Help please, before i freeze to death

[edge-of-the-woods]

That's why we usually recommend to new members to dry their own wood. When it has been sitting for 2 to 3 years split and stacked in a sunny and windy spot, raised from the ground and top-covered it is almost surely below 20%. Testing a few pieces is then often enough to tell how dry the rest is.

The wood you got may have been sitting in a big heap somewhere with the outer pieces now being dry while anything inside still wet. Maybe get a helper and start splitting everything again. Have him/her measure the moisture content and throw the wood in piles of below and above 20% moisture. Then re-stack for the next winter what needs to dry further. Supplement the dry wood with compressed wood logs like Envi-blocks or Bio Bricks. Pallets are also an option: Often free and dry but a PITA to cut up and avoid painted to chemically treated ones.

This is exactly what I had to do last year. You might have to give up on that wood for this year, and burn bio-bricks or something like that.

Every stove should come with a brochure on how to season wood and identify moisture content.

 

[bholler]

Every stove should come with a brochure on how to season wood and identify moisture content.

Absolutely and most stove shops don't even mention it either

 

[edge-of-the-woods]

The general procedure for starting a cold stove is to keep the primary air control open fully until the stovetop reaches 500F or so... then turn it back in increments, say 1/3rd of the primary air damper rod's travel at a time, giving 5-10 minutes between each adjustment to let the fire reach a new "equilibrium". With good secondary combustion happening, eventually you can close the primary air completely and it'll continue the light show with very lazy, ghostly-looking bluish-orange flames dancing around between the wood and baffles.

This is spot-on. 100%. This also goes for rekindling a fire when your wood isn't that dry.

 

[tinman1]

gonna read this 2 0r 3 times to get all this valuable information out Thank you


yours, I was talking about the accidental smileys. I learned earlier in the post history that 3 !'s together are code that invokes those smileys you accidentally posted. I laughed because I to accidentally made smileys in a post when I didn't intend to

I know. I was typing and hit send and when I read it I was like wtf !! Anyway the one thing I forgot to mention was the damper , something's not kosher with it !! Maybe the air ports inside the firebox is blocked? Not drilled out ? I'm fishing for you. I feel the pain because I went thru it . These guys are great with helping , so just listen and try , you will get to the bottom of it !
TINMAN

 

[Ash]

My bet is you have wet wood and that is the only problem. Just in case you didn't get the message...correct your install problems before you start burning any dry wood.

 

[jb6l6gc]

I've read entire post lots of great info here for any newbie. I have a feeling you will look back on this thread Op an laugh. Everyone here is helpful and looking out for your best interests and don't ever believe otherwise. We are one big dysfunctional family, in a good way. Stick around once u have some time under your belt you may become a bit opinionated to other newbs with regards to safety. With help from the hearth family you will get there and never look back!
Cheers!

 

[BrotherBart]

I do want to respond to that though it is not because i am here that i feel that i am a bit of an authority...

Hell, I'm here because I do know it all. Everybody knows that.

 

[Smoked]

Good news is it looks like it is going to warm up a bit for a week or so. That will give you some time to work on things. Bad news, draft will be worse again. Look for that primary inlet (doghouse) into the firebox. I think most are bottom front center pointing to the back. If you block that with a split, you are going to have problems feeding the base of the fire. When I start fires, I take a very small split and place it from the lower door frame diagonally across to the back corner of the stove to keep things away form the doghouse until things get going good. Think you mentioned Lincoln log? that works as long as the lower level is north south and not blocking the doghouse.

There have been snarky comments from a few, but not from the pros and they are not trolling you at all. They are only looking out for your best interests and have given some very good advice! Take a deep breath and enjoy. Once you get things worked out and get some good habits in place, these things are pretty easy to use!

 

[Wildo]

Hell, I'm here because I do know it all. Everybody knows that.

Answered my first questions... correctly I might add...


Wood and air keep coming back as they almost always do.

Clean your chimney, that will give you a good look into how your stove is burning.

Get some scrap lumber from a friend(stored not in a heap in their backyard)/compressed wood blocks
Or both and start again.

Closely inspect the air systems for function,fashion, and fit then start again.

Adjust stove to meet clearances then start again.

Ask us exspurts for help again.

Be warm,happy, and informed.

 

[BrotherBart]

Answered my first questions... correctly I might add...

Ah, the old cat Sierra. Some days I wish I had one of them. Never did. But wish I had one to play with now.

Now back to our regular program. We average five to six of these threads at the start of every season. And they always end one of two ways. "Thanks folks for the help." or "Screw all of you I am out of here."

The old header for the hearth room used to say "It may not be the answer you want to hear but..."

 

[BrotherBart]

Closing this one. All that I see addresses any problem that could possibly exist with a wood stove.