Newbie Stove Owner - Best Practice to put out fire and glass?

[turnipfarmer]

Hey guys.

New stove owner and new to the forums. I've got few questions but go easy on me ;-).

First one, how is the best way to put out fire for when you go out or go to bed? I've only had the fire lit few times as its still bit to warm here in the UK (if you can believe that lol) but when I leave it to die down naturally it smokes up the glass which then I have to clean. When wanting to put out fire is it best to open air vent or close it? I have a Burley Honeywell which has one vent control and outside air vent kit fitted.

This leaves me to next question, the glass when cleaning. There's some very stubborn marks on the glass which I'm struggling to remove. Looks like ash, like grey haze colour. I've got most of it off but it's taking some shifting. As I said only had it fired few times but getting use to and practice with it but could this be caused by having logs to close to window?

Hope someone can help me with these questions.

 

[ridemgis]

I'm not sure putting out the fire is an option.

As you've seen, if you smother it you're only gumming up the stove and flue with creosote. The best practice is to get the fire dialed in for a sustained burn and then let it go until the fuel is consumed. I don't think any of us here have any qualms about going to bed once we're certain the fire is under control.

Run in this way, there shouldn't be much to clean off the glass. Stubborn stuff can be dealt with by rubbing gently with a damp cloth dipped in a bit of stove ash.

 

[Jags]

Stoves aren't really designed to turn on and off. You light it and let it burn out.

 

[Dix]

Hey guys.

New stove owner and new to the forums. I've got few questions but go easy on me ;-).

First one, how is the best way to put out fire for when you go out or go to bed? I've only had the fire lit few times as its still bit to warm here in the UK (if you can believe that lol) but when I leave it to die down naturally it smokes up the glass which then I have to clean. When wanting to put out fire is it best to open air vent or close it? I have a Burley Honeywell which has one vent control and outside air vent kit fitted.

This leaves me to next question, the glass when cleaning. There's some very stubborn marks on the glass which I'm struggling to remove. Looks like ash, like grey haze colour. I've got most of it off but it's taking some shifting. As I said only had it fired few times but getting use to and practice with it but could this be caused by having logs to close to window?

Hope someone can help me with these questions.

Welcome to the forums!! Don't mind Jags, he's a super awesome smart ass (And I love him to pieces !! )

My goals with a wood stove is for it to be primary heat (read, in my case, the soul source of heat), so when it's November to April, I'm burning 24 / 7. These stoves do not go out unless it hits 40 F - 45 F here at any point in time. I might burn one or the other, depending on conditions.

Usually, one can let a fire out go out on it's own, after loading, getting a good burn going, and then cutting back the air. Just let it die, it'll be fine. UNLESS you have a prehistoric smoke dragon of a wood stove ( please insert stove name in you signature !!), then all bets are off

And yes, that sounds like splits / logs to close to the glass. Sounds weird, but try a damp paper towel rubbed in the wood ashes, then on the glass, and see what happens. I also use vinegar straight up.

 

[Ski-Patroller]

Hey guys.

New stove owner and new to the forums. I've got few questions but go easy on me ;-).

First one, how is the best way to put out fire for when you go out or go to bed? I've only had the fire lit few times as its still bit to warm here in the UK (if you can believe that lol) but when I leave it to die down naturally it smokes up the glass which then I have to clean. When wanting to put out fire is it best to open air vent or close it? I have a Burley Honeywell which has one vent control and outside air vent kit fitted.

This leaves me to next question, the glass when cleaning. There's some very stubborn marks on the glass which I'm struggling to remove. Looks like ash, like grey haze colour. I've got most of it off but it's taking some shifting. As I said only had it fired few times but getting use to and practice with it but could this be caused by having logs to close to window?

Hope someone can help me with these questions.

I also use a Single Edge Razor Blade to clean the glass when it is really bad. I finish with a wet towel and maybe a mild abrasive if needed. If it needs a lot of work, it is often easier to take the door off the stove and work on in on a table or the floor.

 

[fossil]

If it's close to the end of its burn cycle when you're wanting to leave it, just put the air to max. It'll burn out the best it can with minimum smoldering. Always avoid putting the ends of splits closer than about 1" or so from the window...the outgassing from the butt end of a split can blacken the window quickly (depending on the wood species). Rick

 

[BobUrban]

and do some research here on how dry your wood needs to be. If your wood is under 20% MC and you are burning correctly the glass on most modern stove remains rather clean with a slight tinge of gunk at the end of a burn cycle that typically burns off quickly with the next fire.

Rutlands makes some glass cleaner that works really well.