Help with extended burn times

[RISurfer20]

This past weekend I allowed my Englander 30 NCL stove to run 24/7. Outside temps ranged from 35’s to 50’s during the day. I attempted to see how hot I could get my house. After several hours my house was up to 82 degrees, stove was at 400 to 500 throughout the days. I kept the damper on high to medium throughout the weekend during the day and closed at night. Although it did seem as if I was flying through splits, what is the correct way of maintaining a wood stove for long periods of time? I constantly added splits each time the stove had no flame left. Should I allow the coals to burn for several hours dropping the stove temp to 300 or so before adding additional splits? I imagine this will help decrease the house temp from being too overwhelming.

Also how many splits are ideal for an overnight burn? I tossed in 9 splits each night over a hot coal bed, allowed the splits to catch and then closed the damper completely. When I awoke the stove was roughly at 200 with a hot bed of coals.

 

[Henz]

well each stove is different, but from your post I can tell that if your able to add 9 splits, I would say that your splits are probably too small for ideal overnight burning. To get a good overnight burn for me I run with 4 decently sized splits. If I were to use 8 smaller splits, I woudlbt get the longer burn time.
You need to find out at what temperature you should start to damper your stove down on..I like to hit 500 degrees and then I will basically damper it totally down and it will maintain a 400-500 degee for a long time.

 

[Todd]

I like to fill mine with larger splits on top of a good coal bed raked forward. Then I will let it burn all the way down to coals. If you keep adding wood as the flames die you will have too many coals piling up. You get almost half of your heat from coals.

 

[Henz]

yes, dont go jsut by the flames. the coals are what really put out the heat..a good bed of coals are what you need.

 

[Highbeam]

As far as your loading methods. I have found it much better to stuff the firebox full and get a good clean burn of the entire charge before reloading with another full load. Big burn cycles burn better than short ones. I go through more wood and spend more time fiddling when only adding a couple of splits at a time. Yes, your stove temps will swing up and down through the burn cycle but the average should be right where you want it.

 

[RISurfer20]

Thanks for all the info. I'm new at this. The info clarifys how I should operate the stove.

 

[Henz]

it definatly takes time..I was a new burner last year, on the olympic anyways. I grew up with a VC Vigiliant at my parents, whcih they still have.Anyways, I was just getting confident at the end of the heating season with the Olympic..This year, its like riding a bike..

 

[Mike Wilson]

With 8 hour burn times, I do three complete fills every day, and live off the heat generated by a good coal bed, and hot fireplace granite. If I want to bump up the temperature, I add wood on 5 or 6 hour intervals, to keep good flame going.

-- Mike

 

[BrotherBart]

We are in high 30 nights and fifties during the day mode right now too. I fire up the 30-NCL around eight at night with three small pine splits and let it get up to around 400. Then I spread the coals and lay four large pine splits on top, roll'er wide open for ten or fifteen minutes until the splits are charred and then close down to halfway as it comes up to 500 hundred and secondary burn is rolling good. When it eases over 500 I close'er down to between 1/8 and 1/4 and let it roll for the night. When I get up in the morning the stove is usually around 200 and since pine doesn't coal well I just toss a handful of kindling in with three medium pine splits on top and start over but don't add anymore wood. When the stove gets up to five hundred I close it down to 1/4 and let it roll till it burns out. 455 pounds of hot steel and bricks will stay hot/warm and radiating heat for five hours or so without over heating the joint.

Essentially all that will change when it gets colder is that I will go from pine to oak.

All of my loads are front to back with an open channel in the middle between the center splits to let the "doghouse" primary air shoot between them and temps are measured on the vertical front of the step-top.