Smaller, hotter fires?

[SpaceBus]

For the times I have stuff it full, I'll roll up a couple of sheets of newspaper just to kick start everything. It provides a quick hit of heat to the firebox, plus burns that smoke to kick start secondaries, which allows me to shut it down sooner. Works pretty well.

I do the same, but now I have an almost endless supply of birch bark, so now that's what I'm using.

 

[Riddlefiddle]

I too have a smaller stove. I have thought about adding a couple splits every hour or so to maintain temps, but fear an over fire.

 

[Ludlow]

I too have a smaller stove. I have thought about adding a couple splits every hour or so to maintain temps, but fear an over fire.

Nope. 1 or two splits on a good bed of coals and turn down the air. No overfire. You will build up a big pile of chunk though. It will turn to powder once left alone.

 

[Riddlefiddle]

Interesting, I will have too try that. I normally feed it a full load, let it go thru the burn cycle, and then fill it up again and repeat.

 

[jatoxico]

When feeding steady I end up using a variety of split sizes. When the coal bed is building I use smaller stuff and more air then some larger stuff as needed. Usually pretty successful in keeping the stove top at in even temperature window.

 

[Ludlow]

One thing to watch when opening the door with a thick bed of active coals is it will burn your face off! Careful!

 

[KJamesJR]

One thing to watch when opening the door with a thick bed of active coals is it will burn your face off! Careful!

Yes. It WILL be hot but for some reason or another it seems like hardly any of that heat makes it far into a room without an actual flame. I’m sure someone will chime in as to why, radiant waves lengths and such.

 

[KJamesJR]

On a side note, because the high for Monday is projected at being 0 degrees f, after we get a good snow dumping, I caught some Bio Blocks at the hardware store. Bought 5 packs (12 in a pack) and got 2 packs free. Decided to test these suckers out and holy moly do they burn.

Toss three or four in with some ash wood and stand back! Thought it was a good deal. Came out to $3.57 a pack. If you guys haven’t tried these yet I highly recommend them. Specially if you’re burning sub prime wood.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

I agree tho, full stove loads at a time can't possibly be more efficient. Heating the stove as quickly as possible and keeping it hot seems better. This is why folks like big cat stoves, and I don't blame them.

I think alot of times i post.. I forget that people dont have the same style stove as me. I also forget from time to time that we all burn a little different. IN my stove I only do long burns over night
During the day in my house we burn different. I fill the box 1/2 to 2/3rds after getting it up to temp. Then closing the damper and engaging the cat. For my stove and the way i run my stove, I feel this is the most efficient way to burn. Even when i close the air down 1/2 way my stove never goes below 400 with the secondary flames in the box. With this kind of load my cat temp will be about 800 to 1000 degrees my flue temp will be 350 to 425. That temp was taken via Ir gun. All of this happening untill the load reaches the coaling stage and letting the coles burn down untill the cat goes down to about 550. Then reloading.
I belive that our floor plans have alot to do with how we run the stoves also. My floor plan is open and my heat moves freely. This is another reason we can run our stove for hours at no lower than 400 degrees. My home is open and our main area is well over 1000

sqft before it hits a door or needs to move down a hallway.
From reading the replys, we all burn a little different
The scrap from splitting we use to start our stove or if the coles get low from the stove sitting for an extended period of time we use the scraps to revive the fire and start getting the box up to temp

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

For the times I have stuff it full, I'll roll up a couple of sheets of newspaper just to kick start everything. It provides a quick hit of heat to the firebox, plus burns that smoke to kick start secondaries, which allows me to shut it down sooner. Works pretty well.

I used to do that, but have gone to all white birch bark or bacon grease starters. I'll have to add a couple of peices of paper to the mix, as I've been having some smokey starts this season.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

I used to do that, but have gone to all white birch bark or bacon grease starters. I'll have to add a couple of peices of paper to the mix, as I've been having some smokey starts this season.

Here's a new one for me.. haven't heard of a bacon grease starter
How do you put that together and haw are you using it..

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

Here's a new one for me.. haven't heard of a bacon grease starter
How do you put that together and haw are you using it..

Cook bacon in microwave. On paper towel. Roll paper towel once it's cooled. Cut roll into three or 4 peices. Use one section per start, like any fire starter. Works great. Tastes great.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

Cook bacon in microwave. On paper towel. Roll paper towel once it's cooled. Cut roll into three or 4 peices. Use one section per start, like any fire starter. Works great. Tastes great.

Never thought of this.. thanks for sharing your info

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

Never thought of this.. thanks for sharing your info

There are tons of things we all throw out like this. Any food stuff that is greasy or fatty oily can be used. Like that leftover oil from the turkey fryer, that'd be plenty for years. I'd use rolled waste paper for that.

 

[XmasTreefarmer]

Cook bacon in microwave. On paper towel. Roll paper towel once it's cooled. Cut roll into three or 4 peices. Use one section per start, like any fire starter. Works great. Tastes great.

Ed , I'd like to come over for breakfast like right now - I'll bring the eggs!

 

[SpaceBus]

I used to do that, but have gone to all white birch bark or bacon grease starters. I'll have to add a couple of peices of paper to the mix, as I've been having some smokey starts this season.

The smoke is the birch bark and probably the bacon grease starter. The birch bark works because of the high oil content. The thick under bark is also good because it makes coals.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Cook bacon in microwave. On paper towel. Roll paper towel once it's cooled. Cut roll into three or 4 peices. Use one section per start, like any fire starter. Works great. Tastes great.

Probably smells awesome too!

 

[yooper08]

Probably smells awesome too!

Like a bio diesel car wafting out the smells of french fries, burgers, and in this case bacon.

 

[charger4406]

Throw some potato chips on a fire and watch how hot they burn, I've used them to start campfires.

 

[yooper08]

Plus, less space for oxygen.

Going back to the 2/3 full, that's pretty much it. Load it too full and you don't have a big enough space to create a good air/fuel mixture to light it all off as secondary combustion.

 

[Wildbilljp]

OK, woodsplitter67, what is the instrument in your first picture? AND, how is it connected to your stove?
I'm reading all these post where people are talking about stove top temp, flue temp, liner temp, door glass temp, cat temp..... How would you go about measuring the cat temp when it is behind the closed door?[/QU

 

[Woodsplitter67]

OK, woodsplitter67, what is the instrument in your first picture? AND, how is it connected to your stove?
I'm reading all these post where people are talking about stove top temp, flue temp, liner temp, door glass temp, cat temp..... How would you go about measuring the cat temp when it is behind the closed door?[/QU

Im using an auber at100 and a probe that goes in the back of the stove. I replaced the original cat probe and wet digital. Im getting an exact temp of my cat almost immediately. It tells me whats going on in the stove like when the wood is almost all gassed off. It lets me see how hot the cats getting

 

[SpaceBus]

Im using an auber at100 and a probe that goes in the back of the stove. I replaced the original cat probe and wet digital. Im getting an exact temp of my cat almost immediately. It tells me whats going on in the stove like when the wood is almost all gassed off. It lets me see how hot the cats getting

When I switch to double wall pipe, this would be amazing.