What's your nightly routine?

When it comes to bedtime, what do you do with your stove?

Are there any techniques out there that I should be doing?

I load it up, let it get a nice, happy burn, then leave just a little air supply for the night. I feel if I left my air open it would get way too hot.

Thoughts?

 

Hammer, meet nail head.

 

That depends greatly upon your stove. I do nothing different than any other time I load.

 

Load it full, set it to desired air it a particularly cold night use higher BTU wood.

 

I try to load it at the very least an hour before bed. For my stove (with good wood) this insures that if I turn it all the way down before going to bed, it will do as it's supposed to all night, and not snuff itself out or anything weird like that.

 

Same. Just asking if there are any other useful techniques out there.

 

Leading up to bedtime, I add new splits towards the front of the stove. Saves raking the coals forward, at bedtime.

Then, I'll then stack 2 large splits towards the back of the stove and at least one split on top of the forward coals. Small firebox.

I'll give it a couple of minutes before closing the cat damper. Set the draft about halfway. Go deal with other pre-bed tasks. One more eyeball check of the stove, and off to bed I go.

I also make sure I have a couple of splits right by the stove, to be tossed in, when nature calls overnight.

Nothing crazy. Works for us.

 

When I get done teaching I get on my bus, drive my route kids home, park the bus, check the seats, plug it in. Change clothes, help with chores, feed calves, horses, pups, chickens, goats, ponies, donkeys, pigs, and then fill the stove. This is about 5ish pm. Next morning after starting bus, fill stove, go in change and leave by 6:30 am.

OWB, love the non hassle. It might use a bit more wood, but no mess inside, no smoke inside, just as warm.

 

I pull the coals to the front against the primary air inlet so I can place a nice chunk of oak or beech right on the bottom of the stove along the back and usually build a stack right up the back, then fill the rest up, species depending on temperature. Spend the next 15-20 minutes getting it dialed in and off to bed I go.
Just prior I’ll be making sure the coals are burning down while I’m watching the tube or whatever and I’ll shovel a little ash out if I get the chance.

 

I can load at the same intervals from the comfort of my warm house and allot less wood with the blazeking in milder weather. Oh and if the power goes out I am still going to be warm.

 

Mostly same here! About 30 min before bed, rake coals forward, load back to front with as much as possible. Big oak splits for overnight & colder weather. Get a nice burn going and drop air supply way down, blower on high (if it's not already), off to bed. Kids bedroom doors are closed, hallway bathroom door closed, our bedroom door open.

 

Load the boiler before dinner. Stir it up the next morning to burn down what's left. Repeat the next day.

 

in normal temps, Im usually on a 12ish hour schedule. Load at 7-8PM and I have plenty of time to let it get nice and hot before dialing the air back slowly to avoid a stall. Go to bed whenever my body says its time. Nothing worse than being dead azz tired and having to wait for the stove to come up when I desperately want to go to bed. If its not too cold, I've just said screw it and dealt with a cold house in the morning. No worries about falling asleep and having a runaway that way too.

 

So that's what everyone means when they say "selfish heat". Haha. Well played.

 

Indeed. It's a true mental test when you know you should load the stove and wait for it to get going or sleep and deal with it in the morning.

 

A common theme is to rake coals forward and put a large piece in the back. Are you loading SIDEWAYS?!?!

 

Hahahah... NO HEAT FOR YOU!!!!

I will fully admit we cheat in the kids rooms and have small heaters, otherwise with their doors open they'd be wondering the halls all night.

 

I've got a older blaze king , non cat, so, i put a couple of good chunks in on some coals, open the door a bit get them going, then, about 2 min later close the door. It has a damper in the back, so i open it until it just starts making a light ticking noise. Go to bed, i normally wake up one or 2 times during the night, so i have wood in the house ready to toss it in, one of the times i get up. And, it only takes a couple of minuets to get the house nice and comfortable.