overnight burn

[chuckiep]

hello all, long time lurker,first time post. I usually get my wood from a pallet makerin my area ($125 per ton of oak, cant beat it) anyway, I found that if I pack my stove with the chunks on end, I easily get a great overnight burn in my hearthstone clydesdale. Its a great stove. heats our 1750sq.ft. house with no probs. thanks for listening.

chuck p. :coolsmile:

 

[HittinSteel]

I have a mix of hardwoods and I always know when I grab a few big chinks of oak that there will be plenty of coals in the morning.

 

[Todd]

I use to buy those leftover chunks from a pallet company up here but most were Birch and soft Maple and didn't give me a long burn. Glad it's working out for you, your going to need it the next few days.

 

[Corey]

Welcome to the forum. The subject does get kicked around from time to time glad to hear you're getting it with pallets. Those should stack up pretty nice and tight.

 

[karri0n]

Still never got one. 6 hours is the max I can get with pristine wood, full load, and really low burn setting on. I'm talking long enough to have coals to start the next load, not to achieve heat output. This is on a 3.0 CF firebox.

 

[n3pro]

Still never got one. 6 hours is the max I can get with pristine wood, full load, and really low burn setting on. I'm talking long enough to have coals to start the next load, not to achieve heat output. This is on a 3.0 CF firebox.

Sounds like a problem, I get 4-5 hours on a 1.3 CF firebox with enough coals for an easy startup.

 

[Todd]

Still never got one. 6 hours is the max I can get with pristine wood, full load, and really low burn setting on. I'm talking long enough to have coals to start the next load, not to achieve heat output. This is on a 3.0 CF firebox.

Either you have a leak somewhere or your chimney is drafting too strong and could use a pipe damper.

 

[iskiatomic]

You know this is probably the only forum where someone can tell you someone's unit is too small and accecpt it.....??????

 

[iskiatomic]

OK, sure I have had some liquid courage tonite.

But, I have gotten 10+ out of mine for a long burn.

 

[jpl1nh]

Still never got one. 6 hours is the max I can get with pristine wood, full load, and really low burn setting on. I'm talking long enough to have coals to start the next load, not to achieve heat output. This is on a 3.0 CF firebox.

Either you have a leak somewhere or your chimney is drafting too strong and could use a pipe damper.

Exactly! I can get 12 hrs+ in a 1.5cu ft box.

 

[northwinds]

Still never got one. 6 hours is the max I can get with pristine wood, full load, and really low burn setting on. I'm talking long enough to have coals to start the next load, not to achieve heat output. This is on a 3.0 CF firebox.

When you say "really low burn setting", do you have the air shut all the way off? What %? Also, is your pristine wood big splits or
smallish? Loaded east/west? Reloading after raking the coals forward? Just some ideas.

 

[Diabel]

Still never got one. 6 hours is the max I can get with pristine wood, full load, and really low burn setting on. I'm talking long enough to have coals to start the next load, not to achieve heat output. This is on a 3.0 CF firebox.

Either you have a leak somewhere or your chimney is drafting too strong and could use a pipe damper.

Exactly! I can get 12 hrs+ in a 1.5cu ft box.

It seems to me that a lot of us here have a much different definition of a "burn time"!

 

[Cedrusdeodara]

Hi, I am a newby too (at least since Oct 08). I've noticed a bit of difficulty burning through the night. I no longer anticipate "Burning" through the night, but accept loading the insert up around 11pm and closing the airflow down, then waking up the next morning around 6am and still having coals to quickly relight (sometimes not so quickly). I have a 2.2 cuft firebox. The oil burning thermostat may call for heat during the 3-4am range sometimes.

Now tomorrow till Sunday here in the Northeast.... I'll burn nonstop and be happy with whatever I can do...

I know that outside my house right now is 29F, here at my computer is 82F, and my thermostat is set for 64F and has not run all day... The upstairs away from the insert is around 65F. .

Brian

 

[karri0n]

Still never got one. 6 hours is the max I can get with pristine wood, full load, and really low burn setting on. I'm talking long enough to have coals to start the next load, not to achieve heat output. This is on a 3.0 CF firebox.

When you say "really low burn setting", do you have the air shut all the way off? What %? Also, is your pristine wood big splits or
smallish? Loaded east/west? Reloading after raking the coals forward? Just some ideas.

I get slightly longer times with big splits/rounds, and longer with east/west, though I like the heat output of n-s. I do sometimes see an air stream in the right rear corner of the firebox between one of the bricks and the retaining metal, but there's no cracks on the outside of the unit. As far as the air control, I'm talking with it closed all the way down. I've replaced my gaskets as well, which extended the burn a bit, but not by much. I have about 35' of liner as well, so I might just need a pipe damper.

 

[stejus]

I can get a 10hr overnight burn before adding another load in a 2.4 cf box. At 8:00PM I pull all the coals forward to the front of the stove. Lay in 3 large splits and 2 smaller splits on top of them (N/S direction). Then I top off with small (2”) rounds to fill the gaps. By 9:00PM I have shut down the air all the way. At 6:00AM I have a good bed of red hot coals in the back of the stove. I collect the ash and pull them red hot coals forward for the next cycle.

House temp in the morning depends on how cold it is at night. With overnight temps in the teens, I can wake up to 68 to 70 degrees on the first level and 60 to 65 up stairs in a 2000 sq ft colonial. With temps heading below zero for the next three nights, I’m not sure what I’ll be waking up to. I’ve been burning since the first of the year and there have only been a few mornings when the heat has come on briefly (upstairs) to maintain 65 degrees. Both floors have FHW baseboard heat with programmable thermostats so there’s no risk of dipping too low in the house.

 

[Wet1]

Still never got one. 6 hours is the max I can get with pristine wood, full load, and really low burn setting on. I'm talking long enough to have coals to start the next load, not to achieve heat output. This is on a 3.0 CF firebox.

When you say "really low burn setting", do you have the air shut all the way off? What %? Also, is your pristine wood big splits or
smallish? Loaded east/west? Reloading after raking the coals forward? Just some ideas.

I get slightly longer times with big splits/rounds, and longer with east/west, though I like the heat output of n-s. I do sometimes see an air stream in the right rear corner of the firebox between one of the bricks and the retaining metal, but there's no cracks on the outside of the unit. As far as the air control, I'm talking with it closed all the way down. I've replaced my gaskets as well, which extended the burn a bit, but not by much. I have about 35' of liner as well, so I might just need a pipe damper.

I agree, it sounds like you probably have to much draft (which the damper should correct). What's you chimney configuration?

 

[karri0n]

about 35' of liner in an interior masonry chimney. It makes 2 90° turns right off the back of the unit, then straight up the liner.

 

[drdoct]

about 35' of liner in an interior masonry chimney. It makes 2 90° turns right off the back of the unit, then straight up the liner.

Do you have a problem with your gloves getting sucked off and ending up on your roof? Your probably around max on the height. I bet a damper will slow it down considerably.

 

[karri0n]

Do you have a problem with your gloves getting sucked off and ending up on your roof? Your probably around max on the height. I bet a damper will slow it down considerably.

HAHA, good one. I do get a really strong draw even with a cold house (~40°) and cold chimney. I've had the idea of making a paper airplane and putting it at the bottom of the liner with the elbow off and letting it shoot up and out the chimney.

 

[Peter B.]

karri0n:

If you don't actually have a manual flue damper, I would *strongly* recommend one (after reading your posts on burn times).

Why flue dampers are frowned on here is a mystery to me. I guess if a given stove and chimney draft are _perfectly_ balanced, there may be no need... but if an overdraft problem exists, then by all means there is clear need for a damper.

Overdraft problems aside, they're helpful in controlling chimney fires as well...

Peter B.

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[karri0n]

My only reservation with a flue damper is that, when I have my air shut all the way down, I get a VERY slow burn, and little heat output. If I slow this even more, I may get the coveted overnight burn, but if it's not warming my house, I'm just wasting wood IMHO

 

[joesat78]

I think people should stop talking about "burntime" like the stove sellers/resellers/dealers and start talking about "flametime" - the length of time the flame is visible. This will be a better guide than a burntime.

 

[karri0n]

Personally, I like the burntime measurement. My stove puts out heat long after I can see flames, and I'm interested to know how long I can go between reloads without needing to restart, not how long I can see flames.

 

[stejus]

Personally, I like the burntime measurement. My stove puts out heat long after I can see flames, and I'm interested to know how long I can go between reloads without needing to restart, not how long I can see flames.

I agree 100% with this measurement. You get warmth from a stove that has a full load of red hot coals that are not flaming. Not only is the stove giving off heat, but the entire brick hearth (if you have one) is still giving off heat. The best measurement IMO is the amount of coals left in the stove after an overnight burn to use to start the next cycle.

In my case, 10 to 11 hours on slow burn (fully closed) and a stove surface temp of around 200 degrees. I still have a good amount real hot coals for the next reload.

 

[Peter B.]

My only reservation with a flue damper is that, when I have my air shut all the way down, I get a VERY slow burn, and little heat output. If I slow this even more, I may get the coveted overnight burn, but if it's not warming my house, I'm just wasting wood IMHO

karri0n:

This is all 'off the top of my head'...

Another forum member I've been talking to has (another) antique smoke dragon, and also (I believe, based on diagnosis by description) a possible overdraft problem.

The most obvious similarities (though entirely inconclusive at that) are that you're both getting satisfactory heat output, but comparatively short burns given your fuel loads.

I know you have a modern stove (and in point of fact the other fellow already has a manual flue damper installed), but I'm inclined to think the effect of a flue damper on stove performance may be quite different than the draft controls provided by the stove itself... and that if you reduce the overall volume of the draft using a flue damper, you may be able to keep your stove controls open wider for a 'happier' burn overall.

I actually suggested a barometric damper to the other person - even knowing the problems it might create or exacerbate - but he couldn't see the use either.

In your case, a simple manual damper is - what - $10.? And the time to install probly less than an hour.

It seems to me worth a try. You can always rip it out and plug the two 1/4" holes in the stovepipe if it doesn't work... or otherwise offends your sensibilities.

Peter B.

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