Understanding your coals after a fire

[jreed]

Just curious, What do your coals tell you about your fire? When you fire is out, what does the size of your coals/ash tell you about your fire?

 

[TimJ]

I let the ashes tell the whole story............only cleaned my ashes out 4 times so far

 

[Backwoods Savage]

If you have large coals, it tells you the wood is not as dry as it should be.

 

[firefighterjake]

Some folks say if you have a lot of large coals your wood may not be fully seasoned . . . or it could be that your wood just tends to coal up nicely.

 

[windchaser]

I am far from an expert on coals but I find that hardwoods leave more coals behind and softwoods more ash.

 

[Ralphie Boy]

Try as I may to read my coals, they just won't give me the winning lottery numbers.

 

[Paulywalnut]

My BL is real seasoned but the coals are nice hot chunks eventually turning to powder. Typical of locust but not of alot of others.

 

[legrandice]

The location of my coals tells me who loaded the stove. My wife does not rake them out before loading, nor burns them down if the pile get's too high. I can always tell when she or the house was cold.

 

[Wood Duck]

Some woods make larger coals than others. I have a lot of Red Maple and Oak. Red Maple leaves small coals, oak larger, harder coals. So, the nature of the coals tells me the type of wood I am burning. I am burning right now, and tonight I'll try to contemplate the coals more deeply and come up with a more insightful answer.

 

[drumbum]

I am currently dealing with the tenacity of hickory coals. Wood is at 16-18%

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I am currently dealing with the tenacity of hickory coals. Wood is at 16-18%

Just before the fire gets down to the all coaling stage, try opening the draft fully. This will help a lot.

 

[Mr A]

Just before the fire gets down to the all coaling stage, try opening the draft fully. This will help a lot.

Almost sounds like like coals are not desirable? I thought long burning coals make the difference between hardwoods and soft. Once pine is done flaming, it's out for the most part. Oak will coal over and keep producing heat for hours. Large unburned coals left in the ash may mean less than seasoned wood, if they continue heat and to burn to ash, that's a good coal.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Mr A. Please do not read that wrong. Coals are indeed desirable. Think about when you have fire outdoors and how once you get a bed of coals the heat is more intense. Same thing with a stove. However, with poor wood the coals are big and it can be a challenge to burn them down. Note that I said a challenge; not an impossibility.

With those type coals, it usually works best to spread them out and put kindling or a small split on top. Leave the draft full open. Some have even had some luck putting a few wood pellets on top of the coals.

 

[Mr A]

sounds like that type of piece is not really a coal, but a charred piece of unburned wood

 

[rcollman]

Coal: too darn many meanings. There are the types that are dug out of the ground. The wood variety is usually called http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charcoal , it is pure carbon. But we shorten it to coal.

The char on the unburnt wood is charcoal. All this we know I don't like to see lots of charcoal mixed with the ash. In my boiler means air and heat has not got to it enough to reduce it to ash. I do not like that when I see it below the gassification area when I remove ash. Thus in my firebox, I like to stir up the charcoal to let more air get to it. I get more charcoal in the warmer weather when my boiler does not turn on it's fan for long periods of time.

Just saying for me it is all about the air and fire.

 

[tsquini]

I have a 1/2 cord of seasoned white oak. When it is done burning there is virtually nothing left. Just a dusting of ash. I have been burning white birch lately big charcoal chunks and lots of ash.