What am I looking for in a fire?

[oddodaoddo]

You should not under any circumstances have to leave the door open for 1 hour! Is that a combo alarm?

No, it is only a smoke alarm. It stopped after a few minutes. I am ordering a few good ones off Amazon, I would really like to have a CO alarm...

 

[oddodaoddo]

Paint curing can set off smoke alarms, and it can happen a few times each time the stove reaches a new high temperature.

Just as a safety reminder, do you also have a carbon monoxide detector installed?

Finally, if you end up needing to turn to a compressed wood product and you’re anywhere near Richmond, check out Liberty Bricks. They’re cheaper and better than the ones from Tractor Supply in my experience.

Thanks, I don't have a CO alarm but I have ordered one on Amazon.

 

[begreen]

There's a lots of videos on youtube of the Englander 30NC burning. Search for - Englander 30NC video. Here is an example. His starting in the video would have worked better with a 1/4 chunk of a SuperCedar starter, but it got going pretty well. Note that I start closing down the air sooner, but it also depends on the wood that one is burning. Dry wood rocks.

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[FTG-05]

Thank you all. Eventually (after an hour or so), I closed the door to the stove and closed the air intake to 1/2. I started feeling that the stove was getting heated up as it was radiating heat much better everywhere and the ambient temperature started climbing. I will test my wood tomorrow and will also go out and get a stove thermometer.

One odd thing - the smoke alarm keeps coming on - it is about 8 feet away from the stove in the corridor next to the room the stove is in. I can see no smoke with the naked eye. The smell of that first burn paint though.....

You're having trouble with keeping a flame going and *probably* have wet to boot: Keep that sucker running flat out! Run it open, let it get hot keep it hot. If the room/house gets too warm, open a window. Same if the new stove smell gets to be too much.

My priorities:

- Safe wood stove and chimney system design, installation and operation
- NO CREOSOTE!
- Heat the house (distant third compared to the first two)

By burning wet wood and choking the fire down, guess which rule you're violating?

Good luck.

 

[oddodaoddo]

You're having trouble with keeping a flame going and *probably* have wet to boot: Keep that sucker running flat out! Run it open, let it get hot keep it hot. If the room/house gets too warm, open a window. Same if the new stove smell gets to be too much.

My priorities:

- Safe wood stove and chimney system design, installation and operation
- NO CREOSOTE!
- Heat the house (distant third compared to the first two)

By burning wet wood and choking the fire down, guess which rule you're violating?

Good luck.

Yes, I understand. The wood is sitting in the living room, getting to room temperature so I can test the moisture (I split a log in half first).

Those are my priorities as well

Just out of curiosity, how much burning of not-ideal-moisture wood does it take to actually be in danger of a creosote fire? 1/4 cord, 1/2 cord, cord? I only had one burn in the new stove and I am already wondering....

I think by now even without the moisture meter test I can tell the wood is moist, it was outside sitting in freezing temps and it was all frozen inside when I split the log....

 

[Clovis Man]

The compressed sawdust blocks work well, so long as you let them burn up and don't crumble them in your stove. Tractor supply is a good source for them.

I'm absolutely brand new, too. I grew up with central heating and air conditioning, never had a fireplace. We bought this house about 15 years ago and it has a fireplace but we've never used it.

What are compressed sawdust blocks??? Duraflame logs or similar???

Thanks,
Earl
Clovis, New Mexico USA

 

[begreen]

What are compressed sawdust blocks??? Duraflame logs or similar???

Compressed fuel sawdust bricks or logs that have been compressed under intense pressure. They are bound by natural lignins in the wood. Duraflame logs should not be used. They have paraffin as a binder.

I'm not sure if they are sold in NM. Is there a Tractor Supply in your area?

 

[Clovis Man]

Yes, we have Tractor Supply. Lowe's, too. I bet one or the other will have them.

 

[begreen]

I'm not sure what Lowes will have but Tractor Supply sells Redstone Fuel Blocks in 3 packs. That would be worth a try.

Note that compressed fuel frequently comes in two levels. There are cheap logs and bricks that are made by lower compression. These are usually more flakey and fragile. They burn quickly and leave a lot of ash. I would pass on them. Then there are the highly compressed products that are made with special equipment that compacts the sawdust under tremendous pressure. These are a premium product and what I'd recommend buying.

 

[Tar12]

I'm not sure what Lowes will have but Tractor Supply sells Redstone Fuel Blocks in 3 packs. That would be worth a try.

Note that compressed fuel frequently comes in two levels. There are cheap logs and bricks that are made by lower compression. These are usually more flakey and fragile. They burn quickly and leave a lot of ash. I would pass on them. Then there are the highly compressed products that are made with special equipment that compacts the sawdust under tremendous pressure. These are a premium product and what I'd recommend buying.

How can you tell the difference?

 

[begreen]

The low compressed fuel is easy to break a flake off of and is often straw colored. If you whacked it on an edge it would immediately split apart. The highly compressed fuel is darker and much more solid. You need to work at it to break of a piece or split it. The highly compressed fuel also weighs more per cu in.

 

[Clovis Man]

I'm not sure what Lowes will have but Tractor Supply sells Redstone Fuel Blocks in 3 packs. That would be worth a try.

Note that compressed fuel frequently comes in two levels. There are cheap logs and bricks that are made by lower compression. These are usually more flakey and fragile. They burn quickly and leave a lot of ash. I would pass on them. Then there are the highly compressed products that are made with special equipment that compacts the sawdust under tremendous pressure. These are a premium product and what I'd recommend buying.

Just got back from Tractor Supply. Lowe's only had "wax logs", made with either recycled waxed cardboard or else the Duraflame product.

At Tractor Supply I found the RED Stone product so I bought two packages. The appear to be the lower-compressed logs with cracks and flakes easily visible, and straw-colored. Or actually the color of fresh-cut pine.

 

[Clovis Man]

I have done an absolutely OUTSTANDING job of hijacking this thread. My apologies. Look for a new thread.

 

[begreen]

I still haven't gotten around to burning Redstones. EcoBrick and BioBricks are pretty good. Give the Redstone a try. Add a brick together on the coals with your regular wood on a reload. It will be dry and ignite. That will help drive out moisture from the wood more quickly and you should be able to close the door in about 5-10 minutes.

 

[begreen]

I have done an absolutely OUTSTANDING job of hijacking this thread. My apologies. Look for a new thread.

You sure have! Hopefully oddodaoddo is catching this vicariously and will try it too. There are lots of threads on compressed fuels and I posted some tests a long while back here:
https://www.hearth.com/talk/wiki/fuels/

 

[Clovis Man]

I still haven't gotten around to burning Redstones. EcoBrick and BioBricks are pretty good. Give the Redstone a try. Add a brick together on the coals with your regular wood on a reload. It will be dry and ignite. That will help drive out moisture from the wood more quickly and you should be able to close the door in about 5-10 minutes.

You're assuming I know what I'm doing!

I grew up with central heating and air conditioning, I don't know the first thing about using a fireplace!

 

[begreen]

You're assuming I know what I'm doing!

I grew up with central heating and air conditioning, I don't know the first thing about using a fireplace!

Yeah, my psychic powers are getting weaker. Head over to the Classic forum for answers on running the Grizzly.

 

[Clovis Man]

Yeah, my psychic powers are getting weaker. Head over to the Classic forum for answers on running the Grizzly.

There's info on the Grizzly? You actually KNOW what the Grizzly is??? I've been trying for 15 years to find out how to use it

 

[Clovis Man]

Yeah, my psychic powers are getting weaker. Head over to the Classic forum for answers on running the Grizzly.

Don't know how it got there, but it's there!

 

[oddodaoddo]

I have done an absolutely OUTSTANDING job of hijacking this thread. My apologies. Look for a new thread.

I was going to say that but I was waiting for you to say it

 

[savageactor7]

Hi oddodaoddo, you would benefit from a local wood-burner, neighbor and see what they have to say...

...there's a lot more to this woodburning than meets the eye, but no, it's not rocket science either.

Good luck with your new stove.

 

[venator260]

Hi oddodaoddo, you would benefit from a local wood-burner, neighbor and see what they have to say...

...there's a lot more to this woodburning than meets the eye, but no, it's not rocket science either.

Good luck with your new stove.

Be sure it's someone who has a newer stove and runs it well. My dad has been burning wood for at least 30 years. He was little help in figuring out my 30NC. His Alaska Kodiak (Fisher Grandpa Bear clone) runs a bit differently than does a stove with reburn tubes.

 

[stovelark]

Once you get to know your air tube stove, you will love it. Given proper seasoned wood, the stove pretty much does the rest. It will work everyday very little complaint, good wood, run it at the right burn temp (adj the air control for your comfort level and proper burn temps). That new stove is a far superior heater to the old smoke dragons, which were good for their time period. Embrace the new technology, (but now while its hot...)