# Over filling a wood stove



## ikessky (Nov 3, 2008)

I know you can over fire a wood stove, but can you over fill one?  Trying to decide if I'm not packing the furnace full enough for overnight burns.


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## Jags (Nov 3, 2008)

Kind of a general rule of thumb is to fill it to the top of the firebricks or in some cases the manual will state to keep the wood a couple of inches from the tubes or cat.  See if your manual states specifics for your stove.


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## ikessky (Nov 3, 2008)

Yep, top of the firebrick.  Helps to read the manual completely!

I'll have to do a little more experementing as I just started burning this stove in the past few weeks.  After a 7 hour overnight burn, I was left with only 3 little coals.  I could probably live with that, but I would like to see a few more in there.  I think I'll try turning the stove pipe damper down just a touch.


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## EddyKilowatt (Nov 3, 2008)

Wood right up within an inch or two of the secondary air tubes will burn funny, like it has dozens of little blowtorches aimed at it.  I don't think it is dangerous, and doesn't appear to be harmful to the stove... but it is definitely not optimum burning from the standpoint of well-controlled combustion with sustained flame time and minimum smoke generation.  When packing the stove I try to avoid having fuel up there in that 'blowtorch' zone, though with wood being what it is, sometimes a bit here and there can't be avoided.

Eddy

p.s. to me, the biggest contributor to long burn times is fewer bigger splits, vs more smaller splits.  This goes against good packing of the firebox to some degree, since the big 'uns are harder to fit in... but they are the ones that give the long slow burns once you get two or more of them in there and get a slow burn established.


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## Adios Pantalones (Nov 3, 2008)

Mine burns best filled to the gunwales.


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## Jags (Nov 3, 2008)

Adios Pantalones said:
			
		

> Mine burns best filled to the gunwales.



But that WILL limit your freeboard.


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## Adios Pantalones (Nov 3, 2008)

Jags said:
			
		

> Adios Pantalones said:
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That's OK- since the Skynard plane crash, I can hardly stand to hear it anyway.


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## InTheRockies (Nov 3, 2008)

You might want to experiment with different loading patterns.  Loading EW, my stove can take 22 inch logs.  However, I intentionally cut my long pieces 18 inches so that I could stuff some small stuff in NS at the ends for overnight burns. At night, I'll put in 2 rounds EW and then 4-6 smaller pieces NS (2-3 at each end of the rounds, depending on size).  Works well, I get a 7 hour burn and still have a nice bed of coals in the morning.  The small pieces that I stuff NS I kept to 14 inches to keep a couple of inches away from the glass door, having read various postings about outgassing on NS loads dirtying-up the glass.


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## backpack09 (Nov 3, 2008)

With a small firebox like my 7110 if I dont fill it up to the tubes, I can only fit about 2 splits.... so I fill it to the gills...


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## Henz (Nov 3, 2008)

I guess I never thought ofthat. I fill my Olympic all the way up to the tubes. maybe I will try to load to within a couple inches next time, not that I ahve a problem with the heat output or longevity of my stove at all.


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## derecskey (Nov 3, 2008)

I've found that I have a harder time keeping an overnight burn if I clean out too many ashes.  The manual states to leave 1" in the bottom.  When I have a good 1-2" bed of ashes, the coals seem to last all night, snug and warm in their ash blanket.  

Anyone else experience this?


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## Henz (Nov 3, 2008)

that is correct


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## jqgs214 (Nov 3, 2008)

thats my experience, my manual says empty at 3" down to 1" and btw I pack here as full as I can.


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## ikessky (Nov 3, 2008)

Thanks for the tips guys.  They are always helpful and always appreciated!

One thing that I need to get yet is a temp gauge for the stove pipe.  Also, I would imagine my burn times will get better once I start putting in my better wood.  Last night I was burning some hard maple that might have been standing dead a little too long.  There was a little punk and it was a bit on the light side.


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## derecskey (Nov 3, 2008)

Always gotta watch out for those little punks.

Yeah I have been burning sassafras, a bit like poplar.  It doesn't coal well unless I have a good bed of ashes and load a big split on.  Maple does much better.


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## HittinSteel (Nov 3, 2008)

Adios Pantalones said:
			
		

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this witty response made me laugh


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## Highbeam (Nov 3, 2008)

I load to the very top of my smallish stove. My only rules are to not load anything against the glass and to not actually touch the baffle which sits above the tubes. The tubes themselves are fair game. It all burns.


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## ikessky (Nov 3, 2008)

Reese Eshun said:
			
		

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Add-on wood furnace, so no secondary burn tubes.  Just a ledge right under the flue.  If you guys are filling your stoves to the secondary tubes, then I would think I can go a little bit higher than I have been.


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