I am relatively new to the wood stove world. I am okay with getting the fire going, just need to know the best process on loading the wood after I have it going. I have heard you should rake the coals to the front of the stove, and pack the back of the stove with multiple logs, real tight. Let the logs burn to coal and repeat the process, and take ashes out as they build up over 2 inches. I have done this tonight, and had success, but am not sure if I am getting the most heat out of my stove. I have a Clydesdale Hearthstone insert with a blower. Please advise if I am on the right track. Thanks for any help.
How to get the Best Burn out of your wood
- Thread starter gdisarcina
- Start date
-
Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.
We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.
We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil. -
Super Cedar firestarters 30% discount Use code Hearth2024 Click here
- Status
I also have a question on the same lines and don't mean to hijack this thread.
If raking the coals toward the front, then loading the wood from to coals to the back would mean most of the wood is not in contact with the coals. When charing the wood before turning down the air, does this mean only the front of the pile is burning or the whole load?
If raking the coals toward the front, then loading the wood from to coals to the back would mean most of the wood is not in contact with the coals. When charing the wood before turning down the air, does this mean only the front of the pile is burning or the whole load?
Rake coals to front.
Largest split(s) to the back of the firebox
Progress forward with splits stacking smaller splits as needed to fill fire box in between the larger ones.
Full open air (I do not time this, I use a thermo for my reference)
Once up to full operating temp, and the COMPLETE load is charring, I will tune the primary air down to ~5-10%
Grab favorite adult beverage and enjoy.
Simply one way of many. Cheers.
Largest split(s) to the back of the firebox
Progress forward with splits stacking smaller splits as needed to fill fire box in between the larger ones.
Full open air (I do not time this, I use a thermo for my reference)
Once up to full operating temp, and the COMPLETE load is charring, I will tune the primary air down to ~5-10%
Grab favorite adult beverage and enjoy.
Simply one way of many. Cheers.
Clyde,
Congrats on the purchase. Great stoves, I love mine dearly. Anyway there are a few things that are specific to the Clydesdale. Another Clydesdale owner posted this last winter, but its so true. Before you reload you need to create a gully in the coat pile that bascially splits the coals down the middle and creates a gully to let air flow underneather the wood. Also as a new owner to the Clydesdale I would do an advanced search for posts by Rhonemas, Turner-n-Burner and me (Clydesdaleburner). There are a ton of helpful tips and techniques on this site for you to read and try out on your own.
Here are Tuner-n-Burner's thoughts on reloading. I'll PM you his whole post its nicely written.
After one full year, here’s what I’ve settled on as my SOP. When the stove is down to coals, (or about 30-40 minutes before I need to sleep or leave the house) I’ll reload.
I’ve found that primary air inlet is the key to the whole affair, so turn that all the way up, turn off the blowers and then I’ll rake the coals into a mound at the center of the stove. If they’re not glowing much, I’ll leave the door cracked for a minute or two while I study the woodbox and start picking splits.
Once the coals are glowing again, I’ll split the pile down the middle and spread them left and right, leaving a 2-3” wide furrow down the middle from front to back. The idea is to let air from the inlet hit the back of the firebox by traveling under all the splits between the door and the rear wall. If I do this - quick relights. If I don’t… agonizing smoldery boredom.
Congrats on the purchase. Great stoves, I love mine dearly. Anyway there are a few things that are specific to the Clydesdale. Another Clydesdale owner posted this last winter, but its so true. Before you reload you need to create a gully in the coat pile that bascially splits the coals down the middle and creates a gully to let air flow underneather the wood. Also as a new owner to the Clydesdale I would do an advanced search for posts by Rhonemas, Turner-n-Burner and me (Clydesdaleburner). There are a ton of helpful tips and techniques on this site for you to read and try out on your own.
Here are Tuner-n-Burner's thoughts on reloading. I'll PM you his whole post its nicely written.
After one full year, here’s what I’ve settled on as my SOP. When the stove is down to coals, (or about 30-40 minutes before I need to sleep or leave the house) I’ll reload.
I’ve found that primary air inlet is the key to the whole affair, so turn that all the way up, turn off the blowers and then I’ll rake the coals into a mound at the center of the stove. If they’re not glowing much, I’ll leave the door cracked for a minute or two while I study the woodbox and start picking splits.
Once the coals are glowing again, I’ll split the pile down the middle and spread them left and right, leaving a 2-3” wide furrow down the middle from front to back. The idea is to let air from the inlet hit the back of the firebox by traveling under all the splits between the door and the rear wall. If I do this - quick relights. If I don’t… agonizing smoldery boredom.
Rake to front- that way primary air washes over them and heats them up. If loading NS (splits running front to back in firebox), then just pile on. If loading EW (splits side to side), then start at the back of course.
NS loading is supposed to give hotter, faster fires. EW is supposed to give longer, somewhat lower fires. I start a cold stove NS, and load EW for longer burns and when restarting with good coals.
NS loading is supposed to give hotter, faster fires. EW is supposed to give longer, somewhat lower fires. I start a cold stove NS, and load EW for longer burns and when restarting with good coals.
retiredff said:
All the wood will get charred enough. That stuff in back just holds the fire longer.
Adios Pantalones said:
I've read lots of posts like this, from you and others who know way more than me, but I'm still hesitant to try it for some reason. I think I'm too corrupted by many years of burning in my outdoor pit. I'm stuck in that stacking pattern that allows air to get between the logs, so that I'm going both NS and EW, crisscrossing them to allow airflow. The big difference, of course, is that an outdoor pit in the ground does not have air intake valves.
The problem with my pattern is that I'm also tending my fire every 90 minutes by pushing coals around and adding new splits in this crisscross way. It also means that I probably only have 2 or 3 splits in there at a time. Is it safe to say that the advice from some of you who have been burning indoors forever is to forget everything I thought you knew about fires, and just stack splits in there and relax?
stack splits in same direction nice and tight on a good bed of coals will limit air flow. This will give you longer burn times.
billb3 said:You just like stirring the fire.
Kinda natural actually.
Go make some soup and stir that.
Absolutely try loading the stove different ways.
Very true. I've only had a few fires - counting break-ins - and I'm sure that I'll start experimenting a bit after the initial thrill wears off. Stirring it is still quite a bit of fun right now.
Thanks
LOL! As a fellow CT resident and a novice starting to do break in burns with my Opel II, my wife thinks I am possessed with the way I stare at the firebox and fiddle with the fire so much. I can't seem to get decent secondary burns, but I'll keep experimenting and looking for tips, as well. Hopefully, things will get better as it gets colder.
I move them to the front, then carve a channel down the center to let air in. Every stove is different. Play around. Have fun.
Matt
Matt
chutes said:billb3 said:You just like stirring the fire.
Kinda natural actually.
Go make some soup and stir that.
Absolutely try loading the stove different ways.
Very true. I've only had a few fires - counting break-ins - and I'm sure that I'll start experimenting a bit after the initial thrill wears off. Stirring it is still quite a bit of fun right now.
Thanks
Nothing wrong with that - sometimes I find myself in the same boat. But, I've been burning just long enough (under a month, but daily since then) to know that how I set up my outdoor fires and how I work my stove are totally different. Outside, bigger is better. In a stove, you're generally looking for max heat output from minimum wood. Assuming your wood is good and dry, the "log cabin" technique is going to give you way hotter (and quicker) fires than you'll need. If you like to play with the stove, try out some N-S fires and see how that goes, then try some E-W. Both have their places. Have fun!
my firebox is so small, I just try to get splits in their anyway I can, NS,EW,SW,SE,NW,NE, front to back, back to front, it don't matter to me, whatever works
We just had a Clydesdale installed and are now in our first week of use. It's been fun getting to figure out how to get the best burn, but we're still a bit baffled by it all. I thought I read somewhere (perhaps the manual) that this unit has a burn time of 10 hours.
Does that mean logs or including just coals? We've been going through about 3 logs every 2-3 hours, which is clearly less than we do with our open fireplace, but is this 'normal?' We've read all the threads on the clydesdale (or at least think so) and can get it up to about 410-415 but can only maintain that for what seems to be about an hour, then it drops down to the mid 300's.
Can any one give suggestions on maintaining 400?
Thanks!
Maureen
Does that mean logs or including just coals? We've been going through about 3 logs every 2-3 hours, which is clearly less than we do with our open fireplace, but is this 'normal?' We've read all the threads on the clydesdale (or at least think so) and can get it up to about 410-415 but can only maintain that for what seems to be about an hour, then it drops down to the mid 300's.
Can any one give suggestions on maintaining 400?
Thanks!
Maureen
Bigg_Redd said:
I know.
How blessed are those unencumbered by the thought process in these areas.
In my Oslo:
I'll spread out the coals and then make a channel through the center. Put the smaller split in the front, bigger one in the rear and a last large split on the top. This has gotten me through a night just about all the time with enough coals to get the stove going again in the am without kindling. Tonight is a bit different as the stove is acting up. I'll have to work with this one.
We'll see what the morning is like. Windy and cold, but stove is hovering just above 300.
Chad
I'll spread out the coals and then make a channel through the center. Put the smaller split in the front, bigger one in the rear and a last large split on the top. This has gotten me through a night just about all the time with enough coals to get the stove going again in the am without kindling. Tonight is a bit different as the stove is acting up. I'll have to work with this one.
We'll see what the morning is like. Windy and cold, but stove is hovering just above 300.
Chad
- Status
Similar threads
