Top Down Fire Full Set Up, Lighting, Burn, Secondaries, Coaling. No paper or accelerants. Sticks and Splits only!

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bigealta

Minister of Fire
May 22, 2010
1,781
Utah & NJ
21 Minute Detailed Montage of fully setting up a Top Down Fire. Cleaning Ceramic Glass, Adding splits, Stacking method, Placing Kindling, Lighting with an Oak sliver, Watching Flame progression, Adjusting Draft, Checking Pipe Temperatures, Readjusting draft after closing to early and too much, Dialing in the Secondary Flames, Burning out to coaling. This was about only a 2 hr. cycle shown. Jotul F400 Castine. Oak seasoned 1 year, not near perfect but pretty dry. Thanks, hope this helps others.
 
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21 Minute Detailed Montage of fully setting up a Top Down Fire. Cleaning Ceramic Glass, Adding splits, Stacking method, Placing Kindling, Lighting with an Oak sliver, Watching Flame progression, Adjusting Draft, Checking Pipe Temperatures, Readjusting draft after closing to early and too much, Dialing in the Secondary Flames, Burning out to coaling. This was about only a 2 hr. cycle shown. Jotul F400 Castine. Oak seasoned 1 year, not near perfect but pretty dry. Thanks, hope this helps others.


Thanks. love it or hate it, I call this game Castine Tetris!

Evan
 
Ha Yes Love it, but it’s pretty easy to keep anything from rolling onto door. The largest splits always go on the bottom so right there, you’re more than 1/2 way home. I use either a flat piece in front or one that angles back in toward the back. I like to create a V with the 2 large bottom splits. That makes a large gap for everything from above to collapse into. Works great.
 
Thank you so much for this. I'm still learning with my Oslo. I'm realizing some of my splits are ginormous. I'll have to get my husband to make some of the splits smaller. I also need to get myself some twigs. I like the V idea too. I haven't had a log roll into to the glass yet but would rather be safe.
 
Yes you really only need some sticks/twigs to start a great "almost smoke free" fire. Of coarse you can use fire starters on top if you want. There are so many (fatwood, paper, cardboard, egg cartons, diy fatwood, candle wax mixed with various materials, toilet paper tube starters, cooking oil soaked starters, propane torch, gells, etc.) But if you dont want to buy/make any of those, just pick up some sticks.