Longer total burn time by cutting pieces shorter???

[066blaster]

I have went through more wood than I planned on this season. I am wondering if I can get more heating hours out of my wood by cutting it to 12 or 14 inches rather than 16-18, to get more pieces. I had some fallen but off the ground trees i cut up, and am burning right away. I know I lose a little more by making more cuts, and may have to add wood to the stove more often. but if it is in the high 20's or low 30's I don't need a rip roaring fire going to heat the house. I am burning it right away, or I know stacking would be more difficult. thoughts?? they are 8 inch max diameter trees no splitting involved

 

[Wood Hound]

This winter,i ran a little test on my stove-i loaded the shorter wood front to back-wood was 12 to 14.5 inch-i could get in more wood and was much easier to load-better burn and better coal bed-from now on,for my stove,all wood will be 14 inch...

 

[sirbuildalot]

What is the end goal?

Are you aiming to use less wood, or get longer burn times? Any particular volume of wood is going to burn at a certain rate and give off X amount of BTU's, dependent on species, size of splits and how seasoned it is. Longer or shorter shouldn't matter except that if your firebox isn't full.

So....

How big is the firebox of the stove?

If your stove will accommodate longer pieces than the 16"-18" you've been cutting, I would cut them 20-24", to utilize the firebox size to near its full length, to get longer burns. After all, more volume of wood=longer burn times.

but...

You will not burn less wood. You will be loading the stove with more pieces less often, or the opposite would be less pieces more often. Based on personal observations, loading with fewer pieces every couple hours uses MORE wood than loading with more wood every 8-10 hours. The fewer pieces is also not realistic unless your home a lot.

To get more out of less, you need efficiency. This can be done by burning better quality wood (BTU's/cord), better seasoned wood, or a more efficient stove. I also want to add, that I've found bigger pieces burn longer than the same piece split into two smaller pieces, It takes longer to catch fire (especially if its an unsplit log), and to season, but in the end you'll use less wood, and a firebox of big splits will have coals longer than the same volume of smaller splits.

Whether its loaded in length ways or sideways, the volume of the firebox is what it is. Personally, Id rather handle less long pieces than more short pieces. Also, more shorter pieces means more cutting, more splitting, more stacking, more handling. I'm all set with that.

 

[muddstopper]

Me being home most of the time, my fire tending is going to be somewhat different than someone with a reguar job schedule. When the weather gets to warm to keep a hot fire during the day, I throw in a couple of the biggest pieces I can find. Longer the better. I'll check on it every so often and add one or two sticks, just enough to keep a bedof coals. This keeps a bed of coals and provides a limited amount of heat so the house doesnt get cold. At night, I change up how I load. I always have short chunks of different sizes. I will lay a layer of wood as close to the stove door as possible and then throw a chunk to the back of the stove. My stove will take 32in long wood and I try to saw around 20inches, so there is always room in the back of the stove for more. I keep throwing chunks in the back and use the longer wood to shove it all the way in. This will fill my fire box as full as I can possibly get it without using 32in long firewood. It provides the longest burn times, 8-10 hrs and I still have a bunch of coals to restart the Fire in the morning. I have to be careful packing the stove as it can still get the house to hot and I wont do it unless it going to get really cold at night. I let my fire die out Saturday as it been getting close to 60 during the day and only down to about freezing at night. Any fire will make the house to hot.

 

[Trapper_Pete]

I don't know about longer , but I had been cutting 16 and keep finding 18 and 18.5 when i bring the wood in the house the stove will take 18 but 18.5 need to be diagonal

I have started shooting for all 14 inch because is sure is a lot easier to load a 13, 14, 15, 16 than it is to figure out I have a 18 or 18.5 when it is 3/4 of the way in the stove if I keep under 16 preferably about 14 they load front back or left right.


the fire box is 18 deep 16 wide and I htink things burn better with a little space front and back

 

[066blaster]

It would seem that most of the btu's of the wood that is in the back of the stove would go right out the chimney. I have never measured my firebox. but I would guess 22-24 long, and it is a insert with 2 blowers. I am home most days throughout the winter or my wife, so loading isnt a problem. Also if i loaded it full it would get too hot in the house. My goal is trying to get the most hours of heating out of any given amount of wood.

 

[066blaster]

this is what my fire looks like,,i just added a log

 

[Franny K]

I you cut the pieces in half or new ones 8 or 6 inches long and then make your fire against one side of the firebox you will get less heat and the wood will last more days until gone. I know how my chimney works, there is less draft if that is done.

Most hours would be largest distance to the core of a piece of wood, and then most likely farthest from the path of fresh air.

 

[Marley5]

It's fact that the closer the wood gets to the exhaust of stove the less benefit it provides.
It may provide longer burn times due to volume but there is some BTU loss.

I've found through trial and error that stacking close to door then standing a few pieces up vertically behind stack.....it redirects the flame up instead drafting towards chimney.

My brother laughs at me and says " just throw the damn wood in and shut the door ". Lol

It's science to me.

 

[066blaster]

I have noticed the unsplit rounds are lasting alot longer in the stove. I cut wood for my dad, so i have been splitting the big stuff for me ,and giving him most of the stuff that doesn't require splitting. I might try mixing it up a bit from now on so i have more unsplit rounds. or I guess I just need to cut more so I dont have to worry about running out. I do have more seasoned available, but it was uncovered and we had a foot of snow followed by rain.

 

[Trapper_Pete]

I have noticed the unsplit rounds are lasting alot longer in the stove. I cut wood for my dad, so i have been splitting the big stuff for me ,and giving him most of the stuff that doesn't require splitting. I might try mixing it up a bit from now on so i have more unsplit rounds. or I guess I just need to cut more so I dont have to worry about running out. I do have more seasoned available, but it was uncovered and we had a foot of snow followed by rain.

as a part of the rain it was so humid but cold at the same time that it was raining in my shed condensation on the tin roof and all the wood got wet , not as bad as being under the snow and rain and now the freezing rain.

the last few days I have been splitting some down to get a fire started laying splits out on the floor in front of the stove to help them dry faster once they get going they are ok but the outside wet is a pain

the nice part is if you can get that seasoned stuff in the house it dries out quickly

if you had a wire shelving unit you could put it on one layer per shelf with a fan blowing at it if you could get 3 days wood on it and rotate you might be able to burn the seasoned but wet wood.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

Cutting shorter might relate to more "gooder" seasoning, and therefore longer burn times/higher heat.
If the higher heat is not required the stove is turned down, then longer burn times.
Longer seasoning could result in the same effect, longer burn times, with less material handling as noted earlier.
But that is a somewhat logical thought, and the world is not really as logical as we might think, or like.

 

[spike60]

Rule with most of these discussions is that every stove/chimney/house/etc combo is a little different. Everyone needs to find the routine that works best for them, and some of the solutions that guys come up with are pretty clever.

I wouldn't cut to a different length, myself. More work and I've been cutting to 16" for so many years, it's too late to change.

If the idea is to stretch the wood supply, I'll put 2 splits instead of 3 when it's not as cold out. My common load is to put 2 splits straight in, with a 3rd diagonally across the top. Not that cold and I'll just put in the bottom 2. Burn time is about the same either way. More BTU's obviously with the 3 vs 2, but if it's not real cold the stove easily keeps the house comfy with just 2. Milder yet, and I'll "ride the coals" a little longer before loading.

Now, that whole approach is when I'm home to throw a couple pieces in every 3-4 hours or so. Overnight, or gone for the day, I'll stuff it and slow it down to go for the longer burn time.

 

[Wood Hound]

The stove i did my little hillbilly test on,is a F3100 Regency-Loading wood running front to back...
Was able to get in more wood,much better coal bed and not having to worry about wood falling against the door...

 

[spike60]

The stove i did my little hillbilly test on,is a F3100 Regency-Loading wood running front to back...
Was able to get in more wood,much better coal bed and not having to worry about wood falling against the door...

Newfield, eh? Know that area. Is Don's log and chain still in business up on Rowell hill road? (I'm going back a good 25 years I know.)

 

[Wood Hound]

Don `s log and chain,yes he still is in business and doing good,where i get my stuff..

 

[Sandhill Crane]

Was able to get in more wood,much better coal bed and not having to worry about wood falling against the door...

I'm guessing you would love a top load stove.
Edit: When filling for the night it takes two large loads in the wood carrier. Wood is cut 16". We fill the stove half way up off to one side, add two large splits vertically on the opposite side, and finish loading. Leaving the air control fully open for the night. Beautiful coals in the morning. Only time the front doors are open is when we clean the chimney and check the catalytic element. The front door handle is in a holder on the bottom right of the stove.

 

[Streblerm]

IMO the best way increase burn time is to decrease the surface area of the fuel. That is to say that you want the largest amount of wood you can get in the stove with the fewest number of pieces. You have observed this with the rounds. I find the longest burning fires are when I put two large pieces on a bed of coals and keep the draft low. By large I’m talking not being able to fit a third piece.

There’s no free lunch. Wood has however many btu per pound that it has. Btu is a measurement of heat output over time. To get a long burning fire you need to slow the rate of the burn. A bunch of small pieces will burn faster with more heat over a shorter period than a few big pieces. The longest burning piece of wood would be one piece just large enough to fit in the stove. That could be hard to keep burningso you are always trying to find a happy medium.

I don’t see any way shorter pieces will result in longer burn times unless they allow you to put more wood in your stove.

 

[Wood Hound]

You got it....More wood in the stove...

 

[Streblerm]

A little over 1 cubic feet of short cut firewood