Any tricks to getting a longer burn time?

[komatsuvarna]

Ive got a LITTLE englander 13 epa heater that has a small firebox. I burn the softer woods ( cherry maples hackberry sweetgum) through the day, and burn the oaks and hickorys at night to try to get a longer burn time. If I load the stove about 9 or so and turn the air all the way down, its out with a small bed of coals when I get up about 5-5:30. I know its probably cause the small firebox, but is there anything I can do to make the fire last longer?

 

[Wood Doctor]

Not to my knowledge. You are doing about all you can do with that stove. Trying to get it to burn longer will probably choke it off more than you want to do. Just add more fuel after five or six hours. Sometimes I pet the dog when I add fuel at night. Sometimes I also pet the wife.

 

[Ductape]

All I can suggest is use larger splits when you load the stove at night. My answer is to stay up a little later to put the last load in.

 

[Hlakegollum]

Maybe try tossing a big unsplit round on for the night. Works for me.

 

[komatsuvarna]

Sometimes I also pet the wife.

LOL. That worked pretty good last year while the wifey was pregnant, and up to the bathroom ever other hour.

 

[Wood Doctor]

LOL. That worked pretty good last year while the wifey was pregnant, and up to the bathroom ever other hour.

Burning firewood and an occasional night time close encounter go together rather beautifully. :yoyo:

 

[watchamakalit]

Burning firewood and an occasional night time close encounter go together rather beautifully. :yoyo:

More true words were never typed.

 

[Wife'nHubby]

1. Your wood is probably splits - possibly you have no 'rounds'. When you load up try to put a couple of splits 'together' again, flat edges together so you end up with what looks like a 1/2 round. Do this a couple of sets like this in each load.

2. Avoid air space between splits - pack as tight as possible.

You probably won't get a full over night burn but the above two suggestions might get you further through the night.

Shari

 

[sunfish]

All I can suggest is use larger splits when you load the stove at night. My answer is to stay up a little later to put the last load in.

Yep, I load mine up around 10:30. Also, like said, larger chucks will help.

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

All I can suggest is use larger splits when you load the stove at night.

Yep. And look into top-down burning. I get about two hours more this way.

 

[woodgrenade]

What is top down burning?

Thanks


Edit: Whoops, looked it up for myself. Kinda like an alternate stacked pyramid.

 

[Ambull]

I am sure this is politically incorrect, but throw a piece of green wood in with the last load of the night. That will slow the burn down for sure.

 

[Snowchief]

I used to battle this when I had a little Jotul F100 QT. The unsplit round and the green wood thing never worked - they would usually be 1/2 burnt and cold in a dead fireplace in the morning.

The closest thing that I found were well-seasoned knots or blocks. If you process your own firewood, save anything that's too hard to split by hand and noodle it into blocks or chunks. At the last load of the night, rake the coals to the front of the stove, pack one of these cubes or blocks into the back and load whatever is left (usually not much) as you normally would with reasonable sized pieces. Fire it good and turn it down like you are doing now.

With this method I would frequently find about 25% of the knot remaining in the morning - a hot, sparky block of charcoal that will relight easily.

 

[AKKAMAAN]

Ive got a LITTLE englander 13 epa heater that has a small firebox. I burn the softer woods ( cherry maples hackberry sweetgum) through the day, and burn the oaks and hickorys at night to try to get a longer burn time. If I load the stove about 9 or so and turn the air all the way down, its out with a small bed of coals when I get up about 5-5:30. I know its probably cause the small firebox, but is there anything I can do to make the fire last longer?

Control fresh air intake/draft (oxygen), that at will slow down heat and the losses through chimney. I just bought a new nicely engineered wood stove, and it heats the room longer, faster and smother, with just half of the logs.....secret...fresh air intake/draft control

 

[xrayman]

Not to my knowledge. You are doing about all you can do with that stove. Trying to get it to burn longer will probably choke it off more than you want to do. Just add more fuel after five or six hours. Sometimes I pet the dog when I add fuel at night. Sometimes I also pet the wife.

:agree2:

 

[Marc]

I am sure this is politically incorrect, but throw a piece of green wood in with the last load of the night. That will slow the burn down for sure.

It's not that it's politically incorrect, it's just not very smart or good practice. Poor wood burning practice hurts all wood burners.

 

[CrappieKeith]

With the epa woodstoves...


.......go big when purchasing. If a stove is recommended for your square footage.................get one two sizes larger! I have yet to hear a complaint of too large a firebox........you can always turn them down.....burn small loads.....or larger pieces.

Try a bigger unit....maybe if your trying to heat the whole home look into furnaces.

 

[komatsuvarna]

With the epa woodstoves...


.......go big when purchasing. If a stove is recommended for your square footage.................get one two sizes larger! I have yet to hear a complaint of too large a firebox........you can always turn them down.....burn small loads.....or larger pieces.

Yep, thats right. I shouldve been using my head when the salesman was rattling about a 8 to 10 hour burn time, but instead I was weighing my wallet. Im gonna try a few things mentioned and see what I can come up with.

 

[Adam_MA]

I'll agree with the pack it in tight method. This is one of the reasons I don't mind having short rounds to split, and odd sizes and shapes of wood in my stacks. I have a small firebox, and the diversity in wood size allows me to pack the stove nice and tight before I head for bed. I can typically pack the stove up around 11pm or so, and still have enough coals to start the fire when I return home from work at 3pm the next day, and have the house temp hovering around 65 or so when the weather is in the 20-30's outside. I accomplish this with a 1.285 cubic ft firebox.

All I do, is make sure I have a good coal bed, and start putting the pieces in one at a time. I leave the door cracked, load a piece, wait till it catches, pack another in, and another and another waiting with the door cracked until each piece catches. Then I slide all the splits to one side of the firebox, and pack the side gap (16" split leaves 2 or so inches on the side) with odd pieces, or cookies that I have broken in half. Close the door, and start throttling the air down till it's all the way down.

 

[USMC0802]

I'll agree with the pack it in tight method. This is one of the reasons I don't mind having short rounds to split, and odd sizes and shapes of wood in my stacks. I have a small firebox, and the diversity in wood size allows me to pack the stove nice and tight before I head for bed. I can typically pack the stove up around 11pm or so, and still have enough coals to start the fire when I return home from work at 3pm the next day, and have the house temp hovering around 65 or so when the weather is in the 20-30's outside. I accomplish this with a 1.285 cubic ft firebox.

All I do, is make sure I have a good coal bed, and start putting the pieces in one at a time. I leave the door cracked, load a piece, wait till it catches, pack another in, and another and another waiting with the door cracked until each piece catches. Then I slide all the splits to one side of the firebox, and pack the side gap (16" split leaves 2 or so inches on the side) with odd pieces, or cookies that I have broken in half. Close the door, and start throttling the air down till it's all the way down.

You're managing to have enough remaining coals after 16 hours to rekindle a fire on a 1.285 ft^3 firebox? That's sounds impressive. So there's no reason with a 3.2 ft^3 firebox that I shouldn't be able to load the stove up at night, burn all night, and throw a couple pieces in again in the morning around 6:30-7 am and still have good heat and coals/fire when my wife gets home around 4:30 pm?