Information on getting a hotter, longer burn please

[claybe]

I have an Avalon zero clearance insert (non catalytic). It has an air control damper and an air tube that goes across the top. I am burning aged Aspen. The problem is that I am burning through wood FAST and I only get the stove up too around 700 degrees and I can't sustain it. Does anyone have suggestions on how to burn hotter, longer? I would like to only burn aspen because it burns cleaner.

p.s. To Clarify, when I say fast, I mean about a log every 1/2 hour to hour. The logs are about 6 inches in diameter.

 

[Todd]

That's the problem with Aspen, it burns fast and hot. 700 is nothing to sneeze at, probably close to max for your stove. If your looking for longer burns try raking the coals forward towards the glass and load the splits side to side. For hotter fires load the stove front to back.

 

[bluefrier]

Burning @ 700 °F stovetop won't last more than a couple hours especially with softwoods. How are you running the stove? damper closed all the way or what? IMO it's more efficient to burn at a lower temperature (around 500-550) for a longer period than those balls to the wall 700* temps. also if you are constantly running 700* or higher it's bad news for that stove.

 

[WOODBUTCHER]

I've burned Aspen before, burns quick and leaves a pile of ash with no coals in the morning.
If Aspen was all I burned, I'd go through tons of it. Some Conifers are above it in the btu rating.



WoodButcher

 

[claybe]

Burning @ 700 °F stovetop won't last more than a couple hours especially with softwoods. How are you running the stove? damper closed all the way or what? IMO it's more efficient to burn at a lower temperature (around 500-550) for a longer period than those balls to the wall 700* temps. also if you are constantly running 700* or higher it's bad news for that stove.

The 700 degree temp is never sustained. It usually levels out at 500 to 550 stove top temp. I am running it with the damper (is this the right term for the air intake?) only slightly cracked. It won't keep temps up with the damper closed. I have a blower on it and that gets the room to a comfortable temp, but I am flying through wood and thought I must be doing something wrong.

 

[claybe]

I've burned Aspen before, burns quick and leaves a pile of ash with no coals in the morning.
If Aspen was all I burned, I'd go through tons of it. Some Conifers are above it in the btu rating.



WoodButcher

...this is true...LOTS of ash!

 

[ROBERT F]

aspen, aspen everywhere, and not a coal to spare. Hope your getting your aspen for next to nothin. With all the beetle kill out our way, why no pine? Hear tell that it'll burn your house down? What you need is a cord or two of well seasoned ponderosa or lodgepole from right around the corner. lasts a little bit longer.

 

[Creek-Chub]

The gist of what these fellas are telling you is that, basically, it could be worse. Lots of folks put posts up on here complaining that they can't get their new stove over 300. Doesn't matter how you slice it, you're not going to sustain 700 degrees. Period. In any stove, with any wood, no matter how well it is seasoned. If you can't heat your house with a semi-constant 500, you need a bigger stove or a smaller house. That's just how it is.

 

[KeepItNatural]

I could be way off- but in my mind, a fast fire will be a "hotter" one, while a longer slower burn will be a comparatively more mild one. Have you tried putting more than just one log in at a time? It's all to your personal preference, but if you but a full load in rather than one at a time, maybe you can get the best of both worlds you're trying to achieve.

 

[claybe]

aspen, aspen everywhere, and not a coal to spare. Hope your getting your aspen for next to nothin. With all the beetle kill out our way, why no pine? Hear tell that it'll burn your house down? What you need is a cord or two of well seasoned ponderosa or lodgepole from right around the corner. lasts a little bit longer.

...from my sources, aspen burns cleaner since no sap no creosote. That's a plus! However, I am new to this (especially the accumulation of wood part!) and am just trying to figure everything out. I got over a 1/2 cord of Aspen from an independent seller for $50. I thought that was a great deal, but I could be wrong. I have 3 aspen trees that I have my eye on for next year for free! I don't know how the cut a cord for $10 from the forest service works or whatever it is. Hopefully I can figure that out soon so I can take advantage of that, but I figured that it would cost me about $60 in gas to go get it, so don't know what is best. Any advice?

 

[North of 60]

What can you get the lodgepole pine for $. Thats the way I would go if softwoods is what you have got. Thats how I keep warm other than spruce.

 

[Wood Duck]

First of all, like all trees Aspens do have sap, and creosote comes from burning wet wood or burning with too little air, which can be done with any species of wood. Basically creosote is accumulated smoke, so if you burn without much smoke you won't have much creosote. Most eastern wood burners consider aspen a pretty poor fuel, but we have lots of premium hardwoods to choose from. Experienced western wood burners tend to like pine, partly because there is a lot of it, but also becase of the way it burns. I like pine because it burns hot and smells nice when you cut it. There is no reason to think pine will cause any more creosote accumulation than aspen, as long as it is seasoned. Out there in the land of low humidity, you should be able to season in time for next year even a pine that was alive when you cut it. Dead standing pine will be ready for next year no problem, and maybe even ready when you cut it. I would try calling the forest service to ask about the way a cutting permit works - you should be able to find somebody helpful if you try.

I don't know anything about your insert, but a stove top temperature of 700 degrees is pretty high, isn't it? The last stovetop thermometer I looked at showed 700 degrees to be in the 'overfire' range of tempertures. Perhaps you shouldn't be trying to keep the stove that hot.