What Is In Your Stove Right Now?

[thewoodlands]

Time for the homemade Chicken soup my friend!

I made this chicken soup on Nov 18, the wife is making it today. My highest temp was 102 on Dec. 5 but we knocked that down with Tylenol, since Sunday my temp has been normal and the phlegm gets better (less of it ) each day.

The soup will taste good.

 

[Kodiak]

I made this chicken soup on Nov 18, the wife is making it today. My highest temp was 102 on Dec. 5 but we knocked that down with Tylenol, since Sunday my temp has been normal and the phlegm gets better (less of it ) each day.

The soup will taste good.

Yum. That look delicious. Get well soon. Sounds like you’re on the right track.

 

[Kodiak]

No reload this morning for us as nobody will be home. Woke to a 20 deg C house after a 3/4 full load. Coals still coaling this morning after 10 hours. I think the cast iron wrap / jacket of the T 6 helps retain and to hold onto the heat longer. -4 deg C outside on the truck thermometer.

The real cold temps will come soon enough but I am looking forward to really loading er up and seeing how it does. Haven’t used heat pump since we completed our install a few weeks ago. Very pleased so far with this stove.

 

[ctreitzell]

I told myself I’d sweep every 2 weeks this season…we’ll, I let double that go by as the last time I swept (before starting burning) was Nov13, 2024

We have been burning much less, essentially daily cold starts around 1600 with last reload around midnight and let the fire die out overnight. I was very surprised to see how little creo/soot was present at my 90°…maybe an (imperial) cup? It’s a big difference from the past couple years…it’s probably more to do with the dry fuel I’ve been feeding the little Panadero so far

Anyway, Yahoo RealFeel says -1C / 31F

It’s 13.5C / 56.3F in the lounge a colder in the kitchen…being that we are only running 2 or maybe 3 elec rads in the rest of the “house”

I started a top-down of chestnut (sadly not Ash)/Oak/Elm with Poplar chunks and apple twigs…currently roaring away

 

[thewoodlands]

Yum. That look delicious. Get well soon. Sounds like you’re on the right track.

Things have gotten much better since we knocked the temp down. Hopefully by the end of this week or before, I back at 100 percent.

 

[Pinesmoke]

60 today with rain starting in a couple of hours and then temps dropping out. Gonna grab a damper to install in a new piece of stove pipe to tighten up the stove connector and be ready to light it back up tonight.

 

[ctreitzell]

Have you tried using your torch inside? Reach in the stove and point towards the flue?

I put some newspaper in and send a blast or two up as I’m starting the fire

Too bad you can’t use a hairdryer pointed toward the flue inside your stove. This morning I could feel the cool air coming down when I put my hand inside the top of the stove. Two minutes with the hairdryer and good to go. Does not happen every time but I always check since if I don’t, smoke will backdraft in my home.

So, I’m reframing my stubbornness on this

I think y’all are right. I swept the flue today and as I was inspecting visual at the end, I noticed all these particles rising…realize, for me to sweep, I remove a section at the 90°, so The full height 23 foot chimney, with nothing connected draws from the ground up. Put my hand over the end and could feel the the air drafting up the big pipe.

So it only stands to reason that I only need to slightly heat my firebox and it should draw fine. So, I tried preheating only 5min (I was already preheating when I got to thinking about it)…started as normal and there was very little smoke present.

So, tomorrow I’m going to try no preheating and just start with the torch. If that experiment is smoky, I’ll try hairdryer straight into the firebox for 3min…

 

[NickW]

So, tomorrow I’m going to try no preheating and just start with the torch. If that experiment is smoky, I’ll try hairdryer straight into the firebox for 3min…

Preheating the flue will probably do more than the firebox, although heating the box some will work it's way up the flue. You don't necessarily need direct access to the flue as I think you've previously stated you don't have from inside. Just point the torch or hairdryer towards where the exhaust gases exit the stove as best as you can. Good luck!

 

[Pinesmoke]

When I met my wife she had a condo with a fireplace that smoked like crazy at start up. 30 seconds with a propane torch poured at the flue took care of it.

When the air is heavy here, damp and 40ish, I'll point one up over the baffle in the stove and the start up draw is noticeably better.

 

[stoveliker]

Red/white oak and some cherry for the night. Coals are after 12 hours. A torch on the coals for a short time and took off with no kindling.

I see you do that a couple of times: torch to glowing coals.
I only either rake them forward, or make an even layer of them and then I just reload splits on top. No torch is needed when you have glowing coals?

So what is your experience or reasoning for doing this?

Just curious.

 

[MRD1985]

I see you do that a couple of times: torch to glowing coals.
I only either rake them forward, or make an even layer of them and then I just reload splits on top. No torch is needed when you have glowing coals?

So what is your experience or reasoning for doing this?

Just curious.

Fire takes off much faster. No smoldering to get going really. The photo makes them look a bit brighter than they actually are.

 

[stoveliker]

Okay. Makes sense

Eventually you may not need to do this; my wood (mostly red oak this year ) generally takes off before I'm done reloading.

 

[MRD1985]

Okay. Makes sense

Eventually you may not need to do this; my wood (mostly red oak this year ) generally takes off before I'm done reloading.

Most times after 12 hours the stove is less than 150 degrees, sometimes only 100. So it’s close to a cold start. I rake all the hot coals buried in ash forward, but by hitting the coals with a torch for a few seconds help it quite a bit. No massive smoke show before it flames up and gets going . Some times it starts to flame depending on temperature but most times not. The wood I am using is all 3-4 year stuff so definitely dry. Not sizzling at all.

For example the load this morning made it to 700 degrees in about 20 minutes, and that’s with gradually reducing air flow as it’s warming up so it doesn’t get too hot too fast. If I gave it full air it would get to that temperature much faster with high potential for over fire because of lack of control. It probably would have take at least 10-15 extra minutes to reach this temp if not a bit more if I didn’t hit the coals with the torch for a few seconds.

 

[NickW]

Speaking of sizzling... The sugar maple splits I put in last nights load were from an outside stack 2 1/2 years old (June '22). Just wanted to test them and they were such nice big square splits that they were calling to me as I was working outside. They sizzled and juiced a bit, but settled in before too long. I had awesome coals this morning. That's why I try to give an extra year because I split so big.

 

[thewoodlands]

Yum. That look delicious. Get well soon. Sounds like you’re on the right track.

Kodiak, if you could send me a pm, I have something for you.

Thanks

 

[Wildflush]

I made this chicken soup on Nov 18, the wife is making it today. My highest temp was 102 on Dec. 5 but we knocked that down with Tylenol, since Sunday my temp has been normal and the phlegm gets better (less of it ) each day.

The soup will taste good.

Looks good. Glad your temp went down. Drink lots of fluids and yes the soup looks great!

 

[Wildflush]

Speaking of sizzling... The sugar maple splits I put in last nights load were from an outside stack 2 1/2 years old (June '22). Just wanted to test them and they were such nice big square splits that they were calling to me as I was working outside. They sizzled and juiced a bit, but settled in before too long. I had awesome coals this morning. That's why I try to give an extra year because I split so big.

I also find the occasional sizzle even from a smaller split. My wood is 2-3 years stacked. I vary my splits size small medium and large. Intend to put the bigger ones on the bottom for my cold starts with smaller on top.

 

[stoveliker]

I recently had a 8*8" and 10" long shorty of red oak. It's been 4.5 years under cover (1 year under tarp,nthe rest in shed).
All other similar pieces were fine. Larger ones I had measured 14%.
This one piece got a dark wet spot in the stove.

Sometimes it happens.

 

[thewoodlands]

Looks good. Glad your temp went down. Drink lots of fluids and yes the soup looks great!

It's very good, I had two bowls. I've been pounding the waters since my throat got better.

PM me.

 

[NickW]

Got in from burning splitter scraps and saw my coals in the stove aren't going to make it and the house temps are down. Put about a dozen small hickory sticks and a small piece of shoulder season wood in to give a burst of heat and build up some coals.

 

[Dieselhead]

I loaded spruce in the stove this am, lit off with coals from last nights spruce load. Spruce is great for these days where the house needs heat but you don’t want it to coal for hours and hours overheating the joint. The cat was just above the active line around 4:00 this afternoon. I put on about 6 smallish oak spits in to carry the heat load overnight with temps in the 40s expected. Tomorrow, at the kings leisure it will eventually go cold as wind, rain and 60s are expected. The house should be heat soaked enough to maintain temperature at least til tomorrow night.

 

[NickW]

Nice coals from the small load. 4 ash, 1 each sugar maple, oak & beech. Going down to 22 tonight.

 

[MRD1985]

White oak and a piece of Norway maple along with some cut offs for the night. Not a full packed load. I added some wood for a small boost shortly after dinner around 530 so had a hot stove still for the reload.

 

[MongoMongoson]

I told myself I’d sweep every 2 weeks this season…

How much accu.ulation do you get after 2 or 4 weeks? I sweep twice per year. Once in January and once in the spring (or fall if I don't do it in the spring). I think keeping it clean is great. It is a good feeling to have a clean stack. Every system is different so if you need to do it that often, I am glad you are motivated to do it.

This morning I am burning red elm. It really is a great firewood. It is not as dense as oak but seems to burn above its weight class; long burn with good heat output and lots of coals that continue to heat. It is easy to split by hand and often I can get the bark off before I stack it, making for nice clean splits when they eventually make it in the house. Very much underrated as a firewood in my opinion.

 

[Pinesmoke]

Woke up this morning to 36 and windy with predicted high of 40. Big change from 65 when we went to bed.

Started coffee and a pine fire. Sitting here enjoying both.