Small fire box short burn times what to do?

[johnsopi]

Just installed a Osborne 1800 insert. This was one of the few that would fit in my fireplace w\o knocking bricks out. Very nice looking but 3 hrs burn time. 1.8 ft firebox sucks. I had a big jack Yukon furnace in my old house, so this very different. How do other deal with small boxes or is the trade off.

 

[begreen]

With practice you'll be able to do a bit better. Thicker splits packed tighter can help.

Are you closing down the air most of the way once the fire is burning well? Tell us how you are loading the fireplace and running it.

 

[branchburner]

Also, the amount of heat you retain will depend on the flue and fireplace set up. Is the fireplace on an outside wall or central, and does the insert vent into an insulated liner?

 

[freddy]

Just installed a Osborne 1800 insert. This was one of the few that would fit in my fireplace w\o knocking bricks out. Very nice looking but 3 hrs burn time. 1.8 ft firebox sucks. I had a big jack Yukon furnace in my old house, so this very different. How do other deal with small boxes or is the trade off.

One thing I learned (from this site) is after insulating my home and putting in a block off plate is that I did not need a bigger stove. This may not be the case for you but I sealed up every nook and cranny in my home and my .09 cu ft firebox keeps my 1200 sq ft home nice and warm. I am lucky to see flames for 3 hours but can usually start up after 8 hours using kindling. Using NEILS I can start up using regular splits after an overnight burn. Hard woods at night and soft to start usually works well. Like you, I have contemplated getting a bigger box just cause it is easier but my last place had an Osburn Matrix (2.1 cu ft) and even though I could get longer burn times, my current stove puts out more heat and has no blower. The true test I suppose would be to put the Matrix here but I cannot do that. I would also fear that getting a bigger box would heat me out of the home after all the insulating.

 

[Sodbuster]

The biggest splits you can fit into it, and fitting them tight like a jigsaw puzzle. Get to low burn as soon as feasible and you'll get the longest burn possible with your stove. One thing I didn't see mentioned, is what type of wood are you burning?

 

[freddy]

The biggest splits you can fit into it, and fitting them tight like a jigsaw puzzle. Get to low burn as soon as feasible and you'll get the longest burn possible with your stove. One thing I didn't see mentioned, is what type of wood are you burning?

I believe split size should be based on the size of the box. Big pieces in small boxes may last longer but don't burn as efficient nor put out as much heat. I realized one day that I could take that big piece that I used to stuff in my stove and split it into three pieces and there was actually a bit more room to put two more small pieces. Small splits, get it cooking and shut down the air works well for my set up. With a 1.8 box I suppose you could get a good size piece and surround it with small ones. Experimenting will help in figuring out your exact set up.

 

[Sodbuster]

I believe split size should be based on the size of the box. Big pieces in small boxes may last longer but don't burn as efficient nor put out as much heat. I realized one day that I could take that big piece that I used to stuff in my stove and split it into three pieces and there was actually a bit more room to put two more small pieces. Small splits, get it cooking and shut down the air works well for my set up. With a 1.8 box I suppose you could get a good size piece and surround it with small ones. Experimenting will help in figuring out your exact set up.

Of course split size is based on firebox size, that's pretty obvious. Filling his stove as tightly as possible will give him the longest possible burn time. I don't recall johnsopi complaining about heat output just burn times. Larger wood leads to longer burn times.

 

[yooper08]

I would guess that with the suggestions above and your firebox size, your maximum will probably be 5 hours. It'll take some time figuring it out to get to that point along with good, dry wood, but 4 hours is a good goal.

To add to this, I have a 2.3 cuft box but most times I'm only putting in 4 splits loaded E-W. On cold starts, I'll probably get 3-4 hours out of it, on reloads, closer to 5 and sometimes longer. Especially if I put in hardwood, there's still enough coals after 6 hours to restart a new load if I need to let the temperature fall a bit to be comfortable.

 

[freddy]

Of course split size is based on firebox size, that's pretty obvious. Filling his stove as tightly as possible will give him the longest possible burn time. I don't recall johnsopi complaining about heat output just burn times. Larger wood leads to longer burn times.

Just trying to paint the biggest possible picture for the OP based on my experience. Not objecting to your input either. My opinion as I stated earlier is that you can get more wood in the box with smaller splits versus one or two huge ones. (one in my case) and that leads to better efficiency as well as longer burn times.

 

[Chas0218]

That seems really low for the firebox size. I get about 8 hours with a coal bed for firing back up in my 1.5. I use about (2) 6"-8" Ash and maple splits and a bunch of small splits on the bottom. What kind of wood are you burning?

 

[TedyOH]

Are you calling your "burn time" the actual time you see flames? I have a 1.6 PE Neo insert and get about the same "flame time" 3.5 to 4 hours, probably another 2 to 3 hours of "coaling time", so 6 to 7 hours of "burn time" with enough coals in the morning for an easy re-light.
What works for me for the longest burn time is unsplit Oak and Hickory, (and if you're lucky enough, blue beech and hornbeam) around 5" diameter....depending on the exact size I can get about 4 or 5 rounds in there with 1 or 2 small splits to hold everything in place.

 

[johnsopi]

Burn time. I am calling seeing flames. If heat out put/coals I get 6hrs restarting with fatwood. The wood Im using is 2yr old oak and hickory.
Im cutting up some trees going to cut 14" long.

 

[johnsopi]

The way I am burning is full open till I get a crocodile black on the logs then shut 1/2,then all the way over 1 hr. My wood has been too long to stack thick. I will cut shorter as time allows.

 

[yooper08]

So for argument's sake, lets call burn time ignition to coals - and for the sake of reloading the stove, the cycle is ignition to when the coal bed is about the same size as it was at reload. Wood burns in cycles, which includes the coals.

You could try closing the second half sooner than over an hour. Should be able to get it closed down relatively quickly, say about 15 minutes or so (it'll vary, too). That'll extend your burn time a little bit.

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

Just installed a Osborne 1800 insert. This was one of the few that would fit in my fireplace w\o knocking bricks out. Very nice looking but 3 hrs burn time. 1.8 ft firebox sucks. I had a big jack Yukon furnace in my old house, so this very different. How do other deal with small boxes or is the trade off.

I'm confused. The Drolet 1800 should have a 2.4 cubic foot firebox.

I have the same stove with a different brand name on it. I've never had long burn times, I expect that you'll find the same thing.

Puts out nice heat, and we've been able to provide 90-95% of our heating needs from the stove in this leaky old stone farmhouse for the last 2 seasons. I have to reload in the middle of the night when it's cold, or wake up to a chilly house. No ice cubes from the showerhead yet, but, if I get lazy and just roll over, it's pretty cold in the morning.

 

[begreen]

The Osburn 1800i and the Drolet Escape 1800i have different fireboxes. The Osburn is shallower. Further confusion ensues when marketing often reports the total firebox volume instead of the loadable area.

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

The Osburn 1800i and the Drolet Escape 1800i have different fireboxes. The Osburn is shallower. Further confusion ensues when marketing often reports the total firebox volume instead of the loadable area.

Yep, like I said, I'm confused! Thanks for reading more carefully and clearing it up.

I'll have to measure from the bottom of the tubes to the lower firebrick, from side firebrick to side firebrick, and, from the rear firebrick to the door to assess the loadable area and see how it compares to the marketed displacement.

All that said, I'm a fan of the SBI stoves. I hope they come out with a thermostat controlled lineup in the future.

 

[freddy]

Burn time. I am calling seeing flames. If heat out put/coals I get 6hrs restarting with fatwood. The wood Im using is 2yr old oak and hickory.
Im cutting up some trees going to cut 14" long.

Cutting to 14" and loading N/S will help cram more pieces in there. Another downside of a small box...always cutting!

 

[begreen]

Cutting to 14" and loading N/S will help cram more pieces in there. Another downside of a small box...always cutting!

The Osburn 1800i firebox is only one firebrick deep or a bit over 9" unless you load the wood on the ledge in the bay area. It's mostly an E/W loader.

 

[freddy]

The Osburn 1800i firebox is only one firebrick deep or a bit over 9" unless you load the wood on the ledge in the bay area. It's mostly an E/W loader.
View attachment 214905

Oh wow! Not sure why you'd want to cut to 14 " then? At 1.8 and only 9" deep it must take a 20" log E/W?

 

[begreen]

The firebox is only about 18" wide. I haven't run this stove so to be fair it may be possible to load 16" splits set N/S in the middle where the bay bows out. Not sure about the sides though, maybe 14" would work there?

 

[Squisher]

I don't think you could. My parents have this insert. It's a great unit and nice fireview. But e/w or a bit diagonal at most I think. It doesn't like any overlength. My dad is always very cautious to not load it to close to the glass or so that anything will roll against it. IMO it's not easy to cram it full.

 

[Squisher]

My dad and mom I believe are seeing around 3-4hr reload cycles on fir.

They've had this unit awhile. I want to say ten years?

They've had to replace the door hinges once. Just last year.

 

[johnsopi]

I recutt some of my firewood so I can stack it in better. this helded a lot

 

[savageactor7]

Smaller splits may load it up a little more but I would just learn to enjoy the stove you have. So what if you have to load it every 2hrs or 3 hrs...just make it a fun thing to do. The stove if for your enjoyment, right?

imo folks get too wrapped up with published burn time and a...I dunno, I guess it becomes, or can be psychologically defeating, as in the 'I've been gypped' sort of things.

...and that can interfere with all the positives of sitting by a fire. Hope that helps.

Remember these metal boxes allow us to build a raging fire in our homes...safely. Now that they're smokeless it's almost a marvel of engineering.