I'm back

[lml999]

Just lit the first fire in our Enviro 1200 after a four year break...we moved and just had the stove installed yesterday.

Looks like the little guy remembers how to do his stuff!

​

 

[jatoxico]

Alright, and not a moment too soon! Got cold here in the NE. Good to see your inspection went well and your up and running.

 

[lml999]

Alright, and not a moment too soon! Got cold here in the NE. Good to see your inspection went well and your up and running.

Thanks...inspection was straightforward. Stove picked right back up where it left off in the spring of 2016, like it had been lit yesterday. Plenty of good draft, didn't need to crack a window like I did with the fireplace.

Um, yea, it's a bit nippy here. 19 this morning (on the Cape). 24 now, and I think that's the high for the day.

 

[lml999]

The little guy is throwing out a tremendous amount of heat, like it's trying to make up for lost time. I figured that the stove would heat the great room (15x20 with cathedral ceiling) but it's getting heat into the other parts of the first floor, and I swear, upstairs too.

I'll have to look at the history on the Nest thermostats tomorrow to see if any of the zones stayed off this afternoon and evening.

Very happy.

 

[jiujitsuguy]

@lml999 if you don't mind me asking, what steps are you taking to get a good burn like that? I'm new to wood heating and we have the Enviro Kodiak 1200 insert.

I've been loading about 4-5 ok size splits E-W but not sure if I could load more or if there's a point of diminishing return with how many logs you have in the box. Putting 4 logs on there makes the wife nervous and I don't know enough about it just yet to experiment too much to put her at ease.

 

[lml999]

@lml999 if you don't mind me asking, what steps are you taking to get a good burn like that? I'm new to wood heating and we have the Enviro Kodiak 1200 insert.

I've been loading about 4-5 ok size splits E-W but not sure if I could load more or if there's a point of diminishing return with how many logs you have in the box. Putting 4 logs on there makes the wife nervous and I don't know enough about it just yet to experiment too much to put her at ease.

Takes some experimenting. I've been burning for 10 years with that Enviro 1200.

Three things make a huge difference:

- dry wood. Some of my wood was split and stacked six years ago, topcovered with lots of air flow
- don't overfill the stove. I put in a couple of medium size splits and a couple of small splits on top. Paper, maybe some kindling, cedar scraps. Top burn to start
- start slow and let the fire establish itself. When I start a fire I leave the door just slightly open, then over the next 10-20 minutes gradually close the latch down. Then, if it's well established I close the air control half way. Give it a few minutes. Then close it down the rest of the way. As you do this, watch the flames. You'll be able to tell if you're choking the fire...if so, open the air flow back up

I've tried stuffing the firebox but that doesn't give me great results. So I leave a good amount of air space and add logs periodically. Don't try to keep the stove at full burn all the time, or at a constant stove temp. Feed it, set it, let it burn for a few hours, then add a couple of logs and rebuild the fire. Ebb and flow.

Also, a good stove top thermometer will help you to monitor where your stove is tempwise. Tough to estimate...

Hope this helps.

Remember, every fire is different...which is great for people with ADD. Just saying.

 

[jiujitsuguy]

Takes some experimenting. I've been burning for 10 years with that Enviro 1200.

Three things make a huge difference:

- dry wood. Some of my wood was split and stacked six years ago, topcovered with lots of air flow
- don't overfill the stove. I put in a couple of medium size splits and a couple of small splits on top. Paper, maybe some kindling, cedar scraps. Top burn to start
- start slow and let the fire establish itself. When I start a fire I leave the door just slightly open, then over the next 10-20 minutes gradually close the latch down. Then, if it's well established I close the air control half way. Give it a few minutes. Then close it down the rest of the way. As you do this, watch the flames. You'll be able to tell if you're choking the fire...if so, open the air flow back up

I've tried stuffing the firebox but that doesn't give me great results. So I leave a good amount of air space and add logs periodically. Don't try to keep the stove at full burn all the time, or at a constant stove temp. Feed it, set it, let it burn for a few hours, then add a couple of logs and rebuild the fire. Ebb and flow.

Also, a good stove top thermometer will help you to monitor where your stove is tempwise. Tough to estimate...

Hope this helps.

Remember, every fire is different...which is great for people with ADD. Just saying.

Interesting that you mentioned you don't get good results with the firebox stuffed full. I've found that stacking mine full doesn't give the best results either...but then again I'm new and could be packing things too tightly as well.

We've got a small one going now and it's giving off a lot of heat with just 4 logs (2 N-S and 2 E-W). If I were to load it up, I find I don't get the same heat at all in comparison (stacked all E-W).

Got the thermometer coming Tuesday. Not a lot of stores that sell stove top thermometers out this way....plenty of stove pipe ones though. Until then, I'll keep trying different things. Appreciate the input!