burning down coals due to convenience, instead of needing more heat

[twd000]

During typical weather here (20-40F) I find myself needing to burn down some coals just so I can go to bed or go to work when ready. I know some people throw on a few softwood splits to keep pumping out heat while the coals burn down, but I usually don't need more heat. The cat is still active. I just need to cram the box full of wood so I can go to sleep. So in that case, is it counter-productive to add a softwood split an hour before bed?

It seems the limiting factor is getting the coals exposed to intake air, rather than buried in ash. So I will stoke forward 2-3 times in the hour before bedtime in an effort to get all the coals as much air as possible. Should I also be adding a softwood split as well, or does that just add more fuel when I really want to be reducing it?

 

[HomeinPA]

I'll rake mine out and then even them out around the stove, open the air control all the way and let it go. I also time reloading the stove so that it's mostly coals when it's time to go to bed. If I really want to cook them down quicker I'll not lock down the handle on the door. If I'm trying to work a big pile of coals down to remove some ash from the stove I'll put 2 or 3 pieces on one side and keep the other side clear and work those coals until they're ash.

 

[Tar12]

During typical weather here (20-40F) I find myself needing to burn down some coals just so I can go to bed or go to work when ready. I know some people throw on a few softwood splits to keep pumping out heat while the coals burn down, but I usually don't need more heat. The cat is still active. I just need to cram the box full of wood so I can go to sleep. So in that case, is it counter-productive to add a softwood split an hour before bed?

It seems the limiting factor is getting the coals exposed to intake air, rather than buried in ash. So I will stoke forward 2-3 times in the hour before bedtime in an effort to get all the coals as much air as possible. Should I also be adding a softwood split as well, or does that just add more fuel when I really want to be reducing it?

I don't add anything to burn down coals...I had to learn to refrain from putting in so much in the first place! Being my first cat stove I was saddled with the old mindset of tending to a smoke dragon...I had to unlearn this behavior with the super efficient cat stove...it was hard....lol

 

[yooper08]

Coals burn due to the carbon and oxygen reacting directly. A split or two not only adds heat but increases draft and thus oxygen, helping the coals burn down faster.

So, if you don’t need the heat don’t bother. I’ll rake mine forward and increase the air if I need to speed it up before I reload.

 

[Tar12]

Coals burn due to the carbon and oxygen reacting directly. A split or two not only adds heat but increases draft and thus oxygen, helping the coals burn down faster.

So, if you don’t need the heat don’t bother. I’ll rake mine forward and increase the air if I need to speed it up before I reload.

I understand your well founded logic and I may try it and I still rake forward...just not nearly as much as before as I learned to run the stove properly and as a result didn't find it necessary to burn small splits..

 

[yooper08]

Completely agree. As you learn to time the loads, you won’t need a split to burn down coals, except unless it’s unusually large.

 

[twd000]

Coals burn due to the carbon and oxygen reacting directly. A split or two not only adds heat but increases draft and thus oxygen, helping the coals burn down faster.

So, if you don’t need the heat don’t bother. I’ll rake mine forward and increase the air if I need to speed it up before I reload.

It seems to me that the addition of a split increases the draft only enough to burn that split - not above and beyond that level

 

[xman23]

I assume your having problems burning all the coals before it puts it self out. I don't have a cat, but I guess the maximum air flow would be in bypass. If it does go out and leaves some chunks, they burn in the next fire.

In my stove any size coal bed will burn with any air flow setting. When we're leaving the house I open the air all the way to insure there's nothing but ash left.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

It seems to me that the addition of a split increases the draft only enough to burn that split - not above and beyond that level

I didn’t have a cat stove or one with a thermostat, but I think a small softwood split would aid in burning down coals faster, and it really wouldn’t cause much of a temperature increase. If your goal is just to be able to reload on a more convenient schedule and you find yourself with too many coals and you want to burn them down, you’ll have to get more air to the fire. I don’t think a bed of coals on high vs. a bed of coals and a piece of pine on high would be dramatically different in terms of heat output, but I do think the pine would help hardwood coals combust. I’ve heard that some folks who don’t keep softwood splits in their stacks will buy a bag of pellets just to sprinkle a handful on for a similar purpose.

 

[twd000]

I assume your having problems burning all the coals before it puts it self out. I don't have a cat, but I guess the maximum air flow would be in bypass. If it does go out and leaves some chunks, they burn in the next fire.

In my stove any size coal bed will burn with any air flow setting. When we're leaving the house I open the air all the way to insure there's nothing but ash left.

I burn 24/7 so the goal is to find a bed of coals when I return, not Ash. The difference between a 2" bed of coals and 6" bed of coals greatly affects how much wood I can pack in for the next reload.