RE: Having to re-adjust my thinking and process

[firefighterjake]

You would think after this many years I would finally have things down pat . . . but today marked the second time in a little over two weeks that my wife has called me at work to report the stove was wicked hot (she didn't give me an exact temp) and the walls (regular drywall) was too hot to touch (she said the walls were 160 degrees).

I was a bit puzzled as to why this was the case . . . but I think I have figured it out. It's my fuel . . . it's good. Very good. As in seasoned for over three years and higher BTU wood than I am used to -- mostly black locust and beech.

Truth be told, I am also reloading too early with the stove still too warm to do so safely . . . I think I have gotten away in the past by reloading on this hot a stove, but I think now with such dry wood . . . dry, high BTU wood . . . loading too soon in an effort to keep up the heat or in this morning's case make sure the fire burns for a longer time (vs. just letting the fire and coals go a little longer without reloading) is resulting in these very hot fires.

I guess I need to readjust my thinking . . . not load up the stove quite so much and make sure any reloads with this higher BTU wood is not in a hot stove.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I'm always tinkering with something or another. Lately I've been throwing a split or 2 in the back EW behind some raked forward coals and then NS above it. The only change I've noticed is that the stove doesn't light up as fast as before.

 

[rdust]

Pretty typical of a non cat, have you tried to modify the secondary air? I hated having to worry about when and how I could reload with a my non cat.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

The problem I have answering your post Jake is that you are not giving us any number to work with. Hot to one might not be hot to another. In addition, you don't state what that wood was But for sure I do not think it wise to load a stove that still has wood left to burn already in it. Best to get that burned down.

No doubt there will be some to jump on the bandwagon here and blame the "too dry" wood you are using. Even before that happens I'll call bull on that one. You even touched on that by stating, "It's my fuel . . . it's good. Very good." So then it boils down to how you are running the stove.

I think many will say that the 160 degrees is not call for alarm but in my house it would be. If it is too hot to hold your hand on it, it is too hot. So for sure some adjusting needs to be done in your home. We wish you good luck.

 

[gyrfalcon]

You would think after this many years I would finally have things down pat . . . but today marked the second time in a little over two weeks that my wife has called me at work to report the stove was wicked hot (she didn't give me an exact temp) and the walls (regular drywall) was too hot to touch (she said the walls were 160 degrees).

I was a bit puzzled as to why this was the case . . . but I think I have figured it out. It's my fuel . . . it's good. Very good. As in seasoned for over three years and higher BTU wood than I am used to -- mostly black locust and beech.

Truth be told, I am also reloading too early with the stove still too warm to do so safely . . . I think I have gotten away in the past by reloading on this hot a stove, but I think now with such dry wood . . . dry, high BTU wood . . . loading too soon in an effort to keep up the heat or in this morning's case make sure the fire burns for a longer time (vs. just letting the fire and coals go a little longer without reloading) is resulting in these very hot fires.

I guess I need to readjust my thinking . . . not load up the stove quite so much and make sure any reloads with this higher BTU wood is not in a hot stove.

Jake, if you're not used to burning these very dense high-BTU woods, spend some time experimenting the next time you're home for a few hours. I've never burned locust, but beech is my go-to deep winter fuel, and it does not light off as easily as less dense woods like ash or even rock maple. So don't let that coal bed burn down too far or you'll find the harder woods, even when very dry, are a bit sullen about catching right away.

I can throw a couple of splits of ash or maple on not much and they start to burn quickly, but not so the beech or shagbark hickory, etc. I find I need to put some ash or maple on a light coalbed first, underneath the beech, to be sure the beech will catch fire in a reasonable amount of time without smoldering reluctantly for a good while first.