When do you have your first fire?

Being rather new to burning, we're still defining when we have our first and last fire of the heating season.

Since our goal is not to run the furnace at all, rather than when to start using the hard-earned wood, the wood stove is fired up solely based on indoor temperature. Weather or not there's frost yet, a certain date has passed, a certain holiday has occured, are not relevant to house comfort. As we age, the numbers on the thermometer mean different things.

So, if daylight brings sun and warmth (say, 60°), the stove can stay off. If daylight brings clouds and wind and the same 60°, a shoulder season fire is likely. A chilly 60° fall day will also bring a chillier fall night. Stove tetris might not happen then, but an evening and morning fire are likely.

What are your measures or milestones for the first fire?
Sca

 

We have our first and last fires as needed. Some years we've had fires in July and sometimes we start again in August. This year we had several fires in June. First fire will happen when the house is below 70ish and it isn't going to warm up without one.

 

It was 63⁰ inside, yesterday morning. If it was overcast with rain forecasted, I might have lit a fire then.

Answer to your question - when Mrs MikeInMa has a lap blanket and comments that she's cold. That's when a fire gets lit.

 

I usually have some misc "trash wood" laying around that I burn first... get things cleaned up, and a little heat. First fire happens whenever the house feels cold.

 

For me it's usually late Oct. depending on the temps it could be mid-Oct. If the house gets chilly I'll start a small fire in the morning.

 

I light the fire when my wife says "I'm cold, light a fire."

Usually the first one is in late September or early October.

 

Like others have said, I light a fire whenever it’s warranted. The earliest I’ve done it was around the fall equinox when I woke up to the low 40s outside. A small, fast burning load of shoulder wood does the trick without blasting us out of the house in those temperatures. I took the day off of work yesterday and woke up to a comfortably cool 52f. Sitting on my deck sipping my coffee, with an early fall feeling in the air, I almost wanted to have a small fire. I still have to get up on my roof and clean out the flue before that happens though. It’s almost time but not quite yet.

 

That is about the same here. I just haven't burned enough years to have a feel for what is typical for a first burn date.
I got the chimney done after the last burn, partly to have the summer for repairs, partly because I dont know when first burn will be.
Sca

 

How many of your wives choose to do baking or go on a cooking spree when temps in the house drop? It helps warm up the house a little bit without getting a fire going.

 

Mine bakes pies and cakes in fall..

Then when house gets too warm you open windows

 

We have a split ac/heater unit and we use that quite a bit in the Fall and Spring, it heats up the house fast and doesn’t use much electricity. We’ll have some fires on the weekends soon just for the enjoyment. Once winter hits we burn 24/7.

 

Mother nature dictates first fire. No real set time for us but we do put it off as long as possible. RIght now, overnight lows are just dipping into the high 50's. It'll be a while.

 

We hit 45 with bedroom windows open wife loves it

 

I'm here in upstate SC. I usually have my first fire anytime between the very end of October to the second week of November. Most of them occur I'd say between October 27- November 10th.

 

We hit 69 with bedroom windows open, and its just too hot to need a fire.
The wife loves it.

.....

 

When it gets cold

 

The neighbors.....not so much.

 

If our friend Dennis shows up we will light a fire and open all bedroom windows!!
Wife is having menopause and likes it 50 ish!!!
Saves on wood She’s is beautiful and I
Love her