Smallest stove for overnight burns

[Rob_Red]

My Green mountain 40 has a 1.32 cubic foot fire box and if I stuff it at night I’ll have some coals in the morning but not enough to get a fire going quickly without basically starting from scratch, even when laying down some thin splits and really trying to help it along. Not always fun when I’m running late for work in the morning.

First off is there anything I can do to avoid this? I doubt it, but I am open to advice.

Secondly, this stove keeps us plenty warm in the winter but my question is for a 1600sf house, what’s a good stove for a true overnight burn that won’t roast us out?

Our house is a 2 story with 9 foot ceilings and moderately insulated we burn as out Main heat source and the stove is a focal point in our house. We need something pretty. Each floor is 800sf and typically the upstairs is super warm (high 70s) and down stairs is like 70-75

What do you think??

 

[john26]

Try packing the stove tighter or use larger splits at bed time maybe cut the air back a little sooner.

 

[stoveliker]

And if that doesn't work, a 2 cu ft firebox.

 

[SpaceBus]

Give us some details on your firewood. I can usually relight on my coals with my tiny les than 1 cuft stove, but only if I pack it totally full with well seasoned hard maple. On softwoods there might be warm ashes in the morning, but easy to light since the flue is also warm.

 

[Rob_Red]

Give us some details on your firewood. I can usually relight on my coals with my tiny les than 1 cuft stove, but only if I pack it totally full with well seasoned hard maple. On softwoods there might be warm ashes in the morning, but easy to light since the flue is also warm.

99% red oak seasoned 3 years split to maybe 3x6” on average. I think I need to prep some fine kindling just for this purpose.

 

[begreen]

Pushing for an overnight fire in a 1.3 cu ft firebox is a big challenge. We had similar results burning in the Jotul F3CB. The times when we had enough coals for an easy restart were few, especially in the coldest weather. In non-cats a 2 cu ft stove like the PE Alerlea T5 would work. It has quite a long burn time due to the well insulated firebox and regulated secondary air. In cat stoves a BK or Woodstock stove would work.

 

[EbS-P]

99% red oak seasoned 3 years split to maybe 3x6” on average. I think I need to prep some fine kindling just for this purpose.

I like pine. Though I have found it’s faster(light off to cruise air setting) and less smoky just to light a new fire top down. I do use lots of kindling. Morning fire doesn’t need to be a whole load either just warm us up before we head out the door. But it’s just not really that cold here either. I did for a couple days get up and do 3-4 am reload. Just to say I didn’t turn my heat on. Won’t be doing that this year or ever again. I just let the heat come on. T stat is set at 67.

what’s a good stove for a true overnight burn that won’t roast us out?

Blaze king. I’m sure their are others but if you want long burns that you can really turn down the BKs just can’t be beat.

 

[begreen]

The Jotul F45 should also be considered for this application.

 

[stoveliker]

The point is that the more you can (and want to - with overnight temps inside lower, I like that) turn down the stove, the longer the burn.

So any stove with a good turn down and a firebox large enough ((1.5-2 cu ft) should be able to do it.

Why BKs come up often is because their turn down capabilities are large.

Other (non cat) stoves will be able to do the same. Because of a combination of a large enough firebox and turn down. A 3 cu ft firebox with poor turn down will do the same. Though you sleep in a hot home then...

 

[Rob_Red]

The Jotul F45 should also be considered for this application.

This is a really interesting stove, I like the N/S loading.

Would this stove be good at running turned down low and slow?

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Whats your chimney like? Too much chimney will make over night burns hard with any stove.

 

[Rob_Red]

Whats your chimney like? Too much chimney will make over night burns hard with any stove.

Class A and it drafts quite well. Haven’t measured it yet but it’s pulls hard

 

[stoveliker]

Class A and it drafts quite well. Haven’t measured it yet but it’s pulls hard

He is inquiring about its length. The taller, the more draft (and the harder to turn down the combustion rate).

 

[Rob_Red]

He is inquiring about its length. The taller, the more draft (and the harder to turn down the combustion rate).

I think it’s 27 feet and the through the wall T is about 5 feet off the ground. I have the same issue with the old masonry chimney.

Think I need a damper?

 

[stoveliker]

You may. I have a 27 ft chimney too. I'm ok. But my stove breathes less easy than the non-cats you are considering.

Nevertheless, a damper is easy to add and can be added later if you find you need it. I would just run, keep an eye on it (especially if it gets colder in winter, and draft increases). If need be, add a damper then.

 

[begreen]

This is a really interesting stove, I like the N/S loading.

Would this stove be good at running turned down low and slow?

It will run ok on just 4 splits and the cast iron jacket will buffer the heat spikes and will release some heat after the fire dies down.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

If you go for an easy breathing stove, I bet you'd need one. Maybe you could try one with the stove you have now and see if it makes a difference is burn time. Try shutting the air down earlier too.

 

[Rob_Red]

When you guys are saying to shut the air down are you saying close it all the way? I typically run it cracked like a 1/4 inch. I don’t see much difference from wide open to almost 3/4 shut….. would this be a symptom of to much draft?

 

[ABMax24]

Yes shut it all the way, you can't actually completely close the air off on these newer stoves, because even when the damper is completely shut there is an opening that allows air to the firebox.

 

[tabner]

@Rob_Red this woodstock is right in glastonbury.

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Also i remember @Nigel459 saying that he had to install a damper for his GM40. maybe he'll chime in.

 

[Todd]

Pretty tall chimney probably creating a little too much draft and shortening your burn times. I would try a pipe damper before looking at a new stove.

When I had an east west loading stove I found the best way to load for a long burn was to rake all the coals forward, pack a large split in the back and fill in from there as tight and full as you can.

I have the F45 now heating a 20x30 log cabin with high ceilings and loft. I like the burn control it has and pretty much run it on low most of the time with a 3/4 full load for a 3 load per day schedule.

 

[begreen]

When you guys are saying to shut the air down are you saying close it all the way? I typically run it cracked like a 1/4 inch. I don’t see much difference from wide open to almost 3/4 shut….. would this be a symptom of to much draft?

This depends on the stove, the flue system, the wood, the loading and the draft plus the heat demand. In general terms, when a modern stove's air is turned off "all the way", it isn't. A small amount of air still feeds the fire so that it can not smolder.

 

[Caw]

I have an Osburn 1600 non-cat insert with a 1.85 cu ft firebox on a 24' external chimney, SS non insulated liner, and I'm able to get overnight burns. Well, I suppose it depends on your definition of overnight, but if I stuff it to the gills around 11 pm I can pretty easily re-light it at 7:00 am when I get up with the kids for school. It'll make it until 9:00 some days but the coals may need a little kindling jump start. I'm using maple, ash, cherry, and oak that's all sub 20%. I tend to use a cocktail of all the woods depending on the weather/timing etc but any of them will last the night. On the really cold nights or when I want to drag it out as much as possible I will stuff it with oak for the extended coaling.

As everyone said, I wouldn't want anything smaller if you're counting on overnight burns. My stove works but if I had my way I would personally like something closer to 2.2 cu ft for the added flexibility and N/S loading. I can't fit anything bigger in my fireplace without major masonry work though which isn't happening so we make it work. It heats my 1800 sq ft 2 story cape no problem down to about 0 degrees. When its below 0 overnight the backup heat will sometimes come on at around 4 or 5 am for an hr or two if I don't get up and reload. Not a major issue though as that only happens 1 or 2 weeks a year, we're usually in the 10-30 degree range overnight.

 

[outdoorguy864]

I really like Woodstock stoves, I wish I could have found one that would fit my very well insulated house.
But the GM40 I really like and I regularly get over night burns. Typically my last fill is around 9:30 to 10:30 and I'm up around 5:30 to 7:30 and I can get a fire going every time. With the soap stone, that holds onto the heat for such a long time, I feel like that helps burning my wood right down to ash (most times)? I don't know, that is my theory. haha. But I have about 18' of double wall chimney.

 

[TheDootler]

Don't forget that you can position your firewood sideways to slow the burn down; though you might have to saw it for that purpose. Essentially, if you place the wood such that the airflow only lets some burn at a time, you can have a slow steady fire that goes for longer, but puts out less BTUs-per-minute.

To say it another way; if you place logs lengthwise then they expose their entire flank surface area to air, and thus can burn. If you place them sideways the front logs block the back logs which means that it can't burn as hot/fast.