raking hot coals question

[agz124]

This is my first year as a wood-burner and things are going well but....

My quad 4300 filled up with hot coal to the point that I could only get 2 small splits in last night before bed. Needless to say they did not last very long and I woke up to a 59F living room (stove location). Here are my thoughts: My wife stays home during the day and puts a log or 2 on every hour or so, the coals never turn completely into ash and therefore take up a lot of room. I did a search on raking coals and came across a video from Canada about how to operate a woodstove and I learned a few things. Now I am going to try not adding any wood until all the coals have burned down significantly. Here is the question: Once I have nothing but a few hot coals (1" or less in size) should I rake them to the front (north south stove)? I never did any raking before and when I would load up at bedtime the stove would take off (too much)! Like 700-750F stove temp even with the air closed almost all the way. If I rake all the coals to one location, the entire bottom surface of the new wood will NOT suddenly catch fire because only a little bit of it will be touching the coals as opposed to my old method of just tossing it on top of all the coals. So, if this makes any sense to anyone please feel free throw some raking advice my way. Oh yeah, if I do rake all the coals to the front then my new splits will be inclined and I will not be able to get as much in the stove...?

Thanks

 

[Hogwildz]

This is my first year as a wood-burner and things are going well but....

My quad 4300 filled up with hot coal to the point that I could only get 2 small splits in last night before bed. Needless to say they did not last very long and I woke up to a 59F living room (stove location). Here are my thoughts: My wife stays home during the day and puts a log or 2 on every hour or so, the coals never turn completely into ash and therefore take up a lot of room. I did a search on raking coals and came across a video from Canada about how to operate a woodstove and I learned a few things. Now I am going to try not adding any wood until all the coals have burned down significantly. Here is the question: Once I have nothing but a few hot coals (1" or less in size) should I rake them to the front (north south stove)? I never did any raking before and when I would load up at bedtime the stove would take off (too much)! Like 700-750F stove temp even with the air closed almost all the way. If I rake all the coals to one location, the entire bottom surface of the new wood will NOT suddenly catch fire because only a little bit of it will be touching the coals as opposed to my old method of just tossing it on top of all the coals. So, if this makes any sense to anyone please feel free throw some raking advice my way. Oh yeah, if I do rake all the coals to the front then my new splits will be inclined and I will not be able to get as much in the stove...?

Thanks

Rake the coals to front, then add a split that fits nicely east to west at the back of the stove behind the coals. Then stack the rest north to south as normal. no declined splits, and puppy is packed to max and level to burn.

 

[jpl1nh]

Or, after raking the coals to the front, stack all your wood east west. The wood will burn more slowly starting top front and finally getting to back bottom. Great way to extend your burns for as long as possible.

 

[WATYF]

wow... I gotta try this. I've just been stacking the wood at alternating angles (to get good airflow) on top of a full bed of coals. I don't have the same problem as the OP (with the stove getting full of coals), but I would be interested to see if this extends my overnight burns.


WATYF

 

[Summertime]

I usually put splits on top of my coals and use the bellows to fire up the coals real hot and it usually ignites the new splits pretty quickly.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

I'm not sure that everyone rakes coals forward to reduce the heat UNDER splits. I let the coals dies right down to a few, then rake them forward so that air entering from a cracked open door or the primary air source is impinging on them directly so that they provide MORE heat in igniting a fresh load of wood. I might also rake them to level them out before loading if there are a good number of coals, as they deplete in the front first (because air enters from the front).

When you have a lot of coals built up- rake some forward and leave the primary air open more- this will heat up the stove and reduce the coal bed before you load it up.

 

[EddyKilowatt]

When you have a lot of coals built up- rake some forward and leave the primary air open more- this will heat up the stove and reduce the coal bed before you load it up.

Even more effective is to rake coals forward, open the air... THEN put some 1" kindling on top, ideally softwood or light hardwood. The flames from the kindling really boost the draft which in turn will really get the coals going. Add more kindling as it is used up, if needed, until coals are reduced to a manageable level.

Eddy

 

[EddyKilowatt]

Also wanted to comment that I myself haven't had much luck with the "rake coals forward then add wood behind" approach when re-loading. What seems to happen then is that the incoming draft, which is fed to the front of the fire, hits the coals first and (I think) heats and rises before it gets to the fresh wood behind. Result is the wood behind is reluctant to ignite and burn, and I go through a long (longer than I'd like anyway) smoldering stage, regardless how wide-open the draft is, before I get good flames (and no smoke).

My best results re-loading are to make an air channel in the coals and then put new wood directly on top of them... this is the way that seems to give the fastest light-off of the new fuel. Maybe my firebox is not hot enough (I don't usually run that hot) to light new wood without it being on top of coals?

Eddy

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Eddy- you need to leave the door open just a crack, and have a stove that drafts really well to cause some turbulence etc. in there. It works great for me unless it's just a few embers.

 

[bokehman]

If you have a stove full of coals it is because of one or more of three reasons: 1) Wood not fully seasoned, 2) Feeding the stove instead of burning in full cycles (load and burn until empty), or 3) The stove is under size for your requirements.

To get rid of the coals rake them forward and put a couple of planks of pallet wood or pine on top and burn with full air. This will reduce the pile of coals and make plenty of heat. Repeat as many times as necessary until the pile is a manageable size. Once it is load the stove as Hogwildz or JPL1NH suggest above.

 

[awoodman]

On my Quadrafire I will spread the coals out and through some small 2'' round stuff on and open up
both the front and rear draft and burn it down an hour or 2. Rake the coals to one side and the other
shoveling out the ashes and then rake the remaining coals to the center making a row from front to back.
Then put a split on each side and a small split in the center. Leave both air supplies open till it gets going good
then shut down the back one and regulate the front one accordingly.

I have had many wood stoves over the past 23yrs and this last one I bought new and is awesome.
Heats my 2000 sq. just fine, no electricity needed. Of course my walls are 8'' thick styrofoam.