How much FLAME do you aim for

[gnxfan]

in a wood burning stove? ie, am i shooting for lively dancing flames or slow 'simmering' flames - or do I not want any flames - just the red hot embers?

Thx again,

bob

 

[BrotherBart]

in a wood burning stove? ie, am i shooting for lively dancing flames or slow 'simmering' flames - or do I not want any flames - just the red hot embers?

Thx again,

bob

Actually, over the burn cycle you are looking for all three. In that order.

 

[Dunadan]

Ditto that. What I think you need to be careful about is going to fast from one type to the next, especially the last step. If you get to quickly to no flame, where you don't yet have red hot embers, you're going to wind up with smoldering wood that will kill your temps, kill your heat, and (I assume) lead to creosote formation.

 

[Highbeam]

While there is a time for all three, I generally want to move from the fast big yellow flames to the slower flames ASAP and spend as long in the slow flame timeframe as possible. Slow flames being very visible secondary combustion. Once the slow flames go away and only coals are left then time to reload is determined by heat needs where if the house is already fully warmed then I'll let the coals dwindle quite far, if room is still cold and stove top temp is dropping below "high" then I will minimize my coal time and reload as soon as there is room in the box.

The slow flame stage should be maximized in all cases.

 

[AndyD1480]

I think what to remember is that lots of fast, yellow flames will make a fast but hot fire. The wood will burn down really quick at that rate.

On the other side, if you have only coals, your gonna have a slow, hot fire, but more smoldering = more creosote in the chimney.

My plan is to try and have somewhere int eh middle. Slow rolling flames. It gives off lots of heat, lasts longer, and gets the secondary flames going which means much less creosote in teh chimney!

 

[Jags]

On the other side, if you have only coals, your gonna have a slow, hot fire, but more smoldering = more creosote in the chimney.

Just to clear up a point, by the time you are at the coal stage, there is not much left in the wood to create creosote. Most of the little nasties have already been burned up or expelled out your stove pipe.

 

[Hogwildz]

I like flames from top & blue flames

 

[Cearbhaill]

Ditto that. What I think you need to be careful about is going to fast from one type to the next, especially the last step. If you get to quickly to no flame, where you don't yet have red hot embers, you're going to wind up with smoldering wood that will kill your temps, kill your heat, and (I assume) lead to creosote formation.

IMO (and I am the newbie on the block so my advice is worth what you paid for it) it is the knowing when to cut the air back that represents the bulk of the learning curve.
Over my first few months I am trying to pay attention to the "personality" of a fire- I want to be able to know intuitively when it is time to cut back the air. So far I have let it go too long and gotten some scarily hot temperatures, and I have cut it back too soon and gotten smoldering lumps of dead coals.
Some fires go faster than others, the weather conditions outside play a big part, and manipulating the air intake can give a hundred different results depending on which stack of wood I pull from.

Right now I am kind of using my thermometer and kind of doing it by instinct.
I think I am getting better at it but I know that in 10 years I will look back on this first season and laugh at what a clueless newbie I really was.

 

[WarmGuy]

Gnx,

Looks like you have a Regency similar to mine. I keep the air all the way open, with tons of flames, until the temp gets to about 400. Then I cut the air down by about 75%, and I have a lot of secondary combustion flames for 40 minutes or so then I have just some lazy flames. When there are hardly any flames, I shut off the air completely. I think this is the most efficient arrangement for me, and the glass stays pretty clean. Too bad it took me years to figure this out.

 

[chrisman34]

Gnx,

Looks like you have a Regency similar to mine. I keep the air all the way open, with tons of flames, until the temp gets to about 400. Then I cut the air down by about 75%, and I have a lot of secondary combustion flames for 40 minutes or so then I have just some lazy flames. When there are hardly any flames, I shut off the air completely. I think this is the most efficient arrangement for me, and the glass stays pretty clean. Too bad it took me years to figure this out.

I assume this is stack temp? WHen you close down what will that temp do on yours?

 

[velvetfoot]

When it gets down to coals, I've been opening the primary and startup air to get a little more warmth and tiny flames.

 

[WarmGuy]

I assume this is stack temp? WHen you close down what will that temp do on yours?

No, it's the temperature right above the door. If I have a lot of wood in there, the temp can go up to 650. Usually, after I close down the temp stays around 450, then gradually drops.