That smell

[LANNY]

Got a really good fire going the other night, on some maple and oak from the back of the stack. Noticed that hot metal smell, you know the one where you worry about overheating the stove. Checked everything out, stove pipe wasn't too hot, blower running good, great heat output. Is that the point to avoid on your add on? Oh yeah, mine is outside, stands alone. But either my fires have sucked lately or I better lay off the maple. Any thoughts guys?....Lanny

 

[JONSEREDFAN6069]

mine did that to last nite Lanny, i put in a couple 8 inch rounds of spruce and a couple of sugar maple and wow, the whole house was stinkin. it actually burnt the coating off my double wall black pipe that goes to my selkirk and i had burnt it off about 3 times already. the dampers were almost closed and my flue damper was the same. that maple is a crazy hot wood i'm going to split it all up and use it sparingly. scarred of it now.

 

[AOD]

Mine does it all the time. Gravity seal door, no gasket, leaks air like crazy. I'll get just a tiny glow on the elbow coming off the breaching before the stack damper, the double wall Supervent never gets too hot to touch, and that comes 2' down from the combustible ceiling. I get the hot stainless steel smell outside a lot too, means I am burning hot and clean.

 

[willsaw4beer]

Sugar maple is real nice firewood, just as good as oak imo. Most of what I burn is various maples, plus plenty of red oak, ash, and cherry, occasionally birch, beech, and hophornbeam. If you're not used to how well the wood burns it could surprise you I suppose. My stove is pretty small, but even packed with hophornbeam I have never gotten it or the pipe to glow.

 

[AOD]

IMO sugar maple is good but oak is better. Oak seems to burn just a bit longer and holds a lot better coals, while maple coals tend to go out faster. Also, overseasond maple burns up almost too fast. If its really bone dry it just goes poof into a super hot fire and it's done.

 

[treevet]

Sugar maple is real nice firewood, just as good as oak imo. Most of what I burn is various maples, plus plenty of red oak, ash, and cherry, occasionally birch, beech, and hophornbeam. If you're not used to how well the wood burns it could surprise you I suppose. My stove is pretty small, but even packed with hophornbeam I have never gotten it or the pipe to glow.

I agree, sugar maple is a top of the line wood. Other maples....not.

 

[LANNY]

I had forgotten I had any maple left, It sure did suprise me. Tried it again last night. One med split, the rest oak and this summers pecan . What a fire! Wish I had more, don't know what kind of maple. It was a large trunk, 24 inches or so about 8 feet to a bunch of limbs, two years ago....Lanny

 

[willsaw4beer]

I agree, sugar maple is a top of the line wood. Other maples....not.

Agreed, other maples burn up fast. They are still good firewood, but there's a quite noticeable difference when you've been burning soft maple and you toss in some sugar maple. It seems to me sugar maple kicks out a nice blast of heat, better than red oak, but doesn't coal as well.

 

[AOD]

Red maple is pretty good stuff, but doesn't seem to hold the coals like sugar maple.

I won't even mess with Norway anymore, I'll only burn it to get rid of it, and I should because its considered an invasive species here.

 

[treevet]

Red maple is pretty good stuff, but doesn't seem to hold the coals like sugar maple.

I won't even mess with Norway anymore, I'll only burn it to get rid of it, and I should because its considered an invasive species here.

Yeah AOD, people round here plant norways (and cultivar..crimson king). Used to live in Jersey 25 years ago. Norways are a garbage tree.