Weather changes causing big burn changes

[mywaynow]

I was getting a bit concerned that I would never burn the can of kindling that I recovered from the splitting area in the fall. Having no need to start a fire in 6 weeks, because it never died out, was spoiling me. Well 40 degree highs for 2 days and I am into that can big time. An early practice on the shoulder season burn techniques.

How do you burn in those times? I am intending on burning mostly overnights, starting late afternoons, and loading before I leave in the mornings which will burn out by 11 am. This will mean starts everyday, so that can of kindling will be used.

 

[begreen]

Prepare yourself. In a month or so, as things warm up, 24/7 burning becomes impractical. We manage a batch of coals in the back of the stove after a morning fire. But only half of the time are they ready or needed for an evening small fire. This is called shoulder season burning.

 

[soupy1957]

Mostly, we build fires that are hot and crankin in the morning, and we let it peter out by noon, once shoulder season starts.......won't be much longer now.............(been a tough winter!!)

-Soupy1957

 

[SolarAndWood]

This is when the catalytic stove really shines. We do full loads in the stove 24/7 until we no longer need heat and stop burning, usually around Mother's Day.

 

[logger]

Still pretty cold here in the northeast so 24/7 is still in effect for us. When shoulder season starts, we like to burn at night after we're home from work. This usually consists of a start-up followed by a second load or two before bed.

 

[xjcamaro89]

The way we burn, we have startups every evening. What i do (did) was in the fall, go out into the woods and gather up box/bucket of small dead sticks. So when we startup, i break a couple sticks into a pile of small chunks. Put a peice or two of new paper under it and light it. Usually the sticks catch pretty easily and then i put some small peices of wood over it to get going. But i did just order some super cedars and im going to try that instead of the sticks.

 

[savageactor7]

Surprising to hear that stove won't hold some starter coals for ya. You can gather some kindling from around the wood pile...yeah it'll look and feel wet, don't matter. Just gather some loosely in a paper bag and it'll be dry enough to use in a day. The indoor dryness will suck all the moisture out of it.

 

[stejus]

When temps go north of 32 degree's and reach 40's, I just put in smaller splits. Two small splits going n/s and then two going east west. This is plenty for warmer temps. Yes, I have to load more often, but coals burn down to ash so I don't have a stove full of coals. This is also where I use my electric splitter to split those bigger splits.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Shoulder season heating is easy. If you need only a little bit of heat, you only give the stove a little bit of fuel.

 

[Wood Duck]

In really cold weather my stove is only heating downstairs with some contribution of stove heat going upstairs where the electric baseboard heaters are carrying most of the load. In warmer weather I can turn the electric down and the stove makes a larger contribution to upstairs. This means I try to keep the stove burning hot all the time. I've had the stove only since December and really haven't seen many days above freezing, so I can't say how it will go in 'shoulder season.' I anticipate that in fall shoulder season I'll burn hot all the time and try to heat the house with wood only. In spring shoulder season I will be sick of burning and probably let the stove go cold at times, or at least I'll wait longer between loads.

 

[BrotherBart]

I will be starting the drill by this weekend with the daytime warm-up and nighttime cold ahead. Restart from the coals in the morning with two huge splits and then around noon bank the coals in the back of the stove. At sundown uncover the coals drag'em to the front, burn a two medium split load until around nine or ten and then load for the night.

Over and over and over and....

 

[firefighterjake]

We're a long ways away from the spring shoulder season burning here . . . although this weekend brought a winter respite with warmer temps in the 30s.

What I do in the shoulder season fires is build one quick, hot fire and either do only one reload or no reload . . . stove heats up and the house heats up . . . then the insulated house and bit of heat radiating off the stove keep the home warm during the day/night. Less heat = partial load and/or using my chunks, punks or uglies.

To build a fire I either do a top down fire or rake up enough coals in the ash to get the fire going again by putting some kindling on top of the coals.

 

[thewoodlands]

Mostly, we build fires that are hot and crankin in the morning, and we let it peter out by noon, once shoulder season starts.......won't be much longer now.............(been a tough winter!!)

-Soupy1957

Soupy1957, cold Artic air coming back in March so don't let this little warmup coming fool ya.




Zap

 

[Boozie]

I will be starting the drill by this weekend with the daytime warm-up and nighttime cold ahead. Restart from the coals in the morning with two huge splits and then around noon bank the coals in the back of the stove. At sundown uncover the coals drag'em to the front, burn a two medium split load until around nine or ten and then load for the night.

Over and over and over and....

Hmmm .... pushing the coals to the back and covering with ashes will keep them alive until evening?

 

[BrotherBart]

I will be starting the drill by this weekend with the daytime warm-up and nighttime cold ahead. Restart from the coals in the morning with two huge splits and then around noon bank the coals in the back of the stove. At sundown uncover the coals drag'em to the front, burn a two medium split load until around nine or ten and then load for the night.

Over and over and over and....

Hmmm .... pushing the coals to the back and covering with ashes will keep them alive until evening?

Yep. Banking wood or coals with ashes is how folks heated through the night for many, many years. I banked the coals yesterday at eleven in the morning and fired back up a six thirty. The stove was warm all day.

In the old days the logs were covered with ashes to extend the heat life. Not the thing to do in a wood stove or you will just crap up the chimney. But by the time a stove fire has burned to large coal chunks the gunk has already burned out of them. That is the point where I bank the coals.

 

[henkmeuzelaar]

This is when the catalytic stove really shines. We do full loads in the stove 24/7 until we no longer need heat and stop burning, usually around Mother's Day.

+1

Hear, hear !!

Henk

 

[iceman]

It's amazing how after such a hard Jan we are all talking about the shoulder season in Feb... lol
That groundhog said an early spring and we are talking shoulder?
Lmao! I know, some of you will see 70 soon ... but its still funny, seems like we just got our first snow a little more than a month ago!
And this roof raking business is great!
BRING MORE SNOW AND COLD!
my summit challenges you ole man winter!

 

[BrotherBart]

I have seen too many Feb. and March snow storms around here to get anywhere near excited yet. I burn around three plus cords a year like clockwork and I notice that there is a little over a cord of this years ration still in the shed. So....

 

[soupy1957]

Mostly, we build fires that are hot and crankin in the morning, and we let it peter out by noon, once shoulder season starts.......won't be much longer now.............(been a tough winter!!)

-Soupy1957

Soupy1957, cold Artic air coming back in March so don't let this little warmup coming fool ya.




Zap

As pretty much a "lifetime New Englander," I totally agree!!

-Soupy1957