hearthstone heritage - Fire won’t stay lit

[chad101]

I went through the break in procedure with my new hearthstone heritage and everything went really well.

When I attempted to build my first real fire, I could not keep it going. I have to open the ash pan or front door. Otherwise the fire just smolders and eventually goes out completely. This is after I have a good bed of hot coals (only accomplished with the ash pan or front door open). If I close the door after loading a large split or two on top of hot coals, my fire immediacy dies out.

 

[chad101]

30 seconds after closing door...

 

[chad101]

Wood used

W: 9"
L: 16"

 

[Wood Heat Stoves]

draft is caused by the home and chimney not the stove.
here is some info to get you statred.
(broken link removed to http://woodheatstoves.com/smoking-chimneys-draft-troubleshooting-p-12038.html)

that said, a casting issue at hearthstone is a remote possibility, is the air control connected?

 

[Hogwildz]

wood doesn't look ready to me.

 

[BrotherBart]

When you put the big splits in put a couple of small dry starter pieces in front of them on coals and get them burning. They crank up the big ones.

 

[Todd]

Does the wood sizzle moisture out the ends? 9" wide splits are too big, use an assortment of 2-5 inchers and an occasional biggin in the back for long burn.

 

[Highbeam]

Your wood is too big. Split them in half. Might also be wet but definitely too big.

 

[chad101]

Does the wood sizzle moisture out the ends? 9" wide splits are too big, use an assortment of 2-5 inchers and an occasional biggin in the back for long burn.

Yes, you can see it shooting out the cracks when burning the really big splits.

 

[chad101]

Your wood is too big. Split them in half. Might also be wet but definitely too big.

I'm going to try that right now. I'll take 4 or 5 really big ones and cut them in halfs or thirds.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

chad, I hate to tell you, but you have just solved your riddle. Now to solve the problem. The only way is to get hold of some dry wood.

As most everyone finds out, putting in a new stove is only part of the equation. Even more important than the stove is the fuel you put in the stove. Most wood needs a minimum of one complete spring, summer and fall before it is ready. Woods like oaks need 2 years of that to be ready to burn.

If you are buying your wood, you could have a huge problem because almost 100% of the wood sellers will tell you they have seasoned wood. What does that mean? To them, it is just a selling point and most really do not know what properly seasoned wood is. That is sad, but a fact we have to deal with.

I'm sure if you find some good dry seasoned wood you will like the stove and the heat it puts out and I sincerely hope you are able to find some.

Good luck.

 

[quads]

Does the wood sizzle moisture out the ends? 9" wide splits are too big, use an assortment of 2-5 inchers and an occasional biggin in the back for long burn.

Yes, you can see it shooting out the cracks when burning the really big splits.

I agree with what the others have said; your wood is not ready yet. Smaller splits will help. Also, check your chimney at least once a month and clean as needed if you are burning wood that's still a little too green.

 

[chad101]

I am buying the wood and i was told that the firewood is seasoned (although it's not).

I split some larger pieces down to 3 inches and what a difference that made!

Now I need to invest in a better axe and dry wood. I over reached on the last swing and broke the axe clean off the handle

 

[Frostbit]

I am buying the wood and i was told that the firewood is seasoned (although it's not).

I split some larger pieces down to 3 inches and what a difference that made!

Now I need to invest in a better axe and dry wood. I over reached on the last swing and broke the axe clean off the handle

Three things:
Your wood may just be wet....prior seasoned well, then soaked with rain. I don't know, you should be able to tell.
Second, since your axe broke, consider a Fiskars Super Splitter. Once I got mine, I parked the other conventional axes and mauls I own.
Third, invest in a moisture meter. Inexpensive on ebay.

 

[Brian VT]

Seriously, clean your chimney often. Wet wood makes gobs of creosote, which can cause chimney fires, which can kill people.
And don't fall for those chimney cleaning products you see for sale. A brush and rod is needed. I hope you get some dry wood.
Also, try to avoid opening the ash pan door. If you must, do not leave the stove. There's a good chance you will get distracted and
the fire may take off, resulting in an overfire. This may just give you a scare. It may damage your stove. It may even start the chimney
fire from the creosote you weren't aware of because you hadn't looked down your chimney in a while.
Sorry for the gloomy post. I hope you enjoy your stove and get great warmth from it. That's a nice one.

 

[edthedawg]

chad - you sound like me last year. check my very first postings/threads. you'll think you wrote 'em, i bet

if you split the wood and can really smell the resins - that "fresh split" smell - then sorry, you got sold a bill of goods. the real story is that it is EXTREMELY unlikely you (or anyone) will find someone selling truly seasoned wood. there's no incentive for the sellers to sit on it long enough to properly season. they can sell it fresh out of the processor for almost the same rate as moving it to a spread out pile for a year, and then having to scoop it back up to bring to you.

i look forward to talking more w/ you - it's a fabulous stove. it is incredibly finicky in wanting good, dry, seasoned wood, however.

 

[chad101]

Seriously, clean your chimney often. Wet wood makes gobs of creosote, which can cause chimney fires, which can kill people.
And don't fall for those chimney cleaning products you see for sale. A brush and rod is needed. I hope you get some dry wood.
Also, try to avoid opening the ash pan door. If you must, do not leave the stove. There's a good chance you will get distracted and
the fire may take off, resulting in an overfire. This may just give you a scare. It may damage your stove. It may even start the chimney
fire from the creosote you weren't aware of because you hadn't looked down your chimney in a while.
Sorry for the gloomy post. I hope you enjoy your stove and get great warmth from it. That's a nice one.

How often should i inspect the chimney? This is the first time I ever burned wood; I know this sounds stupid, but, what does creosote looks like?

Not sure if this is correct but are we talking about a device that looks like a "snake" (i.e. attached to a drill for cleaning out clogged drains) with a brush on the end?

chad - you sound like me last year. check my very first postings/threads. you'll think you wrote 'em, i bet

if you split the wood and can really smell the resins - that "fresh split" smell - then sorry, you got sold a bill of goods. the real story is that it is EXTREMELY unlikely you (or anyone) will find someone selling truly seasoned wood. there's no incentive for the sellers to sit on it long enough to properly season. they can sell it fresh out of the processor for almost the same rate as moving it to a spread out pile for a year, and then having to scoop it back up to bring to you.

i look forward to talking more w/ you - it's a fabulous stove. it is incredibly finicky in wanting good, dry, seasoned wood, however.

If I can find better wood, I’ll let this cord sit in my shed until next heating season. I could not pass up the price. Most dealers in my area are charging $250 per cord. I only paid $130 for this one. But, based on the replies, I’m sure this is not dealer specific. I’ll review your older posts, I see you also have a heritage

I am buying the wood and i was told that the firewood is seasoned (although it's not).

I split some larger pieces down to 3 inches and what a difference that made!

Now I need to invest in a better axe and dry wood. I over reached on the last swing and broke the axe clean off the handle

Three things:
Your wood may just be wet....prior seasoned well, then soaked with rain. I don't know, you should be able to tell.
Second, since your axe broke, consider a Fiskars Super Splitter. Once I got mine, I parked the other conventional axes and mauls I own.
Third, invest in a moisture meter. Inexpensive on ebay.

After reading your post I went to Amazon.com and got ready to order it. I noticed the handle length is only 28". I'm 6'3" seems a little short for me. Do they make a longer handle for this splitter?

EDIT: Look at this photo, I was looking at some of the pieces I re-split and noticed a color difference in the core. I had my wife smell the outer and inner layer (I'm getting over a cold - I have no sense of smell right now). She could notice a difference. But, I don't think the smell test is needed in this case. The core even feels wet...

 

[Frostbit]

I am buying the wood and i was told that the firewood is seasoned (although it's not).

I split some larger pieces down to 3 inches and what a difference that made!

Now I need to invest in a better axe and dry wood. I over reached on the last swing and broke the axe clean off the handle

Here ya go. Free shipping to boot. I should order another just because. This is one tool you won't loan out.

http://www.amazon.com/Fiskars-7854-...1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1254967902&sr=8-1

 

[Brian VT]

The core even feels wet...

Yep. Unseasoned wood may not even feel wet but the core will feel cool.
When you hit 2 splits together it shouldn't sound like a "thud". More like a "clink" is good.
When inspecting your chimney you'll see a black "carbon" buildup. If it's getting more than 1/8" thick
it should be cleaned. Normally it's done with a brush on 3/8" thick rods.
If your buildup has a shiny glaze, that's the worst-case scenario. Very tough to remove, even for a pro.
If you must burn the wet wood, at least add some dry stuff to help keep the flue temps. up.
Also, a good hot dry fire once a day may help to keep the glaze away.

 

[edthedawg]

Here's a sketch I made showing a friend how to run my stove. I use a supplemental product whenever I get some wet wood that doesn't wanna do anything more than smoulder. Small splits for sure - it's the only way to get any heat outta wet wood.

 

[firefighterjake]

The bad news . . . from your description of spitting wood it sounds like you have unseasoned wood. The good news: most of us have been where you are and there are some options. Option A: Hold on to this wood and use it next year since it will be well seasoned then. Option B: You can use this wood . . . but realize that you must check your chimney more regularly, you will not get as much of the potential heat out of your wood and you may have to use "supplemental" means to get the fire up and running -- i.e. split smaller and stack loose and cover, use pallets to help drive up the heat and "season" the wood in the firebox, etc.

Buying unseasoned wood is pretty typical . . . most wood sellers are not in the habit of buying wood, cutting, splitting and stacking it for a year before selling it . . . it's simply a lot easier to sell the wood after a few months of being cut, splt and stacked . . . or in some cases, a few weeks. I also think some dealers do not truly understand what "seasoned" wood is for a person using an EPA stove.

In the future your best bet if you continue to buy wood is to buy the CSD wood a year in advance . . . or even better, buy tree length wood a year in advance and process it yourself.

In any case, if you do use the unseasoned wood this year you will want to check your chimney regularly and clean it when needed.

Also, as mentioned . . . do not use the ash pan. Using the ash pan drives the fresh air through the hot coals and can lead to a "hot forge" effect which can warp metal parts and in fact many stove manufacturers will specifcially say not to do this as it will void the warranty. Safer bet: leave the firebox door a jar to get the fire going.

And now to answer some of your questions:



How often should i inspect the chimney? Answer: For the new wood burner, it's a good idea to do this monthly. You may even want to do it bi weekly if you have some concerns about burning unseasoned wood.


This is the first time I ever burned wood; I know this sounds stupid, but, what does creosote looks like? Answer: Not a stupid question at all . . . you're new to burning. Creosote can look black and wispy-like clinging to the inside of the chimney or pop-corn or corn flake-like -- at least this is what "good" creosote looks like if you can call any creosote good . . . the bad creosote is a shiny, black glaze on the inside of the chimney.)

Not sure if this is correct but are we talking about a device that looks like a "snake" (i.e. attached to a drill for cleaning out clogged drains) with a brush on the end? Answer: The most common way folks brush out a chimney is to use a metal or poly brush that is square or round and sized for your chimney . . . generally folks attach rods or a rope to the brush and push/pull the brush through the chimney and the stiff bristles rake the creosote off the sides of the chimney.

 

[Highbeam]

Here's how I stuff my heritage. Seriously, your wood was too big AND too wet. I could tell by how low the first log was that you didn't have a deep coal bed that would be needed to have any chance at starting those yule logs. The deep coal bed allows air from the doghouse hole to eventually blast under that front log and feed the log load from beneath. With your big wet yule log blocking that hole, you were doomed.

We've all burned wet wood at some point and it can be done. The first step is to split it smaller.

Overshooting with your axe and breaking the head off sure beats undershooting and burying the bit in your shin eh? I use the plastic handled axe from walmart. It can take a few hits to the handle.

 

[Frostbit]

Seriously, clean your chimney often. Wet wood makes gobs of creosote, which can cause chimney fires, which can kill people.
And don't fall for those chimney cleaning products you see for sale. A brush and rod is needed. I hope you get some dry wood.
Also, try to avoid opening the ash pan door. If you must, do not leave the stove. There's a good chance you will get distracted and
the fire may take off, resulting in an overfire. This may just give you a scare. It may damage your stove. It may even start the chimney
fire from the creosote you weren't aware of because you hadn't looked down your chimney in a while.
Sorry for the gloomy post. I hope you enjoy your stove and get great warmth from it. That's a nice one.

How often should i inspect the chimney? This is the first time I ever burned wood; I know this sounds stupid, but, what does creosote looks like?

Not sure if this is correct but are we talking about a device that looks like a "snake" (i.e. attached to a drill for cleaning out clogged drains) with a brush on the end?

chad - you sound like me last year. check my very first postings/threads. you'll think you wrote 'em, i bet

if you split the wood and can really smell the resins - that "fresh split" smell - then sorry, you got sold a bill of goods. the real story is that it is EXTREMELY unlikely you (or anyone) will find someone selling truly seasoned wood. there's no incentive for the sellers to sit on it long enough to properly season. they can sell it fresh out of the processor for almost the same rate as moving it to a spread out pile for a year, and then having to scoop it back up to bring to you.

i look forward to talking more w/ you - it's a fabulous stove. it is incredibly finicky in wanting good, dry, seasoned wood, however.

If I can find better wood, I’ll let this cord sit in my shed until next heating season. I could not pass up the price. Most dealers in my area are charging $250 per cord. I only paid $130 for this one. But, based on the replies, I’m sure this is not dealer specific. I’ll review your older posts, I see you also have a heritage

I am buying the wood and i was told that the firewood is seasoned (although it's not).

I split some larger pieces down to 3 inches and what a difference that made!

Now I need to invest in a better axe and dry wood. I over reached on the last swing and broke the axe clean off the handle

Three things:
Your wood may just be wet....prior seasoned well, then soaked with rain. I don't know, you should be able to tell.
Second, since your axe broke, consider a Fiskars Super Splitter. Once I got mine, I parked the other conventional axes and mauls I own.
Third, invest in a moisture meter. Inexpensive on ebay.

After reading your post I went to Amazon.com and got ready to order it. I noticed the handle length is only 28". I'm 6'3" seems a little short for me. Do they make a longer handle for this splitter?

EDIT: Look at this photo, I was looking at some of the pieces I re-split and noticed a color difference in the core. I had my wife smell the outer and inner layer (I'm getting over a cold - I have no sense of smell right now). She could notice a difference. But, I don't think the smell test is needed in this case. The core even feels wet...

I'm 6'1" myself. I felt the same way when I took the Fiskers out of the box....."too short", I thought. But after swinging it a few times, not a problem. I did the old atv tire trick on my splitting block....take an old deep rear atv tire, cut out the bead (sawzall), make 6 or 8 radial cuts from center toward the tread, both sides. Place the tire on your block and bring the bottom flaps down over the sides and anchor with some drywall screws. A round will fit into the center of the tire, the top cuts/flaps will hold the round in and steady. Split away....all the pieces stay right inside. You'll be amazed how well it works in conjunction with the Fiskars.

 

[quads]

After reading your post I went to Amazon.com and got ready to order it. I noticed the handle length is only 28". I'm 6'3" seems a little short for me. Do they make a longer handle for this splitter?

1) Do you intend to split your rounds out in the woods, on the ground? Yes = splitting maul.

2) Do you intend to split your rounds at home, on a designated splitting block? Yes = splitting axe.

I've heard that they both split firewood just fine, but work best in different situations.

 

[AlexNY]

I just spent 2 hours with the installer trying to get a fire going in a soapstone Heritage, with no luck.

The wood is finely split and has been drying for 18 months. I have been heating my house 100% with firewood for many years using an old Jotul combifire 4 using similar wood.

With about an hour of work I can build a nice fire that burns brightly, but only if either the side door is open or the ash pan door is open. Within 2-3 seconds of closing the door/ash pan, the fire is completely out and smoke billows from the chimney.

I have heard that these soapstone Heritage wood stoves suffer from quality control problems and now I know it is true.

There is no air getting into the fire box, regardless of air control settings, even when the chimney is too hot to touch due to ~1 hour of burning with the door open.

This product is not ready for retail. I suppose the air inlet is probably blocked with resin or something.