How many peacies of wood for over night fire

[Burd]

As all of you may no I'm pretty new to this. How do you get coals in the morning. I loaded up the stove with oak last night and when I woke up there was very little coal in the back of the stove.How big of a split do you put in for over night burns and how do you load it up to get a lot of coals in the morning

 

[InTheRockies]

Depending on the size of your firebox, you might want to use rounds. I've been putting 2 rounds and 2 split in my new stove for overnight burns and so far (2 overnight burns under my belt), I've had a good bed of coals in the morning and a nice warm house in the 70's. I'm fortunate that my firebox is wide enough to take 20 inch logs. I cut my own firewood this year and cut most pieces to 18 inches, I did cut some shorter to be able to stack some small pieces NS and fill up the firebox well.

 

[savageactor7]

Well we have a QF4300 and I don't know what stove your burning with.

In the winter we'll load it up full with ash and elm in a 2 1/2 sf firebox with small splits at about 9pm...then crash. Wake up about 0530 when there's hot coals enough to start an immediate fire after a 2 min stove maintainance dance. I'm thinking if your using oak you should be golden for a longer burn than the junk we're burning.

Is your start up air shut off? Is you primary air opened half way or less? Is the stove top temp about steady 450* 20 minutes after you loaded up for an overnight burn?

What stove do you have? We have to know that to help you out.

 

[cmonSTART]

If I'm looking for an overnight burn, I usually stuff my 30-NC full to the gills with larger splits, let it start, and then close the air control down to about 20%. Oak is the best for leaving a good bed of coals.

 

[Burd]

I have a Napleon 1402 with a 2.25 fire box and I get 18" lenghts in there but I cut all my wood to 17" that way Im not fighting to get them in. Now I get coals in the morning but there not alot of them. I have heard that most people can restart a fire buy just putting in some wood and off it goes.Im not getting that I have to move the coals to the front of the box and start the fire with small splits and wait till there going and then load it up before I go to work. Is it possible that Im getting to much draft?
What size rounds or splitts do you put in

 

[cmonSTART]

I always rake mine to the front, too. Actually, front middle. The splits I prefer for overnight are around 6 inches across.

 

[Dix]

How much wood are you putting in at night?

I ask, because I was going to ask the same kinda question. I can restart in the am with some small stuff (dead fall, etc), then small slpits, and maybe a fat wood or something if I have to.

I've come to the conclusion that I'm not loading the firebox as full as I should be.

Maybe we're both doing the same thing?

*I am aware that being a female sticks out like a sore thumb in this instance* ;-P

 

[Burd]

Last night I put in a split in thet was 6" all the way in the back and then five more splitts to fill it up tight then i got it going shut it down and went too bed around nine pm I was up at five am and had very little coals

 

[Burd]

I always rake mine to the front, too. Actually, front middle. The splits I prefer for overnight are around 6 inches across.

How many 6" splits do you put in

 

[InTheRockies]

I have a Napleon 1402 with a 2.25 fire box and I get 18" lenghts in there but I cut all my wood to 17" that way Im not fighting to get them in. Now I get coals in the morning but there not alot of them. I have heard that most people can restart a fire buy just putting in some wood and off it goes.Im not getting that I have to move the coals to the front of the box and start the fire with small splits and wait till there going and then load it up before I go to work. Is it possible that Im getting to much draft?
What size rounds or splitts do you put in

Burd,

I've been using 18-inch long rounds. I intentionally didn't split all pieces, leaving smaller (less than 8-inch diameter) rounds for overnight burns. I do fill the firebox as full as I can and had cut smaller pieces to be able to stuff in NS in small spaces when filling the firebox for overnight burns. I'm in an area that primarily has softwood conifers. Not knowing how well overnight burns might last, I was contemplating whether I would need to get compressed sawdust logs since I don't have the ability to extend burn times with hardwoods. At this point, I think I'll hold off buying any compressed sawdust logs. My firebox is slightly smaller than yours--it's only 2 cf.

 

[savageactor7]

I have a Napleon 1402 with a 2.25 fire box and I get 18" lenghts in there but I cut all my wood to 17" that way Im not fighting to get them in. Now I get coals in the morning but there not alot of them. I have heard that most people can restart a fire buy just putting in some wood and off it goes.Im not getting that I have to move the coals to the front of the box and start the fire with small splits and wait till there going and then load it up before I go to work. Is it possible that Im getting to much draft?
What size rounds or splitts do you put in

You talking to me?

Well compared to our non EPA stove my splits are imo very small...if you took a 6in diameter log and quartered it those would be the ave size of our splits. With that size I can load it to the max without bashing those super secret reburner tubes on the top of the stove. Once the stove cooks off into the red zone I reduce the primary air by 2/3's so I'm still burning hot as opposed to smoldering.

That Napleon is a kick aZZ stove too...in the morning shovel out the ash in front, rake the coals forward then place a couple of splits on the coals...you should be seeing flames in a minute or less. Sure it'll that about 5min to get in the red zone but a good bed of hot coals is the bench mark of 'success' in the morning.

Hot coals will attain usable heat 10x faster than a scratch fire. I know it hard to appreciate it but if it was that cold at night you would wake up and reload the fire...the fact that you can sleep threw the morning is part of the Napleon's success.

There are a lot of trade offs heating with wood and it takes awhile to fully appreciate its quirks...but all it all it's a plus plus thing.

 

[junksta]

Usually go to bed about 1030pm and get up about 600am. Most of the time there is not enough coals to get a quick burning fire, even though the house is warm. I tried adding small pieces onto the coals and blowing with a piece of copper tubing, it works pretty good but looks a little silly sittin in your underwear on the stool blowing into the stove. Easiest, is to just throw in a piece of Supercedar or the like with a new load and go about your business. Of course, never admit you don't get an overnight burn!!

 

[RedRanger]

Usually go to bed about 1030pm and get up about 600am. Most of the time there is not enough coals to get a quick burning fire, even though the house is warm. I tried adding small pieces onto the coals and blowing with a piece of copper tubing, it works pretty good but looks a little silly sittin in your underwear on the stool blowing into the stove. Easiest, is to just throw in a piece of Supercedar or the like with a new load and go about your business. Of course, never admit you don't get an overnight burn!!

Now,now, I admit it. because I get it charred really good at 10;30 turn it down at eleven all full of wood. But maybe I don`t feel like getting up at 7 am. so I don`t. maybe not till 9 or 10,spceially on windy rainy days in the middle of winter. Dark and gloomy, and being retired, I just ain`t gonna do anything I don`t want to do anymore. No matter, just get it fired up again after a coffee and a smoke, and all is well :coolsmirk:

 

[Dix]

looks a little silly sittin in your underwear on the stool blowing into the stove

Thanks, I love cleaning tea off of my monitor in the morning !! :lol:

 

[ansehnlich1]

I'm not to the point where I'm worried about an overnight fire yet, HOWEVER....

I always put a big fat 6 inch or more hunk of Oak or Ash (split or round) in the back of the stove on the bottom, that puppy always gives me red hots to fire up with the next morning.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

As big a split as is dry and will fit, of the densest wood you have, loaded EW, will give the longest burn.