How to Light Wood Stove??
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Ashful
Minister of Fire
Titan? I know Titan Attachments, got several of their items... to what are you referring?
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Seriously, the thing about splitter chips is I’ve been doing the munched over garden for a few years. I mostly do wood in the winter right on the garden area, I just leave it where it lays and plant a garden in the spring.
Had to scrounge for some pictures.
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Had to scrounge for some pictures.
For the first time I collected noodles a month or so ago.
I received about a cord of fir (dumb tree company said it was pine... - but I'm certain it's paper-light fir).
A few of the logs were impossible to split as they had knots deep inside the round where branches had been cut off and then another 8" of trunk grew over it. No way to see that a knot was there.
So I noodled them.
I got about a trashbag full of 4-6" long noodles. I had a bucket of them dry in front of the stove for a week, and then grabbed a fistful, compressed them into a ball (snow-ball sized). Put that in my stove, and with 2 balls I was able to light it without any kindling, just 5" splits of red oak.
Of course it helped that the oak was dry (15%).
I like this; I'll be keeping the noodles from here on out, because with dry enough wood it's all you need to light the fire. And otherwise I'd have to dispose of a trash ("leaf") bag full of noodles. Saw chips are easy to dispose of in the yard, but those (white, fir). noodles are a bit different. (This is suburbia, though, if one has an acre or more, no one cares about a bag of noodles.)
I received about a cord of fir (dumb tree company said it was pine... - but I'm certain it's paper-light fir).
A few of the logs were impossible to split as they had knots deep inside the round where branches had been cut off and then another 8" of trunk grew over it. No way to see that a knot was there.
So I noodled them.
I got about a trashbag full of 4-6" long noodles. I had a bucket of them dry in front of the stove for a week, and then grabbed a fistful, compressed them into a ball (snow-ball sized). Put that in my stove, and with 2 balls I was able to light it without any kindling, just 5" splits of red oak.
Of course it helped that the oak was dry (15%).
I like this; I'll be keeping the noodles from here on out, because with dry enough wood it's all you need to light the fire. And otherwise I'd have to dispose of a trash ("leaf") bag full of noodles. Saw chips are easy to dispose of in the yard, but those (white, fir). noodles are a bit different. (This is suburbia, though, if one has an acre or more, no one cares about a bag of noodles.)
I have a 35lb box of fatwood from LL bean good stuff but switched to my pinecones on my property top down method with some kindling. Fire takes off faster than lighting the fatwood. Did the bottom up old school way as a test and had more smoke and for me does not take off as quickly. I like the top down method since it heats up my flue quickly establishing a fast draft with less smoke. I also process my smaller splits and kindling before the season so I’m not splitting in the cold once a week.
Yes, top-down starting definitely creates less smoke. It warms up the flue and top of the firebox quickly. Dry kindling and paper are fine for this. I used to get boxes of finish trim carpentry scraps for free. That stuff was super dry and great for kindling. Now I just pile on some splitter scraps on top of a gap between the topmost splits. Place a small piece of a SuperCedar puck in the gap and ignite.
Agree I also save splitter scraps and pieces of bark. I don’t have a shortage of dry small branches so I collect these also with pinecones and put in totes. I should clarify my little twin nephews enjoy doing this for me. I just buy the ice cream!
Ashful
Minister of Fire
I saw a new thing, on cold start this morning. I wasn't feeling well last night, so skipped loading the stove for the first time since early October.
In relighting this morning, I did the usual 1/4 supercedar under a full load of mixed oak and ash, and closed the door. I noticed draft was measuring zero when I closed the door, but it seemed to be going well enough, so I left it and went back to work at my desk. About 5 minutes later, I saw it go out, likely when the supercedar had been consumed, and the splits were just glowing red. No flame, still in bypass, key damper open wide.
I opened the door an inch, and things sparked right back up. Decided to leave it this way a minute or two, to get going again. No biggie, just needed to warm that dead-cold flu to create a little draft against our 47F outside.
Came back two minutes later to close the door, and things looked good, except there was smoke wafting out of one of the joints in the double wall pipe, about 2 feet up from the stove collar. Never seen that before.
Closed the door, and draft instantly went from zero to .03"WC. Smoke stopped leaking, obviously due to presents of negative relative pipe pressure. Guess that worked as it should.
Anyone ever seen this? Wondering if the low draft on this tall pipe is being caused by a dirty screen up top. Will investigate later.
In relighting this morning, I did the usual 1/4 supercedar under a full load of mixed oak and ash, and closed the door. I noticed draft was measuring zero when I closed the door, but it seemed to be going well enough, so I left it and went back to work at my desk. About 5 minutes later, I saw it go out, likely when the supercedar had been consumed, and the splits were just glowing red. No flame, still in bypass, key damper open wide.
I opened the door an inch, and things sparked right back up. Decided to leave it this way a minute or two, to get going again. No biggie, just needed to warm that dead-cold flu to create a little draft against our 47F outside.
Came back two minutes later to close the door, and things looked good, except there was smoke wafting out of one of the joints in the double wall pipe, about 2 feet up from the stove collar. Never seen that before.
Closed the door, and draft instantly went from zero to .03"WC. Smoke stopped leaking, obviously due to presents of negative relative pipe pressure. Guess that worked as it should.
Anyone ever seen this? Wondering if the low draft on this tall pipe is being caused by a dirty screen up top. Will investigate later.
Could be screen, or just "propane torch up the bypass valve to create some draft"-territory.
I've not burned since the 20th, and have more "stops" than you due to my minisplit usage when it's warm enough - so I have more cold starts. Seems like a classic case of cold flue. You were lucky you did not have a draft reversal with smoke pouring out into the room.
I've not burned since the 20th, and have more "stops" than you due to my minisplit usage when it's warm enough - so I have more cold starts. Seems like a classic case of cold flue. You were lucky you did not have a draft reversal with smoke pouring out into the room.
Probably could’ve helped the issue with cracking a window in the stove room as well. Since the first floor of my house is half below grade I often have to open a window to help things a long to fight the stack effect
often true indeed. I just happen to know that ashful's home is the opposite of "tight"...
Ashful
Minister of Fire
I've had draft reversal many times on my 15 foot pipe, but never on this 30 foot pipe. Can't imagine a pipe this tall would ever truly reverse in any day requiring heat, but do I think it was near stall.
As to opening a window, I have 54 windows and 8 exterior doors, most of which date to 1775 or earlier. So, even with all closed, this house probably breathes as well as any normal house with a window open.
As to opening a window, I have 54 windows and 8 exterior doors, most of which date to 1775 or earlier. So, even with all closed, this house probably breathes as well as any normal house with a window open.
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I have a 27 ft chimney. I've had a draft reversal with smoke pouring out of the stove upon cold start.
But maybe the extra 3 ft you have are magical ;p
All joking aside, as with normal burning, draft reversal (or near reversal) depends on a lot of parameters: temperature in the flue and outside, as well as in the stove room, AND the temperature *history* particularly outside (given that cold air from a temperature dip before stove lighting can sit stagnantly in the flue, until some impedance is taken away - i.e. a stove door is opened - upon which it can start pouring into the stove room), pressure in the room (not likely an issue for you), and wind fluctuations while the door is open, etc. etc.
The more cold starts you do, the more likely you hit thatsweet sour spot of a draft stall.
But maybe the extra 3 ft you have are magical ;p
All joking aside, as with normal burning, draft reversal (or near reversal) depends on a lot of parameters: temperature in the flue and outside, as well as in the stove room, AND the temperature *history* particularly outside (given that cold air from a temperature dip before stove lighting can sit stagnantly in the flue, until some impedance is taken away - i.e. a stove door is opened - upon which it can start pouring into the stove room), pressure in the room (not likely an issue for you), and wind fluctuations while the door is open, etc. etc.
The more cold starts you do, the more likely you hit that
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Mostly stone, but like any very old house, there have been various additions using other materials, even brick!
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