Anyone else set their alarm to wake in the middle of the night for stove duty?

Last night when it was 12 out, I set my alarm for 3 hours after I went to sleep to reload. Anyone else do this? Otherwise, there's no usable heat or coals come morning time for me. Stove burns faster when there's so much draft.

 

Hmm...do you have a catalytic or non-cat? I can burn for 8 hours but the heat output definitely falls off towards the end of the burn cycle which I want to avoid when it's so cold.

 

Used to, not anymore.
Well, I suppose if gets well below zero, I might.
I resorted to that on many occasions and slept on the couch or recliner so as to not wake my wife.
The stove now burns all night, although the house may be in the low to mid 60's when I get up.

 

For now, I'll just wake, toss a couple pieces on, and go back to sleep. Keeps temps up

 

The thing is I don't have a perfect schedule going so, I might not go to sleep till 4-5 hours after I reload, When the temps are in the teens, I don't set alarm to get up and reload, I sleep till I'm done sleeping get up and then make fire.
Last year with my dragon, when it got zero and below I did set the alarm for 5 hours

 

I don't really have a reload schedule. When it's cold, I add a piece or two every hour or two and keep the thing full. I always stuff it as full as I can get it before bed time.

 

No need to set the alarm. My bladder makes me check the stove after doing one other thing.

 

Wow you guys are hardcore. I burn pellets and dump a bag in every 12 hours.

 

Not hardcore, just need heat, No pellet stove and The only backup heat I have is a couple of oil filled electric heaters

 

I just don't like the stove to cool down too much. It's easy to start a new load on a hot bed of coals.

 

With the old smoke dragon it was 2:30 every morning for a month and a half in the dead of winter. With the new stove it looks much better and I think I will only have to reload on the coldest nights and then probably around 4 in the morning. After a full overnight load stove top is generally 275-300 at 6 in the morning when I normally get up for the day.

 

I don't mind waking in the middle of the night. I have everything ready so it's effortless, and I fall back asleep quickly. I hate having a cold stove in the morning.

 

If I happen to wake up while its still hot, I take the coals and reload. If they are cool enough I think the fire will smolder, I walk away. I have enough trouble getting back to sleep as is.

 

As long as my mind isn't racing for other reasons, I fall back to sleep easily. I always stay up late, so I'm tired.

 

Sometimes I don't fall back to sleep very easily but last night I was able to get back to sleep Quick.
Well it went down to 10 last night, I got up to go wee wee so I ended up putting three splits in, Adjusted the air and went back to sleep. Was 64 when I got up

 

I've done it, but never set the alarm to do it. I just tell my mind to wake me up. ...and somehow that has worked. Not that I liked it.

Now I have a flue damper and new combuster in the stove I had to do that with, which is the cellar dweller Acclaim. It actually makes it through the night now, with on a full load close down at 11:00 and wake up at 5:45ish. Usually takes a few pieces of kindling, a chunk of supercedar and some splits and it's a full blaze in 10 minutes.

But now I also have the Fireview in the main living area, and it is easily doing 12 hour burns with temps in the teens with the stove top temp being right around 200'F. So I have my first cup of coffee and open it up to get the coals glowing and then I just throw in more splits. I'm really pleased with the Fv.

Tonight it gave me such a sweet light show while it kept my toes warm.