Started as stove talk now thread about marriage, etc...

[Caw]

Right. Only tough thing is burn time. I got about 3-3.5 hours out of that load from burning to coals. Granted unit is still throwing plenty of heat. I don’t know if it’s because my draft is so strong, and the wood being ultra dry or combination of things not getting super long long burn times out of it. My splits are on the fairly smaller side too I’m sure that doesn’t help.

All of those things are working against you. I lit my morning fire at 7:15 today and my wife just got home and said there were still coals for a reload. Just a little kindling resuscitation needed. Granted it was only throwing heat the first 4-5 hours of that it's still pretty good for a little 1.85 cu ft stove to be able to be reloaded 8 hours later. This mornings fire was multiple huge ash splits, one medium oak, and one piece of maple on the coals to get it all going. "Huge" splits being 5-7" wide.

 

[MRD1985]

3rd load about 45 min in air control shut all the way. 4 pieces of oak and 2 black cherry
All tubes secondaries in full consistent flame

 

[Caw]

Are you criss cross loading even on reloads?

 

[MRD1985]

Yeah, make sure it gets good airflow from the bottom up

 

[Caw]

Ah, this explains everything. You don't do need to do that. It's not turning down more because you're exposing too much surface area and off gassing too quickly.

Next reload rake the coals forward and densely pack firewood behind the coals. Does your stove allow a full sized log N/S? If so you can do that or go more classically E/W in smaller stoves. I just looked and the escape 1800i has a 2.4 cu ft firebox which is significantly bigger than my 1.85. You should be able to exceed my burn times.

My stove looks like this when I reload. I tetris it in densely packed full with bone dry maple on the coals to ignite the bigger pieces. I could have fit more in here but this was a warmer day when I took this photo:

 

[MRD1985]

Ah, this explains everything. You don't do need to do that. It's not turning down more because you're exposing too much surface area and off gassing too quickly.

Next reload rake the coals forward and densely pack firewood behind the coals. Does your stove allow a full sized log N/S? If so you can do that or go more classically E/W in smaller stoves. I just looked and the escape 1800i has a 2.4 cu ft firebox which is significantly bigger than my 1.85. You should be able to exceed my burn times.

My stove looks like this when I reload. I tetris it in densely packed full with bone dry maple on the coals to ignite the bigger pieces. I could have fit more in here but this was a warmer day when I took this photo:

View attachment 322940

I rake the coals forward any way but I’ll try packing it tightly like that next time. I can fit up to 15-16” NS but up to 18-20 EW. It just seemed like it would sit there and smolder or just be a smoke factory not being able to breath throughout the stack that’s why I did it the way I did.

 

[Caw]

It'll work. I like to reload around 300 STT on a decent coal bed raked forward when I'm burning oak. I can wait a longer with stuff like maple or cherry, they light easier. Oak needs higher temps to get going. Save your most dry and rectangle piece for on top of the coals so you can put another on top of that. I like to angle it slightly into the box so when it collapsed it falls inward. Just like my picture. You'll need the door open a crack to let it catch then depending on your draft you're good to go. I can usually close my door right away but it's draft and wood dependent. If you're unsure you can use kindling on the coals and wood ok top of that. With a tighter packed stove you'll notice it's much more sensitive to your air adjustments so it'll take a little longer to dial it in. You'll get more secondary burning and it'll last way longer.

My wife just confirmed she reloaded on coals after 8 hours so it's doable I promise!

How my stove usually looks when cruising:

 

[Caw]

Id consider experimenting when the wife isn't home. Don't need a fail reload smoking everywhere with her over your shoulder saying I told you so.

Btw when you try this if it doesn't catch you can jam kindling and fatwood on the sides and torch that to get it going. Happens occasionally to me if I get super aggressive reloading on too small a bed of coals. Don't get fancy the first few times. Have a good solid coal bed to get the hang of it. Then be like me and challenge yourself how few coals do you need to make it happen lol.

 

[MRD1985]

It'll work. I like to reload around 300 STT on a decent coal bed raked forward when I'm burning oak. I can wait a longer with stuff like maple or cherry, they light easier. Oak needs higher temps to get going. Save your most dry and rectangle piece for on top of the coals so you can put another on top of that. I like to angle it slightly into the box so when it collapsed it falls inward. Just like my picture. You'll need the door open a crack to let it catch then depending on your draft you're good to go. I can usually close my door right away but it's draft and wood dependent. If you're unsure you can use kindling on the coals and wood ok top of that. With a tighter packed stove you'll notice it's much more sensitive to your air adjustments so it'll take a little longer to dial it in. You'll get more secondary burning and it'll last way longer.

My wife just confirmed she reloaded on coals after 8 hours so it's doable I promise!

How my stove usually looks when cruising:


View attachment 322955

I usually leave the door cracked until it takes off

 

[MRD1985]

Id consider experimenting when the wife isn't home. Don't need a fail reload smoking everywhere with her over your shoulder saying I told you so.

Btw when you try this if it doesn't catch you can jam kindling and fatwood on the sides and torch that to get it going. Happens occasionally to me if I get super aggressive reloading on too small a bed of coals. Don't get fancy the first few times. Have a good solid coal bed to get the hang of it. Then be like me and challenge yourself how few coals do you need to make it happen lol.

My wife seems to be in a good mood so I might roll the dice and give it a whirl. Lol. Chimney nice and hot so should be no smoke roll out

 

[Caw]

Well now I'm excited to see how this goes. When is reload time?

 

[Caw]

One last thing to consider is that you are putting a lot more fuel into the stove doing it this way so you need to make sure you turn the air down on time. If you wait too long or get distracted it'll go nuclear.

I'm personally an aggressive air turn downer. I can always open it back up and then walk it in if I turn it down too much too fast. Much better than being too late.

 

[Ashful]

My wife seems to be in a good mood so I might roll the dice and give it a whirl. Lol.

Rephrase: "Wife is in a good mood... time to piss her off!"

This has been one of the longest, most wandering, and interesting "help me pick a stove" threads in awhile.

 

[Caw]

Rephrase: "Wife is in a good mood... time to piss her off!"

This has been one of the longest, most wandering, and interesting "help me pick a stove" threads in awhile.

True. Lol. But this thread rules!

It's currently in it's "teach how to reload" phase.

 

[MRD1985]

One last thing to consider is that you are putting a lot more fuel into the stove doing it this way so you need to make sure you turn the air down on time. If you wait too long or get distracted it'll go nuclear.

I'm personally an aggressive air turn downer. I can always open it back up and then walk it in if I turn it down too much too fast. Much better than being too late.

I am the same. I like turning it down early

 

[MRD1985]

Well now I'm excited to see how this goes. When is reload time?

Probably right after dinner. Stove is still pretty warm and it’s 70 in the kitchen don’t want to make it too hot and piss her off lol

 

[bigealta]

Ok what time is dinner over?

 

[MRD1985]

I must confess i didn’t load it to the gills. Didn’t want to push my luck today. So just a couple pieces of oak and 1 piece of cherry. If I have a fire tomorrow I’ll try the reload method @Caw suggested

 

[Caw]

Hey at least there's a fire going!

Looking forward to tomorrow.

 

[MRD1985]

Hey at least there's a fire going!

Looking forward to tomorrow.

Exactly. Didn’t want to make it too hot and have her complain especially at the end of the day

 

[bigealta]

Like a frog in a pot of cold water on the stove.

Slowly just a touch hotter than the day before.

 

[MRD1985]

Like a frog in a pot of cold water on the stove.

Slowly just a touch hotter than the day before.

Funny you say that. Almost every time I have a fire going and she goes into the kitchen for dinner she says it’s chilly or she is cold and puts on a sweater…meanwhile the temp is 70+. She must like the heat, whether subconsciously, too proud to admit or in denial.

 

[Caw]

Funny you say that. Almost every time I have a fire going and she goes into the kitchen for dinner she says it’s chilly or she is cold and puts on a sweater…meanwhile the temp is 70+. She must like the heat, whether subconsciously, too proud to admit or in denial.

She strikes me as someone who will spite dislike the stove for a while even if she ends up liking it just so you don't win. Right away anyways. Can't let you have an easy W.

 

[MRD1985]

She strikes me as someone who will spite dislike the stove for a while even if she ends up liking it just so you don't win. Right away anyways. Can't let you have an easy W.

Hit the nail on the head. It would take a LONG time for her to say that, especially how she’s holding her position on this whole thing.

 

[Ashful]

Exactly. Didn’t want to make it too hot and have her complain especially at the end of the day

I have an indoor temperature tolerance range of greater than 20F. I honestly don't care if it's 65F or 85F, I just dress or undress accordingly. My wife's internal thermometer is such at there's about 2 degrees between "freezing" and "roasting", and with each year closer to her 50th birthday, the ideal window around which these 2 degrees float seems to drift more quickly and randomly.