I need help operating my stove!!

[Huntindog1]

Havent timed the flame part of the burn cycle. but I have gotten a good bed of coals for relighting the next load a few times at 10 hours, but I regularly get 8 to 9 hour cycles out of the stove, its rated for 12 hour which I think I could get if I had big chunks of good dry oak. But I split all my wood smaller so it will dry out faster, like 6" to 7" approx diameter or smaller. I would like to have more 8" approximate diameter or larger splits. Big splits need to be good and seasoned, which i say would take a good 3 years cut split and stacked.

I will tell you this the reason for those good secondary flames is that the wood was stacked high on an already hot bed of coals. The small space up above creates a little super heated burn space for good secondaries. Its all about the heat and small spaces are kept hotter than larger spaces like a half loaded stove. Putting good dry wood on a large bed of hot coals means fast off gasing and lots of that gas floating up into the top of the stove to be reburnt by the secondary air tubes feeding air to it.

The funny colored flames is the camera not the flames doing that.

Good Seasoned higher Btu wood like say a oak or hickory gives alot better secondaries than lesser wood.

 

[Johnpolk]

Havent timed the flame part of the burn cycle. but I have gotten a good bed of coals for relighting the next load a few times at 10 hours, but I regularly get 8 to 9 hour cycles out of the stove, its rated for 12 hour which I think I could get if I had big chunks of good dry oak. But I split all my wood smaller so it will dry out faster, like 6" to 7" approx diameter or smaller. I would like to have more 8" approximate diameter or larger splits. Big splits need to be good and seasoned, which i say would take a good 3 years cut split and stacked.

I will tell you this the reason for those good secondary flames is that the wood was stacked high on an already hot bed of coals. The small space up above creates a little super heated burn space for good secondaries. Its all about the heat and small spaces are kept hotter than larger spaces like a half loaded stove. Putting good dry wood on a large bed of hot coals means fast off gasing and lots of that gas floating up into the top of the stove to be reburnt by the secondary air tubes feeding air to it.

The funny colored flames is the camera not the flames doing that.

Good Seasoned higher Btu wood like say a oak or hickory gives alot better secondaries than lesser wood.

I think the explanation about filling the stove full is something that applies to us. Typically we only fill the stove half full and that is plenty to keep the house warm for quite a while. Maybe when winter sets in we will be able to burn some fuller loads and see better results. Thanks for all the relplies

 

[Bluerubi]

Now that I fixed my door gasket, I'm getting much better burns from the secondaries. The picture attached is from a few nights ago, where I had likely the longest burn from the fewest pieces of wood I've ever had. Picture doesn't quite do it justice, but for over an hour I had no visible flames on the logs, but a constant blue cloud hovering 6" over the wood. The heat output was amazing, and it looked like the logs were fake. I've been trying to repeat my success, and have come close, but this was my most fun to watch.

 

[MnDave]

Good Seasoned higher Btu wood like say a oak or hickory gives alot better secondaries than lesser wood.

That is exciting. I am going to town today to a Home Depot and hopefully find a moisture meter.

I started rallying the troops (my wife) this morning to get more wood cut. She is a teacher and will be off for a week over Christmas break. My neighbor has given us permission to take a huge dead elm and a monsterous dead oak off his land next to me in exchange for wiring his well.

Then I have a smaller dead oak on my land. All these are on a steep hill. I was thinking of waiting until there was snow so I could use one of those tongs (with chains) and lower the pieces to where my UTV can get them. If a piece got away it could hit my house at around 25 mph.

I was rolling a 24x24 piece of wet oak down that hill. I slipped a little and it got away from me for a split second. Unfortunately I fell in front of it such that my head was the first thing to come in contact with the rolling log. Great You Tube if someone was recording. Especially all the four letters words.

Needless to say, we will work really hard for that wood. Getting them on the ground without hanging up on nearby trees is the first battle.

I want to get ahead by at least 3 years. I use 3 cord a year, I have 2 cord cut for next year. These 3 trees would be at least another 2 cords.
I have been trying to hook up with a local logger who advertised cut oak for $50 a cord. Mixed for $35 a cord. I just left another message for him to call me. Being 58 years old I would gladly pay $50 for a full cord that all I have to do is load and drive away. I told him that I would take 6 full cord and I would not stop until I was done. I have land to keep it on. I would do it in a heartbeat if the location is fairly accessable. My knees are not 100% so I have to do this smart.

MnDave

 

[oldspark]

If I dont have real good secondaries I will never get my house warm.

 

[Huntindog1]

OldSpark,

I think in the stoves with secondary baffle plates that the air comes in thru its harder to see the secondaries then the tube stoves.

 

[northwinds]

I do have suspicions about my wood. The stuff I'm burning I purchased hoping that I would have some nice dry wood. It looks and feels seasoned. It's Maple and he said it was split last February. Sometimes I will hear some hissing going on which is obviously a bad sign. That seems rare though and I'm hoping its an occasional wet piece. Otherwise seems to burn fine, considering its my first year I don't know any different though. I do have a stove too thermometer and I try to get the stove to settle down around 550 or 600. I will usually end up about 1/4 open on the primary air control to achieve that.

Just saw this thread. I think you are doing fine, given your less than optimal wood. 550-600 is a good range. I don't see secondary burn really take off until I hit 550. When your wood is better, you may be able to shut your air down a little more. 1/4 open is still pretty far open, but you have to do what you have to do with the wood that you have. You will see more secondary burn and more heat with bigger loads as winter temps allow. Also better draft as it gets colder outside.

 

[oldspark]

I get secondaries way quicker than 550 with my summit, (this is looking for them though) I even get them if I leave the air wide open but they increase when I reduce the air. I can get pretty good ones around 400 or so.

 

[northwinds]

I get secondaries way quicker than 550 with my summit, (this is looking for them though) I even get them if I leave the air wide open but they increase when I reduce the air. I can get pretty good ones around 400 or so.

Yep, but the Isle Royale is a different stove. If I recall correctly, Jags also has remarked that the stove does much better burning at temps above 500. It also may have to do with where the thermometer is placed. Mine is on the griddle part of the Isle Royale. I can find cooler parts of the stovetop where the thermometer would read 400 when
the center-left on the griddle is 550.

 

[oldspark]

Placement of the thermometer and how the stoves are built could be the answer, we might be looking at the same temps in all reality.