Show me your load

[Diabel]

My cookstove is like this. I've tried a few top down starts with mixed results, could have been the wood quality on the smokey starts. What works best is leaving a propane torch in the firebox for a bit followed by a kindling fire and then finally I can put real firewood in. Perhaps next year when I have even better seasoned wood and more experience the cooker will go smoother.

Do you have an exterior chimney? Once my cooker goes cold I think the exterior chimney becomes an intake for my interior chimney even when it's not burning.

Yes, both exterior chimneys. Paper and kindling works for the VC, super cedar fire starter works for the BK.

 

[Wolves1]

Heheh, I hope so too. Oh, look, it's a hybrid load (in a couple different ways.) N-S and E-W. Did you have some wood cut to a different length for a different stove, and you're trying to fill a bigger box now?
I went out to a Hickory stack this AM. At 12 hrs. I had a split remnant left, about 3" in diameter and a foot long, put that in front and loaded Pignut behind it. On that coaled split, I tossed in a Pine kindling stick and a few small Red Oak wedges to kick off the load. That Pignut half-round on top had a knotty branch stub sticking out, or I could've gotten another small split in front of it..
View attachment 252585

This was fire wood I purchased 18 inches or under I have a 20 inch fire box was price was $180 for a cord nice hard wood, but wood was split smaller then I like also.

 

[Mark cerel]

New to wood burning have a Drolet Insert with no Flush surround. Looks like I'm under loading my stove ! Been doing 3 splits at a time. Need to fill it more

 

[RandyBoBandy]

Yes, it works great with the Princess. Sucks with the VC, no idea why. With the VC I have to use lots of paper, small kindling followed by splits. Luckily I do not do many cold starts with the VC.

I do top down on my VC stoves. Two or three large splits on the bottom. Smaller pieces on top of that followed by even smaller pieces on top of that. Repeat until I’m down to all the little pieces of debris I collect from splitting kindling. Light with a match and presto... we have fire. No super cedars or fat wood or torches needed. I will take a pic next time I do a cold start.

 

[Diabel]

View attachment 252617
New to wood burning have a Drolet Insert with no Flush surround. Looks like I'm under loading my stove ! Been doing 3 splits at a time. Need to fill it more

Yes, I would load that puppy. Unless you are worried of over fire....no remedy for that from this end...

 

[Diabel]

I typed in Ottawa and realized it's dang cold there, below zero out, you guys got it rough there. Then I typed in my place, hey wait a minute, also below zero. It's raining here turning to light snow.

Are you talking F* or C*?

 

[Sawset]

Are you talking F* or C*?

That's what got me. The site was Celsius. Must have been a Canadian thing. -5deg here would be in F. and good and cold, not raining.

 

[Diabel]

That's what got me. The site was Celsius. Must have been a Canadian thing. -5deg here would be in F. and good and cold, not raining.

Yes , it has been unusually cold Nov here but not below 0*F! That would Jan/Feb cold.

 

[Sawset]

Fire starter, white oak and some basswood sticks.
And half hour later.

 

[Diabel]

Fire starter, white oak and some basswood sticks.
And half hour later.

Beautiful!

 

[Mech e]

Diabel, thanks for starting this string. Everytime it pops to the top of the list I start laughing.

 

[Diabel]

Diabel, thanks for starting this string. Everytime it pops to the top of the list I start laughing.

It was staring be get a bit stale here.

 

[Wolves1]

View attachment 252582I
I hope this is what your talking about. All joking aside I love this idea. I will post a chart tonight how this burn went(internal temp and flue temp). Filled it 7am will refill 8pm tonight.

as promised the chart the load.

 

[RandyBoBandy]

Just topped off the Encore

 

[Diabel]

Just topped off the Encore

Very nice. Stuff it to the top!

 

[Woody Stover]

Fire starter, white oak and some basswood sticks.
And half hour later.

You don't start your top-downs in the front of the box?

View attachment 252743
as promised the chart the load.

What are the lines, flue and stove temps? Where's the cat probe?

Just topped off the Encore

Love dat Cheerywood!

 

[Sawset]

You don't start your top-downs in the front of the box?

It doesn't seem to matter. If everything is starting right up amongst the secondary tubes, it gets a torch effect either way. There's lots of incoming air focused through the tubes to get that area fired quickly.

 

[Woody Stover]

It doesn't seem to matter. If everything is starting right up amongst the secondary tubes, it gets a torch effect either way. There's lots of incoming air focused through the tubes to get that area fired quickly.

Oh, yeah, the secondary would push the flame forward anyway, not like my cat where the air comes in above the window..

 

[Diabel]

View attachment 252743
as promised the chart the load.

Something looks odd with your chart. You say you loaded at 7:00 and the chart starts at say 15:00 and it is on a downswing, but peaks at 21:00
I might be not seeing something here....

 

[Wolves1]

Something looks odd with your chart. You say you loaded at 7:00 and the chart starts at say 15:00 and it is on a downswing, but peaks at 21:00
I might be not seeing something here....

Sorry wrong chart good catch. Here’s the correct chart.

 

[RandyBoBandy]

10.5 hours later.

 

[Diabel]

10.5 hours later.

Nice! It looks like you have your VC dialed in just right. 10.5h on such a small box is good. I will get the same on solid hard wood.

 

[Drew3308]

Wow, looks like I have always been under loading my insert. I am always worried about it not refiring if I jam too much wood in there. Looks like I need to load her up!

 

[rkofler]

Decided to do a bit of cooking in the stove last night. Cast iron skillet on top of a hot coal bed...couple of pork tenderloins and some potatoes in front. Left them in a few minutes too long for my taste, but still delicious.

 

[Diabel]

Decided to do a bit of cooking in the stove last night. Cast iron skillet on top of a hot coal bed...couple of pork tenderloins and some potatoes in front. Left them in a few minutes too long for my taste, but still delicious.
View attachment 252821

Wow, impressive. This would be with the door open right