How do I use this black box?!

[Yamaha_gurl]

Just kidding, I know it's a wood stove...lol. I have some questions regarding my Fisher "honey bear" wood stove. We just installed it yesterday, and I'm already getting confused.

1. I have 2 air intakes, one at the top of the door and one at the bottom. After firing the stove, when do I close these? And do I close both? Do I open these when re-loading the stove?

2. Also, when do I start closing the damper?

I know it's a long shot, but I'd like my "honey bear" to be used efficiently.

Thanks all!

 

[BJ64]

Use the different air vents to balance out the fire. The bottom ones are good for getting it started. After it gets hot, you will want to keep the coal bed so you will want to close off the bottom ones some and open the top air dams a little to lean out the fire. Think of it as adjusting the carb on your bike and you have the idea.

I'm afraid if you closed them all off you will snuff out the fire making a smoke mess. That is whee the damper comes in. Use it to control the rate of fire.

When loading, leave the air alone but open the damper to let the smoke escape.

You are resourceful and will figure it out quicker than you think.

 

[Yamaha_gurl]

Use the different air vents to balance out the fire. The bottom ones are good for getting it started. After it gets hot, you will want to keep the coal bed so you will want to close off the bottom ones some and open the top air dams a little to lean out the fire. Think of it as adjusting the carb on your bike and you have the idea.

I'm afraid if you closed them all off you will snuff out the fire making a smoke mess. That is whee the damper comes in. Use it to control the rate of fire.

When loading, leave the air alone but open the damper to let the smoke escape.

You are resourceful and will figure it out quicker than you think.

Thanks BJ! I'm slowly getting it...I just don't understand when to add more wood. I have a thermometer on the stove pipe, 18 inches from the stove. Should I re-load before it gets in the "creasote area" or re-load when I get a bed of coals?

 

[Todd]

When its in the coaling stage there is little creosote making thingies left. I suggest getting another thermometer for the stove top as well. Then you can monitor both and figure when the best reload time is.

 

[Yamaha_gurl]

Thanks Todd, so you mean always get coals before adding more wood? Open the air intake before I add, and let the wood catch fire then when you can see chared wood then I start closing the air intake?

Even if I get a second themometer, which one should I really count on then? Won't they both be way different temps?

 

[Todd]

I always load when the fire is down to the coaling stage. I rake them forward closer to the air and load the wood on top and behind. The reason for 2 thermometers is when you reload monitor the stack temp, it will be quicker to heat up and you don't want to overfire and waste heat up the flue. As you continue the burn monitor the stove temp, it will come up slower than the pipe temp but should eventually be higher than the pipe temp in the middle stages of the burn. Then when the stove temp starts to fall with the flames you know your reaching the coaling stage and it will be time to reload soon. After a little trial and error you will be able to tell where your burn is by looking at the temps. If your Fisher doesn't have glass thermometers are a great tool so you don't have to open the doors as much to monitor the fire.

 

[ControlFreak]

Relative to adding wood, think of it this way:
You can always add more wood whenever you want. It's not a big deal.

Just remember this:
If you add wood too frequently, you may build up a very deep coal bed that takes a long time to burn down and can be a pain to separate out the ash. That may be what you want, and it's OK, since you'll end up with a long, low level heat output while burning down a deep coal bed.
If you wait too long to add wood, you may end up with few coals and a very smokey fire until it gets heated up again.

When, and if, you add wood will depend more on your schedule more than anything.
-- If you won't be able to tend the fire for a long time, like at night, pack it full with enough time to close things down before retiring.
-- If you don't mind tossing in logs now and then, and don't need a great deal of heat, just add a couple at a time. In this case, you probably can leave the dampers open since the stove won't get dreadfully hot and you can't overfire with just a couple splits.

Experiment, and you'll quickly figure out what works best for you.

Dan

 

[Yamaha_gurl]

Relative to adding wood, think of it this way:

When, and if, you add wood will depend more on your schedule more than anything.
-- If you won't be able to tend the fire for a long time, like at night, pack it full with enough time to close things down before retiring.
-- If you don't mind tossing in logs now and then, and don't need a great deal of heat, just add a couple at a time. In this case, you probably can leave the dampers open since the stove won't get dreadfully hot and you can't overfire with just a couple splits.

Experiment, and you'll quickly figure out what works best for you.

Dan

Thanks Dan, problem is that on our first fire we must have done something wrong, cause bf added only 2 medium splits and it went into the overfire range, so now we are hesitant to put more in...lol. I have read here about "packing" a stove full....ours is maybe 2.0 cubic feet and I can't see how you can pack it without over firing?

 

[CT-Mike]

Seems to me if you temps went too high on just 2 splits, the firebox was getting way too much air. If your dampers were either closed or throttled down, then I would start looking for air leaks.

 

[Yamaha_gurl]

Seems to me if you temps went too high on just 2 splits, the firebox was getting way too much air. If your dampers were either closed or throttled down, then I would start looking for air leaks.

Thanks Mike, that's what I think too. I have purchased a gasket kit, since I think air is coming into the glass which is on the two doors. Is it ok if I cut the rope in half? I posted this question, but no answer yet

 

[Brian VT]

bf added only 2 medium splits and it went into the overfire range, so now we are hesitant to put more in...lol. I have read here about "packing" a stove full....ours is maybe 2.0 cubic feet and I can't see how you can pack it without over firing?

I went through the same thing. A couple splits are more temperamental than a full load, at least in my stove. They both burn up all at once and create intense heat at their peak. This requires a lot of attention from the person controlling the air and feeding the wood in. Too much work. Burn those 2 hot splits at startup and then stack a tight full load on those nice coals. Preferably with some bigger splits in the back. Get that going nice and then back your air down in a few increments. Once that's rolling it should cruise without much attention for hours until you're back to a nice hot bed of coals.
It is like a bike motor. It will only burn as much fuel as the air intake and exhaust will allow. You've got to get the mix right for the desired burn.

 

[Gooserider]

Seems to me if you temps went too high on just 2 splits, the firebox was getting way too much air. If your dampers were either closed or throttled down, then I would start looking for air leaks.

Thanks Mike, that's what I think too. I have purchased a gasket kit, since I think air is coming into the glass which is on the two doors. Is it ok if I cut the rope in half? I posted this question, but no answer yet

What do you mean "cut the rope in half"? If you mean to change the length, no problem, you will need to in order to get a proper fit... If you mean lengthwise, NO... you have the wrong size gasket, get something smaller...

In general the process to change gaskets is to start by getting rid of all the old gasket and cement - I try to chisel out as much as I can, and then use a dremel tool with a stone to get it down to bare metal in the gasket groove (I also hold a vacuum near the tool to suck up the mildly noxious dust...) Surface prep is important to doing a good job!

Fit the gasket to the groove by laying it into place, all the way around without stretching or squishing it, and trim to length plus an inch or so - use a sharp pair of scissors or a utility knife and try to get as clean a cut as possible, w/ no dangling threads. Try to put the joint where the original was, or in the middle of a run where it will be disturbed as little as possible (not real critical on a window, on a door I try to go for the hinge side) Take it out and put it aside after getting the length

Then put in a thin layer of refractory cement - I've never had much luck with those toothpaste tubes, they are worse than ketchup bottles... Instead I get a tub of cement, and without stirring, scoop a little out onto a throw away plate, and from there smear a uniform layer filling about 1/3 to 1/2 the groove w/ cement. (If you wash your hands with hot water quickly afterwards the cement will come off pretty easily) There will be a layer of liquid on top of the cement in the tub, leave it in the tub and try to mush the unused cement down to keep it under the liquid. Do NOT return any unused cement to the tub, throw it away... (This will keep the cement in the tub from hardenning on you) reseal the tub tightly when the job is done...

Then quickly lay the gasket into the groove and push it into the cement as evenly as you can, all the way around the groove - again don't stretch or squish the cord. When you get to the joint, trim cleanly to the exact length, and sort of mush the ends together to make as complete a seal as you can.

As soon as the gasket is in place, put the glass back on it and tighten it down, or if it's between other parts put them together and close them to flatten the gasket out and get a good seal. If it's something like a door gasket, I like to put a layer of waxed paper around the contact area to keep any cement squeezeout from sticking things together that shouldn't...

Gooserider

 

[Yamaha_gurl]

What do you mean "cut the rope in half"? If you mean to change the length, no problem, you will need to in order to get a proper fit... If you mean lengthwise, NO... you have the wrong size gasket, get something smaller...

In general the process to change gaskets is to start by getting rid of all the old gasket and cement - I try to chisel out as much as I can, and then use a dremel tool with a stone to get it down to bare metal in the gasket groove (I also hold a vacuum near the tool to suck up the mildly noxious dust...) Surface prep is important to doing a good job!

Fit the gasket to the groove by laying it into place, all the way around without stretching or squishing it, and trim to length plus an inch or so - use a sharp pair of scissors or a utility knife and try to get as clean a cut as possible, w/ no dangling threads. Try to put the joint where the original was, or in the middle of a run where it will be disturbed as little as possible (not real critical on a window, on a door I try to go for the hinge side) Take it out and put it aside after getting the length

Then put in a thin layer of refractory cement - I've never had much luck with those toothpaste tubes, they are worse than ketchup bottles... Instead I get a tub of cement, and without stirring, scoop a little out onto a throw away plate, and from there smear a uniform layer filling about 1/3 to 1/2 the groove w/ cement. (If you wash your hands with hot water quickly afterwards the cement will come off pretty easily) There will be a layer of liquid on top of the cement in the tub, leave it in the tub and try to mush the unused cement down to keep it under the liquid. Do NOT return any unused cement to the tub, throw it away... (This will keep the cement in the tub from hardenning on you) reseal the tub tightly when the job is done...

Then quickly lay the gasket into the groove and push it into the cement as evenly as you can, all the way around the groove - again don't stretch or squish the cord. When you get to the joint, trim cleanly to the exact length, and sort of mush the ends together to make as complete a seal as you can.

As soon as the gasket is in place, put the glass back on it and tighten it down, or if it's between other parts put them together and close them to flatten the gasket out and get a good seal. If it's something like a door gasket, I like to put a layer of waxed paper around the contact area to keep any cement squeezeout from sticking things together that shouldn't...

Gooserider

Thanks Gooser rider...but I've already fixed that problem :D Stove is working alright now, just that I'm getting dirty glass at the top of the doors, in an oval shape...odd, any comments as to why that's happening?