startup fire for equinox

[tlingit]

Hi everyone; after a beautiful summer up here in Alaska, the nights are getting cooler, and I'm thinking about firing up the equinox again. Can someone refresh my memory on startup fires? I believe it is to do a couple of cooler fires, aabout 300 to be sure the soapstone is dry.

Also, we got good performance from our equinox last year, but I was thinking about asking husband-person to install a damper, so we could capture all of the heat. When it was really cold, I struggled with a severe downdraft (Is that the right name for a strong downward flow of cold air that fille the house with smoke?).

Otherwise, the stove draws well, though it does seem to go through the wood quickly. We are burning a mix of very dry spruce and birch that is not as dry as it should be. (Down for 1 year, split for 2 months).

 

[begreen]

Start with a couple small fires, just a few smaller splits, 2-3", and let the fire die out. Then build a bit large one, but not chock full. Then proceed with regular burns.

Downdraft may not be the wood or stove, but a problem with the flue. A damper is not going to fix this. Has the flue been cleaned and the cap checked for clogging? That is often the issue if unseasoned wood is burned. Dry wood is the first order of business.

Can you describe the flue assembly, including elbows, tees, and the approximate height?

 

[Todd]

It's always a good idea to do a small break in fire (300 degrees or so) with soapstone stoves just to release any moisture the stone may suck up in the summer humidity.

Is your house built pretty tight? You may be experiencing a negative pressure in your stove room? You can check this by cracking open a nearby window and see if it still smokes. You may want to consider an outside combustion air kit.

It's best to split and stack your firewood for at least 1 year or more.

 

[Vic99]

I agree about the break in. Sometimes 2 are in order depending on moisture.

I would start getting/processing your wood for the following season (2010-11) now so that you don't continually run into this problem of burning unseasoned wood. Spruce and birch would do well to season for a year. Make sure that the birch bark is broken by being split (or rip your chainsaw down its skin). The bark does a good job of holding moisture in. Wood, but especially birch, should be stacked off the ground especially if you leave it as rounds for a while before getting around to splitting. It rots real fast when exposed to ground moisture.

Good luck.

 

[doug60]

If you have a strong draft, I would recommend a damper to slow wood consumption