What Is In Your Stove Right Now?

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
It has been the driest summer I can remember here in northeast Missouri. We have gotten 1.5 inches essentially since mid-July. I have had to water my trees/shrubs like crazy and I know it's likely all just falling down the fissures in the ground. This is our first winter on wood. I am sure our piles dried out a little faster than a normal year so we will cross our fingers we have enough. My family thinks we have a "crazy amount" but my family does not heat 100% with wood. They are more ambient fire/supplement with wood people. I keep trying to tell them that this is a 100 year old 2600 square foot house with bad insulation and we are planning to burn 24/7. It is going to need a lot of wood. We also are trying to put back enough for next year's pile too but I am certain we don't have enough for 2 years yet.
I get the same comments from my family but I look at it as “money in the bank.” We’ve had the wettest summer here since I can remember and even broke some rainfall records. Overall it’s been cooler than normal so I foresee an earlier than normal first fire for us.
 
Almost fired up Sunday morning, it was a cool 37 out and 66 inside but I knew it was going to be sunny day and 70 so I held off. It’s been a pretty normal Summer here temp wise but lacking rain the last two months. I usually have a few take the chill off fires in Sep and will be full time 24/7 by mid Oct.
 
(In summer) I have the stove pipe off, capped off the thimble and the opening of the stove, and stuffed something in the air-inlet.

My stove contains the remaining ashes that I could not scoop out, and a pot of damprid.
:)(;em)
 
  • Like
Reactions: MEngineer24
It was only 90 yesterday! After having 110-116F the past couple of months, the 80's-90's feels super! But realistically, we are probably a few weeks away from needing a fire. Besides, having two deer tags & elk in my back pocket is a good excuse to bring a chainsaw along.....
 
  • Like
Reactions: MMH and MEngineer24
I suggest to keep the saw quiet when you're trying to bag a deer... 🤣
 
We had a fire last night and with the temp at 40.4 this morning, we had another fire while having some coffee. It was a cool day today and with the same temps forecast for tomorrow morning, we're having a small shoulder season fire tonight.
 
We were just above 44 this morning but we didn't have a fire.
 
I echo everyone here. This summer was hot, 90-100s. Finally cooling down temps now 60-80 and we got a years worth of rain last week or two. Stoves cleaned, but likely won’t have fires for a while still.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Grizzerbear
We were just above 44 this morning but we didn't have a fire.
You lucky! Sounds nice. A very dry summer here too - for quite a while the area was classified as being in a severe drought. A decent amount of rain I think changed the rating to 'Abnormally dry'. I guess the silver lining of that is maybe better wood seasoning.
 
Last edited:
You lucky! Sounds nice. A very dry summer here too - for quite a while the area was classified as being in a severe drought. A decent amount of rain I think changed the rating to 'Abnormally dry'. I guess the silver lining of that is maybe better wood seasoning.
Very interesting how the north was so dry this year. We had one of the wettest summers on record for this area since the 50’s! Been cooler than the last several years also.
 
  • Like
Reactions: thewoodlands
WI didn't have too many days over 90, but some pretty long stretches of mid to upper 80's. Also had a fair amount of rain. Only one short stretch where the lawn started to dry out and turn brown.
 
  • Like
Reactions: thewoodlands
You lucky! Sounds nice. A very dry summer here too - for quite a while the area was classified as being in a severe drought. A decent amount of rain I think changed the rating to 'Abnormally dry'. I guess the silver lining of that is maybe better wood seasoning.
I like the cooler weather, that's for sure. We might get over two inches of rain coming in over a three day stretch so we moved in a bunch of shoulder season wood.

We were very dry in April but our area was real wet in May and just enough rain after, that we stayed out of any drought stage. The month of September can get real wet for us and most of the northeast, hopefully it isn't that bad so I can get my arse on the back hill and drop some Ash before the EAB gets it.

I think last night we only dropped to 57 but I had a small fire which should be enough that I won't have to run the dehumidifier.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MMH
Very interesting how the north was so dry this year. We had one of the wettest summers on record for this area since the 50’s! Been cooler than the last several years also.
What part of wv are you in? I’m originally from arnoldsburg, mom still lives there. She’s had trouble getting dry weather to put up hay all summer.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MEngineer24
Very hot and dry here this summer. Expecting possibly record breaking temps the next three days. Had a stretch of around 5 or 6 weeks that I didn't have to mow and a cousin of a guy I work with had his well run dry. We have had a quarter inch of rain at my place in the last three weeks and no rain in the next 7 day forecast. Can't wait for real fall weather.
 
What part of wv are you in? I’m originally from arnoldsburg, mom still lives there. She’s had trouble getting dry weather to put up hay all summer.
We live in the southern part of the state. Same thing here, hay season has been rough. There has been a few fields around me that got their rows saturated and were bailed for mulch hay.
 
First fire of season, 5 small splits of Aspen this evening. Outside temp 48 at 8pm, suppose to be lower 30’s by morning. This little load should hold the heat in here til next evening.

004D4DEC-A077-4A31-9A96-449987614E6B.jpeg
 
Jealous you have ignition already! I’ve got temps hitting mid-high 30s tonight and tomorrow night but 70-80 in the days so alas still nothing here. What kind of aspen do you have in your area and how do you like burning it?
 
  • Like
Reactions: thewoodlands
Jealous you have ignition already! I’ve got temps hitting mid-high 30s tonight and tomorrow night but 70-80 in the days so alas still nothing here. What kind of aspen do you have in your area and how do you like burning it?
Mostly Quaking Aspen but a couple patches of Bigtooth. I have 23 wooded acres and I’ve been thinning out the Aspen that’s been choking out the better hardwoods like Oak, Maple and Cherry. I like how it burns it doesn’t coal up like Oak, burns hot and I can get away with 12 hour burns in the shoulder seasons so I’ll keep burning it as my main source as long as I can.
 
Mostly Quaking Aspen but a couple patches of Bigtooth. I have 23 wooded acres and I’ve been thinning out the Aspen that’s been choking out the better hardwoods like Oak, Maple and Cherry. I like how it burns it doesn’t coal up like Oak, burns hot and I can get away with 12 hour burns in the shoulder seasons so I’ll keep burning it as my main source as long as I can.
Nice. I have it in my area as well, never burned it though for what reason I don’t know; I’ve always thought it would be great in shoulder season. Next time I’m cutting I’ll have to get some.
 
Mostly Quaking Aspen but a couple patches of Bigtooth. I have 23 wooded acres and I’ve been thinning out the Aspen that’s been choking out the better hardwoods like Oak, Maple and Cherry. I like how it burns it doesn’t coal up like Oak, burns hot and I can get away with 12 hour burns in the shoulder seasons so I’ll keep burning it as my main source as long as I can.
Nice to see another burner not shy to promote burning poplar. Fantastic firewood in my opinion! I'm surrounded by oak and ash, but I like to get as much poplar as I can. Major benefits in my opinion are 1) light (once it dries down) so easy to move around, 2) easy to cut and split so it doesn't take a toll on the saw or body (I split by hand) and 3) generally splits "square" so very easy to make stable stacks that will stay put. The only downside is burn time, but I can get 8 hours even in the middle of winter in my Princess so no real issue there. In reality, it gets mixed with all my other wood types so it's very welcome in my woodpiles!
 
Almost did a fire last night but the temps stayed a bit too warm for my liking so still waiting to kick off this year's burn season. Next week I see a nightly low of 39 and 41 so hopefully those two back to back nights of lower temps will hold and I can start burning this year!
 
We had 39.5 this morning with a shoulder season fire started once I grabbed my first cup of coffee, the wife started another fire while I was outside felling some dead junk azz pine for the outside fireplace.

Our high so far today was a touch over 47 with a frost advisory on for our area tonight.
 
Probably burn another load of Aspen tonight. Was down to 34 this morning only 57 now. Cabin still at 67, once it hits 65 it’s fire time!
 
  • Like
Reactions: MEngineer24 and MMH