Slow Burns

You shouldn't do that, you might damage the wall.

 

Yes, I need to get the chimney at the correct height. Maybe Menards has a sale going on.

 

OK, no slow burns at this time. I will let the fire burn hot and die out and just start from cold. At the moment it is still quite warm outside even at close to 10pm.

 

Kim, are you convinced that the chimney height is your problem? Spend the $ and get it done. It is an investment in your own property.

Yes, money is tight for everyone else also.
Will you ever check into the assistance programs that your state and county offers? I can't believe that they can't help you out. the programs are offered to everyone that meets eligibility, not just "young mothers".

And after burning for less than a month, why in the world would you even attempt to do a slow overnight burn? Obviously, you are not secure enough in your set up; why invite troubles? Think of this, whatever you see accumulating on your glass door and firebrick is also compounded on the inside of your single wall and outside pipe...you just don't see it.

You are still a noob at this whole lifestyle. Everyone here has probably gone through the same things and found how to make it work.

It sure gets frustrating reading all these questions when I reminded you before the stove was hooked up that you could fall into the trap of blaming everything else of why the stove doesn't perform well.

You will not learn how this whole thing works for quite some time. Even after decades of burning, we are still learning new things about it. I think that in three years from now, if you continue to process and burn wood each year, you will look back on all these posts and shake your head in disbelief.

Forget the slow overnight burn for now and if the house cools down that much, wake up at 2 or 3 and fire it up like we all used to do it!

 

3am, been there. That sucked.

 

I hear that! Kinds nice to stay in bed instead! But......

 

Yup, that's why we dropped 2.2k on a caddy BK stove. The shortest burn is now 12 hrs. Woo-hoo!!!

 

Note that 50% of your heat comes from coals

 

I stopped at Lowe's the other day and came close to getting some more chimney pipe. However, I was thinking that since it is so late in the burning season; around a month and a half, that I could continue as I am and then worry about it later. I do need to be cutting some wood and allowing it to dry.

I keep asking these questions so I can learn.

 

OK, I hear you.

 

Keep in mind that once heat season is over, the stores won't be ordering pipe in like they do in the winter time. I wouldn't wait too long if buying pipe local.

 

True but hopefully they will put the winter products on sale in a month or so.

 

This is what I was thinking... Near the end of the burning season should mean that if there is a best price to be had it would be upon her soon. I remember having to buy a fake Christmas tree on the 22nd of December one year! Man did they see me coming!

 

Are you doing north/south loads or east/west loads?

You can rake coals forward on a east/west loading or rake coals over to one side on a north south load.
That way some of your wood isnt not loaded onto hot coals so the wood not loaded on hot coals will burn slower.

The drier your wood the faster you get temps up inn the fire box and get the input air shut down to its long burn setting with out killing the secondary flames up top in firebox.
If you start your fires with a little bit of kindling and a good firestarter startups are much faster and you get the input shut down faster for a long burn.
As if you mess around taking a long time to get the heat up in the stove it will use up alot of the main wood load trying to get temps to operational range.

Dry wood , use kindling and a good fire starter.

 

I'm not a fan of top down fires for my stove but they will work well in a non cat stove during the one and done shoulder season.

 

I have done both.

Since I now have the thermometers, both flue and stove top, I can watch and know how hot things are getting. I try to keep the flue gasses in the proper range. I took some photos the other day that I will see if I can find and post.