What do think are the key factors for a long burn. It seems to me a large bed quiet coals does better with less wood than a new smaller bed of coals with the stove loaded to the max.
Secrets to long burn times
- Thread starter Smokey Bear
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Smokey Bear said:
Type of stove.
Size of stove.
Type of wood.
Dryness of wood.
Temperature of stove.
Outdoor temperature.
for me heavy coal bed, get stove really hot before bed time, damper all the way down, wake up to coals every time 8 hr burn no problem... clean my pipe 2 times a season so i feel safe dampening all the way down when im asleep. i burn mostly oak, maples, and ash. seasoned 2ys to 18 months or longer depending on time of yr and how cold of a winter.
BrowningBAR said:
+10 for type of stove
+15 for dryness of wood
+1 type of wood
+5 for outdoor temp & I would add, how well the structure is insulated
I agree that there are many variables. The one point I would make is I disagree with the first posters thought that lots of coals and little wood last longer than coals with lots of wood. I know its the opposite. If you have little wood then there is not much of a process of turning wood into coals.
My list:Smokey Bear said:
1. dryness of wood
2. moisture content of wood
3. seasoned wood.
(see a theme?)
4. type of wood. hedge, oak, locust are my overnight burn wood.
5. expect the house to loose temp during the long burn (for example, if you go bed and the house is 74 °F and you let it fall to 68 °F overnight, and still have coals in the morning, you have a long burn). If you try to keep that 74 all night on a really cold night, then you are probably not going to get long burns.
6. to do this you have to have a very efficient stove / furnace / insert, older ones, in most cases, are just not going to get the job done.
7. practice. I'm on year 2, 8 hours are easy to get now (if it's over 20 °F I can get 10 hours), no matter what the temp is. Last year I started with 5 hours and was very frustrated, but it gets better. I think I still burn 25% more wood than I need too, I am still learning.
there are definitly alot of variables on each setup. there could be 4 people here with the same stove and all 4 will get different results doing the same thing with the same wood. don't rule out the old stove, saying it can't get over night burns. my 32 year old stove gets 7 to 9 hours of above 300 degree burn. like i say it's to many variables.
gzecc said:
that's the biggest variable. i just burnt some poplar. 20 to 22 inch and stuffed the stove. got six hours out of it. earlier this winter i burned a stove full of black locust. not even full length for my stove, 8 hours later the stove top said 400 degrees
Smokey Bear said:
Welcome to the forum Smokey Bear. Good name.
First, there is no secrets when it comes to burning wood. As stated by many, good fuel is the first key. By that, it means wood to the proper dryness and the type of wood. Fill your stove to the hilt with poplar and I'll only use a half load of oak in mine and I'll guarantee my fire will be a whole lot better than yours. So not only good wood, but the right type of wood and that depends upon what wood is available in your area.
Other factors are yes, the coal bed. You do not need a mammoth coal bed; just a decent coal bed. If the coal bed is too big it only steals room that could be used by filling with wood. Also, larger pieces will hold fires longer than small pieces. I especially like to put in a round or two when trying to hold a fire a long time. Put the rounds on the bottom rather than the top.
After you fill the stove, make sure you have a well established fire going before turning down the draft. The wood should at least be charred. How far to close the draft depends upon your stove and installation as everyone can be different on this point. One might give 1/4 draft and another 1/8 while the next guy has to give it 1/2 draft. You have to learn your own stove. For example, several of us on this forum have Woodstock Fireview stoves. I have to burn mine with a lot less draft than any of the others. We are all different.
Your best thing is to experiment with the fuel you have on hand. But remember, to get good burns takes good fuel and that means proper drying of the wood. If you are burning less than quality wood you will have less than quality fires and lots of creosote.
Good luck.
This is such a wonderful "Hobby" . Every fire is diffrent.....every stick of wood unique. Operating Your stove is more an Art than a science.....
In the order of how I view their importance:
- Dense, slow burning (i.e high BTU) wood
- Big splits, or better yet, rounds.
- Reduced air
- Full loads
An overnight burn is only a matter of convenience, not an indication of superior burning skills. There are many ways to increase burn time, but that doesn't mean they are smart ways to burn. Worst case scenario that will give an overnight burn (but not much heat) is to pack the stove with small splits of dense wood on a huge bed of coals, and then close down the air as far as you can. A cool fire with very high smoke density will result. Even with fully dry wood, you are asking for major creosote production and limited heat output by doing this. Give your stove enough air to do its job properly overnight, and buy some of those SuperCedars if you can't start a good fire from scratch when the burn is finished by the time you wake up.
- Dense, slow burning (i.e high BTU) wood
- Big splits, or better yet, rounds.
- Reduced air
- Full loads
An overnight burn is only a matter of convenience, not an indication of superior burning skills. There are many ways to increase burn time, but that doesn't mean they are smart ways to burn. Worst case scenario that will give an overnight burn (but not much heat) is to pack the stove with small splits of dense wood on a huge bed of coals, and then close down the air as far as you can. A cool fire with very high smoke density will result. Even with fully dry wood, you are asking for major creosote production and limited heat output by doing this. Give your stove enough air to do its job properly overnight, and buy some of those SuperCedars if you can't start a good fire from scratch when the burn is finished by the time you wake up.
mtarbert said:
That is probably true. After a while though you just put wood in and do it right without even thinking. At least that happens with me. Then my wife will try to build a fire and gets frustrated. It really gets her then when I just move the wood a little and it takes right off. I laugh....and then duck. However, given enough time she can get it going okay but I don't like to depend on her for stocking for an overnight burn.
One thing that may help is to turn off the blower if you are using it. When I first started using my stove I left the blower on low/ auto all the time.
Now I leave it off unless the stove starts to over fire. It seems to burn a bit longer and not affect the heat output.
Now I leave it off unless the stove starts to over fire. It seems to burn a bit longer and not affect the heat output.
BrowningBAR said:
+1
Type of Stove . . . I would guess that as a rule when comparing similarly sized stoves the cat stoves would get a longer burn
Size of Stove . . . Whoever is biggest, wins . . . and how tight you pack the firebox
Type of Wood . . . To some degree . . . both in the species (i.e. oak vs. white pine), size of the wood (large splits vs. small)
Dryness of Wood . . . Yup . . . dry wood = heat and long burn, wet wood = loss of heat, smoldering burn or even a dead fire in some cases
Temp of Stove . . . Hotter is better
Outdoor Temp . . . I get my longest burns when the temp is around freezing . . . a little above or a little below
I would also add the climate (windy, sub-zero temps vs. no wind, moderate temps), how well the house is insulated (loss of heat as it moves from a hot area to cold area slow or quick due to the insulation . . . although this may not affect the length of the burn so much as the comfort level in the home), chimney length, experience in running the stove, coal bed and a few other variables.
You probably would get a longer burn by leaving the blower off, but wouldn't it make it more difficult to extract heat from the stove and into the room/area that you are trying to heat?
firefighterjake said:
+1 on all that and also very significant is how warm you want/need/desire the house.
BrotherBart said:
raybonz said:
Are you guys trying to say the same thing?
Wind was a big factor this year for us. And as always, I ran out of well seasoned wood, and could tell the difference.
- Oct 8, 2008
- 450
WES999 said:
+1
I do the same thing now after the first few months of 24/7 burning. I find that the stove room stays warmer longer overnight with the blower off (thermostat is on the opposite wall of the insert). I get a hot fire going about an hour before bedtime, then shut it all the way down and head to bed. I dont mind if the bedroom gets cooler overnight since im under blankets...i just dont want the oil furnace kicking on! haha. When I get up in the morning (usually early thanks to the dog) I throw a few more splits on the coals and get the insert back up to temp and then but the blower on to warm the rest of the house.
basically my overnight objective is to keep the living room warm enough so that the oil burner doesnt kick on. Im doing a pretty good job...started the heating season with 7/8th of a tank and its slightly below 3/4 now.
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