Warm weather burning habits

[mcdougy]

We have had warm weather in general this winter SO FAR...I've noticed that I have seriously adjusted the way I use my fireplace due to the balancing act of not overheating the house.
How do you adjust your burn habits when outside temps provide a solid start to the btu's required to keep your house comfortable.

 

[Caw]

I do a few things. I burn lower quality woods and uglies hot and fast. Rather then load up the box for a full burn cycle I just reload a couple splits every hour or two until we get to a temp we like and let it go out. Then the heat pump will take over the rest of the day. It's easier to control temps this way. Once a full box burn is going you can't turn it off. Overnight fires are often cold start medium-full loads with good quality hardwood like oak/ash.

 

[zmender]

I got a huge wall of hearthstone that acts as heat sink. Plus I got a non-cat stove, which favors hotter, faster burns relative to cat stoves.

So my morning fire is always full load and HOT. Between late morning / mid afternoon (based on my throttle setting) I go for next reload. I'm lazy, so as much as possible I go for full reloads and turn down throttle as needed to extend the burn.

 

[Solarguy3500]

So far this season, it's been mostly warm with a few colder days but still nothing like what I'd call really cold.

I have actually been letting the stove go out for a few days at a time when the weather is in the 40s for a few days. I'm trying to conserve my dry wood because I don't know how fast I'm going to go through it if it ever actually gets really cold this winter. This is my first burning season with this stove, so I don't have previous experience to compare to.

 

[Highbeam]

Cold start every day just after sunset. House temp recovers and it’s warm enough to cruise through to the next sunset.

 

[cahaak]

When it's warmer, I often load and burn only once a day. I'm fine with the gradual temp drop when the stove is out.

 

[patrickk222]

For me it kinda depends like where i live today it was closed to 60 out and and now in mid 40s and i wont burn anything and i will not really burn wood unless i know its gonna be in low 40s or below

 

[Wildflush]

I don’t burn over 40 outside temp. Today was 34 in the AM but afternoon temps high 40’s. Cold start in the morning with maple and oak. Cruising at 575 STT. House went from 64 to 69. Reloaded with a small load of 3 splits cherry, oak and maple STT 525. House went to 72 and I let it die out. Lower btu wood like cherry is good for days like this.

 

[Dieselhead]

As said, I do smaller loads, and burn hotter. Burning hotter helps with draft on crummy warmish days. Small load gives the indoor temp a nice boost without ending up having to open a window.

 

[Kevin Weis]

It's a struggle today! 52 and rain. Just enough of a fire to keep the cat active and keep the flue warm. And a nearby window open as well so I don't melt.

 

[kennyp2339]

I dont really have any low btu burning wood this year so I've been doing batch fires on warmer days, its a pia with having to re-light all the time, but I've been doing a burn every other day, looks like the weather in my area (Northern MA) is starting to cool off after Friday, I can then go back to low and slow without over heating which is nice.
So far this year I've only burnt just over a face cord, seems kind of low for me for this time of year, but if thats lifes problems, then I'm doing ok.

 

[bigealta]

Yup i have a cold start top down full load, then maybe a small reload then let it go out till the next day.

 

[mcdougy]

Yes. I only have oak yo burn this year, so coming up with a way to not overheat has become the challenge. I have found to just feed the stove a piece or 2 at a time is what my house needs. A largish fire in the pm before bed seems to give me enough coals to work with the next day. Then just throw a split or 2 to give a bit of heat and then wait till there is the bare minimum of coals left and then throw another piece of 2 on. Seems to be 3-4 hr reload times when im around. I don't really enjoy doing cold starts often.

 

[kborndale]

I just run my forced air furnace if it's in the 50s. Wood stove is for when it's cold outside.

 

[mcdougy]

I just run my forced air furnace if it's in the 50s. Wood stove is for when it's cold outside.

Furnace is a option for sure....personally i like the challenge of seeing if I can keep from coming on.

 

[kborndale]

Furnace is a option for sure....personally i like the challenge of seeing if I can keep from coming on.

I used to be like that when I first got into heating with wood. 15 years later the stove doesn't go on if it's going to be in the 50s.

 

[Max W]

I used to be like that when I first got into heating with wood. 15 years later the stove doesn't go on if it's going to be in the 50s.

Lots more use of the mini split is what these rising temps mean for me. Electric rates from Central Maine Power will be dropping 35% in 2024, making it more attractive. Still, when it’s not real cold I am sometimes firing up the stove just for extra comfort or maybe to bake. It’s easy to start and run a small fire.

 

[peakbagger]

Fire wood boiler, run at maximum load until thermal storage tank is heated, heat house off storage tank, then repeat in a day or two. Run minisplit if I am not in the mood.

 

[Diabel]

Overheated the house today. Family was complaining😝. Cooler weather come Friday as mentioned above.

 

[bigealta]

It's impossible to overheat my house as far as my wife is concerned. When walking into the house i'll say "Honey is really Hot in here". "No it's not". I check the wall thermostat that's in the hall next to the woodstove room. It's at 85F. Meaning it's even hotter in the woodstove room. "The thermostat says 85F". "That's not true, that thing doesn't work".

 

[mpaul]

I don’t turn my heat on unless i will be gone for an extended period of time (which doesn’t happen very often). With the milder temperatures, much like others, I’ll burn smaller fires and will dial my cat stove way down. I’ve gone through a little over 2 cords so far this season, but I have a local tree service who delivers logs to me for free. So it’s a simple decision, do I burn wood I get for free or turn the boiler on and pay for propane? I’ll burn wood thank you.

 

[Wood1Dennis]

We haven't had any sign of real winter yet. Much too warm for this time of year.
On most days I light a fire in the morning, let it burn hard and bring the house up to temp. Then during the day the temp slowly drops or hold fairly steady. Light another fire late in the day, usually smaller one so I don't overheat the house at night. For most fires I have enough coals left to aid in getting the fire going again with some kindling. In usual late December weather I would be burning a lot more steadily. I go through a lot more kindling in this weather. When it gets cold I never have to kindle a fire.

 

[begreen]

This is the warmest winter we have experienced. 53º at 7pm today. We've done more heat pump burning than wood.

 

[thewoodlands]

We have had warm weather in general this winter SO FAR...I've noticed that I have seriously adjusted the way I use my fireplace due to the balancing act of not overheating the house.
How do you adjust your burn habits when outside temps provide a solid start to the btu's required to keep your house comfortable.

We're burning more pine, quick hot fires work the best in this house with these temps. The colder temps usually hit the last week of December but not this year, the single digit temps at night will be here soon enough.

 

[TrippRick]

As many have said, it's been warmer than usual so I only burn if <35 outside. If it's sunny may not even reload as the house is 72ish. Also I'm using up some marginal wood (poplar, uglies, etc) as others have mentioned.
Question for CAT ownwers....if you're letting the fire go out and you're engaged the CAT, do you disengage the CAT at some point when the stove cools? My stove has a CAT probe so I engage at >600 and sometimes disengage @ 300 - 400.