Unsure what my method is considered. Two splits to form a trough on bottom. Firestarter or chunk of store log goes there. Litter I peel from splits or splitter litter to establish flames. Ginger application of two to three additional splits once the fire is able to sustain. >>>>profit lol Edit: I should add that luckily, my flue is almost always pulling draft or easily convinced to do so. Once in a while on a low pressure day it might fuss a bit.
I fail to understand why folks would think the flue would heat faster with top down. The flue will heat depending upon the amount of heat going through it. I get a lot faster heat staying away from top down.
Just the opposite idea on my comment. A very quick heating of the flue may not be desired in some scenarios? I've not had the need but I've read some using torches to warm it up. Wouldn't a top down (very slow application of heat) be more desirable than one that grows somewhat quickly?
Not that it matters to anything, I don't think I have ever tried a top down fire. Maybe I'll try it (with low expectations) in a cold stove (not furnace) this month.
Top down every time. I really like it. Three large oak splits on the bottom. Place two small chunks of Super Cedars on oak splits. Put 3 small kindlings on top of Super Cedars. Light off with a Mapp gas torch. I don’t touch the door (reload) for two hours.
I like the top down fire method... usually what I do. Criss cross pattern, medium sized splits on the bottom and 1/4 size on top of that then splitter debris for kindling... I say all that but I don't get scientific with it, light and go. My wife does not have much luck with top though, but she rarely starts the fires.
I started top down with my first stove and never looked back. I do use this years wood to make kindling, all 3 or 4 year dried oak and a stick of fatwood. Often I don't even need the kindling, just the fat wood and a smallish piece of oak which could be why top down works so well for me. I also have the kindling cracker that my wife loves using.
I usually do bottom up. Dont really have issue of pulling draft. If I do have issue, I do more of a middle "sandwich" burn. Have a trough of larger splits, do a platform of kindling, then firestarter, kindling and larger splits. Or I just open the damper and start talking. My hot air gets the flue heated up.
A possible scenario where top down could be seen as heating the flue faster, maybe it’s not the flue it’s heating faster, maybe it’s the top metal in the stove it’s heating faster adding stored energy to the draft? In years past if I had a backdraft I’d run a Mapp torch in the stove. Instead of just allowing the heat to go up the flue I’d also heat a particular piece of metal in the top of the stove. With my PH it would be the thin sheet of stainless steel which is what it’s designed to do. Rapidly store and release heat. Warm air rising through the flue takes quite a while to warm the pipe as the draft naturally avoids the walls. Heating a piece of metal in the stove helps create a mass of heat that continues adding to draft even after the torch has been shut off. A top fire acts similar. Just a theory. This year for my first fire I had a fairly nasty backdraft,,,,didn’t notice it while lighting but once lit the stove was running in reverse, hard. My first attempt to shift the draft is always the same, shredded newspaper. Trying for a fast blast of heat to reverse the flow. Didn’t work, twice. Went outside and grabbed my Mapp gas. If I opened the door the smoke would pour out so I tried heating the single wall pipe from the outside. In about 20 seconds the gas had a dot turning bright red, held it for another 20 seconds and opened the door, clean, not a whiff of smoke, lit the stove as normal and off to the races. I was a little surprised how well and fast that worked. It will leave a mark on your stove pipe for those concerned with such things,,,,,,that’s not me. This may correlate to my theory on heating any metal component inside the stove. Still just a theory. Normally I fill the stove with splits, find a hole to add a stick or two of fatwood and light em. Usually right near the middle of the stack. I’m sure I could use kindling to get it burning faster but with dry wood I don’t find it necessary.
You didn’t miss a thing. Top down is something some people like. It works, but why bother? I light mine from the bottom or close to it and I have a ripping fire in no time. Top down generally makes less smoke, but it is not inherently “better” than any other method. You are lighting a fire, it doesn’t have to be hard.
I can’t speak for him, but we sometimes get s backdraft if tge wind is out of a particular direction. It makes high/low pressure zones on different parts of the house and it takes a quick burst of heat to get things going the right way. Happens once in a while. I use a pack of crumpled newspaper and close the air vent until it gets a slug of hot air. Then it’s off to the races. We have to keep an eye on the fire because 1,000 lbs of steel keeps the house warm long after the fire is out. If it seems like the temp is just starting to drop, the fire was out at least an hour ago, lol.
Here is the real secret: - Briefly pre-heat the flue - Top-d0wn fire - Then: Get the kindling lit, and then _push the door slightly closed with your hand_ Hold it for 1-2 minutes. It causes like a jet engine or venturi effect. If you're doing it right you'll start feeling the air velocity pushing back on you. I do this every time now. It vastly accelerates the cold start process.
Also I think the people that don't understand the top down fire are folks who light a fire once and keep it going. Top down is good for folks who might do a single nightly burn and just want a way to get the stove cranking quick.
How does the “air velocity push back on you”? How does it heat the stove faster if it takes longer for it to get going?
