Preheat flu

[TradEddie]

Big sheet of newspaper barely crumpled, light, close door. If you get the hang of a top down load, this can light the fire too.

TE

 

[bholler]

Big sheet of newspaper barely crumpled, light, close door. If you get the hang of a top down load, this can light the fire too.

TE

You can still get quite a bit of smoke in the house from a sheet of paper if the draft is reversed

 

[Woodsplitter67]

Id do the torch if it were me. Id put it in the box for a minute or so and do the newspaper to get solid draft and light it up..

 

[tabner]

You can still get quite a bit of smoke in the house from a sheet of paper if the draft is reversed

Yeah, this is what I just experienced. I'll try again in a few weeks if we get a cold snap.

 

[tabner]

Chimney preheating-how many do it and how?

The consensus on my chimney design seems to be that it's not ideal (outside chimney, furnace is located in the basement), but it's all I have for the moment because I definitely don't have the $$$ to enclose it-maybe next year. So now my thoughts have turned to ensuring that I start with a good...

www.hearth.com

I just read thru this old thread. Very helpful, lot of good ideas in there.

 

[tabner]

We got down to 49 on Fri night so I experimented a bit more. I tried the propane torch up above the baffle for about 30 secs. And then I also did a half sheet of newspaper up above the baffle (actually tucked into the bottom of the flue opening a bit) and I was able to get draft going the right way. I started really slow with just a couple small softwood kindling splits. Definitely got it drafting better, little to no smoke in the room with the door cracked. But every time I closed the door the fire would die right down and trend toward going out. I was barely moving my flue probe thermometer, maybe 100 to 150 degrees, and catalyst was not near active range. I started to get pretty scared because the GM60 complaints I have seen on here mainly revolve around "I close the door and the fire goes out". But I finally decided I just needed to give it a little more, I added a few more pieces of kindling and one small maple split. Let it rip for a couple minutes with door cracked before I closed it up. This time it ran great. Flue gasses got to 400, catalyst got about 20% into active range, I closed door and fire slowed down but kept rolling. Air intake fully open thru all of this. I actually got some beautiful blue secondaries firing off in the top of the box. I did not engage catalyst. It hovered right in this range for about an hour and burnt down to ash. Very pleased. I'm optimistic with colder weather and more practice, this should only improve.

 

[begreen]

Good deal, thanks for the update. That is just a kindling fire. You'll get there with colder weather and with a bit more practice you will be running full loads.

 

[stoveliker]

Good deal. 49 F still is a bit on the warm side to have a nice start. So if you are able to work with that outside temperature, you should be quite ok when it gets colder.

Above all, enjoy the flames and the warmth!