Battenkiller said:If you have to use newspaper, you're basically starting from scratch. If you want to learn to start from whatever coals are left, use a stove rake to flick them out of the ashes and toward the front. Blow on them hard for three or four breaths until the coals start to get red hot. Take a few short pallet scraps and resplit them into thirds. Crisscross them on top of the coals and close the door.
When they are fully flaming, carefully put three full-width pallet scraps on top and let them get going. A couple minutes later you should be able to open the door and put 3-4 small splits on top and you should have a decent coal bed within 20 minutes. Put a couple more small splits right on those coals and load the stove, starting behind the fire you've established and then on top of the whole thing. Close the door and watch to see if it takes right off. If it doesn't, open the door a crack to give it a blast-furnace effect.
Don't walk away until the door is closed and the fire is well established. When the stove is good and hot, you can start to shut down the air. If the stove is hot enough you should start to see your secondaries kick in and you can slowly adjust the air to it's final setting.
madison said:Try the super cedars, or a part of one. Once you try these you will keep using them -- so you can recycle the reams of paper.
I would be cognizant that with the use of "reams of paper" there have been some discussion with the potential plugging of your chimney cap if it has a fine screen, it can get sticky and accumulate crap (paper ash). The screen mesh can get a little sticky with burning unseasoned wood.
roddy said:there was a post a few days ago about 3 month drying.......could be...i.d spit your present wood small and store it in your house if at all possibe for a few weeks,it will make a huge difference though not ideal
roddy said:there was a post a few days ago about 3 month drying.......could be...i.d spit your present wood small and store it in your house if at all possibe for a few weeks,it will make a huge difference though not ideal
James02 said:I've seen/been told/know of the rake the coals toward the door...I dont have a rake and my shovel kinda kills the coals. As for the wood I was Ive been C/S/S since I got my delivery of green wood back in August.
James02 said:So how does it go? I've got a PE Vista insert, not great wood (1st year guy), pallet kindling and reams of free newspaper. Looking for tips and tricks for a start from minimal coals. Do I have to start all over?
firefighterjake said:James02 said:So how does it go? I've got a PE Vista insert, not great wood (1st year guy), pallet kindling and reams of free newspaper. Looking for tips and tricks for a start from minimal coals. Do I have to start all over?
Once I'm burning 24/7 . . .
When I wake up I take my fireplace shovel and just stir up the coals and ashes . . . letting the ash fall into the ash pan . . . since I'm too cheap to buy an ash rake and too stupid to make my own I use the shovel . . . and it works.
After I drag the coals to the front of the stove near the incoming air I add some kindling . . . small splits and then large splits . . . open up the air . . . and let time and the hot coals do their thing. Occasionally if I'm impatient I'll toss in a cardboard cereal box on the coals and then the kindling and the rest.
My wife who is infinitely more patient than I typically does the same thing as me . . . except she just puts on a few small splits and waits a bit longer for the whole thing to take off.
Battenkiller said:Lots of cardboard is a big no-no. Great way to start a chimney fire if you have creosote down low.
wrxtance said:Perhaps stove-dependent but a nice trick I have learned is: in the morning, I'll check to see if I have any hot coals left. If so, I will SPREAD them out (rather than rake forward) close the door back up and open the air all the way. Go eat a bowl of cereal and come back to a nice bed of glowing red coals. THEN I will rake them forward, add kindling or just a small split depending on how much hot coal I actually have and with a little time (usually 15 min) I am burning pretty well.
I think the amount of surface area of hot coal you expose to some air really helps get you going again, hence the spreading.
I think Jake being a firefighter, knows how much cardboard is too much. He's probably been to more than one fire where excess cardboard was to blame. There are many cases where paper from all the Christmas gifts burned in a fireplace set the home ablaze. Then there is the DIYer that doesn't follow code on a new install and burns down the place with a maiden fire of packing crate and cardboard.James02 said:I thought cardboard was a big NO?!?!?!?firefighterjake said:Occasionally if I'm impatient I'll toss in a cardboard cereal box on the coals and then the kindling and the rest.
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