Wood Stove Newbie....Need some advice

[jpeterman34]

I just purchased and installed a Appalachian 52 Bay Wood Stove Insert. Here is a link to a picture:

(broken link removed)

So far, so good. Just trying to get the hang of things and how best to control my burns. I have a few questions and would appreciate any advice. I am trying to heat 1500 sf on the first level of my house. My house is exclusively on electric heat and cannot come close to keeping up when the weather turns cold. We ran the heat last year and we could barely make to 65 degrees in the house. That was costing me $600/mo for that nonsense. So far, the wood stove has been able to keep the house at around 73 degrees all by itself. I think the stove is going to pay for itself in no time. Few questions for you experts out there:

1. What is the best strategy for me to keep the house warm 24/7 just using the stove? Is is best to just do a few big loads a day or to continuously add a few logs at a time?

2. What should the thickness of the wood be? Should it be thick or split into smaller pieces? Does it matter?

3. I have been using the blower on this insert. By using the blower, does it reduce the temperature of the stove or is it not supposed to have any effect at all?

4. What is the best overnight strategy? I have been closing the damper and all vents and using the blower at night. I am having trouble getting it to burn all night. How can I get the maximum efficiency out of that load of wood?

Thanks in advance for all of your help!! Can't wait to put another load in!! These stoves are amazing!

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I just purchased and installed a Appalachian 52 Bay Wood Stove Insert. Here is a link to a picture:

(broken link removed)

So far, so good. Just trying to get the hang of things and how best to control my burns. I have a few questions and would appreciate any advice. I am trying to heat 1500 sf on the first level of my house. My house is exclusively on electric heat and cannot come close to keeping up when the weather turns cold. We ran the heat last year and we could barely make to 65 degrees in the house. That was costing me $600/mo for that nonsense. So far, the wood stove has been able to keep the house at around 73 degrees all by itself. I think the stove is going to pay for itself in no time. Few questions for you experts out there:

1. What is the best strategy for me to keep the house warm 24/7 just using the stove? Is is best to just do a few big loads a day or to continuously add a few logs at a time?


For the most heat, big loads should do the trick.


2. What should the thickness of the wood be? Should it be thick or split into smaller pieces? Does it matter?


Thicker will give you longer burns. Thin will give you hotter fires but won't last as long. If you have both, use the thin during the day and don't load full and the thick during the night. You may even have to mix them to get the best load at night.


3. I have been using the blower on this insert. By using the blower, does it reduce the temperature of the stove or is it not supposed to have any effect at all?


It should just blow heat into the room without lowering the temperature of the stove.


4. What is the best overnight strategy? I have been closing the damper and all vents and using the blower at night. I am having trouble getting it to burn all night. How can I get the maximum efficiency out of that load of wood?


Take some time to learn the stove. This might be best done on a weekend. When you say closing the damper, are you closing it all the way? This might not be best as you might actually be choking the fire too much. Each stove is different so what we do may not be best for what you need to do. Generally though, you want to open things up when you put wood in. Get a good char on the wood before starting to damper down. Otherwise you will just invite creosote.

Which brings up the main biggie. Make darned sure of what you have for fuel. What type of wood is it? All wood is not created equal for burning purposes. How long has it been seasoned. Don't believe everyone that says their wood is seasoned! Most really don't know proper seasoning or even the best way to season their wood. All things being equal, if you don't have the right fuel, you won't get your stove to operate at its maximum.

Thanks in advance for all of your help!! Can't wait to put another load in!! These stoves are amazing!


You are welcome. Enjoy the stove and heat!

 

[Jags]

Dennis had great points on all fronts. I do have to disagree on one part though. Using the fan CAN reduce the temp of the stove. Facts are: if you get more heat (fan) you either need to compensate with more fire, or you will be reducing the temp of the stove. This doesn't mean that it is "bad", unless you are running a marginal fire (low end of safe zone) and THEN kick on the fan. This could bring down the stove temp too much.

There is a reason that most manuals for stoves with fans will state: Do not turn the fan on for the first xxxx minutes of fire, or until xxxx temp has been reached.

Just a minor point to a great post.