In loving memory of Kenis D. Keathley 6/4/81 - 3/27/22 Loving father, husband, brother, friend and firewood hoarder Rest in peace, Dexterday

Christmas/New Year's cold snap 2017....what's on the stove menu?

Discussion in 'Modern EPA Stoves and Fireplaces' started by Scotty Overkill, Dec 28, 2017.

  1. Scotty Overkill

    Scotty Overkill Administrator

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    ...let's have a little fun, being this is the first real cold snap of the season. What's on the stove menu?

    We're burning both stoves (we keep them both going when the temps drop below 20°), and I've got nothing but red oak, white oak, and chestnut oak for the entire season. I'm burning 3yr seasoned wood, and it's burning beautifully.

    The Napoleon 1900P in the kitchen...funny story about this stove, I had sold my old 1900P to my BIL back in October, we had plans to buy a J.A. Roby cookstove but due to unforseen local tax increases (don't get me started on that one), we have to put that stove on hold.

    In early December, I was scrambling to find a stove to put in the kitchen before the cold came in, when my brother found this newer 1900p here locally.. He bought it with plans on putting it in his family room, but found its placement wouldn't allow the flue pipe to work because of his service/phone/cable arrangement. It even has the solid brass front door. Knowing how well these stoves heat, and already having all the pipe to fit it in exactly without any modifications, well I bought it from him on the spot.
    20171227_082344.jpg

    Then Napoleon NZ3000 in the living room has been nothing short of near perfect, as well. A lot of you know the little mods I've done to make this stove very efficient, the learning curve on the stove is down pat, and it easily heats the entire house in temps above 20-25°. And it does so very reliably, and efficiently. Some pics of it from a few weeks back.....
    20171119_173053-1-1.jpg

    20171123_095107-1.jpg

    And some pics of it last night before bedtime cruising right above the idle setting......the black in the corners of the glass is something that you can't prevent in the stove, it's not a heavy glaze, just a little soot. It's because of the lack of airflow near the glass in those spots. I pile the ashes up on both sides of the stove as the ash accumulates, creating a valley for air to get under the wood, which in turn causes some sooting on the glass at the bottom corners. This system works splendidly for this stove. The stove glass hasn't been cleaned in almost a month, and it wipes right off with a bit of water, a magic eraser, and a little ash from the stove.
    20171228_012231.jpg

    20171228_012410.jpg


    I also cleaned both flues/caps yesterday, the spark arrestors were a little dirty, but the flues were very clean, so the 3yr plan is definitely proving itself to be the way to go, as it has also done in the past!

    Post up what's on your stove menu for the cold snap.....and stay warm!!
     
  2. Horkn

    Horkn

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    For the stove menu, a lot of beech, some honey locust, elm, and pine.


    Yes, you guys and your "kicker" stoves. I'm jealous.

    Down to 20° or so, my Quadrafire 4100 insert heats the entire house perfectly. In this stuff, actually warmer now at 4° OAT, the gas furnace turns on from time to time. I've been thinking out loud to the wife about an add on wood furnace, plumbed into the existing furnace ducting. I have not heard her say anything about not doing the add on wood furnace, so......
    I've got the space, both by the furnace and for basement wood storage, there's a few that are efficient ( Englander?), and I really only need another chimney/ pipe stack run to do it.
     
  3. Scotty Overkill

    Scotty Overkill Administrator

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    That's a nice, diverse menu! I've got a few pieces of ash and a couple rounds of bone-dry hickory from a standing dead we cut down this past fall that I throw in from time to time, but I'm pretty much all oak for the entire season. I ain't complaining! ;)
    Don't be jeaolus, brother. I'll tell you one thing, I wasn't crazy about spending the $$$ on two separate SS Class A flues, but it was worth it. Now that they're in, we are set.

    Now to try and save my spare change up so I can get that J.A. Roby Cook......it ain't cheap.....
     
  4. Horkn

    Horkn

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    You know, I do have the lopi endeavor that my parents took out of the cabin up north when they put the jotul Allagash gas stove in. If I put that in the basement that would help as it's on an opposite end of or L shaped ranch from where the insert is....

    I just don't want to lug that beast downstairs when I should just do it once with the add on wood furnace.

    Next year I'll have a good amount of red oak ( 4 years seasoned), honey locust, sugar maple, ironwood, cherry, and basswood as well as my typical beech and elm.
    In 2 years I'll have more shagbark hickory, apple, and sugar maple to go with my normal selection.
     
    Last edited: Dec 28, 2017
  5. Qyota

    Qyota

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    With the exception of today (a high of +5), we'll be well below zero from xmas eve through next week (about a 10-day run). Lows in the next several days: -15, -25, -30, -20, and -13. Needless to say, I'm running the stove and expecting a lot from it. Birch, jackpine, ash, and red oak on the menu. Tossing in a few pieces of the softer woods really helps get the heat up and keep the harder woods burning. The oak will burn low and slow, but has a hard time really getting hot.
     
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  6. woody5506

    woody5506

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    Really love the looks of your living room stove insert and that mantle. Very classic and just bold looking. If I had an insert, I'd want it to look like that. :thumbs:


    I'm burning a lot of ash, hard maple and a bit of hickory. The hickory may be a little underseasoned but it's burning ok.
     
  7. bocefus78

    bocefus78

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    All I have is ash. Not the highest btu stuff out there, but it's dry and I'm warm.
     
  8. Scotty Overkill

    Scotty Overkill Administrator

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    That's all that matters, brother. I love ash. It's an all-around great wood, damm shame it'll prettymuch be extinct in a decade....

    How have you been, brother?
     
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  9. Scotty Overkill

    Scotty Overkill Administrator

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    Thank you, my friend! It was a long winding road to built it, but looking back, it was definitely worth it.
     
  10. bogydave

    bogydave

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    Think I’ll burn “Birch”

    Loading 3/4 loads , burning hotter
    to get 8 hr burn times.

    & raking coals fwd , 3 splits , burn
    on high for coals burn down couple time during the day
    751359FD-8532-4BC7-B983-B39DCCF6CF53.jpeg
     
  11. Canadian border VT

    Canadian border VT

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    All I got for wood thats dry is a Sugar maple and a mix of Cherry, Ash, Elm, soft maple and white silver and yellow birch.. Daytime mix ..nighttime sugar..
    I don' have a wood kicker stove yet. My backup is my Buderus boiler that makes domestic hot water and basement heat. It's hard to justify another stove and chimney when my heat usage 6 months of winter is only 50 gallon of oil more than summer. Have to have a furnace because of mtg and insurance anyways.

    20161127_121959.jpg
     
  12. bocefus78

    bocefus78

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    Agreed. Stupid little bug.

    I'm doing ok. No work this time of year, so I'm doing a lot of sitting which is driving me nuts. I lack the ability to do nothing for too long.
     
  13. yooperdave

    yooperdave

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    Ash, maple, yellow birch, red oak.

    Yup.
     
  14. capetownkg

    capetownkg

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    I am so excited about finally getting some decent cold air. Lows from 12-17 for a few nights has me loading the nc30 with a full load of hickory at night. It has been css for 2 years so fires right up! I try to have some shorter hotter fires before the evening to get the house up to temp for the overnight burns.

    By overnight burn it's really only maybe 5 hours till I get up for work and put another solid load in. Been keeping the house hot at 70-73 downstairs which gets us mid 63-66 upstairs in the bedrooms.
    IMG_20171228_025145.jpg

    Enjoy all the cold weather and burn safe.
     
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  15. TurboDiesel

    TurboDiesel

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    Whats a kicker stove?:emb:
     
  16. Horkn

    Horkn

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    A spare stove you "kick in" when it gets colder.
     
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  17. Fanatical1

    Fanatical1

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    It's been cold here... :shiver:

    Burning white and red oak, hickory and black birch at night, and burning a little Aspen in the mornings to help burn down the coals..... All the wood is 3 years plus.

    It sure would be nice to have two stoves, like Scotty when it gets this cold.... :yes:
    If it's below 5 degrees the furnace will run a little starting around 4:00 am until I put more wood in in the morning.

    Emma the dog is loving the stove and wood heat on these cold nights.... ;)

    image.jpeg
     
    Last edited: Dec 28, 2017
  18. TurboDiesel

    TurboDiesel

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    Oh! I thought it was a brand or style...:emb:
    I been telling Mrs. TD that I want to put the spare Fireview upstairs to get a couple extra degrees.
    Guess I'm getting a kicker stove...:salute:
     
  19. TurboDiesel

    TurboDiesel

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    Been running the wheels off the IS last couple days.
    I've burned over a cord of cherry so far this year. Got her stuffed to the gills tonight with cherry and a few pieces of white oak.
     
  20. blacksmithden

    blacksmithden

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    Actually...at this point...my wood digester is eating wood salad. I just got into the part of the wood pile where I cut up all the scrap bits of blocking and lumber that I had around the yard. A lot of it came out of one of my customer's yards. They build oil rig modules, and they get components and metal in from all over the world. It's all heavy skidded/crated stuff. Some of the stuff I pulled out of their burn pile was as big as 8"x8". I would make you cry seeing what they do with it. They've got a 20ft sea container with the top cut off. They use a wheel loader, and slowly but surely burn it all just to get rid of it. At one point, the wood pile got to be about 50ft by 150ft x 30ft high. The sad part is...I'm not allowed to bring a chainsaw on the property. The safety nazi's we have here are completely off the rails and they're out to save the world one paper cut at a time. Anyway, I haven't got a clue what species it all is, but it's all dry, untreated, free heat to me. :)