Newbie entering

[Poor Doug]

Hi All,

Newbie entering the site.
I was introduced to the site by a good friend, checked it out and am enjoying the useful tips I have found.
We just installed the new woodstove today, then found enough time to cut up a cord or so of wood afterward.
Still haven't split it yet, but just ordered the Fiskar's SS maul tonight on Amazon for myself.
According to all of you, it is a worthy purchase.

I'll keep busy with this, as oil prices have passed the $3 per gallon mark here in CT.

I look forward to visiting the site each day looking for tips and suggestions, go easy on me!

 

[dougand3]

Welcome, Doug in CT from Doug in Bama. Congrats on your new install. Is your cut today for next season? It will burn much better when Cut/Split/Stacked for a year or more.

 

[Poor Doug]

The cut is for today, we are "sweeping the floor" (as my buddy puts it) in the woods behind my house.
Plenty of downed trees, some for several years.
Beautiful stuff out there, ready to burn.
Scored on a new (only burned twice) unit found on Craigslist, Summers heat (Lowes gig) for $300.

Plenty of burnable stock to make it through the winter this year, plenty more to split and stack.
Working good though, 78 degrees where I'm sitting, 67 at the other end of the house.

 

[shawneyboy]

Welcome to the forum and enjoy. Great site, worthy of a daily visit. Always learning more and more. Good thing you have burnable wood, biggest newbie problem is solved. If you are on an auto delivery with the fuel oil you may actually get to the point I am at, actually looking forward to the next delivery so that you can figure the amount of money saved by having the wood burner. Oh an pics would be appreciated, we always like to see other installs.

Shawn

 

[FireAnt]

Welcome Doug! Another CT boy nice! Enjoy the heat and learn all you can from the site.

Anthony

 

[raybonz]

Welcome aboard and congrats on your new stove!

Ray

 

[woodchip]

And a warm welcome from this side pf the pond

 

[pen]

Welcome to the site. A good thread for some reading that i recommend to anyone new to woodburing or the site is found here https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/65174/

Best of luck,

pen

 

[Backwoods Savage]

The cut is for today, we are "sweeping the floor" (as my buddy puts it) in the woods behind my house.
Plenty of downed trees, some for several years.
Beautiful stuff out there, ready to burn.
Scored on a new (only burned twice) unit found on Craigslist, Summers heat (Lowes gig) for $300.

Plenty of burnable stock to make it through the winter this year, plenty more to split and stack.
Working good though, 78 degrees where I'm sitting, 67 at the other end of the house.

Welcome to the forum Doug.

Just a little word of caution on that dead wood. All dead wood is not the same and for some reason or another most folks tend to think that because a tree is dead or fallen down the wood is ready to burn. That may or may not be the case and most times the wood still needs some drying time. Probably most dead wood will be ready in a year, or cut it now for burning next winter. If the tree is standing, generally the top part of the tree will be okay but the bottom of the tree will still have a lot of moisture in it. If the tree has fallen, it depends whether or not the tree is on the ground or if it has fallen in such a way as to not lay on the ground. It is best if you find those that are not laying flat on the ground.

Be sure to check your chimney monthly for your first year or two. That will really tell you the story on if that wood is really ready or not. Same thing if you have glass in the stove. If the glass gets black, blame the fuel, not the stove.

Also, be sure to check out The Wood part of the forum as you'll find many tips there.

Good luck.

 

[firefighterjake]

Welcome to the forum . . .

 

[Poor Doug]

Some of the dead wood is burning pretty good, but not the big stuff.
We'll split and stack til next year. I attempted to load an all nighter hoping it would get through the day until I got home from work. No luck.
It must've been a bit wet, the log was still at about 50% of it's original size.
Had a few coals left, but not enough. Had to relight w/kindling.
Any tips to gain a long enough burn to make it through my work day?
I leave at 7:30am, get home at 5pm.

 

[jotulguy]

Some of the dead wood is burning pretty good, but not the big stuff.
We'll split and stack til next year. I attempted to load an all nighter hoping it would get through the day until I got home from work. No luck.
It must've been a bit wet, the log was still at about 50% of it's original size.
Had a few coals left, but not enough. Had to relight w/kindling.
Any tips to gain a long enough burn to make it through my work day?
I leave at 7:30am, get home at 5pm.

At the top of the hearth room page there are yellow notes read the very first one. Titled new to wood burning,ect,ect,ect.

 

[mackvision]

I have a theory that I go by when it comes to the size wood splits I put in: the smaller or lower the coal bed the smaller the splits. NOW> when I have an awesome coal bed going, and the box temp is 350-400, and it looks like the melting furnace in a steel mill, that is when I put my big "hog molly" pieces in. Seasoned wood is key....I am burning 2 year old oak that has been completely out of the elements since cut down. You will be a real good shape next year as long as you keep the wood covered decent. Enjoy Lots of people are going back to being old school and burning wood again! We have been burning since 2005 and love it! Craigslist is a great place to find free wood even if you have to process it a bit. Gas money to transport it, and recoup the savings from the furnace sitting still in the cold months! Cant beat it! Welcome! This is a great site with knowlegeable folks!

 

[Poor Doug]

Thanks for the tips, I'll try again tomorrow.

The wife just went to bed, complained it was too hot in here.
78 degrees in the family room, somewhere in the 60's in the bedrooms.
2200 sq. ft. ranch, the stove is at the far end of the house, opposite of the bedrooms.

Not much I can do to carry the heat that far.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Doug, try a small fan set back in the doorway to the bedroom. Set it on low speed and blow the cool air towards the stove room. If you have a hallway back to there you might just try the fan in the hallway. It works wonders.

 

[Poor Doug]

The bedroom is pretty far away, a few jogs and walls between the stove room and the bedroom.
Would a fan pushing the heat through the doorway from the stove room help much?

I was guessing it would at least get it out of this room and into the rest of the house.
The stove room is an addition, formerly a patio with a slider into the kitchen.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Doug, it helps a little but blowing the air the other direction does even more. For some reason, trying to move the hot air just does not work out as well as it should. When someone told me to do it by blowing towards the stove room I scoffed. Then I tried it and could hardly believe the results!

However, we do sometimes have a fan blowing from the stove and also the small fan in the hallway.

I'd do some experimenting to try to find the best spot for the small fan. Also, be sure to not use a pedestal fan. It needs to be down low.

 

[Poor Doug]

Thanks for the tip.
I'll need to pick up a few small fans and try to place them in a few test spots.

I just may need to convince the wife to agreeing to an insert in the living room fireplace, in addition to the unit in the family room.
She's not a fan of the mess the wood leaves behind, therefore the man cave stays nice and warm, the girl cave is hovering in the 68 degree range.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Doug, it doesn't have to be messy. There are ways of dealing with it. The biggest is when you are bringing the wood in and loading the stove. The next is the ashes but that does not need to be a problem at all. It is easy to empty ashes without getting dust all over. You no doubt have read some of my posts on this task. No ash dust in our house!

 

[iskiatomic]

Welcome Doug in CT, your friend that has lots of saws.........actually it's only two, however ORANGE and XPs. The new to me MXZ 600 is fun also. Don't worry Doug now that I have you hooked, soon your backyard will look like mine!


KC