Lopi liberty. N/S Vs E/W loading.

[kversch]

I've read several old postings about N/s vs e/w loading of the stoves and was wondering if anyone one has any newer insite on this? I've been cutting my wood to 18 inches so I'm forced for the most part to load e/w. The biggest problem I seem to have is the splits in the back on the bottom don't seem to burn down well. And I can't seem to get the back section of the stove warm enough to get the last secondary tube to ignight.


Last night I took a bunch of my splits and cut them down to 15-16 inches so I could try a full load over night Loading n/s. I was very supposed at how fast that load took off nice and evenly. I had roaring secondary's in no time. With this load for the first time ever burning I had to shut the air all the way down like it says you are suppose to. Normally I have to leave it open just a little. Stove teamps heals nicely between 700 and 750. And I had supper full secondary's ( should have taken a pic) The only thing I wasn't to fond of stack temps. It seem to hover right around 800. For quite a wile till it settled down a bit when I went to bed. When I woke up in the morning everything had burned down nicely to ash and a few hot coals in the back9 hours later. With an e/w load I would have had lots of charcoal and some hot coals.

So it seems n/s during better. If this is the case why isn't this recommended in the info on the stove?
Does anyone have any ideas on better a better burn loading e/w? It would be a real pain to cut the nex year and a halfs worth of splits down 1-2 inches

 

[zig]

Smaller/ thinner splits in the back.

 

[begreen]

The Liberty is primarily an E/W loading stove. For quicker starts, lay down 2 or 3, small splits (2" thick) N/S about 2" apart, then load the E/W wood on top. The small N/W splits will allow air to get under the wood faster for quicker starting.

 

[lopiliberty]

I do N/S loads 90 percent of the time. It allows me to really pack the stove. I can get 8 to 10 splits in depending on the size. When I load E/W I rake the coals forward and take my poker and make a trench through the coals and ash to the back of the firebox. That allows more air to get to the back for faster secondary's. 18 inches is kinda small for E/W loading. I load to one side and put a short piece or 2 N/S on the other end. This fills the firebox more which I think makes it heat up faster and get the secondary's really cranking

 

[lopiliberty]

Forgot to add that sometimes I have trouble getting the splits on the ends to burn completely. If I think about it I open the air a little toward the end of the burn cycle to get them to burn

 

[DBoon]

The biggest problem I seem to have is the splits in the back on the bottom don't seem to burn down well.

I think you'll find that when you get your wood 2 to 3 years dry, you will not have this problem any more.

 

[Shmudda]

I think you'll find that when you get your wood 2 to 3 years dry, you will not have this problem any more.

This is really the key......dry wood will burn no matter how it's loaded.

I will tell you though that I do load my liberty N/S when I have what I call chunk wood, that is wood that is cut short as a log about 10" long or so and then split or noodled with the saw. I do this with larger type rounds of Elm or Oak that are near wyes or something that is tough to split. I'm getting to old to jam and hammer the maul thru a log like that anymore. I take the easy way out and noodle the thing with the saw. I haven't taken the plunge to a splitter yet, but I can see it coming in the next couple years.

I have found that my Liberty will burn most anything I put in it in any direction, the key is it must be dry........

Craig