Packing stove...I think I get it now!

[yankeesouth]

I think I get it now…… let me know if I am on the right track. So when I was B******* about short burns I only had a few 3”-4” splits placed in the old Dutchwest with probably 5”-6” inches of room at the top and some space in the front and back. (It loads from the side.) It basically looked pretty and burned nice….like one would place logs and see in an open fireplace. I was getting maybe 2 hour, give or take, burns. So if I want to get 4-5-6-7 hour burns with venting issues, gasket issues, draft issues, and seasoned wood issue aside....... I need to pack that sucker up. Correct??? Not super tight but more than 3-4 splits. Am I on the right track for longer burns by packing the stove more????

 

[firewoodjunky]

I don't see any reason not to pack the stove as full as possible - obviously you don't want to stress your glass but I fill my VC to the brim for an overnight burn.

 

[Highbeam]

Absolutely, pack that sucker to the gills unless your manual specifically tells you not to. For max burn time you load the firebox fully and reduce the intake air as low as possible.

 

[MnDave]

If this is an EPA stove with a stronger than average draft then I would do the stove-stuffing experiment one split at a time to avoid any surprises.

I have had larger loads, say 8 splits, go almost into overfire with the controls set to minimum. It was a good thing that I was there to monitor. Since then I have added a stovepipe damper which has really helped me control the burn better.

If you load the stove when there is a large amount of coals spread all over the firebox then you can get rapid outgassing of your newly added wood. This can start a very brisk fire in which most of your wood is lit. This will work against having a long controlled burn on an EPA stove in which you cannot choke off the air completely like on the pre-EPA stoves.

I took someone on this forums advise about pulling just the right amount of coals forward and lighting the ends like a cigar. I have a N/S loading stove so I am not sure what the advise is for an E/W loading stove. It may depend on where your primary air enters the box.

After the gasses slowly burn I end up with a large glowing mass of coals which give off a gentle blue flame for hours.

Another little trick that I think helps as far as getting a long overnight burn is to get the house real toasty before bed. This way the morning temps will not drop off too much. Every degree over 70 before stuffing the stove will make the house that much warmer in the morning.

MnDave

 

[Dakotas Dad]

It's like a fuel tank.. if you want to drive 400 miles without stopping, you need to start with a full tank. If you want to just run around town, and put in a 1/4 tank here and there as needed, that works too.. but is more trouble in the long run.

 

[corey21]

Load her up.

Edit. You should rake all the coals forward first.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Most folks tend to rake the coals forward then load the largest piece of wood in the bottom rear of the stove. Then fill from there. Most stoves like a little room on both the sides and the top but they don't need much. Get the wood in, get the wood charred good and then start dialing down on the draft. You will have to experiment as to how far down you can dial that draft. Must of this depends upon your wood. If the wood is not ideally dry, then dialing down too far might bring on some creosote problems.

 

[Johnpolk]

I have tried the load it up full technique during the day(practicing for long over night burns) and have bad trouble keeping the temps in control. Makes me not confident about filling it up before bed and then going to sleep

 

[Hogwildz]

Full and tight with large splits, mediums & smalls packing the spaces that are left = long burn times.

 

[turbocruiser]

It's like a fuel tank.. if you want to drive 400 miles without stopping, you need to start with a full tank. If you want to just run around town, and put in a 1/4 tank here and there as needed, that works too.. but is more trouble in the long run.

Let me add something to the analogy; its like that a little bit yes but its also as if when you have a full fuel tank the vehicle has 500HP and with the quarter tank it only has 100HP ! In other words like many other amateurs out there, I'm still having a helluva time fully loading the firebox without it wanting to totally take off. If I could figure out filling the fuel tank and having around 350 much more manageable HP it would be wonderful! DOH!

 

[HDRock]

Most folks tend to rake the coals forward then load the largest piece of wood in the bottom rear of the stove. Then fill from there. Most stoves like a little room on both the sides and the top but they don't need much. Get the wood in, get the wood charred good and then start dialing down on the draft. You will have to experiment as to how far down you can dial that draft. Must of this depends upon your wood. If the wood is not ideally dry, then dialing down too far might bring on some creosote problems.

Does this work with a smoke dragon ?
Stove loads on w end,rt side, air is also on ,w end on back, damper on pipe.
Still a little scared to load 8 cu ft, full especially on top of 4 or 5" of coals

 

[Woody Stover]

So if I want to get 4-5-6-7 hour burns with venting issues, gasket issues, draft issues, and seasoned wood issue aside....... I need to pack that sucker up. Correct??? Not super tight but more than 3-4 splits. Am I on the right track for longer burns by packing the stove more????

Yes but if you have leaking gaskets, be careful of the runaway. Gaskets issues are easy to remedy, though. Not sure if your DW has a catalytic combustor but with my 2460 it seems like it would be easy to suck flame into the baffle and into the face of the combustor (flame impingement) with a roaring fire going and the bypass closed. You don't want that.

 

[Flatbedford]

I stuff as much as possible in my Frieview when I need a long hot burn. I have never had a problem controlling the burn on a full load of well seasoned fuel over a good bed of coals. I can usually engage the cat and lower the air in less than 10 minutes for another 8+ hour burn.

 

[thewoodlands]

I think I get it now…… let me know if I am on the right track. So when I was B******* about short burns I only had a few 3”-4” splits placed in the old Dutchwest with probably 5”-6” inches of room at the top and some space in the front and back. (It loads from the side.) It basically looked pretty and burned nice….like one would place logs and see in an open fireplace. I was getting maybe 2 hour, give or take, burns. So if I want to get 4-5-6-7 hour burns with venting issues, gasket issues, draft issues, and seasoned wood issue aside....... I need to pack that sucker up. Correct??? Not super tight but more than 3-4 splits. Am I on the right track for longer burns by packing the stove more????

Each stove is different, find out what works for you then stick with it. In our Lopi Liberty we burn the coals down real good then add 8-10 splits depending on the size, seems to be working well.

Just burning Cherry we get 8-10 hour burn times.

zap

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Does this work with a smoke dragon ?
Stove loads on w end,rt side, air is also on ,w end on back, damper on pipe.
Still a little scared to load 8 cu ft, full especially on top of 4 or 5" of coals

I'm not so sure it will work with the older stoves. We tried many ways of building fires in our older stoves and finally just got to the point that we'd load them up in no particular order and let them burn. I will add though that we always burned large splits and/or rounds for long burns in colder temperatures, like nights in January-February.