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

How to properly light an EPA Stove !

Discussion in 'Modern EPA Stoves and Fireplaces' started by Pallet Pete, Oct 5, 2013.

  1. swags

    swags Moderator

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    Couldn’t have said it better
     
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  2. brenndatomu

    brenndatomu

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    :tip:
     
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  3. Benjamin Turner

    Benjamin Turner

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    Thanks. Always learning!
     
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  4. Terry Quinn

    Terry Quinn

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    I'm new to this website, so I hope I don't get slammed for my fire starting technique. But it works so well, I'm going share my experience.

    My family likes homemade donuts. We fry Pillsbury (or its generic) biscuits in canola oil to make them. Throw them in a paper bag and shake with sugar, and they are the best donuts you'll ever have. I put the used canola oil in a bottle.

    I bought a box of 3 ounce paper Dixie cups. I take a cheap paper towel and tear it into a quarter sheet. I roll-fold it about three or four times to make a strip of folded paper towel about 1 and 1/2 inches wide. I then roll it up lengthwise and insert it into the Dixie cup, so that it lines the inside surface of the cup.

    I fill the cup about 1/2 way with the canola oil, as the paper towel wicks up some of the oil. I place that between logs (no kindling needed), and light the wick. Sometimes, but not always, I put a log over the top, but never touching the top of the Dixie cup. While this sounds like a lot of work, once you get the knack it only takes about a minute or two of preparation.

    The flame is yellow and smokeless. If it is uncovered, it looks like a big candle flame the width of the cup, and about 6-8 inches high. When surrounded closely by logs or covered by one, the flame laps on the logs. It will burn steady at least 5 minutes or more before it runs out of oil (I've never bothered to time it; I should). It burns consistently as the upper sides of the cup and wick burns down as the oil is used up, just like a candle. The part of the cup still holding oil doesn't burn at all until the very end. It has never leaked oil. It stays contained in the what remains in the cup until it burns itself out. It leaves no residue in the stove.

    I have a mix of good, fair, and crappy wood that I get from my property. Some is pretty soft and moist. I've used this lighting technique for at least two years, and it has ALWAYS started the fire in one try. The only time it didn't start a fire was when I recently tried to use it to start an upside-down fire, with the cup on top. It did not work for that, and I'm not surprised, because all of the heat is above the wood.

    During the time I've used this technique, nothing has changed on the inner surface of the stove, and there is no change in what I collect when I clean the flue. Prior to this technique, I've tried several brands of commercial fire lighting sticks or blocks, and two brands of gelled fire starter. All of these products have sometimes failed to start with the wood I have. The used donut oil technique, which is almost free, outperformed them all.

    Terry
     
  5. JotulYokel

    JotulYokel

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    I do a fair amount of bush hogging Sumac in the summer. After coming out the other end of the bush hog Sumac in the 3" diameter range comes out pretty well smashed up. I save these and let them dry. They make great fire starters.
     
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  6. T.Jeff Veal

    T.Jeff Veal

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    Nice to see another Drolet stove on here. We have the Blackcomb model, installed it about 4 yrs ago. Love it, it will take 18-20" wood east-west loading and about 12" north-south loading. At night I will pack it with shorts and knots that nobody else wants, get 7-8 hr burn cycle then.
     
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  7. T.Jeff Veal

    T.Jeff Veal

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    Our Blackcomb making some coals.
     

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  8. T.Jeff Veal

    T.Jeff Veal

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    We use the bottom up method. I use a small bag of shredded paper or wood shavings from my planer, a couple splinters of fat lighter kindling, small limbs, 1" or so dia and a few small splits on top of that.
     
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  9. mat60

    mat60

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    Just news paper and scraps from woodworking.
     
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  10. T.Jeff Veal

    T.Jeff Veal

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  11. DBH

    DBH Banned

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    Top down works...but nothing beats the Wall Street Journal for starting. Hey, you can read and learn all about capitalism while getting your buns warm. A two-fer :faint:
     
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  12. Jack of All Trades NH

    Jack of All Trades NH

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    I'm lucky enough to be able to burn only hardwood in my Quadra-Fire and I typically keep a 24 hour burn for 5 months of the year (no joke).... when I do need to start it though, I've found that burning pine (in my case Eastern Hemlock) works great. I split a round or two every spring into small bits and it's super dry by winter time and I can typically light it with a lighter and it's off and running. I will place it beside the hardwood in the stove with one piece over it and leave the door cracked.
     
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  13. Dumf

    Dumf Banned

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    Kindling sources:
    Contractors/carpenters need to get rid of scraps.
    Libraries have to recycle old newspapers.
    Noodle. You do know how to noodle ?
    Sawmills and cabinetmaker shops.
    Bend over :eek:--pick up the chips from splitting
     
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  14. JackHammer

    JackHammer

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    ... Fyi- Dixie cups have plastic in the bottom of them. That is one reason that I personally wouldn't burn them. It also sounds like your wood is still wet. I think that may be a bigger issue. Most wood would burn with 2 oz of added oil.

    I put some shredded newspaper in the bottom and put some dried one inch sticks or bark on top of that. Then I put one or 2 big splits in the back of the stove. Light it and it starts right up. Once the paper is gone, I close the door and the fire is good to go.
     
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  15. brenndatomu

    brenndatomu

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    Pretty sure that is just paraffin wax...harmless in a stove.
     
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  16. Woodwhore

    Woodwhore

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    Torch and smalls
     
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  17. JackHammer

    JackHammer

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    Could be. I used some Dixie cups as seed starters in my garden and the stuff is still around 2 years later. Not to mention, it challenged the growth of roots and drainage. I just assumed it was plastic.
     
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  18. Lastmohecken

    Lastmohecken

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    You guys probably won't approve of what I do. I have a small Pacific brand, non cat stove. It has a baffle in the top of the stove, and when I pull the stove pipe off of the top, I can see a sort of rock wool insulation laying in it. I have been burning this stove for probably 28 years. A few years it saw light use but most years it has seen continuous use all winter. I don't let it go out much in the cold weather, but fall and spring see several cold starts. The salesman originally told me not to use newspaper to start a fire as the ink was bad for the stove, and for a while I tried to do it right with kindling but frankly, I was born without any patience and I have not acquired any to speak of over my 60 odd years.

    It didn't take long until I was using several sheets of newspaper wadded up on the bottom and then kindling on top of that, and then several small splits stacked on top of that and then a couple or three larger splits on top of that. I would light the newspaper and open the stove damper all of the way and sometimes leave the door open a little, too. This works pretty good, but still tries my patience usually. So I have evolved over the years and now I do the same thing, except there is usually a supply of small shavings laying on the porch where I split my wood for kindling and or just split some of my larger wood down smaller when I feel the need. This all helps, but like I said, I just ain't got the patience, so I squirt a little charcoal starter fluid on everything and throw a match in there. Been doing it that way for years. It's probably slightly dangerous, but I don't fool around and give it time to gas up, or anything before it gets the match. Never had a problem, but I don't advocate this as a safe practice for others, as it has it's risks, no doubt.
     
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  19. JackHammer

    JackHammer

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    ... just make sure there are no hot coals in the bottom! :smoke:
     
  20. Dumf

    Dumf Banned

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    It hurts me to say, but Brenda is right. Dixie cups are mostly paper from SFI and clean burnable.:handshake:
     
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