Loads of coals... will they burn down?

[DrewMal]

So I have a new Austal II wood stove. While I'm at work my wife will load the stove with 3 logs while there are still nice hot coals in the firebox and just leave the draft as is (usually closed). So for one is this ok? Then at the end of 1-2 days I am left with a firebox full (and I mean full) of coals. Do I try to empty these hot coals out or can I just open the air and burn them down? Still learning my stove and so this might be a dumb question.

Right now I just put 2 small logs in on top of the coals and left the air open to try to get them burnt down a bit. Is this ok or should I just let them cool a bit then empty some.

Thanks!

 

[weatherguy]

You're doing it right, put a split or two on top and open up the air. They'll eventually burn down.

 

[DrewMal]

Awesome! And when I leave the air open does that send more heat up the chimney and/or give it more draft.

 

[Sconnie Burner]

Not sute how big the firebox is, but coaling does become an issue in the smaller stoves. You have the right idea, small softwood splits will help burn them down.

When you or your wife add wood it is a good idea to open the damper up and let the new load catch fire good amd then gradually close it by quarters or so every 5-8 mins. It will help establish a cleaner burn and keep the flue/chimney system cleaner with less creosote build up. Remember a smoking chimney means a chance of creosote building up!

 

[Niko]

Yea more heat goes up the chimeny, thats with any stove. So if yoir burn it on high do it night when its colder . Thats what i do with my stove at least. Do not throw away coals that is fuel my man. Might not look pretty but it get very hot when you put air to it.

 

[DrewMal]

Well its an Austral II with a 3.0 cu ft firebox. I can usually put 2 stacks of med-large wood in before its pretty full when the firebox is cleaned out. We always open the damper to put wood in as it will smoke otherwise. Does the damper help in any other way. Does it give it more draft as well?

I might have to leave the air wide open with small pieces of wood and just after awhile take out some coal/ash from the bottom of the stove and keep as much of the hot coals as I can. It doesn't seem to be burning down much...

 

[jetsam]

They'll burn down on their own if you give them some air- this is fine if you don't need a ton of heat out of the stove.

If you need more heat and want to get rid of the coals, I suggest using a low-coaling wood like pine. Either just burn it normally, or if you're in a hurry, split it very small, and mostly cover the coal bed with those small pine splits and burn them hot.

Burns my oak coals right down!

 

[DrewMal]

Ok well all I have is maple, yellow birch and some other hardwood. Might have a piece of white birch here and there. I do have some pine outside that I just split this year from having my trees trimmed but they def aren't ready to burn in my stove. That hardwood does leave some nice hot coals though lol

 

[jetsam]

Ok well all I have is maple, yellow birch and some other hardwood. Might have a piece of white birch here and there. I do have some pine outside that I just split this year from having my trees trimmed but they def aren't ready to burn in my stove. That hardwood does leave some nice hot coals though lol

If you split the pine this summer and kept it covered, it may actually be ready. I have a tree I took down and split this spring that is already very dry (though we did have a severe draught this year).

 

[WiscWoody]

If you can rake some of the coals to the front of the box you'll find that they burn out faster there with the air wash. I let my furnace heat the house at a cooler 60 degrees after my fire burns out late at night then in the morning I'll rake the front ashes into the ash pan under my stove then rake more coals to the front again. The only time I really have a problem while doing it this way is when it gets down to -20 to -40F static temps for a few days and nights. In that case I will carefully shovel coals from the stove using a small ash shovel and put them in a ash can then place it outdoors so they can burn out. Usually the cold streak will end after a few days and ash management can get back to normal then.

 

[DrewMal]

Ok ya we had -23 for 2 days with wind chill which caused the big buildup probably. Thanks for the info and help.

 

[DrewMal]

Didn't have much room to rake the coals forward but they should burn down some overnight. Have a nice pic taken in the dark though!

 

[BrotherBart]

A couple of medium splits E/W on top of that with the primary air open will make short work of that mess and heat the joint at the same time.

 

[WiscWoody]

A couple of medium splits E/W on top of that with the primary air open will make short work of that mess and heat the joint at the same time.

I've done that but it just seems to make more coals for me and the pile gets even higher..... and my air lever is all the way open too. Maybe I'm missing something...? I should have plenty of hot coals tomorrow as it's going down to around -20F tonight not including any wind chill. Ya got to love winter to live up here I guess....

 

[jetsam]

I've done that but it just seems to make more coals for me and the pile gets even higher..... and my air lever is all the way open too. Maybe I'm missing something...? I should have plenty of hot coals tomorrow as it's going down to around -20F tonight not including any wind chill. Ya got to love winter to live up here I guess....

Sounds like you are putting hardwood on top of the coals, possibly even hardwood that's not as dry as it could be. Get in a stash of softwood that doesn't coal, such as pine, for that purpose.

 

[seabert]

I find that if I put an Envi Block in my stove when the coals get deep it helps burn down the pile. I can have 4-6" and if I put in 2 Envi's and let them burn all the way down my pile becomes just ash and is an inch or two.

 

[Jags]

A deep pile of coals with wide open primary and my stove would turn that into a forge. A couple of small sticks and open air is your best bet. Rinse and repeat if necessary.

 

[DrewMal]

Sounds like you are putting hardwood on top of the coals, possibly even hardwood that's not as dry as it could be. Get in a stash of softwood that doesn't coal, such as pine, for that purpose.

No my hardwood is nice and dry. Was seasoned 1 1/2 - 2 years ago and it's been in my basement for over a year. It lights right away no trouble. I'll have to get some of my pine from outside and put it beside the stove and see how dry it is.

 

[WiscWoody]

Sounds like you are putting hardwood on top of the coals, possibly even hardwood that's not as dry as it could be. Get in a stash of softwood that doesn't coal, such as pine, for that purpose.

I mainly burn Maple, Black & White Ash and Birch as it's abundant up here and it's all covered and dried for 3 years. But I can cut some White Pine to burn at times if I want to as I wasn't aware that it doesn't coal up like hardwoods do.
How about that... come back to the forums after a few years and I'm learning new tricks again!

 

[St. Coemgen]

Do I try to empty these hot coals out or can I just open the air and burn them down?

Open the air and let them burn down from time to time.

Maybe read this to get a better idea (a how to guide using ideas already suggested by others):

http://woodheat.org/charcoal.html

And this:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smouldering

And this:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combustion#Combustion_management

and in general:

http://woodheat.org/tips-and-techniques.html

Do not worry about "heat" going up the chimney. Your stove has a rated efficiency. You can never improve on that. But you can decrease the stove' efficiency, not squeeze out maximum heat from your wood (and cause creosote buildup in your chimney) if you burn a fire too cold with too little air all the time. It is a balance. It is not just about chocking off air to the fire to get the longest burns all the time.

 

[fibels]

When I have a good bed of coals I open the stove door.They provide good heat while they burn down.I also put a screen in front of the door to catch any stray sparks/embers.Make sure the drafts are all the way open.

 

[jetsam]

No my hardwood is nice and dry. Was seasoned 1 1/2 - 2 years ago and it's been in my basement for over a year. It lights right away no trouble. I'll have to get some of my pine from outside and put it beside the stove and see how dry it is.

I split dry pine down to little sticks for coal removal- maybe about 2"x2". One layer on top of the coals, plenty of air, and it puts out good heat and is ready for more hardwood in a couple hours. I stash the leftover pine sticks next to my indoor wood for getting the stove going in a hurry when it burns low.

 

[Sconnie Burner]

Another option would be some pallet wood, seems like you can always find a few laying around that others are trying to get rid off. Check craigslist. Some will even give away the dreaded pine for free.

 

[fibels]

Another option would be some pallet wood, seems like you can always find a few laying around that others are trying to get rid off. Check craigslist. Some will even give away the dreaded pine for free.

Sconnie what type of stove is that you have pictured ? It's beautiful.

 

[Osagebndr]

I also use soft wood splits to burn coals down. Don't be ashamed to remove coals and put them outside, when it's really cold out I'll do it to keep the furnace off and the electric company out of my pockets