stove should be moved but, really, if I haven't done it after all these years it's safe to say I never will.
Fwiw: I use the same lighting procedure you do. Works great, helps the chimney stay clean. Never found a better system.

It sounds like you are doing everything you can with your floor plan and stove position. I agree that your Fisher stove is the best option for your house, other than a single door Mama or Papa. The single door stoves are supposed to burn more efficient than the double door stoves, according to what I've read on this forum.

Before we lowered our mud room ceiling we considered putting our Baby Bear in the mud room. But I wasn't sure how well it would work with both stoves running at the same time, if they would try to draft against each other. But I'm not dealing with different levels in my floor plan like you are. That's adds a whole different challenge to heating the lower level.

 

[Piney]

It sounds like you are doing everything you can with your floor plan and stove position. I agree that your Fisher stove is the best option for your house, other than a single door Mama or Papa. The single door stoves are supposed to burn more efficient than the double door stoves, according to what I've read on this forum.

Before we lowered our mud room ceiling we considered putting our Baby Bear in the mud room. But I wasn't sure how well it would work with both stoves running at the same time, if they would try to draft against each other. But I'm not dealing with different levels in my floor plan like you are. That's adds a whole different challenge to heating the lower level.

Yah, for sure. I've no worries about drafting when it comes to another stove for, reasons, but all I've got are a couple mama bears to use and they're great but I'd rather not commit to the wood etc etc. It all works now but it isn't all ideal. I use a mama in the shop, fwiw. Without building a floor yo mask the vault or moving the stove I figure it's done. Someone can change it after I'm safely in the ground.
Besides, the kids like waiting for coals by opening the doors and putting on the screen then, after a while, roasting hot dogs and stuff.
That consumes wood but they will revolt if the double door stove is removed

 

[bholler]

It sounds like you are doing everything you can with your floor plan and stove position. I agree that your Fisher stove is the best option for your house, other than a single door Mama or Papa. The single door stoves are supposed to burn more efficient than the double door stoves, according to what I've read on this forum.

Before we lowered our mud room ceiling we considered putting our Baby Bear in the mud room. But I wasn't sure how well it would work with both stoves running at the same time, if they would try to draft against each other. But I'm not dealing with different levels in my floor plan like you are. That's adds a whole different challenge to heating the lower level.

Well I wouldn't agree it is the best stove there are many out there that would do it with much less wood.

 

[Todd67]

Yah, for sure. I've no worries about drafting when it comes to another stove for, reasons, but all I've got are a couple mama bears to use and they're great but I'd rather not commit to the wood etc etc. It all works now but it isn't all ideal. I use a mama in the shop, fwiw. Without building a floor yo mask the vault or moving the stove I figure it's done. Someone can change it after I'm safely in the ground.
Besides, the kids like waiting for coals by opening the doors and putting on the screen then, after a while, roasting hot dogs and stuff.
That consumes wood but they will revolt if the double door stove is removed

I understand all of that, and the revolt part too

Sometimes we just have to accept the things we can't, or don't want to change. One of the big selling points we liked when we bought this house in 2008 is the new drywall and insulation throughout, because it was lathe & plaster before. We could see the new drywall, but I didn't know for sure how much insulation they put in. I was fit to be tied when I installed my woodstove in 2012. The fiberglass insulation in the exterior walls is less than 2" thick, has no paper backing, and has no listed R value. The insulation looks like it came out of a 1950's mobile home. It's too expensive to remove the drywall and insulate the house properly. There are other "repairs" that we found to be lousy cob jobs that didn't last 3-5 years. Major stuff like plumbing and electrical stuff. And the furnace "worked" but the combustion chamber was busted like the inside of a glass thermos, therefore didn't really work. Load bearing walls were removed to open the floor plan, all stuff that we discovered on our own. We've been repairing things as we can, most of it on our own. But we love the house and 15 acres, and we are planning to grow old here. Can't really afford any other options.

 

[Todd67]

Well I wouldn't agree it is the best stove there are many out there that would do it with much less wood.

Of course there are other, & possibly better options. But maybe none that Piney can afford. His floor plan is a very difficult one to work with, and would require some serious thought, planning and remodeling. And maybe those aren't options that he has right now.

For example, my wife would kick and scream if I got rid of our Mama Bear. It would cause "problems" . She is disabled, and she likes being able to load the stove once every 8 to 12 hours, especially when I am at work all day. This Mama Bear is her comfort item all winter long. She cooks on it, and it's simple for her to use.

 

[bholler]

Of course there are other, & possibly better options. But maybe none that Piney can afford. His floor plan is a very difficult one to work with, and would require some serious thought, planning and remodeling. And maybe those aren't options that he has right now.

For example, my wife would kick and scream if I got rid of our Mama Bear. It would cause "problems" . She is disabled, and she likes being able to load the stove once every 8 to 12 hours, especially when I am at work all day. This Mama Bear is her comfort item all winter long. She cooks on it, and it's simple for her to use.

You do realize most large new stoves will easily do all of those things while using less wood right? If you like your fisher that is great I have a poppa I heat one of my out buildings with. But I would never think of heating my house with one. The new stuff is just that much better. Fishers were great stoves for their day. And yes they can still do the job for sure. But having burnt lots of new and old stoves there is no comparison.

 

[Piney]

I understand all of that, and the revolt part too

Sometimes we just have to accept the things we can't, or don't want to change. One of the big selling points we liked when we bought this house in 2008 is the new drywall and insulation throughout, because it was lathe & plaster before. We could see the new drywall, but I didn't know for sure how much insulation they put in. I was fit to be tied when I installed my woodstove in 2012. The fiberglass insulation in the exterior walls is less than 2" thick, has no paper backing, and has no listed R value. The insulation looks like it came out of a 1950's mobile home. It's too expensive to remove the drywall and insulate the house properly. There are other "repairs" that we found to be lousy cob jobs that didn't last 3-5 years. Major stuff like plumbing and electrical stuff. And the furnace "worked" but the combustion chamber was busted like the inside of a glass thermos, therefore didn't really work. Load bearing walls were removed to open the floor plan, all stuff that we discovered on our own. We've been repairing things as we can, most of it on our own. But we love the house and 15 acres, and we are planning to grow old here. Can't really afford any other options.

I apologize for the previous owners who hid their sins behind new drywall. That sucks. But we make the best of what we are served.

 

[bholler]

I apologize for the previous owners who hid their sins behind new drywall. That sucks. But we make the best of what we are served.

Yeah we found tons of that in our old house luckily not much at all in this one.

 

[Piney]

Of course there are other, & possibly better options. But maybe none that Piney can afford. His floor plan is a very difficult one to work with, and would require some serious thought, planning and remodeling. And maybe those aren't options that he has right now.

For example, my wife would kick and scream if I got rid of our Mama Bear. It would cause "problems" . She is disabled, and she likes being able to load the stove once every 8 to 12 hours, especially when I am at work all day. This Mama Bear is her comfort item all winter long. She cooks on it, and it's simple for her to use.

---
Yah.
We can't change the house or restove. Most modern stoves as stand alone won't do the job anyways because the job includes me not feeding the stove every 2-4 hours when it is -40F.
I know from neighbours with state of the art expensive stoves (not big box store stuff) who don't live in small foot print multi story homes how it would go down. By neighbours I mean miles and miles away.
We are off grid and isolated and firewood isn't really much of a problem. Been burning full time since early September and am through, nearly, 3 cord (loose stacked, unsplit). Fire will be let die sometime in April.
If someone wants to send a couple hundred thousand, though, I'll make some improvements but .....
I think if we had hardwoods we could go with a new stove but not on pine.

 

[Piney]

Yeah we found tons of that in our old house luckily not much at all in this one.

It's a little infuriating, I think.

 

[bholler]

---
Yah.
We can't change the house or restove. Most modern stoves as stand alone won't do the job anyways because the job includes me not feeding the stove every 2-4 hours when it is -40F.
I know from neighbours with state of the art expensive stoves (not big box store stuff) who don't live in small foot print multi story homes how it would go down. By neighbours I mean miles and miles away.
We are off grid and isolated and firewood isn't really much of a problem. Been burning full time since early September and am through, nearly, 3 cord (loose stacked, unsplit). Fire will be let die sometime in April.
If someone wants to send a couple hundred thousand, though, I'll make some improvements but .....
I think if we had hardwoods we could go with a new stove but not on pine.

What new stove do they have. For the record most new stoves do fantastic on soft woods. If they are loading every 2 to 4 hours they are either running the stove completely wrong of their stove is drastically undersized for their home. I have burnt a wide range of stoves from old fishers to early secondary combustion stoves tube stoves and now running a cat stove. And your concerns are completely unfounded.

 

[bholler]

It's a little infuriating, I think.

Not so much on my old house it was over 100 years old and had many people working on it through the years. I knew it had problems when I bought it so I usually just laughed. In Todd's case it sounds like things were misrepresented that would be very different.

 

[Todd67]

Not so much on my old house it was over 100 years old and had many people working on it through the years. I knew it had problems when I bought it so I usually just laughed. In Todd's case it sounds like things were misrepresented that would be very different.

Things we're misrepresented for sure. But the temporary "repairs" lasted just long enough for us to not have a legal leg to stand on. I went through our house with the home inspector, every step of the way, and the contractor that was hired by the seller did a good job of hiding his shady work. Most of it is taken care of now, execpt for some plumbing repairs. Looking back, I don't see anything we could've done differently to find those hidden little secrets before buying the house. This was our 3rd house purchase, and our 2nd house was 30 years older than this one. This house was built in 1930.