Yes, I'm still talking about the wood stove. I know, that with experience, we'll get to know each other better.. But right now we are newlyweds and I want to treat her with the love and respect she deserves. Then as she learns that I have our best interests at heart, she will add more warmth to our relationship. Sometimes she rewards me from the coals; sometimes I have to give her a small gift of kindling; other times I've neglected our relationship, waited too long, and she lets me know it. I might try to sooth her with a little newspaper - which sometimes helps and other times seems to get in the way. Then I have partially burned paper and still nothing to show for my efforts. This morning I seemed to have our relationship restarted and then I put on more wood - must have been too much too soon, because she left me. I could see I was going to get the cold shoulder again if I didn't take more decisive action. I could only open the door of her heart slightly before smoke would begin to escape into the room. So I finally bit the bullet, wadded up one sheet of newspaper, opened the door , lit the paper and now our relationship has roared back to life. I could use some suggestions on how to achieve a perfect rekindling every time. Should add that the draft is excellent. I can often simply close the door, give full air and she soon rewards me with a show of flaming love.
Rekindling the Fire
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Start every fire from scratch unless you have so many coals that the kindling starts itself and burns you. A fire that is barely restartable will be slower to explode into an inferno than one where you start with full kindling and stacking. The only penalty is higher kindling consumption but the fire will burn cleaner faster.
To follow your example... a "fire" likes to be kindled, kindled, and really warming up before laying on the big, er, splits of firewood. Especially the soapstone which tends to suck the heat away from a weak fire.
To follow your example... a "fire" likes to be kindled, kindled, and really warming up before laying on the big, er, splits of firewood. Especially the soapstone which tends to suck the heat away from a weak fire.
She likes it hot? Good!
Think of kindling as foreplay. You can only give her the hardwood when she is really hot-n-ready.
As a note, paper is for boys...use a torch.
A stove that respects you will always give you warmth and comfort.
Think of kindling as foreplay. You can only give her the hardwood when she is really hot-n-ready.
As a note, paper is for boys...use a torch.
A stove that respects you will always give you warmth and comfort.
Sometimes a light touch and a bit of patience is all that is needed. Let her sit and smoke for a while and just wait for some flames.
BTW - if smoke pours out the door, it would seem that the draft may not be that great??
BTW - if smoke pours out the door, it would seem that the draft may not be that great??
I like to find some coals under the fly ash when I get home from work. I rake them into the middle and put a few kindling splits on them until they flame..then I add a smaller split or two until they flame up well..About this time I will add one large and we are off to the races!
Good to sit at the feet of the masters. Think I only get the smoke when fire is out and I've tried to load her too full and fail to inginte her passion right away. Smoke may come out near the back edge or half of the door as I try to open it enough to relight my paper(which I will try to discontinue using). I can open the door all the way, with no smoke, when she's purring along. A friend gave me some small cants of cedar which I split for kindling. Good stuff. I can see the necessity/advantage of having some good kindling to revive the romance. This time last year she was only a fleeting thought, a passing fancy. Now, she's the center of my attention. At times, I can hardly keep my eyes off her!
I too have a Homestead and found that having the really seasoned works the best. Usually I will take some small scraps of skids from work and split them down to about 1/2" by 1/2" and take about 5-6 of those and one twist of newspaper and the magic is in the air. After the kindling is lit, any kind of seasoned wood will take off, (that is if there is a layer of warmish ash/coals on the bottom of the stove. I have never had any smoke back draft in the house though, just only if I open the door too fast, not allowing the air pressure to equalize.
With the love and tenderness you showed here, I'd be afraid to have you around my stove. Afraid it would leave mebcnu said:
:lol: Very well written!
My Morso 7110 has an ash pan which helps in restarting from coals. If the amount of coals is a bit low, I add kindling and splits and open the ash pan door for a few minutes injecting air underneath the coals.
--DO NOT LEAVE STOVE WHILE ASH DOOR IS OPEN--
For me while the ash door is open, the fire is like a blowtorch. This gets the splits caught and burning quickly.
--DO NOT LEAVE STOVE WHILE ASH DOOR IS OPEN--
For me while the ash door is open, the fire is like a blowtorch. This gets the splits caught and burning quickly.
well, this morning when I came downstairs at 6:15am there was a decent bed of coals..I raked them foreward, threw on three decent splits and left the door open a crack..Within 5 minutes all three splits were flaming up real well. I added two more splits and shut the door..Let her get up to the 500 degree mark again (was like 200 at 6:15, and had goen to bed without reloeading at 9pm) and then dampered her way down..we will see what she is at this evening at 6pm when I get home..I like to ahve a decent coal bed left so that I can restart without using newspaper etc..
hey A...woodburner, my goal is to be able to rekindle almost all my fires from the coals. I'm using some of the tips you pros are sending out. I had read from someone about raking coals forward and have been doing that lately on restarts. Funny thing, this time last year I was so focused on choosing the right stove that all the other topics didn't mean much. Then I needed info on cutting and drying my wood and now rekindling is the most important issue. I used to think that burning wood was pretty straightforward. However, I'm sure I'll have another hot question in the future. BTW, this morning I took out the ash, raked the coals forward, put on a couple pieces of cedar kindling, closed the door, gave her full air, and she's responded beautifully. I can hardly wait for winter and the comfort she'll give me on those cold nights.
yes they are funny beasts..until you fully understand them they will resist you in one way or another. Like I stated before, last eyar was my fisrt year with this new stove and it took me the entire year to really understand her
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