New BK Ashford 30

[Highbeam]

Rather than running longer with the bypass open which contradicts the manual and could damage your stove, close the bypass as soon as the meter indicates “active” and leave the thermostat on max for longer to dry out the fuel. These stoves are surprisingly tolerant of imperfect fuel but low moisture is better!

 

[Smolder]

I think I may have misinterpreted the manual. I didn’t know open bypass until good and hot was a no go. I’ll try what you suggested.

 

[Woody Stover]

What is that sub-floor? Looks like you may have converted an old barn or dwelling..?

Makes sense, when i have the bypass open i can certainly hear the suck!

BKs have been known to quickly plug the combustor with fly ash when draft is too strong; I would install one fllue damper, maybe two.

wood could be better. 15-20%, most closer to 20. I’ve been letting it char a little longer with the bypass open and that seeks to make it run cleaner after. This wood will be excellent next winter. My neighbor and I split a tractor trailer of hardwood logs then cut and split them. Might put some in the basement (it’s dry this time of year) to help pre-dry some wood.

With that moisture content, you are very close to the equilibrium moisture content in your climate. To get an accurate moisture content reading, take several big splits inside for a couple days to get them to room temp, re-split and test in the center of the fresh faces. 18% is good-burning wood.
Yeah, you have to burn in the load a bit to get enough wood gassing so that the cat has something to burn when you close the bypass. As long as you don't have the air wide open, with a roaring fire, you shouldn't hurt the stove at all. Moderation is the key.
Depending on what specie of "hardwood" you have, you might be able to stack some splits in the basement with a fan blowing on them. I got some White Ash from 25% down to 20% in a couple weeks doing that. Splits weren't big, though..
If the log load you got was from live trees, not much hope to get it dry this winter. You might do better with some <8" dead trees with the bark falling off..those will be close to dry.

So who is serenading you on the banjo, as you sit and gaze at the fire?

 

[Smolder]

What is that sub-floor? Looks like you may have converted an old barn or dwelling..?BKs have been known to quickly plug the combustor with fly ash when draft is too strong; I would install one fllue damper, maybe two.
With that moisture content, you are very close to the equilibrium moisture content in your climate. To get an accurate moisture content reading, take several big splits inside for a couple days to get them to room temp, re-split and test in the center of the fresh faces. 18% is good-burning wood.
Yeah, you have to burn in the load a bit to get enough wood gassing so that the cat has something to burn when you close the bypass. As long as you don't have the air wide open, with a roaring fire, you shouldn't hurt the stove at all. Moderation is the key.
Depending on what specie of "hardwood" you have, you might be able to stack some splits in the basement with a fan blowing on them. I got some White Ash from 25% down to 20% in a couple weeks doing that. Splits weren't big, though..
If the log load you got was from live trees, not much hope to get it dry this winter. You might do better with some <8" dead trees with the bark falling off..those will be close to dry.
View attachment 254188
So who is serenading you on the banjo, as you sit and gaze at the fire?

Good question about the subfloor! Those are the original subfloor. 8-22” pine or spruce. Above that was 3/4” of plywood, then the 3/4” oak. That all sits on white cedar joist (1 foot sawed flat on one side) with 32” centers. I built a beam to support the logs under the stove and supported those with jack posts. The orignal subfloor was super janky. So I sandwitched it with 1” ply on the basement side and 1/4” on the top. Screwed and glued. The 1/4” was formed tightly to the old planks. I spray foamed gaps between the various subfloors, put in mesh then poured a platform for the tiles.

I’ll definitely go check the moisture better. It’s oak, maple, and ash, but mostly red or white oak.

The banjo playing is all me. Still learning!

 

[AlbergSteve]

just had ours redone with the ditra heat. its freaking awesome. we are keeping our floor at a constant 73, and its a decent size, using 1KW a day. well worth it, as the bathroom is furthest from the stove and was always chilly- we ran a portable heater at times to make it more comfortable.

also that chimney is tall, i see you will have 2 90's so you might be ok, but many including me running BK's on long pipes needed some sort of damper at times to slow down the draft.

Yep, and the days of pouring concrete bases and rubber back pans for showers is thankfully gone the way of the dinosaurs!

 

[Woody Stover]

Good question about the subfloor! Those are the original subfloor. 8-22” pine or spruce. Above that was 3/4” of plywood, then the 3/4” oak. That all sits on white cedar joist (1 foot sawed flat on one side) with 32” centers. I built a beam to support the logs under the stove and supported those with jack posts. The orignal subfloor was super janky. So I sandwitched it with 1” ply on the basement side and 1/4” on the top. Screwed and glued. The 1/4” was formed tightly to the old planks. I spray foamed gaps between the various subfloors, put in mesh then poured a platform for the tiles.

Wow, you don't mess around, do ya?

I’ll definitely go check the moisture better. It’s oak, maple, and ash, but mostly red or white oak.

Hmmm. You might be crestfallen when you learn the actual moisture of some of that when you get an accurate reading, depending on how long ago it was split and stacked. Now if that's soft Maple, it could be pretty dry in a year. Another thing you might do is to get some long-dead standing Pine..that could be dry. Ignore the old wives' tale that says "Don't burn Pine, it's dangerous." Pure hogwash.

The banjo playing is all me. Still learning!

Good on ya! Yeah, I need to pick up one of the instruments I have here, and actually get serious about it.

 

[AlbergSteve]

My problem is demanding perfection.

Nothing wrong with that. Nice to see diy'ers doing a better job than most subtrades that you could hire.