What Is In Your Stove Right Now?

[thewoodlands]

We have an outside temp of 16.1, the basement is starting out at 75, the living area temps are 70 & 71 with the sleeper at 68.

The wife had a pine fire before supper but we're heating with the pellet stove tonight.

 

[zmender]

31F outside and we finally have some snow! So far about half inches, and forecast calls for a max of 3in next 24hrs. Excited!

The load from early afternoon is about all out, and no useful heat for the past 2 hours or so. A small load of ash just went in to bring some life back to the stove, and full load of locust will go in about an hour or two for the overnight fire.

 

[all night moe]

Was greeted this morning with another large bed of coals. Put two light loads in throughout the day.
Just came up from the furnace now. More coals but the same sized bed. This thing burns well for it's age. Dated in 1978.
I'm not running it like a furnace with a house thermostat for a heat call. It was stripped of automation before me. She's running like a very large woodstove. No key damper and the air intake is choked down. I get a good char on fresh splits and just let it cook.

Holding high 60s inside this 3800sq ft. 26* out with 7 MPH winds. "feels like 14."
Still trying to conserve fuel. Not bad so far.

 

[bigealta]

44F here at Jersey shore. Finally went thru most of my punky spalted oak and now find some locust in the same stack from 1/2022. This locust i think was from the neighbor app. The guy who just moved in said the locust ( biggest rounds about 24-28") was downed from superstorm sandy, which was 2012. It had Been sitting 1/2 piled/stacked on dirt since then. Got about 4 or 5 crv loads of it. Guy was nice enough to let me split it on site, no way could i get those full rounds in the crv.

Locust is tough and most of it was solid. Anyway that whats going in the F400 for the next couple weeks.

 

[all night moe]

Coals, coals, and more coals. Added 2 maple splits and a piece of BL.
Didn't get half the snow forecasted. Enough to go out and plow though.
Cup of joe and add more splits before my journey.

 

[Dieselhead]

Coals, coals, and more coals. Added 2 maple splits and a piece of BL.
Didn't get half the snow forecasted. Enough to go out and plow though.
Cup of joe and add more splits before my journey.

Same. Kind of a dud. Heavy and wet 4” or so.

 

[Wildflush]

Dud of a storm here also. Light covering of snow and rain. Mid 30’s. Quick 5 small split cold start at 7am to get STT to 575.

Just reloaded E/W some larger splits of cherry, oak and maple for longer burn. 5 total.

Fun morning, overflowed the egg batter on the last breakfast pizza I made for the family in the oven this morning setting our our smoke detectors. Woke everyone up. 😳

 

[ctreitzell]

38F / 24F RealFeel on yahoo means it's 36F...crashing down into the 20s by morning I'm going into night mode I guess

Just did my first Top Down (ish) cold start...I'm so dumb! Should have been doing that all along...well, I posted how to do it wrong last week! Wow, very little smoke with Top Down...now I got no more fears of cold starts ! I was dreading it and it went great! No firelighters, but I do use the kebab skewers...I could get all purist I suppose snd make my own

I started with a little structure of split elm kindling with holly and apple twigs on top and that went up beautifully

I didn't put the larger splits in this time, I added ash and beech and elm after the first embers

next cold start I'll improve

 

[ctreitzell]

We need to get you turned onto upside down fire cold starts.

mission accomplished!
I can't imagine cold starting any other way now, thanks!

 

[bigealta]

38F / 24F RealFeel on yahoo means it's 36F...crashing down into the 20s by morning I'm going into night mode I guess

Just did my first Top Down (ish) cold start...I'm so dumb! Should have been doing that all along...well, I posted how to do it wrong last week! Wow, very little smoke with Top Down...now I got no more fears of cold starts ! I was dreading it and it went great! No firelighters, but I do use the kebab skewers...I could get all purist I suppose snd make my own

I started with a little structure of split elm kindling with holly and apple twigs on top and that went up beautifully

I didn't put the larger splits in this time, I added ash and beech and elm after the first embers

next cold start I'll improve

Ha, nice u r 1/2 way there. Next time do a real top down. Build that same small fire on top of the larger splits.

 

[Wildflush]

mission accomplished!
I can't imagine cold starting any other way now, thanks!

I only do smaller splits or medium on the bottom on my cold starts. Just want to heat the flue up fast and heat up main floor quickly.

 

[Pinesmoke]

Stirred the embers left from the overnight oak and fed in some pine. Got her back to cat temps and mixed in some oak, the girl is happy and cruising. 32 outside going to 40. Been sick for the last 2 days so it's perfect to relax and throw wood at the fire.

ETA
Just got pinged on wind warning for Monday/Tuesday. 50-60 with gusts to 80. Should be more pine on the ground Wednesday, just hope not on the house.

 

[30WCF]

mission accomplished!
I can't imagine cold starting any other way now, thanks!

Did you build it with large enough pieces to sustain for a few hours, or just small splits for the base to get a good draft and base of coals?

 

[all night moe]

Woke everyone up. 😳 ...... to breakfast .....

FIFY

 

[Wildflush]

FIFY

😂 My son called me Gordon Ramsey.

 

[ctreitzell]

Ha, nice u r 1/2 way there. Next time do a real top down. Build that same small fire on top of the larger splits.

I can't put too much in this puny Delice

 

[ctreitzell]

I only do smaller splits or medium on the bottom on my cold starts. Just want to heat the flue up fast and heat up main floor quickly.

I have a horizontal run straight out the back; I pre-heat the flue with a hairdryer...I'm not messing around with not starting out with a hairdryer the way this Pandero baffle throws air to the door

yes, smaller splits

 

[ctreitzell]

Did you build it with large enough pieces to sustain for a few hours, or just small splits for the base to get a good draft and base of coals?

no

I initiate draft with a hair dryer

again, I can't "sustain for a few hours" with this stove...best I can do is 2 - 3hrs after an established fire has run for several hours with some ashes in to extend the smolder of embers...I'm loading pretty muchhourly...it's what I got and I'm trying to use it as manufacturer designed it

 

[thewoodlands]

We had 17.2 this morning, the pellet stove had the basement at 77, the living area 69 & 70 with the sleeper at 67. This morning we went back to the wood stove, ash & pine started the day.

 

[Wildflush]

I have a horizontal run straight out the back; I pre-heat the flue with a hairdryer...I'm not messing around with not starting out with a hairdryer the way this Pandero baffle throws air to the door

yes, smaller splits

Yes I also start out with a hairdryer to eliminate the stack effect of cold air coming into my stove. The fast hot top down fire initiates the draft quickly.

 

[ctreitzell]

Yes I also start out with a hairdryer to eliminate the stack effect of cold air coming into my stove. The fast hot top down fire initiates the draft quickly.

hopefully you preheat with your hair dryer inside...I use the Y cleanout outside

but, my what difference in smoke

 

[Wildflush]

hopefully you preheat with your hair dryer inside...I use the Y cleanout outside

but, my what difference in smoke

Yes hairdryer inside my stove pointed toward my flue. About 2 minutes of inconvenience.

 

[NickW]

House started to get a little chilly, so half load of pine & aspen to get to the overnight load. 6-10" coming Monday night to Wednesday morning supposedly... Cold coming by the end of the week.

 

[30WCF]

Straight Bradford Pear. Let it go out last nite and cleaned the chimney up today and uncovered the auto control temp probe out of the soot.

 

[zmender]

Finally getting some snow! Got about 1.5in overnight, unfortunately most of it melted by mid-morning.

23 outside and going down to around 21F. Living room is not cold but by far from warm - 64F. I've just tossed in the 3rd load of the day - locust splits with ash as space fillers. I'll burn it down as much as I can till around midnight, at that time I'll load the overnight fire.