Ash and Walnut doing the job for tonight. Have some Honey Locust on stand by for later in the week when our temps drop to single digits.
What Is In Your Stove Right Now?
- Thread starter Jay106n
- Start date
-
Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.
We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.
We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Grizzerbear
Minister of Fire
Its 29 out now but only going down to 27 tonight. I've got more post and red oak started for the overnight.
Grizzerbear
Minister of Fire
27 out now with a small load of black jack and post oak. Expecting a high of 50 today but it's supposed to be windy also with gusts at 40-50 mph this evening.
Coals, lots and lots of coals from last nights ash and beech. Pulled them forward and am contemplating what to throw in next. Man are my overnight loads so much better with 18-24 month wood instead of 4-6 month. Definitely going to stay on the 3 year plan. Busted butt last winter getting there, should be easier staying there now.
We haven't had the warm weather some of you have had. It's been pretty normal if not a little below normal...
We haven't had the warm weather some of you have had. It's been pretty normal if not a little below normal...
The oak of yesterday is done now. Took only 16 hrs; a low this morning of 21. Today 33.
Filling with some ash shorties, a knotted piece of ash, and a few cherry sticks. Don't know when that'll be done...
Filling with some ash shorties, a knotted piece of ash, and a few cherry sticks. Don't know when that'll be done...
Got down in the singles here. Black Locust doing a great job.
Currently in the 20s out, winds gusting near 40, expecting snow the start again in a couple hours, threw some pine in for this morning.
It was 4.6 this morning, more yellow birch went in the Lopi.
BrownT10
Burning Hunk
It's 23° out and a partial load of red oak overnight.
![[Hearth.com] What Is In Your Stove Right Now?](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/289/289180-4eeed0bb893bc2bbdb5c9313b4621898.jpg?hash=pEeVOZZsOl "[Hearth.com] What Is In Your Stove Right Now?")
BrownT10
Burning Hunk
It's 2 maybe 3 inches to floor frim lip. I let cosls burn down some but raked most to one side and hitting bed early. Usually I will load later, but didn't want to wait to burn it down. My wife had a bunch of coals buildup from today and o got impatient because I am tired. How much do you let the coals burn down before reloading? I am guessing it takes awhile to get to cruising from alot less coals? I am all for advice, this it the first one that has run hot right off the bat in cold weather. I noticed that if I pack tighter with a couple big splits I have better control.
I am lucky by the fact that my stove is in the basement. So I can run down the coals (with less heat output from the stove) for a while before my living area up the stairs sees a measurable temperature decrease - because the "heat reservoir" in the basement keeps the upstairs warm for a while. My stove has (closed) tubes with combustion air (going to the window airwash, which is the only air into the stove) that run slightly upward from back to front - and that sucks, because if I rake the coals to the front (for good burning of the load since the air comes in the front), I will bump into the top of stove way sooner in the front than in the back (b/c now both bottom and top are tapering in the front). Therefore I will not reload (barring need - as in "too tired to wait"; I get it) until I can spread out the coals in a thin layer on (or in) my ashes. It ignites well then, so no need to have all coals in front.
But I will take out ashes when they are more than 2" thick - I'll go down to 1/2" then or so. I have a cat-poop-scoop (all metal) from amazon that I use to filter out the coals (hot or cold), put them to one side, and then scoop the ashes from the other side. Then I move the coals to the emptier side and scoop ashes on the opposite side.
BrownT10
Burning Hunk
I also heat from the basement and love it. As you say that heat reservoir keeps my first floor warm for a long period once stove has started to cool. Then once loaded again the temps upstairs will jump up even on colder days. I can't image having a stove in my living space, at least not in my setup. I will occasionally rake coals flat in a thin layer which is probably what I could have done tonight. Sometime when I load too much overnight I end up with a bunch of coals to burn down in the morning before loading and going to work. I have gotten that timed pretty well so I can load without too much delay in the morning. There wasn't much ash in my firebox as it was mostly coals. I do exactly what you do with a shovel with holes and stack coals in one side and fine ash on the other. I do this every handful of days not allowing it to building more than half inch or so. Then on the lawn it goes, my grass seems to love it. About how long do you get up to temp and cruising when loading full on a thin layer of coals/ash?
My (cat) stove recommends to go full blast 20-30 mins before setting at the lower output I want. By then it heats so much that it's hotter than I want.
I'd say I get reasonable output in 5-10 mins after reloading. Not max or cruising level output, but fair. But I suspect this is quite stove (and draft-chimney) specific.
BrownT10
Burning Hunk
Ah, I have been thinking maybe I should have gotten a cat stove, actually looked at the Ideal Steel, which my father has. I shyed away from it do to my oversize masonry chimney. Thinking I should have done it, I still wonder. Oh well, this stove isn't bad, but would like to set it and forget it sometimes.
I don't know your stove, but one can often dial in a non-cat and walk away once it cruises? That is set it and forget it? I guess we all do that over night.
Anyway, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. Just enjoy the heat.
Anyway, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. Just enjoy the heat.
Last edited:
Did a quick hot clean this evening. Lows headed for high 20s tonight, another load of pine for tonight. We’ll see what tomorrow brings.
You can close the air down real quick when loading up on some hot coals with our Lopi Liberty, I've loaded up with a stove top temp of 300.
You should be able to control how hot your stove burns by how many splits you put in along with how much air you give it.
The temp is 23.2 tonight with some nice maple splits on the bottom row and some yellow birch filling out the top row.
The mostly ash baby load of today is done. I'm not too happy; it appears the ash splits just convert into ash splits - pil s and piles of fluffy ash...
Oak, pine, sassafras, and maple do better... It may be that I'll be emptying out the stove a lot this season...
Anyway, 29 now, 29 for a low and 48 (and rain..) tomorrow... Sigh. But after that it'll remain below 40, so I won't let the stove go cold.
Pine for the night - and however long I can stretch it tomorrow.
Oak, pine, sassafras, and maple do better... It may be that I'll be emptying out the stove a lot this season...
Anyway, 29 now, 29 for a low and 48 (and rain..) tomorrow... Sigh. But after that it'll remain below 40, so I won't let the stove go cold.
Pine for the night - and however long I can stretch it tomorrow.
Last edited:
Grizzerbear
Minister of Fire
We had a low of 26 here last with some high winds and red oak for the overnight This morning its 27 out and calm with more red oak and post oak in the stove.
Our temp this morning was 25.2, another load of yellow birch went in the wood stove.
Mostly oak. Throwing in a little maple with it. We hit 18 the other night which is the coldest so far this year. Woke up in the middle of the night and put 3 extra splits in and by morning still had coals and the house was at 64. Nice easy re load before work. Can't tell you how much better burning has been the past couple years compared to my first year with wet wood.
Finally got cold enough to have a fire last night. In the stove is pallet wood sleepers and I think oak.
![[Hearth.com] What Is In Your Stove Right Now?](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/289/289202-35e03584968cd8e8e5d687ba3fb41c8d.jpg?hash=NwurNSKCxj "[Hearth.com] What Is In Your Stove Right Now?")
Not angry, but don't bash the ash.
Way better than pine. Not even close.
No, it doesn't have the BTU'S or burn time of a "premium" hardwood like oak; but it is a good burner and readily available. Seasons quickly, starts easily, burns decently even if not well seasoned (20-25% - try that with oak), coals pretty well. I'll take it over birch any and every day and probably over cherry or elm, although I do like cherry and elm. I have to burn down the coals after 10 hours on a full load of ash in my NC30 (tube stove, not a cat) to make room for the next load. Yes, it leaves a lot of ash...and clinkers.
If I had access to more of the premiums I'd still burn a lot of ash. I save the little bit of oak, locust, beech, hard maple, hickory, etc for the really cold weather.
