loading and stuffing a firebox

[DTrain]

Cheaper... I see you are new member, if you are also fairly new to burning then read below, if not never mind.

All the advice you get here for the most part is spot on, lots of great ideas tricks and methods. From experience, all of that is no use to you unless your wood is fully seasoned. Last year I remember asking how to do this and that, thinking there what a problem with my process. Chased my tail all season. Hopefully you've got good stuff, and the tips you get here will help you this season!

 

[Oregon aloha]

All the advice you get here for the most part is spot on, lots of great ideas tricks and methods. From experience, all of that is no use to you unless your wood is fully seasoned. Last year I remember asking how to do this and that, thinking there what a problem with my process. Chased my tail all season. Hopefully you've got good stuff, and the tips you get here will help you this season!

Amen to that. Trial and error are the best teachers. We all have had errors and now share them with you so your trials will be more successful.

 

[Nocattom]

Glad you posted this question because I am unsure of what to do after loading the wood for an alnighter. After raking the coals forward, then putting the wood in (bigger pieces in the back) do you leave the air all the way open until the firebox is full of flame and all the wood is charred or do you just leave the air open until you see secondaries then close air down by 1/4's until you have just a lazy flame and secondary action? How do you know when to start turning down the air? Stove top temps or just by eyeballing it. I havent yet worked up the nerve to fully stuff the stove yet.

Hi Mark,
I try to stay ahead of the curve. If your not sure check the stack. If you've got a smolder you've got smoke. I send the kids out to check and I'm sure the neighbors think I'm nuts but you get the feel for it.

 

[CheaperthanYou]

Thanks for all of the advice, Most of my wood is over 18 months CSS. Over the weekend when I am home all day I am going to stuff it full and see how it goes, I seem to have a good idea how the stove is reacting whit a almost full load, but I want to see how it does all the way when I am awake.

I assume by North South you mean from the back of the stove to the door? and east west means from left to right long ways in the stove?

thanks for all of the good help already

 

[bag of hammers]

Cheaper - there's tons of great advice and in some cases decades of experience here, but you have to tweak as needed - there's no formula - what I find in many of the threads here are variations on certain themes. The "right way" becomes more apparent with each new fire you build. As mentioned by others, your mileage will vary, and every situation is somewhat unique. Firewood species, stove / install, location, climate, operator, etc - they're all variables. You don't have to over think things, but do give yourself time to experiment a bit (safely) and you will find your groove.

 

[ddddddden]

I assume by North South you mean from the back of the stove to the door?
and east west means from left to right long ways in the stove?

Yep.
Many stoves burn faster/hotter with N-S loading, because air gets to more of the load earlier in the burn cycle.

 

[Firedancer]

Great thread as I've not yet packed her full.

Wondering....does anything ever touch the glass when you all pack it out OR what if while burning wood topples and then leans on the glass? Do you move it off?? Is that safe?

 

[Grisu]

Great thread as I've not yet packed her full.

Wondering....does anything ever touch the glass when you all pack it out OR what if while burning wood topples and then leans on the glass? Do you move it off?? Is that safe?

You don't want the wood to be too close to the glass when you load it. Usually to the ash lip although sometimes I stuff some oversized piece of wood in there fully aware that I may end up with a black glass the next morning. If a split rolls against the glass during the burn just leave it there. It will be ashes the next morning and the glass will be fine. Should you open the door to remove it you risk that a burning split will drop right at your feet.

 

[DBoon]

How far forward do you guys load the stove when you pack it full, how close to the glass are you?

For a long burn, I'll put four big splits in east-west. My stove is small, so I split with square sides to fit the most wood in that I can. When I load the stove, I put a vertical stick in the of the firebox to allow air circulation behind the back pieces. I also put two sticks horizontally north-south on the bottom and set the wood east-west on them. This gives plenty of air. Then, I'll put two east-west square splits in the back, and two in the front. I'll usually put some pieces of bark between the splits for air circulation. If I have some room, I'll toss some small pieces between the front and back to help things get going quickly. I get pretty close to the glass - within 1/2".

 

[BrotherBart]

The N/S sticks under a E/W load effect can also be accomplished by cutting a couple of inch wide channel in the ash/coal bed front to back and loading on top of it.

 

[DBoon]

The N/S sticks under a E/W load effect can also be accomplished by cutting a couple of inch wide channel in the ash/coal bed front to back and loading on top of it.

Hi BB, I usually cut the channel in the coals as well in the middle of the firebox. I don't usually re-load until 300 degrees or so, and I don't have a lot of coals when I re-load, so the sticks help circulate the air pretty well.

 

[ddddddden]

Yeah, usually @12+ hours my coals are not the large chunky kind that can support a load of wood, so I rake them to the center of the firebox and put a short split N-S on either side of the mound of coals. If I threw in splits E-W, the coals would get smothered in the ash bed, with or without a channel. That's why I have refined the Tunnel of Love™ into the Love Mound© technique.

 

[DBoon]

Yep, Tunnel of Love™ combined with Love Mound©, that's what works for me....

 

[gdk84]

For those below zero nights, I pack that firebox to the gills...more wood, more BTU's! It's just a little over 2 cubic ft, and im using every inch of it

 

[Mark Richards]

For a long burn, I'll put four big splits in east-west. My stove is small, so I split with square sides to fit the most wood in that I can. When I load the stove, I put a vertical stick in the of the firebox to allow air circulation behind the back pieces. I also put two sticks horizontally north-south on the bottom and set the wood east-west on them. This gives plenty of air. Then, I'll put two east-west square splits in the back, and two in the front. I'll usually put some pieces of bark between the splits for air circulation. If I have some room, I'll toss some small pieces between the front and back to help things get going quickly. I get pretty close to the glass - within 1/2".

I somehow missed this post! Thanks for the tip on putting the spacer split BTWN the back of the firebox and the first load of big splits. Can't wait to try it because I have been having bad luck at getting the back logs good and charred before shutting down the stove and that seems to lead to a smokey chimney.

 

[DBoon]

Yeah, the stick in the back goes a long way to keeping air flowing behind the back logs.

 

[velvetfoot]

What looks level to me, as far as the coal bed goes, is usually higher in the back so I compensate for that. The splits hit the back tube if it's higher there.

 

[Kevin Dolan]

Cheaper... I see you are new member, if you are also fairly new to burning then read below, if not never mind.

All the advice you get here for the most part is spot on, lots of great ideas tricks and methods. From experience, all of that is no use to you unless your wood is fully seasoned. Last year I remember asking how to do this and that, thinking there what a problem with my process. Chased my tail all season. Hopefully you've got good stuff, and the tips you get here will help you this season!

Right on the money Dtrain, I had the same issues until I got good dried wood, problems went up in a puff of smoke!

 

[dyerkutn]

I think it also depends on your goal. A full firebox will burn longer, but doesn't get as hot as when I load it 3/4's full with air gaps. With my undersized stoves, I trade long burn times for max heat output.

just reread this--didn't quite get this the first time but with the extra month experience of 24/7 burning it makes more sense--so if the house is cold and I want to heat it up fast put in less than full and don't fully close air--but to maintain, put more full and then close air when it is ready. Is that right?

My stove is plenty big for my space so I have not really had to pack it full--still a little nervous about how much I can actually put in without overheating. Full seems like a LOT of wood.

 

[Matt93eg]

Loading N/S will prevent issues with the back not burning properly in most stoves.

I agree with this for my stove. Loading E/W will leave the wood in far back of the stove not quite burned up. When I load N/S I don't have this issue.

 

[dyerkutn]

I don't usually re-load until 300 degrees

is that on the stove or the flue?

 

[vwmike]

On a reload you can turn down the air much faster than on a cold start, as long as the wood is fully seasoned. The stove body and firebox is already up to temperature so the wood ignites quicker and more thoroughly than in a cold start. Start shutting down the air sooner and quicker. In our stove this is usually just a two step process. We let the fire get restarted, then close down halfway. Let the fire recover and spread thoughout the splits (maybe 5 minutes?) then close down the air. Check the fire, if not smoldering, that is all it needs. Your stove may vary depending on the wood, the draft, outside temps, how tightly packed the stove is, how thick the splits are and of course, the operator.

My vista runs exactly the same way