How do I light this thing? Need help with starting a fire.

[maplegirl]

Good evening all,
I need some expert advice.... How do I start a fire in my wood stove. (feel free to laugh here) I have dry/seasoned split logs, kindling and paper. The damper is open. The paper lights up but I can't get a good fire going. Please help. Is there a good how-to some where? I can't seem to find one. Thanks!

 

[stoveguy2esw]

here are 2 links to our site that may help y some

http://www.englanderstoves.com/manuals/BuildingCatalyticFire.pdf

http://www.englanderstoves.com/manuals/BuildingNonCatalyticFire.pdf

one is for cat stove other for "noncat" hope this helps ya

 

[nshif]

Your stove is brand new right? The fire brick may still contain alot of moisture which could be hampering things. Try to light some small kindling ( less than 1" dia and dry, like an old 2x4 or 2 split up ) if you can get that going add a little more and some small splits ( 3-4" ) and get that going. Then add some larger stuff a little at a time. If that doesnt get things going something else is wrong (ie what you think is dry seasoned wood isnt or you have a draft problem or ....

 

[BrotherBart]

Too many people and stove manual tell you to put down the paper then the kindling and then pile small splits on top of it and then light the paper and magic happens. My best results have always been to crumple a couple of sheets of paper and put the small kindling on top of it and light the paper. Wait until the kindling is burning good before adding the small splits on top of it.

And leave the door cracked just a quarter inch or so through this process until the splits are burning well. Then add the larger stuff using the coals from the small splits to get it going. Then close the door and rock and roll.

 

[BrotherBart]

Your stove is brand new right? The fire brick may still contain alot of moisture which could be hampering things. Try to light some small kindling ( less than 1" dia and dry, like an old 2x4 or 2 split up ) if you can get that going add a little more and some small splits ( 3-4" ) and get that going. Then add some larger stuff a little at a time. If that doesnt get things going something else is wrong (ie what you think is dry seasoned wood isnt or you have a draft problem or ....

It is a VC cast iron stove. No brickies.

 

[nshif]

opps missed that, but we still said basicly the same thing.

 

[GVA]

What about the super cedars?
Sorry but I had to give Thomas a plug..... they started the outdoor firepit last night very nicely...

 

[webbie]

My most popular articles:
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/articles/start_a_wood_fire
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/articles/tending_a_wood_fire

 

[BrotherBart]

My most popular articles:
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/articles/start_a_wood_fire
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/articles/tending_a_wood_fire

I looked all over the Wiki trying to find them for her.

Man that Wiki has grown!

 

[maplegirl]

Thanks everyone. I have a fire now. I'm working on keeping it alive. Boy, I hope I get better at this or it is going to be a COLD winter So what's the deal with Thomas' product. I saw that he offers a free sample to newbies. Is he a serial killer? (Thomas, if you're reading this, are you a serial killer?) I'd hate to give out my name and address over the web....... (Cue 'Scream' music).

Thanks again everyone!

 

[PA. Woodsman]

Just remember to "break-in" your stove with small fires first before going full-tilt. I'm sure that it's discussed in your manual.

 

[budman]

Thanks everyone. I have a fire now. I'm working on keeping it alive. Boy, I hope I get better at this or it is going to be a COLD winter So what's the deal with Thomas' product. I saw that he offers a free sample to newbies. Is he a serial killer? (Thomas, if you're reading this, are you a serial killer?) I'd hate to give out my name and address over the web....... (Cue 'Scream' music).

Thanks again everyone!

Super cedar is the bong. :cheese:

 

[BrotherBart]

Thanks everyone. I have a fire now. I'm working on keeping it alive. Boy, I hope I get better at this or it is going to be a COLD winter So what's the deal with Thomas' product. I saw that he offers a free sample to newbies. Is he a serial killer? (Thomas, if you're reading this, are you a serial killer?) I'd hate to give out my name and address over the web....... (Cue 'Scream' music).

Thanks again everyone!

Send him your info in a PM (private message) on the forum software. Given the number of people that Thomas has sent samples to you would be in an old folks home by the time he got around to you if he happened to be a serial killer working from the list.

And he would be bankrupt from paying for the airfares all over the country.

 

[NWfuel]

I would be happy to send you and any other new members some free samples. Email us at forstarts@aol.com with your physical shipping address and they are on their way. Serial firestarter yes, killer no. I can't even kill TIME!

Thanks for the support guys.
Thomas

 

[maplegirl]

I would be happy to send you and any other new members some free samples. Email us at forstarts@aol.com with your physical shipping address and they are on their way. Serial firestarter yes, killer no. I can't even kill TIME!

Thanks for the support guys.
Thomas

Well, as long as you promise....

Thanks! I just sent you an email. I can't wait to try them!!

 

[rdrcr56]

I've found that making a channel through the ash, lay a couple splits across that, lay a couple flat pieces of kindling on the splits with a rutland fire starter square, with a few more pieces of kindling on that and it makes a nice top down fire.

 

[budman]

I've found that making a channel through the ash, lay a couple splits across that, lay a couple flat pieces of kindling on the splits with a rutland fire starter square, with a few more pieces of kindling on that and it makes a nice top down fire.

Thomas did you hear that RUTLAND FIRE STARTERS. :ahhh:

 

[jqgs214]

I make fires daily in the cold weather. I dont burn 24/7 so I got pretty good at starting fires. I load 2 smallish splits front to back(thats the way my stove is) then wedge 3-4 pieces of crumpled paper between them. On top and perpendicular to the splits I put largeish kindling about 1" in diameter and then keep piling on smaller kindling from front to back. Light the paper an off it goes. Themsmaller kindling burns up and the coals fall on the splits on the bottom and start them going. It develops a nice coal bed between the splits. When the kindling is mostly burnt up I start in with the larger splits. Dont want to put them in to soon becasue it will collapse the fire and snuff it out. Works for me YMMV

 

[spot]

I have requested and recieved the SUPER CEDAR fire starter sample.

I have used it and it works great!

What I DID NOT recieve was a bunch of junk E-mails, snail-mails, or suppertime telemarketers!

Apparently Thomas and his people are not selling our names to vendors!

Also, I am still alive, so he is not a serial killer, (or maybe just not a very good one.)

...now for liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti.

 

[MrGriz]

If Thomas is a serial killer, he's either not a good one or he has one heck of a back log to work through. I received samples at the beginning of last season and I'm still here to type about it! They work really well, especially in cases where the draft needs a bit of help by warming the chimney.

I would agree with BB. Get some kindling and small wood going well first, then put some small splits on and work you way up to bigger splits as the fire becomes established. You'll find that starting a good fire gets easier as you gain some experience and as a bed of ash builds up in the stove.

 

[Gooserider]

It does get easier as you get the hang of it. Don't be afraid to experiment a little bit to find what works best for you and your stove.

BTW, remember that VC does tell you to start w/ a few small "break-in" fires, even with their mostly cast iron stoves (they do contain refractory materials that can have some moisture in them that needs to be dried, not to mention that cast iron itself is porous) They even advise this if the stove hasn't been used in a couple of months.

I also think Thomas makes a nice firestarter, although I've decided that you are much better off to learn how to reliably start a fire without that sort of "artificial assisitance" - It's like riding a bike, you're better off without the training wheels...

Gooserider

 

[wg_bent]

I make fires daily in the cold weather. I dont burn 24/7 so I got pretty good at starting fires. I load 2 smallish splits front to back(thats the way my stove is) then wedge 3-4 pieces of crumpled paper between them. On top and perpendicular to the splits I put largeish kindling about 1" in diameter and then keep piling on smaller kindling from front to back. Light the paper an off it goes. Themsmaller kindling burns up and the coals fall on the splits on the bottom and start them going. It develops a nice coal bed between the splits. When the kindling is mostly burnt up I start in with the larger splits. Dont want to put them in to soon becasue it will collapse the fire and snuff it out. Works for me YMMV

I use the same technique. Sometimes I get a downdraft if it's not too cold out, so I will add a small piece of supermarket wax fire log. The wax log will last all season. I've also used an ounce of used motor oil on the news paper. That get's the draft going fast.

 

[babalu87]

I heard Thomas ratted out the Patriots :D
We will be placing an order for them in the near future. They will make a GREAT gift for the woodburners you know.
Sometimes you need to leave a door ajar for starting a cold stove , especially if its in the 50's out

 

[Corie]

Here's my take on building a fire, pictures included!


(broken link removed to http://www62.homepage.villanova.edu/corie.podschelne/new_page_21.htm)

(Click the pictures to enlarge)

 

[Highbeam]

I am unfortuante in that I moved from a deep firebox stove to a shallow one. I can no longer lay two spits side by side and build the fire in the middle since the air intakes will be blowing against the side of a log and not on the fire. North to south stoves are easier to start IMO. I had been a religious paper baller for my whole burning life. It's what my dad did and he taught me. It works fine and will always work but you have to find newspaper and you have to scrunch it up every day.

My latest discovery, courtesy of this group, is the supermarket wax log. I bought the jumbo one for 1.50$ at Albertsons this weekend and opened it up. I used my hatchet to carve off a chunk about the size of a cookie ball. You can squeeze the chunk into a ball and it will hold. You can quickly make a pile-o-balls. I set the cookie on my gravel driveway and easily lit it with a regular lighter. It took off and burned with about a 6" flame for a good 15 minutes with no smoke. I have lit two fires now in my stove with the wax cookie instead of paper. Much quicker. I set it right on the ash bed and stack kindling criss cross above it and then small splits criss cross above that to the roof of the firebox. Easy peasy. I just need to watch the kids since they look like big balls of chocolate.