The "Wife's" first fire

[soupy1957]

She told me yesterday, that she wanted me to watch her start the fire when I came home for lunch, so I did. I coached her while prepping my food, and she did fine.

When I got home at 4:45 PM, there was a TON of smoke coming out of the chimney that normally shows no smoke at all.
I know she had our grandson there, so I figured she just prioritized his needs over the fire's needs, and sure enough (understandable), she had kept it running, but had over-stuffed the box and had essentially created a smoldering fire.

I pulled out the extra logs, squirreled around the glowing coals, threw in some kindling and let it re-start itself......all was well.

She was pretty frazzled though. The construction guys, the noise, the dogs, the grandson, a vendor trying to get a contract for some brick work.........she was a mess!

She told me that about an hour before that, she had a "roaring fire." I wonder how much creosote built up in that half-hour or so, while the fire smoldered, and the smoke was pouring out???

-Soupy1957

 

[heatwise]

sounds like she is on the right track and will have it down to a fine art in no time. the learning curve goes up sharply when theyres interest . good luck and keep warm, pete

 

[ashpanannie]

It might be a good idea to burn a creosote removing log once a month during learning curve processes and/or if your wood is not optimum. You can also judge by the condition of the glass after a poor burn how much gunk might possibly have been formed.

 

[soupy1957]

I noted that the glass has some clouding happening on either end of the glass. I expect the glass to be somewhat "dirty" after a few burns.

I still haven't seen evidence of the "after burners" kicking in ("glass wash") and don't really know what it'll take to make that happen (just so the second burn helps clean the smoke more, going into the environment).

She has "washed her hands" of any more wood stove maintainance........lol........perhaps she'll be more receptive when she is under less stress. The re-construction project going on in the home right now; having to watch the grandson; her phsycial limitations (M.S.), all make for a stressful day for her. (Wish I didn't have to be "at work" and not able to help).

-Soupy1957

 

[karri0n]

If the glass is only "clouding", then your Airwash(what keeps the glass clean) is working fine. As far as the wood smoldering, putting too much wood in shouldn't cause that type of operation, unless the air control was closed all the way down far too soon, or your fuel is not seasoned well enough.

 

[Pagey]

There are times when you will get some gunk on the glass but are still burning clean. For example, sometime when I have a split that is a little longer than the others near the edges of the door, it will blacken up the glass a little when it begins outgassing. Now, I know the smoke is burning, because there is a visible flame from both the end of the split and in the space above the load of wood below the burn tubes. Also, no visible smoke from the flue. Now, if every single load you're burning is leaving a black film, you've got less than ideal wood, or you are closing the air down too quickly. I also, over the course of the week, get a thin white film on the glass (this is typical). I just clean it off with some glass cleaner when the glass has cooled.

When all your projects are done, pick a quiet weekend and give her the opportunity to watch you and help you. Make it as light/fun as possible. My wife runs our stove very, very well when I'm at work. I think it's important for her to know how to use it...I won't be around forever, so she needs to know the ins/outs of that beast.

 

[soupy1957]

Pyro: Wood is dry and seasoned, and the air control was fully "open"........I dunno......I'm a rookie. I figured she just over-loaded it. Can't figure any OTHER reason for all the smoke comin out the chimney. (It went away when I unloaded the extra pieces that hadn't "caught" yet, and re-kindled it.

Wasn't a black crud on the glass.........very light gray on the outside edges. I got a good hint that "vinegar" makes a great glass cleaner.......will try that tonight, after I take out some of the excess ash. It burned well for the rest of the evening (no smoke from the chimney) as I let it burn itself out.

I have more room "East to West" in this particular Fire Box, than I do, "North to South" (which is a bit disappointing, since I like to let the air burn "through" the wood, and not "over" and "under" it; even if it IS a more laid back heat from East to West. The 1/2 cord I bought, I recall asking the guy to bring 16 - 18" split logs, and some are a pretty tight fit.
Next time a guy comes with wood, I'm gonna tape measure a few, and pull out my moisture meter! (I recall that someone in here said that the "moisture meter" won't give me good results on "frozen" wood, by the way).

I'm sure "the wife" will contribute more, in the future. She just had a bad day yesterday, is all. I was a bit too over-sensative to the smoke I saw coming from the chimney. As a relative "newbie" to indoor wood stoves of my own, I was admittedly nervous about finding that smoke coming out like that. Sure, I "fixed" the problem, but still......I was probably a bit too dramatic with her. She was soooooo proud that she had "kept the fire going" (basically) since "lunch" time, and I should have been more low key about the smoke.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

If she let the fire burn down too far, then threw some big logs on it she probably banked it. The fire couldn't take off. She may not have opened up all the air up also... lots of things could have happened. When you came home and started moving splits around the air finally reached the coals and the fire took off.

I wouldn't worry about it. A half hour wouldn't cause too much creosote. Since you are a new burner you should be checking the flue regularly though. It can help you tweak burning practices for best results.

Matt

 

[karri0n]

How long have you had this wood stacked?

I'm in CT, and I can tell you with certainty that if you bought this wood and have had it stacked any less than six months(and it could probably use quite a bit longer), it's not gonna be dry enough.


The smoke coming from the chimney on one occasion for a couple hours isn't going to cause much accumulation, but pulling wood out of a burning appliance can be hazardous if the wood is slightly charred and you didn't notice at first that it was still burning, and can also spill hot embers/sparks out the door and they can roll right off the hearth and onto your carpet/floor. The other reason against this is that the key to an EPA stove is usually a FULL load of wood. if there was still wood burning in there, leaving the air control open or cracking the door for a few minutes could likely have been enough to get the rest of the wood going strong. This is true even if the wood isn't seasoned enough, but it will certainly take longer.


It can also be hazardous to criticize the wife, and depending on the woman, an entirely different kind of "fire" can start in your home, or you can be certain it's going to be "cold" for at least a few days ;-) . Do it one too many times, and you can be certain the fire won't be getting tended or reloaded again while you're at work.

 

[agartner]

I noted that the glass has some clouding happening on either end of the glass. I expect the glass to be somewhat "dirty" after a few burns.

I still haven't seen evidence of the "after burners" kicking in ("glass wash") and don't really know what it'll take to make that happen (just so the second burn helps clean the smoke more, going into the environment).

She has "washed her hands" of any more wood stove maintainance........lol........perhaps she'll be more receptive when she is under less stress. The re-construction project going on in the home right now; having to watch the grandson; her phsycial limitations (M.S.), all make for a stressful day for her. (Wish I didn't have to be "at work" and not able to help).

-Soupy1957

I too work during the day and leave the wife home with the stove. I'll setup a fire for her before I leave the house in the morning with a nice full stove and some simple instructions (like when it starts to glow red, please turn the inlet air down...etc).

I've got a supply of compressed wood "bricks" that I leave by the stove, and all she has to do mid afternoon is pitch a few of those in the door just to keep the stove running. When I get home at night i put another "full" load into it. Could be an option for you.

Regards,

Al
Kent Sherwood

 

[soupy1957]

It's been interesting to hear the guys chiming in on this topic about the wife. I'm glad I'm not the only one who has had a similar issue of helping the spouse to feel comfortable about the fire.

She loves "a fire" and will probably be receptive again, after she's done being P______d at me for running in to save the day!!

Pyro: this wood was stacked for 9 months before I bought it......I simply re-stacked it in my own garage a week ago. It was dry and seasoned when received. I thought about the logs I pulled out with regard to bringing embers out with them, and broke my own rule in taking them out. I tried "opening the door" to let more air in, and it didn't seem to have any positive affect. Perhaps I could have waited a couple minutes more.

-Soupy1957

 

[bag of hammers]

Do it one too many times, and you can be certain the fire won't be getting tended or reloaded again while you're at work.

treat her right, or, even worse, you might find a fire will be getting tended while you're at work, if you know what I mean

happy wife = happy life