Osburn 2400 loading?

[Colorado Boy]

Hey guys last winter I loaded the stove with 3 or 4 small loads a day. It worked ok but it seemed like I was always trying to make sure the coals were burned down for the night load. It seems if I load to often the coal build up is bad. I'm wondering if it's better to load up with maybe 1 or 2 full loads instead of the smaller loads? I'm burning all pine and softwood here in Colorado. Thanks

 

[Grisu]

It is certainly more convenient and usually also more efficient to load the stove full and let it burn down to a few coals before reloading. With all softwoods, coals should not be that much of a problem. Excessive coaling can be a sign of wood not being dry enough, insufficient draft or getting the stove not up to temp by shutting down the air too quickly. Can you tell us more about your situation:
How long has the wood been split and stacked in the open? Was it top-covered? Do you know its internal moisture content through splitting a few pieces in half and pressing the pins in the center of the fresh surface?
How tall is the chimney? What kind (masonry, class A, single-wall stove pipe etc.) and how many turns/bends does it have? At what elevation are you?
Do you have a stovetop thermometer? What kind of readings do you get?

What keeps the coals controllable for me is this: With every reload I rake all the coals towards the front. Then I drop some shorter splits E-W behind the coals, pile up more splits on those and the coals until the firebox is full. With the door slightly ajar the coals will ignite the wood quickly. I close the door and then adjust the air over the next 5 to 15 minutes depending on how the burn looks (influenced by various factors: wood species, stove temp, draft etc.). Since the air coming from the front goes through the coals they burn down nicely with the new load. If it is still a lot you can also rake them forward, place a small split on top and with the air mostly open burn them down a bit before reloading.

 

[begreen]

For long burns I load the stove up full. When burning softwood, on a reload with nice dry wood I can usually char the wood good with the air wide open for about 10 minutes and then close it down halfway, wait 5 minutes and close it all the way. Two factors that are important are dry wood and in Colorado, a tall enough flue for decent draft.

 

[Colorado Boy]

For long burns I load the stove up full. When burning softwood, on a reload with nice dry wood I can usually char the wood good with the air wide open for about 10 minutes and then close it down halfway, wait 5 minutes and close it all the way. Two factors that are important are dry wood and in Colorado, a tall enough flue for decent draft.

Yes my wood is super dry. Its been drying for 3 to 4 years and most was dead when I cut it. Stove top runs around 6 to 650. Liner is 20 feet tall straight up no bends. I am just wondering if it's better to do smaller loads or full loads less often. It throws really good heat.

 

[dafattkidd]

We usually load 4 times per day. During the coldest months. A large load in the morning, a small load in the afternoon, another small load in the early evening, then a large load for the overnight. It's not an exact science but that's pretty typical for us. A lot of days it's two loads if it's 30s; one load in the morning and one load for the overnight.

 

[begreen]

I do smaller loads during shoulder seasons and full loads with thick splits in the cold weather.