How do you burn your wood stove?

[Rusty]

8 hours ago, mike033089 said:

So your just opening the damper up to get it going good for 5-10 mins and then dampen it back down to burn/smolder?  usually when I’m home have the damper midway or about a 1/3 open when I’m running mine once it gets going.   In a few weeks when I start lighting it I will start playing around on weekends to see what I can get it going at and how long once the house reaches temp. 

Yes, before bed and before I leave for work in the morning I open it all the way for 5 minutes and then shut it down completely.  When I get home in the afternoon I run it partially open because it's a shorter time,  it let's it burn hot each day, and  we get to enjoy the fire.  

[mike033089]

1 hour ago, Rusty said:

Yes, before bed and before I leave for work in the morning I open it all the way for 5 minutes and then shut it down completely.  When I get home in the afternoon I run it partially open because it's a shorter time,  it let's it burn hot each day, and  we get to enjoy the fire.  

Thanks a lot.  So at night stove temp pipes aren’t much of a concern as long as I get a solid stretch of a decent hot burn in couple times a day to clean things up. 

[tick trawler]

42 minutes ago, mike033089 said:

Thanks a lot.  So at night stove temp pipes aren’t much of a concern as long as I get a solid stretch of a decent hot burn in couple times a day to clean things up. 

Yes.

It is a good idea to check the condition of your chimney intermittantly.  If you have a cleanout door at the bottom, hold a mirror in there at an angle where you can see light at the top of the chimney.  You will be able to see to what degree it is blocked off there, giving you a good measure of the condition of the rest of your chimney.

I dont like the chimney caps and dont use one.  When the cap screen becomes plugged you know it is time to clean your chimney.

[Farmshine]

2 hours ago, tick trawler said:

Yes.

It is a good idea to check the condition of your chimney intermittantly.  If you have a cleanout door at the bottom, hold a mirror in there at an angle where you can see light at the top of the chimney.  You will be able to see to what degree it is blocked off there, giving you a good measure of the condition of the rest of your chimney.

I dont like the chimney caps and dont use one.  When the cap screen becomes plugged you know it is time to clean your chimney.

I like the cap, but remove the screen.  

[Zipper]

Very carefully. 

[T10R4]

22 hours ago, Nadornati said:

I keep the damper wide open for about 15 minutes on the first light. That gets it going good. 
 

after it’s going I keep it about 2/3 closed. Overnight I almost shut it completely to really slow it down. We have a regency insert. Burnt 3.5 cords last year. Burn as much as I can with the price of diesel ($4.67 delivery today) ouch. 

I have the same insert, burn the same way and used +/- 3.5 last year, and that’s running 24/7… great stove heats like a furnace 

[mike033089]

Going with the first overnight burn tonight.  Or as close to it as possible. More or less hold decent house temp overnight.  Playing around with the primary air control and finding sweet spot of just enough air it doesn’t put the flame out.  Stove pipe temp is just under 400.   See what I got coal wise at 5am  

Edited November 14, 2022 by mike033089

[mike033089]

Woke up 445am house was 66 bedrooms bit cooler which is preferred.  Had coals, threw some kindling on it and got it going again on a more normal burn and out the door by 530. Wife said it was 70 inside around 10am. Got home at 4 and house was 65. Currently house is 71 I started the overnight around 730 and damped it down too much and had a slight blow back or puff once it reignited. First time I had that, totally a wtf experience to see smoke puff out of any seam it could.   4th wood burning season in this house so still learning all the ins and outs.  Probably should start the overnights an hour or 2 later in the evening but I’m still staying up to watch it and learn and get comfortable with an unattended stove 

[fab]

The stove in our deer camp will fit inside Rusty’s stove.   We have to add a piece every 25 min.  We pack it full with biggest piece we can get in And all smaller stuff on the sides.  We are lucky to get 2 1/2 hrs out of it.  On cold nights it’s loaded before midnight.  Gets cooking to a little over 80. By 4 or so boiler comes on. Furnace is set to 48.   Flue is about 60 percent open. If we close it more we get smoke back.  We burn whatever wood we have but no pine