Rebar to raise wood up for airflow - good idea, bad idea, pointless idea?

[snarflemike]

I have a Lopi 1750i insert, and I just ran across some old rebar on the property. Would there be any benefit to just laying a few pieces down for wood to sit on, to get better airflow? I know it would make cleaning a bit more of a hassle, but beyond that, any opinions? I seem to remember seeing that some wood stoves explicitly tell you not to use a grate. What would be the reason for such a warning?

 

[bholler]

I have a Lopi 1750i insert, and I just ran across some old rebar on the property. Would there be any benefit to just laying a few pieces down for wood to sit on, to get better airflow? I know it would make cleaning a bit more of a hassle, but beyond that, any opinions? I seem to remember seeing that some wood stoves explicitly tell you not to use a grate. What would be the reason for such a warning?

What would you be hoping to gain by doing this?

 

[SuperJ]

I wouldn't do it, modern wood stoves have no problem efficiently consuming all the fuel in the firebox. You'll just waste some space in your firebox.
You should try and maintain a bit of an ash bed though in my experience.

 

[firefighterjake]

I would see no benefit . . . as mentioned having a nice bed of ash helps the burn and preserves the coals better. Putting a grate like device seems to have no purpose other than to take up some space.

 

[snarflemike]

I wouldn't do it, modern wood stoves have no problem efficiently consuming all the fuel in the firebox. You'll just waste some space in your firebox.
You should try and maintain a bit of an ash bed though in my experience.

That's actually my own instinct as well.

 

[snarflemike]

What would you be hoping to gain by doing this?

Getting oxygen to parts of the wood that are otherwise oxygen-starved.

 

[bholler]

Getting oxygen to parts of the wood that are otherwise oxygen-starved.

All that will do is make for shorter burn times

 

[jetsam]

They sell galvanized and epoxy-coated rebar. You don't want either one inside of a cat stove.

 

[begreen]

Are you typically loading the stove E/W or N/S? There would be no advantage if loading N/S, but a slight advantage if loading E/W and you want to get a little more air under some not ideally seasoned wood for an easier start. However, there is a better way. Just take or split down 2-3 1" thick sticks and use them instead. They will burn down into the coal bed in the first 30 minutes or so.