Blaze King when to worry about overfiring

[bholler]

You don't need an extra thermometer (although I do recommend an IR temperature gun, because it's fun and you can use it for all kinds of stuff around the house).

Do the dollar bill test on your door gasket every year. Close a bill in the door, try to pull it out. Should be very difficult unless you have a graphite (black) gasket. Go all the way around the door testing. If there is an issue, adjust the door. If the door can't be adjusted any more, replace the gasket.

In summary:
1) Follow all the directions in the manual
2) Check your door gasket at least yearly
3) Keep an eye out, but don't worry too much about the rest.

For further overfiring tips, read this thread from the top, but user error and door gaskets are the common ones.

Regarding the overfire bholler was talking about- check me if I'm wrong here, but that was the first time that we have heard of that happening due to excessive draft. It's not even usual amongst people who have tall flues.

Think of it like a car. Can it catch fire? Yes. Has that happened? Yes. Is it likely? No. Can I prevent it with inspection, attention, and maintenance? Yes.

Bonus: it's a lot easier to keep an eye on your stove than it is to inspect your whole fuel system regularly.

Double bonus: Used the car analogy to provoke Ashful into telling a car fire story, which I am hoping he has one of. Hopefully there are JATO bottles involved.

Btw i have had 2 cars catch fire one electrical not my fault. The other was totally my fault for not checking things out before rolling it back onto its wheels and driving down the trail. Trans fluid is lights up pretty quick when it is sprayed directly onto a hot header.

 

[Highbeam]

Btw i have had 2 cars catch fire one electrical not my fault. The other was totally my fault for not checking things out before rolling it back onto its wheels and driving down the trail. Trans fluid is lights up pretty quick when it is sprayed directly onto a hot header.

I’ve put out two car fires (for other people) on the highway. Both caused by transmission fluid. That stuff really smokes!

 

[black smoke signals]

The OP pointed out 10-12 percent moisture why didn’t you guys see this as another problem like you have on recent posts?

 

[Highbeam]

The OP pointed out 10-12 percent moisture why didn’t you guys see this as another problem like you have on recent posts?

Because he didn’t have an overfire. Measuring 700 or more on top of a 1500+ degree catalyst is normal and further, he was able to cool the stove by turning down the thermostat. Also, I really doubt he had 10-12% wood since that borders on impossible but that’s not the question. The thread appropriately moved into a confidence via maintenance thread.

 

[chemie]

You don't need an extra thermometer (although I do recommend an IR temperature gun, because it's fun and you can use it for all kinds of stuff around the house).

Do the dollar bill test on your door gasket every year. Close a bill in the door, try to pull it out. Should be very difficult unless you have a graphite (black) gasket. Go all the way around the door testing. If there is an issue, adjust the door. If the door can't be adjusted any more, replace the gasket.

In summary:
1) Follow all the directions in the manual
2) Check your door gasket at least yearly
3) Keep an eye out, but don't worry too much about the rest.

For further overfiring tips, read this thread from the top, but user error and door gaskets are the common ones.

Regarding the overfire bholler was talking about- check me if I'm wrong here, but that was the first time that we have heard of that happening due to excessive draft. It's not even usual amongst people who have tall flues.

Think of it like a car. Can it catch fire? Yes. Has that happened? Yes. Is it likely? No. Can I prevent it with inspection, attention, and maintenance? Yes.

Bonus: it's a lot easier to keep an eye on your stove than it is to inspect your whole fuel system regularly.

Double bonus: Used the car analogy to provoke Ashful into telling a car fire story, which I am hoping he has one of. Hopefully there are JATO bottles involved.

Thanks for the detailed explanation.
The stove is brand new so I think I dont need to do dollar test yet.I’m not home at the moment but I think BK Ashford 25 has blackish door gasket. What is the difference?
I was in Long Island yesterday firewood hunting.
What part of LI are you from?

 

[jetsam]

Thanks for the detailed explanation.
The stove is brand new so I think I dont need to do dollar test yet.I’m not home at the moment but I think BK Ashford 25 has blackish door gasket. What is the difference?
I was in Long Island yesterday firewood hunting.
What part of LI are you from?

Brand new is the most important time to do the dollar bill test- someone else just put the door on and (maybe) adjusted the latch. You have no idea if it's airtight or not. One would like to think that the installer cared enough to check it, but one would like to think a lot of things.

A black gasket can mean graphite, which is more slippery. Expect the bill to slide out more easily under the same pressure.

There are a bunch of long Islanders on here. I'm over near Yaphank, and only a few miles from Dix's house in Icy Holler.

It is still in the 70s here, 77 next Wednesday, so I don't think even the 100% wood heat guys are burning yet.

 

[chemie]

Brand new is the most important time to do the dollar bill test- someone else just put the door on and (maybe) adjusted the latch. You have no idea if it's airtight or not. One would like to think that the installer cared enough to check it, but one would like to think a lot of things.

A black gasket can mean graphite, which is more slippery. Expect the bill to slide out more easily under the same pressure.

There are a bunch of long Islanders on here. I'm over near Yaphank, and only a few miles from Dix's house in Icy Holler.

It is still in the 70s here, 77 next Wednesday, so I don't think even the 100% wood heat guys are burning yet.

I’ll do dollar test tomorrow.
I used to work at Stony Brook University but was still commuting from the city...Good to know there are New Yorkers here though I feel like there is nobody from the city.

 

[jetsam]

I’ll do dollar test tomorrow.
I used to work at Stony Brook University but was still commuting from the city...Good to know there are New Yorkers here though I feel like there is nobody from the city.

You need a large apartment to dry 3 years' worth of firewood.

 

[black smoke signals]

And a large bathtub full of water to soak your wood to bring up your moisture content too.

 

[bholler]

And a large bathtub full of water to soak your wood to bring up your moisture content too.

What?

 

[lsucet]

Yeah a mist system on your wood shed is a most.

 

[begreen]

is that a must or a moist?

 

[chemie]

You need a large apartment to dry 3 years' worth of firewood.

Haha. Renting an apartment as a woodshed sounds tempting.I wish
I only got small size of backyard that I try to put as much wood as possible without disturbing my son’s basketball practice space. Luckily my sweet old lady next door let me put some racks to store some more in her backyard.In the meantime I keep hunting seasoned wood on Craigslist.
Over the weekend, I did the hauling and my wife did the stacking and we used all the space we can store wood in our backyard. I still can put some more to my neighbor’s yard if I get lucky on CL.


I did dollar bill test. In some locations I almost cant pull it off without ripping it off but some areas near the handle it can be pulled out easier but still with force. I assume it fails when it can easily be pulled out and can move/slide right and left.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

Yeah a mist system on your wood shed is a most.

I can’t resist. Misters at each of the four corners and a couple water lines if more moisture is neccessary. I thought Lsucet in particular might appreciate the photos.



To the OP, just to be clear, this is all in fun. It is FAR more likely to have wood too wet (its natural state) than too dry. If you’re really at 12% measured on a fresh split at room temperature, you’re close to being among the very few.

 

[Ashful]

Over the weekend, I did the hauling and my wife did the stacking and we used all the space we can store wood in our backyard. I still can put some more to my neighbor’s yard if I get lucky on CL.
View attachment 230511

That wood is not going to dry well, being up against the arborvitae. Time to do some trimming, or try find a better location.

 

[chemie]

That wood is not going to dry well, being up against the arborvitae. Time to do some trimming, or try find a better location.

The wood is already seasoned, all below %20. So I think it should be fine? I’ll cover them with rainproof tarp. Can’t trim the arborvitae because it is on the neighbor’s property bordering us. I will use the wood in picture first before I use the ones in the racks once temperature goes below 60.

 

[Ashful]

You would do well to read up on Poindexter’s kilns. Using his technique, you wouldn’t need to store multiple years’ worth, you could dry what you need each year in just one summer. And, his rack design, or some variant of it, can put up a lot of wood in a small space.

 

[edyit]

Can’t trim the arborvitae because it is on the neighbor’s property bordering us.

you cant cut it down but anything that hangs over the line onto your side i'm pretty sure you can trim, as long as you don't go over the property line and/or kill the plant, at least that is how it works in my little corner of the world

 

[Dataman]

And a large bathtub full of water to soak your wood to bring up your moisture content too.

So that's the Secret. I never worried if the fire was hot enough. Just have to sing that song.....'Throw another log on the fire...."

 

[Ashful]

you cant cut it down but anything that hangs over the line onto your side i'm pretty sure you can trim, as long as you don't go over the property line and/or kill the plant, at least that is how it works in my little corner of the world

Same here. I had to look this up once, when I bought a house with a large tree that hung over a neighboring (commercial) property.

 

[chemie]

Same here. I had to look this up once, when I bought a house with a large tree that hung over a neighboring (commercial) property.

The wood I placed there is all seasoned below 20%. I covered the top of them now with heavy duty rain proof tarps.As a matter of fact all the wood I gathered from Craigslist is all seasoned and below %20. I do not want to trim it to potentially upset her because it belongs to the sweet old lady who let me put 4 4x8 wood racks in her yard. It is more than a cord!
As of now, I have over 2 cords of seasoned wood. My wife and kids say stop hunting firewoods that what we have might be enough. I can’t help but constantly check Craigslist.
This weekend I intend to go to the nearby forest to cut and split some wood from dead trees. I’ll see if they are below %20.

 

[Ashful]

... and so it began.

 

[sprawlnstall]

Well I answered my own question last night. It was 15 degrees so I loaded the stove up with some super dry pine. The pine was split already but I split it again before putting the moisture meter on it. It was at 3% the oak and popple I have been burning is at 9%. The stove hit 750 degrees and leveled off. The cat was through the the roof. Not worried about an overfire now.

 

[bholler]

Well I answered my own question last night. It was 15 degrees so I loaded the stove up with some super dry pine. The pine was split already but I split it again before putting the moisture meter on it. It was at 3% the oak and popple I have been burning is at 9%. The stove hit 750 degrees and leveled off. The cat was through the the roof. Not worried about an overfire now.

How was your wood dried? Because i am pretty sure there is something wrong with your mm unless you dry in a kiln.

 

[sprawlnstall]

Most of my current supply is more than 5 years old or older and has always been stacked and covered. The pine was stored in my shop and has never seen rain. I’ve stuck my moisture meter is a rotten piece of wood and it was at 38% so I believe it is working properly