Keeping fire going

[Jwalter]

We just bought a small cabin in the woods. It has two heat sources: electric baseboard (spendy!) and a fireplace with a Jotul 350 Winterport insert. The insert has a blower.

I can get a fire started, but it's hard to keep it going. Even when the fire is very hot, when I add new wood, the fire will go out unless I leave the insert door ajar until the new log is fully engulfed. Even then, sometimes the fire will fade and look like it will go out unless I give it a boost by opening the door a crack.

It seems like not enough air is entering the firebox, but we had a fireplace installer out to look at it, and he said it was installed properly. Changing the air setting (the lever on the upper right side) doesn't seem to have any effect, if that's any help.

We are using very well-seasoned wood--it's been in a dry garage for at least two years. It splits really easily.

Any ideas about adjustments or things we could do differently? Thanks!

 

[prezes13]

How tall is the chimney? What is the moisture content of the wood? It sounds like a wet wood. Does it sizzle? Is water coming out of of it when you put it in?

 

[begreen]

Wood that dry should take right off, especially if it's doug fir or alder. Splitting easily is not necessarily a sign of dry wood. prezes is on the right track. How tall is the chimney.

As a test, get a package of compressed wood logs (Northern Idaho Energy Logs or Home Fire Prest Logs) or bricks and try a fire with one or two of them added to your wood.

 

[Jwalter]

Wood that dry should take right off, especially if it's doug fir or alder. Splitting easily is not necessarily a sign of dry wood. prezes is on the right track. How tall is the chimney.

As a test, get a package of compressed wood logs (Northern Idaho Energy Logs or Home Fire Prest Logs) or bricks and try a fire with one or two of them added to your wood.

I'm not sure how to describe the moisture content, but the wood is dry. Our neighbor uses wood from the same batch without any problem. The chimney is about 16 feet tall. It was cleaned in September.

If I leave the door ajar, the wood burns easily--too fast, really.

I will try the experiment with the Prest logs. Thanks.

 

[yooper08]

Not going to repeat the above, but generally speaking, wood needs sunshine and ventilation to dry well. Drying in a garage can extend the drying period because there's little ventilation to carry away the moisture. As humidity goes up, drying times extend.

The easiest way to know if its the wood is if it hisses and/or water is coming out the ends.

Edit: If it was cleaned in September, have you looked at the flue cap recently to see if its plugged?

 

[blacktail]

Is there a full chimney liner?

 

[EatenByLimestone]

The chimney is the engine of the stove and can radically affect how the stove will burn with even a little buildup.

I recommend having this checked and cleaned. If it is clean, and has a properly sized liner, the issue must be the wood.

If the chimney is dirty and full of buildup, even good wood can give you problems.

 

[mark cline]

It seems like not enough air is entering the firebox, but we had a fireplace installer out to look at it, and he said it was installed properly. Changing the air setting (the lever on the upper right side) doesn't seem to have any effect, if that's any help.

I would look into how the air system works, the air wide open should have some effect on the fire .

 

[mark cline]

Here is a parts diagram of your stove. would look into how the air system works.