Managing overnight burns

We load between 2,3,4 times a day depending on temperatures.
I keep standing dead elm rounds that have been seasoned for several years in its own stack. We use that for the back piece in an overnight burn, then jam as many splits as we can fit in the stove. Usually reload at around 200-250 for the overnight, get everything charred up and close the air down in stages to .4-.75 air setting.

I've been burning ash lately and it just doesn't hold the coals like a load of oak would. If we need to have a break from burning I will turn the air way down in the coaling stage to space the reloading out, its better to have coals in our situation than fiddle with starting a new fire. Heck sometimes I will close the pipe damper a bit too to slow the draft on the coals.

Once temps are real cold then its a routine of reloading at 250-300 degrees.

 

Very true about dry wood, Dennis! It is hugely important. Because of this thread I decided to take a peak at the chimney, and stove to see what kind of residue I would find. I pulled the nice clean chimney cap off and found a nice clean chimney. The inside of the stove was good too. We have only been burning hit and miss for about 6 weeks but it set my mind at ease to verify.
I don't know where the chimney fire fear comes from, but it truly is in my mind often. Better safe than sorry, but I think I might be a bit !

 

Your not the only one. I've "cleaned" my chimney once already. Figure while I'm up there and all. Not that I really got anything out of it, but peace of mind. Lots of cold starts and low burns though.

 

The wood you place in the stove is a fixed amount of energy. You can release the energy fast or slowly. There is obviously not enough energy available during a cold night. Getting up in the middle of the night is not a viable option?

 

I like to load my non cat Buck stove 3 times per day, but if it gets really cold, that requires more. I load at around 9 pm after coals have burnt way down, like was mentioned above this allows me to get the largest amount of wood in the stove for all night burn. I let it get going good and close air almost completely off. When I get up around 5:15, I rake coals go front and let them burn a few minutes, then reload the stove according to the days temp. I get home around 5pm, rake coals and add about 3 splits, shutting the air down. Around 7pm I like to open the air up letting the fire get going really well and burning down coals and such to a minimum. Then I start all over with the night time load. This keeps the house at a comforatable temp 24-7, until it starts getting really cold, like I said above, then I make adjustments.

 

I'll let the furnace carry the load before middle of the night reloads; I don't think either will be necessary. I like the 9 pm - 7 am schedule I am using now, but if necessary will shorten that window. Won't know for sure until winter really gets here.

 

I usually have the stove nice and hot and load it up full with wood, let it get going and dial back so temp stays 400+. I'm limited to Aspen and Spruce, so no super long burn times for me. But usually if i'm burning aspen there is a good bed of coals in the morning and can get stove fired up again no problem with just adding wood.
I set the furnace for 65 to 67 degrees so it doesn't get too cold in the house, but it rarely comes on.

 

Hi Ademero what kind of stove do you run? If you have a moment maybe add it to your sig. Looks like a serious haul! Have you had a mild winter like many out east, central?? I dont recall many members here from your province. You can get pretty cold there, certainly colder than us Rocky Mountain folks.

 

HarvestMan I've had my Fireview for the last 2 years, so this is my 3rd season with it, and I am on the 2 year wood plan, which means my wood is about 18months dry and mainly oak. I've been burning for 35 years with a centrally located main house stove, and also have 2nd stove in the basement family room for the below zero weather whben needed.

Now that my wife and I are retired we go to bed between 10:00 and 11:00PM. So I have my cycles times so that I am pretty low in the stove, around an hour before bed. Before I load the stove I will rake the ash forward a bit and pull that previous hunk that was pushed tight against the rear wall of the stove up on top of the other coals. Then I will heat all those coals up red hot by closing the stove door, and letting opening the draft with the cat engaged, just to fire up those coals as hot as I can get them. 30 mins before we hit the sack I'll load the stove. Medium sized splitz and run it wide open but with cat engaged, for about 15 to 20 mins to get cat fully engaged, and to bring stove temp up into 350 to 400'F range. That will happen before we call it a night but sometimes not, don't worry about it.. now I've got a full load, and the cat is engaged. I then set my draft to the first notch setting (1). That's my cruise range, and the stove/cat will find it's own cruise temp depending on how cold it is outside and the dryness of the wood etc. I load the stove as full as I can get it.

In the morning I always have hot coals in the stove. Stove top may of may not be below 250, but there are plenty of coals to do an easy load and refire. Like everyone else I try to avoid having to much coaling before that last load of the evening, which means timing that last pre-bedtime load so that I've got a pretty full box when we go to bed.

It's hard getting that big rock up to temp. It's not like a steel stove. All that soap stone has to suck in the heat and gets to temp more slowly that steel, then it will hold it and release it more gradually. But, don't worry about the stove, it's a solid heater. Do do your best to be burning wood that is more than a single season dry. Enjoy the view.

 

Oldhippie , thanks for sharing your routine. Like you, the 1 setting works best for me; any lower and its black screen burning. I'm going to move my nightly load to 10pm to see if I can be at 68 or above by 6 am on these colder nights; also going to try an air setting just a touch over 1 as I have many coals at the end of the burn and would prefer to have the extra heat. I have 5 years worth of wood in the stacks, but only 2 years worth that could be burned this winter; the ramp up on the multi-year plan is the hardest part - this year I am burning all dead standing american elm and black cherry with a bit of silver maple and oak that is dry enough for this year. Next year and beyond should be a lot easier. I've got some pretty odd sized wood; going forward, I am going to split everything rectangular and use the smaller round edge pieces as filler/kindling.

 

I'm going to try this; should help with maintaining the house temps until reload. I've been waiting too long and last night was a perfect example; I loaded with STT @ 200 and house at 72 - when the load finally got going the house had already dropped to 71. My waiting was fine in the shoulder season, but not when the temps are down to 8 by 10 pm.

 

The further you get ahead, the easier this is to manage. I go so far as to sort my stacks so that I can always burn full loads ideally on 24 hour cycles over the entire heating season. In shoulder season, I can accomplish this with the lessers (pine, silver maple, etc). When they don't get the job done, I move up to the mid range stock (norway maple, ash, etc of average size). Finally, I have my primo stacks (8x8s of beech, locust, Oak, Sugar Maple, etc) for January. Essentially, select the fuel by how many pounds of dry wood need to go in the firebox to meet the demand. It takes some planning and some space, but having the right fuel at the right time for the conditions you are facing is worth it to me. It also means that if you dont have an endless supply of the good stuff, that you save it for when you need it and find a way to use the lessers the rest of the time.

 

I do differently - I segregate in the stacks (due to differing drying times), but mix them up in the woodshed. Whatever I bring in the house is then a mix as well, and as I light each fire I grab the best wood for what I am trying to accomplish. Quick warmup before (or after) work, no problem. Long burn, no problem.

It sounds unorganized, but it is actually planned, and works well for me. And it is easier than all that segregation.

Greg

 

These threads with the talk of 4-8 splits for an overnight burn make me jealous. You guys and your efficient stoves.

I load my stove about 6PM...and throw in what feels like a face cord of wood (15-20 splits is not unheard of). If I run with no fans this will last 20 hours, fans on low 16 hours, fans on high 12 hours.

 

What exactly is a Blaze King Smoke Monster? Is this a pre-catalyst stove?

 

This is what I do. My wood is stacked under my deck and passed in through a window. To grab something from a middle stack would be impossible. I do sort for seasons though. Mix of boxelder/cottonwood/soft maple for fall. Oak/elm/ash for the heart of winter and then back to the softer mix for spring time. I do stack a half cord of punky and soft mixed off to the side for the quick fire when I get home from work.

 

Yes. Pre-EPA model. Eats a wheel-barrow sized load of wood like skittles, but it will put out serious heat.

 

Nah, it's not as tough as it might sound. You segregate in the stacks.
I don't keep much in the house....maybe 1/2 days worth, and bring more in as I burn. My shed is only a few feet from the door though.
Very easy to grab what I need for whatever type burn I need, and also very easy to just put the Oak on one side.

I've learned our seasons pretty well, how much of each type of wood I'll need, and it's easier to set up the shed with the wood segregated......in my situation.
I do it similar to Sconnie Burner, in that the softwoods are used first, then the hardwoods, then back to the softwoods. I'm still trying to streamline the process.