Opinions please on opening air during coaling stage

[velvetfoot]

I've been opening air all the way when the fire gets to the coaling stage. Like now: big coals, very light flame.
I get more heat and quicker reduction of coals.
Is this standard operating procedure?

 

[BenTN]

I am curious of this also. I have been doing the same as you hoping they burn off before the wife gets too cold and I reload. I have read about throwing a couple small splits in to help burn them down but for me unless it's kindling it just adds to the pile. I ain't splitting more kindling then a have too.

 

[jscs.moore]

I've been opening air all the way when the fire gets to the coaling stage. Like now: big coals, very light flame.
I get more heat and quicker reduction of coals.
Is this standard operating procedure?

Hey Velvet Foot...opening the air all the way up when the fire burns down to the coaling stage is something I do routinely. I agree that you get more heat this way and it burns down the coal base faster. I recall a post on this issue a while back and I think a fair amount of non-cat burners seem to do this.

 

[velvetfoot]

Thanks!

 

[firefighterjake]

Normally I just leave things be until the coals are rather small . . . at least aways on a day like today with a mild temp hanging around the freezing mark. Come this weekend with very cold temps in the forecast I suspect I will be doing just what you suggested . . . or more likely tossing on a single split and opening the air to burn things down and keep the heat production up.

 

[begreen]

I typically do like Jake does, throw on a smallish split and open up the air part way to accelerate the burn.

 

[DuckDog]

For me it all depends on if I need the heat or not. Normally I let it cruise until I can reload onto a reasonable coal base. If it's really cold out then I'll open the draft and get the usable heat out of the coals then reload.

 

[venator260]

I open it up as well. I also usually pile the coals toward the front and throw some bark on top of that. It provides just enough heat to get the chimney drafting and pulling air through the coals.

 

[sen166]

I open up the air intake all the way to burn down the coals after I rake them forward. Take today for instance, 3 degrees Fahrenheit with who knows what wind chill; got back inside from plowing the snow drifts, opened the air intake for a bit, raked the coals forward, had a snort of whiskey to warm up, reloaded the stove, and now thawing out my face.

 

[Komatsu350]

I rake mine to the front and set a single split on top of the pile and then let it go wide open. Usually get a 50% reduction in coals and some decent heat for an hour or so

 

[weatherguy]

I put a split of pine on top to burn them down when it's frigid, when I don't have pine I use bio bricks.

 

[2fireplacesinSC]

I try to use a split of pine. Do you lose a lot of air up the chimney with a non cat when you open the primary air? Seems like coals don't get much hotter in my little Jotul if I just open the air. Maybe it's my high draft?

 

[Woody Stover]

I recall a post on this issue a while back and I think a fair amount of non-cat burners seem to do this.

I have a cat but I still need to get rid of coals sometimes. Usually I can keep stove temp up to about 275-300 by opening up the air a little more than my cruise setting, not wide open as some do. About halfway through the coals, I'll rake them forward. Since I have an ash grate, the ash will fall away and the coals can get plenty of air. The Keystone also has a small hole in the ash pan housing which feeds a little air through the grate into the bottom of the coals, speeding up the process. This is usually good enough, but today we won't even hit 20* and it will be a bit breezy.
I tried tossing a 1.5 x 5" split on top last night but just opened the air little more, as I usually do. Split was Black Cherry, which coals, so I didn't really make much headway on reducing coals, but the cat lit and I got the stove top back up to about 425 over about 1.5 hours, and room temp up a degree or two. Today I may have to open the air a little wider than usual to make room for another load quicker; I don't have any small Pine splits, just kindling, and I don't really care to run Pine through the cat anyway. I could close the bedroom door for a while to get more heat in the main room, and then there's always the little ceramic heater that I could use for a little while to raise room temp a couple degrees...that seems like a cop-out, though.

 

[smmjam12]

I also leave the door open to burn the coals down faster. The only thing I can add is that I do not have the door wide open. I only open it a couple of inches, this creates a bit of a wind tunnel effect, burning the coals hotter and faster.

 

[WayneN]

I also leave the door open to burn the coals down faster. The only thing I can add is that I do not have the door wide open. I only open it a couple of inches, this creates a bit of a wind tunnel effect, burning the coals hotter and faster.

Same here

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[wildbill7145]

Ditto

 

[jharkin]

On very cold days when I'm reloading frequently and running high to keep up with the temps, yes I will open the air to burn down the coals.
Otherwise just let it smoulder until I need the heat.


I don't do the add a split trick - Im on a catalyst so I would need to go through the whole warm up and activate the cat cycle.

 

[begreen]

I would think that opening the stove door to rapidly burn down coals would also cool down the stove with the rapid inrush of cool room air.