How Do You Start When Cold (no coals)?

[velvetfoot]

With my insert, I use a little fire starter square and I'm good to go. With a gassifier, can you just pile in the wood, stick a fire starter square down as low as you can reach, light it and close the door? With a lamda boiler, could you then just hit the button and walk away?

 

[henfruit]

Cardboard, Kindling, Small splits, Fill the fire box full with large splits. Take propane torch up through the nozzle for 30 seconds. Close all the doors hit the control button to on. Walk away, see you in 12 hours for the next filling. There may be times as this am when there are embers. Then same as above just skip the torch.

 

[velvetfoot]

Farting around with cardboard and kindling and small splits each time when starting a fire from scratch is not attractive.

 

[flyingcow]

For me a little different, lay kindin' down( 6 to 8 pieces), throw in a few crumpled up newspapers and light. Hit the fan switch. Go load wheel barrow up with wood and then fill the boiler.

 

[Fred61]

Farting around with cardboard and kindling and small splits each time when starting a fire from scratch is not attractive.

Then burning propane or oil is for you!

 

[velvetfoot]

Then burning propane or oil is for you!

Hey, I've started many a fire from total scratch in my insert by just putting in a Rutland fire starter square at the bottom of a pile of splits. My wood is dry and not split big. Never a problem. Can't see why same thing can't be done here. Would smoke escape somehow? The doors are gasketed, right?

 

[maple1]

I don't think the materials required or used will be that much different than what you'd be using now in lighting an insert.

Procedure used with them, maybe a little bit different depending on the individual units & what you do now. I light mine with bypass open, which is all updraft. As soon as there is fire established (5 minutes?), the bypass gets closed then it's all downdraft. So I light from bottom with crumpled newspaper & kindling on top (sparked with a propane torch) & bypass open, then 5 minutes later fill half full with smaller splits & close bypass. Reload full a half hour later. Oooops, forgot one thing - very first thing I light is another ball of newspaper on top of everything to get my natural draft going. With an induced draft unit, that wouldn't be necessary.

If anything, the combustion blower - forced or induced - on 95% of gassifiers should help with fire lighting, over lighting an insert. I would think.

EDIT: Typed too slow again. I don't have any gaskets at all on mine - but yes most do.

 

[velvetfoot]

Yeah, I forgot about the bypass being updraft as well as getting the draft going in the right direction with a cold chimney. Inducer mandatory, for me anyway, I think.

Theoretically, in my non-actual-experience head, maybe the fire starter method would work, but might be slower and less of a sure thing than the kindling and cardboard on the bottom/propane torch from underneath method.

 

[flyingcow]

my unit does not have a bypass. just hit the button in your done with it. And I think most lambda boilers are the same way?

 

[flyingcow]

no need for a draft inducer either.

 

[velvetfoot]

Maybe not. Far as I can tell, your unit has an induced draft fan. Maybe that's why you don't need the bypass? The unit I'm considering has a forced draft fan.

 

[flyingcow]

Maybe not. Far as I can tell, your unit has an induced draft fan. Maybe that's why you don't need the bypass? The unit I'm considering has a forced draft fan.

Correct

 

[Coal Reaper]

i dont even use my bypass to start. i only open it when reloading IF there is active flames on the splits. i have my fan shut off when the flu temp is about 140*C. this leaves enough coals for the next fire, even if they are cold. i either toss a handfull of noodles on the coals or touch them with torch. no kindling unless its the first fire after a thorough cleaning, once a week during winter. even then i pick out a few pieces of coal from the ashes to get the next fire kicking. if there is interest i can try to put together a quick video when i get some time. wasnt able to find much on the youtubes other than froling. i believe my process is even easier. you can be the judge...

 

[velvetfoot]

That'd be great.

 

[muncybob]

If I have some charcoal above the nozzle I throw wood in and hit it the charcoal inside the firebox with the propane(mapp) torch for about 15 seconds and away it goes. If no charcoal I'll throw some small splits in there and get them going with the torch(maybe a minute or so) and then add the big stuff. I imagine the fire starter would work too but I save them for the outdoor pit.

 

[velvetfoot]

Key seems to be to use propane torch from below.

 

[avc8130]

You guys keep answering with "coals". This man wants to start with NO coals.

For me, I throw some cardboard in that I was going to recycle anyways. Then I grab some of the smallest splits I have (realize I do not "make" kindling, just whatever happens to be smallest in the pile). These are usually ~4". Then I touch off the cardboard with the propane torch and the forced draft carries it from there. Pile on the real splits (6-9") and go upstairs and sit in the warm house.

ac

 

[Coal Reaper]

NO coals? or NO HOT coals? are COLD coals acceptable? the only time i ever had NO coals was the very first fire ever in my boiler.

 

[kopeck]

Key seems to be to use propane torch from below.

Nah. Maybe other boiler are higher up then mine but laying on the ground to start a fire doesn't work for me.

I light mine from the top.

Two smallish spits in covering the nozzle, a little bit of kindling on top of that (not much at all) then two balls of newspaper on top of that. hit the reset button, add fire, close door walk away for 30 seconds. When I come back I have a nice little fire going. Throw another smallish spit on top, go grab an arm full of wood and load 'er up!

K

 

[maple1]

You guys keep answering with "coals". This man wants to start with NO coals.

For me, I throw some cardboard in that I was going to recycle anyways. Then I grab some of the smallest splits I have (realize I do not "make" kindling, just whatever happens to be smallest in the pile). These are usually ~4". Then I touch off the cardboard with the propane torch and the forced draft carries it from there. Pile on the real splits (6-9") and go upstairs and sit in the warm house.

ac

Whaddya mean 'you guys'? I didn't say anything about coals.

 

[huffdawg]

Throw some kindling in then fill upper chamber with splits, light from secondary chamber with map gas torch. Close bypass damper then press start. EEzey PEEzy.

 

[skfire]

THAT IS HOW ITS DONE

 

[henfruit]

Why go back and fill after a few minutes? Fill it once and be done. I have something better than kindling, wood chips from mill, ends of the pine boards are run through a chipper. They are kiln dried, one small shovel full over the nozzle and off to the races.

 

[maple1]

I get better results only loading a small part load at startup and then loading full a half hour later, than I did when I lit with a full load of fuel. Might be a nature of my beast - just seems to build a good fire faster at first with the small part load.

Although it has been a long time since I've done that - maybe I'll try it again sometime for the heck of it.

Why relight again after 12 hours? That's two fires in one day. Why not do it all in one burn with a re-load on a hot bed & refractory after 3 or 4 hours? That's only one fire a day.

Just goes to show the flexibility that storage allows - usually more than one schedule and procedure set to skin these cats with...

 

[velvetfoot]

are COLD coals acceptable

Yes.