What Is In Your Stove Right Now?

[Pinesmoke]

Pretty stove

Thanks Dajolu. When we got this we were looking for Big so it would keep the place from freezing if needed. Pretty was a plus. It sits in the center of the living room/ kitchen. Kinda a focal point, not to mention a toasty room to hang in.

 

[stoveliker]

I estimated well with the half load; only some coals left. Upstairs was 72.
An inch or two snow in the ground. 28 F outside. Seems to warm up a bit to 34 before the bottom drops out later today.

Emptied out some ashes.
Reloaded with a 14" dia, 8" thick red oak round. I did split it in half yesterday to make it more easy to handle, and to measure moisture content. 16%.

I also bought some sawdust bricks from tractor supply. Just to see what that is, how that burns. I put three on top of the flat oak surface so I can see well how they burn.

Added some shorties in the corners, but wasn't able to do that well as it took off already.

 

[MRD1985]

-1 and calm. 9 hr & 15 min later both ironwood rounds in last nights load (right side) were both still in log form. Solid coals that broke up. Beech was broken apart but still good coals. House temps are down but heaters aren't on. Load of hardwood going in.

I think I have decided I like the ironwood, beech or oak on top so they can off gas longer keeping the secondaries firing longer and not get buried in ash ash. @MRD1985 may want to play with what goes where in those loads? Ash lights easily and burns really well but doesn't coal really long, what I call premiums take more to get going but burn hot and coal long (ironwood, oak, beech, hickory, locust...). Last nights load with only 2 ash was super controlled.

I am finding the hickory is burning up fairly quick. Not sure because it’s pig nut and not shag bark? The beech seems to last, but my mistake was I split them a little too small to really outlast. Oak is still king here so far as far as how long it lasts it seems. I will say this combo gets hot FAST. Within minutes once it flames up you need to be on top of the air control or you’ll over fire easily.

I’ll play with it a bit, and throw some larger splits of hickory and ash in and see what it does. I try to load the larger ones in the back, as the EW loads burn the back last.

 

[MRD1985]

Cut offs were piling up so decided to load the stove up with all cut offs. Made a good dent in the pile. Various oak, birch and cherry cut offs.

 

[Wildflush]

That last nights load was HOT. Topped out at 775 and held there for a while with blower on max and air all the way closed. This stuff burns really hot. First time burning ash, hickory and beech. I have to get the air down quick, I think that was my issue last night, not getting chocked down fast enough.

Had nice big coals this morning after about 9 hours. STT still 200 degrees. House at 67. Reloaded with the same mix for this morning. Got the air closed down earlier and it’s more controllable this morning. Bitter cold the next few days. Currently 24 feels like 16, supposed to drop as the day goes on with wind increasing, wind chills a bit below 0. I’ll probably turn the mini split off today and turn on the boiler for back up for the next few days. Don’t want to beat the snot out of the compressor outside with it this cold unless absolutely necessary (though it is rated down to -22*F.)

That’s HOT. I hit 700 a few times. For my stove I try to keep it around 600-650.

 

[Wildflush]

Been burning straight since this morning since I did not reload last night. House was 64 when I got up and furnace was kicking in I loaded a hot fire with mostly Oak and Ash got the house up to 70. Been pretty much burning straight all afternoon temperatures in the 20’s just reloaded with an extremely large 10 year old piece of cherry I got from my folks house easily 6 to 8 inches wide and about 17 inches long. Had to put it across the top. House staying 72-73. Low teens tonight.

 

[begreen]

The jet stream that is dumping cold back east is keeping us abnormally warm. We won't see below 50 degree daytime temps until New Years eve. It's still 48 by the time I am heading for bed. The heat pump is handling 100% of the heating and we haven't even used a cord of wood yet. That's a troubling first. I should be happy about using less wood, but we need the cold cycles for many reasons including snowpack and fruit tree hardening.

 

[Wildflush]

The jet stream that is dumping cold back east is keeping us abnormally warm. We won't see below 50 degree daytime temps until New Years eve. It's still 48 by the time I am heading for bed. The heat pump is handling 100% of the heating and we haven't even used a cord of wood yet. That's a troubling first. I should be happy about using less wood, but we need the cold cycles for many reasons including snowpack and fruit tree hardening.

Weather patterns definitely changing. I remember as a kid September was cold when I was at the bus stop. Now an extension of August.

 

[BCB]

Not all that cold at the moment so burning black spruce.

 

[MRD1985]

That’s HOT. I hit 700 a few times. For my stove I try to keep it around 600-650.

I tried! I normally shoot for 650-675. Air was all the way closed and blower on max. I didn’t get the air closed down soon enough. If it hit 800 I was going to open the door.

 

[thewoodlands]

We had 11.1 this morning, the basement was 70 with the temps up here 65 & 66. I did run the furnace for 7 minutes and then made a fire.

The wife kept the fire going while I was away today, when I came back the house was 69 with a big pot of meatballs on the stove she made, all is good.

 

[Wildflush]

I tried! I normally shoot for 650-675. Air was all the way closed and blower on max. I didn’t get the air closed down soon enough. If it hit 800 I was going to open the door.

😂 sometimes the stove is going to go where it wants to go. Last season I did a hot reload with 4 well seasoned oak chunks N/S on top of of my E/W load with gaps in between. Stove was like an inferno. STT was 750 and kept climbing and would easily hit 800 if not more. I saw the temp gauge moving. I should have just let it play out since it was a one off and stove and my class A can handle it but I opened the window near the stove and opened the door a few times to cool it down. Some guys questioned if I had a chimney fire which was a negative. Only time I had issues taming the fire.

 

[NickW]

Been burning straight since this morning since I did not reload last night. House was 64 when I got up and furnace was kicking in I loaded a hot fire with mostly Oak and Ash got the house up to 70. Been pretty much burning straight all afternoon temperatures in the 20’s just reloaded with an extremely large 10 year old piece of cherry I got from my folks house easily 6 to 8 inches wide and about 17 inches long. Had to put it across the top. House staying 72-73. Low teens tonight.

8-9" wide, 4-5" thick, 16-18" long for hardwood... That's what I aim for (max, not every piece; which is why I aim for at least an extra year of seasoning).

The jet stream that is dumping cold back east is keeping us abnormally warm. We won't see below 50 degree daytime temps until New Years eve. It's still 48 by the time I am heading for bed. The heat pump is handling 100% of the heating and we haven't even used a cord of wood yet. That's a troubling first. I should be happy about using less wood, but we need the cold cycles for many reasons including snowpack and fruit tree hardening.

I also haven't gone through a cord yet, but I'm probably getting close.

 

[Wisco Shepherd]

Bit of red oak and Maple. Oak is a tiny bit marginal but the maple is around 13% so we should be ok

 

[Wildflush]

8-9" wide, 4-5" thick, 16-18" long for hardwood... That's what I aim for (max, not every piece; which is why I aim for at least an extra year of seasoning).

I also haven't gone through a cord yet, but I'm probably getting close.

Totally get it. I have varied sizes and also chunks which go in a separate stack. I figure if I can season each stack for 2.5 to 3.5 years I’m good.

 

[Dajolu]

A tad bit of snow on the ground this morning. I was really happy to see it. Something about snow before Christmas really puts me in the Christmas mood. And it doesn’t really happen often here on LI. Have been burning mostly red oak all day as the kids played outside. Stove worked well to dry off boots and wet cloths as they came in and out throughout the day. Have a big white cedar round going right now.

 

[thewoodlands]

I put some longer maple rounds in the wood stove (east - west) about an hour ago, I'm keeping the basement temp at 77 or above. The overnight load will be all ironwood, it's going to be a cold one but some snickerdoodles the wife just made should help out with something!

Our outside temp is 3.7 with the temps up here 68 & 69. It should be 69 & 70 when I finally call it a night.

 

[Dieselhead]

Out with the day shift and in with the night shift. Red oak for the night with an expected low of 9.

 

[stoveliker]

Eleven hours and a bit, normally I would let it go for a bit more, but I need more heat than these coals, especially in the back, are giving.
23 out now, real feel 14. 71 in the living room.
101 at the ceiling above the stove (measuring to see what the max temps are there, because of the new ceiling tiles).

I am adding a pine split to burn down the coals.
Likely two or three times.

 

[Wildflush]

Main floor is 76. Been reloading at 250 since house is warm. My wife likes it this hot. I’m more of a cool weather guy so no problem if house is 72. Need to burn down coals on next load.

 

[johneh]

Sugar maple tonight low of -24 real feel or if you like wind chill of -37
Darn near cold enough to freeze the ba--s of a Brass monkey and tomorrow is not
going to be much better

 

[MRD1985]

8-9" wide, 4-5" thick, 16-18" long for hardwood... That's what I aim for (max, not every piece; which is why I aim for at least an extra year of seasoning).

I also haven't gone through a cord yet, but I'm probably getting close.

The stuff I have been using are toothpicks compared to that! The red oak I have split recently is about that size you listed though. Should make for some great btus when it’s seasoned.

 

[stoveliker]

One stick of pine was enough.
Reload with white oak. Lost some hairs because it caught before I was done...

This is wood that was stacked before March 2020 when I built my shed, see the gray/dark ends that had seen rain while on a rack top covered.

 

[NickW]

3 ash, 1 beech, 2 ironwood and 1 oak. That big top center piece is a half round of ironwood about 4x8.

 

[all night moe]

9* with a real feel of -3. The night is young and the dragon feeds. Currently chewing on large sugar splits, a split or 2 of ash, and a bunch of red oak honey locust shorts. Warm in the house, very warm in the dragons lair. Our bedroom is directly above where she feeds. I've never had a bedroom that warm.