Topping off a woodstove

[Zoso2385]

Hi all, I own a Jotul F500, not the V3 and I always run my wood stove until there is just coals left and then refill, usually at a stove top temp of between 250-300. I’m wondering if it’s safe throw 2-3 smaller splits in when there is still chunks of glowing wood in the firebox. My stove stop right now is at 390 and I have a few flames still going. I am going to be leaving the house for most of the day and I know if I let it go it will be out before I get home. A few pieces of wood should buy me a few extra hours. Can I just throw them in and leave the air control mostly shut

 

[prezes13]

It all depends. How dry the wood is how much of a draft you have. How much really of a wood you have left. I know I could do it with my stove. I say that most likely if you are almost shut 2 smaller pieces are not going to drive your stove from 400 to 700. You should be safe but again it all depends.

 

[firefighterjake]

I've had mixed success in "topping" off the stove . . . it largely depends on where the fire is in the burning stage and what the temps are like in my experience.

Topping off when it is in the large coaling stage and/or temps are relatively "cool" has had no negative effects . . . adding a split or two when there was an active fire and temps have been on the hotter side has resulted in me having to babysit the stove for a while as temps went really high.

To be frank . . . when I am ever in doubt as to whether to add a split or two I generally err on the side of the caution and leave 'er be . . . especially if I am on my way out the door.

 

[Zoso2385]

It all depends. How dry the wood is how much of a draft you have. How much really of a wood you have left. I know I could do it with my stove. I say that most likely if you are almost shut 2 smaller pieces are not going to drive your stove from 400 to 700. You should be safe but again it all depends.

I have a fairly strong draft as my chimney is between 25-30 ft up the center of my house. I think I will try it on a day when I will be home to watch it and see what happens

 

[Corey]

A big key for me, adding adding wood to a low fire, would be getting the new wood burning in a stable way before leaving. If you throw the new wood in with too low of an air setting, and it starts to smoulder, it could light with an explosive 'WHOOF!!" later on. Or, if it lights, you set the air too low and the flame dies back out while you're gone, it could relight later with the same drama. Or if you throw in new wood and the air is a bit too high, it could run the stove hot while you're away.

Obviously none of these would be a catastrophe in a properly installed stove. But the bottom line is getting it burning in a stable manner before leaving it unattended.

 

[Sawset]

A stove top of 400f is about the cut off here for adding more fuel. When it's very cold out, and I need heat, then that limit is watched and used more often. If I'm pushing the stove under those conditions, I generally won't leave the house.

 

[xman23]

It's a well behaved stove, at least my V1 version. If you need heat, add wood whenever you want, control the burn with the air. You may have a deep bed of coals , but when you want to open the air a burn off all the coals.

If I'm walking out the door I will put 2 large splits on a bed of coals, the close the air almost completely. Best to try out various scenarios when you there,

 

[Zoso2385]

It's a well behaved stove, at least my V1 version. If you need heat, add wood whenever you want, control the burn with the air. You may have a deep bed of coals , but when you want to open the air a burn off all the coals.

If I'm walking out the door I will put 2 large splits on a bed of coals, the close the air almost completely. Best to try out various scenarios when you there,

Yep, I ended up putting in 2 splits and leaving the air shut down. I hung around the house for a half hour and the stove slowly rose to 450 and stayed there with some fairly slow flames. I felt comfortable leaving the house at that point. My wife got home about an hour after that and said it was burning nicely

 

[savageactor7]

I'm less likely to top off now than I was back in the day.

Although I have full confidence in our stove/set-up/observe clearance s& safety precautions etc. We still have an unattended fire in progress; btw this is a recent old age driven paranoia and I recognize it and accept it.

Sure I may throw 1 split on to preserve the hot coals, that's my priority now. With them in the stove, a quick restart with seasoned wood is assured.

As a back up heat we have propane furnace for the dog and cats when we're out and about.

You should be fine with 2/3 splits on top of coals...

...of course I'm projecting by my split size, forearm size.

 

[Sawset]

If you need heat, add wood whenever you want, control the burn with the air.

That's not a long term, leave it alone solution. Shutting the air to control agressive temperatures would need adjustment to open back up at some point.

 

[MR. GLO]

A big key for me, adding adding wood to a low fire, would be getting the new wood burning in a stable way before leaving. If you throw the new wood in with too low of an air setting, and it starts to smoulder, it could light with an explosive 'WHOOF!!" later on. Or, if it lights, you set the air too low and the flame dies back out while you're gone, it could relight later with the same drama. Or if you throw in new wood and the air is a bit too high, it could run the stove hot while you're away.

Obviously none of these would be a catastrophe in a properly installed stove. But the bottom line is getting it burning in a stable manner before leaving it unattended.

adding wood sometimes even air open all the way i get smoke out the chimney for a few minutes. not sure if normal. dont have enough experience.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

Yep, I ended up putting in 2 splits and leaving the air shut down. I hung around the house for a half hour and the stove slowly rose to 450 and stayed there with some fairly slow flames. I felt comfortable leaving the house at that point. My wife got home about an hour after that and said it was burning nicely

When doing a hotter reload I fined it better to add larger splits then a bunch of smaller ones.. smaller tends to take off and burn up quicker. When ever in doubt error on the side of caution... its best to come home and relight the fire than come home to a house with a warped stove or no house at all...
It was smart to hang out and see how the stove behaved before you left..

 

[Ctwoodtick]

My vote is no. I’ve found either stoves too hot for my liking or the fire seems to get smothered a bit. I’ve grown to like the burning in cycles idea.

 

[bigealta]

I’ve got a Jotul f400 so similar set up. I too like the cycle burning method. My house can be over 80f in the room with the Jotul and mid 70’s in the rest of the house, all heated from the wood stove. So no pressure to keep the fire going just to keep coals. I like lighting fires, or kind of love it. Now with using only Top Down lighting I love lighting fires even more! Much less smoke, almost no time cleaning the Ceramic Glass on the door, using less kindling, not opening the door to mess with the start or add more logs, and watching the fire spread from the Top down are all great reasons to step up and advance your wood stove game.