Any tricks to getting a longer burn time?

[Adam_MA]

On the real cold days, that's what I do. If I don't abuse the snooze button in the morning, that is. I wake up, go to the stove, open the air, rake the coals, throw in a couple of splits, and take a shower. After my shower I throw in a couple more in and leave the door cracked. After I get dressed I close the door, and start moving the air back. Usually after all my morning stuff is done, and the dog taken care of I have the air all the way back down, and head off to work. 8 hours later I still have a nice fat coal bed to get it going again.

For the record, if I don't load in the morning, the coals that are left in the stove are VERY small, and I have to throw some kindling into the firebox, work it, then splits to get it going again. If I load in the morning, the coals when I get home are enough to get nice dry splits going again.

Also, my house is one level, fairly open floor plan, and only 950 sq ft, insulated fairly well, with mostly all new windows.

 

[Ambull]

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?

3.2 cu ft is a really big firebox. Once there is a good bed of coals in there, you should have absolutely no problem going through the night. I used to burn a Jotul Firelight, which has less than 3 cu ft box, and I could easily go 24 hours on a burn and still get the fire restarted without a match.

 

[USMC0802]

On the real cold days, that's what I do. If I don't abuse the snooze button in the morning, that is. I wake up, go to the stove, open the air, rake the coals, throw in a couple of splits, and take a shower. After my shower I throw in a couple more in and leave the door cracked. After I get dressed I close the door, and start moving the air back. Usually after all my morning stuff is done, and the dog taken care of I have the air all the way back down, and head off to work. 8 hours later I still have a nice fat coal bed to get it going again.

For the record, if I don't load in the morning, the coals that are left in the stove are VERY small, and I have to throw some kindling into the firebox, work it, then splits to get it going again. If I load in the morning, the coals when I get home are enough to get nice dry splits going again.

Also, my house is one level, fairly open floor plan, and only 950 sq ft, insulated fairly well, with mostly all new windows.

That gives me a good idea of the routine I need to be looking forward to, but substitute "dog taken care of" with "kicking the wife's cats" and on Mondays and Wednesdays, "getting the X month old ready to go to my MIL's."

I'm still learning the process of backing the air control lever down as the old stove didn't have one.

3.2 cu ft is a really big firebox. Once there is a good bed of coals in there, you should have absolutely no problem going through the night. I used to burn a Jotul Firelight, which has less than 3 cu ft box, and I could easily go 24 hours on a burn and still get the fire restarted without a match.

That's exactly what I want to hear. I don't mind letting the fire slow way down and taking advantage of the stone releasing the heat after most of the wood has been burned, that saves me wood, but it's good to know my wife will be able to restart the fire without loads of kindling, paper, and all that stuff while trying to keep the kid occupied and make dinner if she wants to have it ready before I get home.

 

[logbutcher]

On the real cold days, that's what I do. If I don't abuse the snooze button in the morning, that is. I wake up, go to the stove, open the air, rake the coals, throw in a couple of splits, and take a shower. After my shower I throw in a couple more in and leave the door cracked. After I get dressed I close the door, and start moving the air back. Usually after all my morning stuff is done, and the dog taken care of I have the air all the way back down, and head off to work. 8 hours later I still have a nice fat coal bed to get it going again.
For the record, if I don't load in the morning, the coals that are left in the stove are VERY small, and I have to throw some kindling into the firebox, work it, then splits to get it going again. If I load in the morning, the coals when I get home are enough to get nice dry splits going again.
Also, my house is one level, fairly open floor plan, and only 950 sq ft, insulated fairly well, with mostly all new windows.

There are times Adam, when one can have too much information.....this is one. The stove stuff is fine.:monkey:

"It was a dark and stormy morning...........First, I got out of bed. Then I put my slippers on one foot at a time. First the left, then the right. Then my imported cashmere bathrobe. Then,................."

 

[Marc]

3.2 cu ft is a really big firebox. Once there is a good bed of coals in there, you should have absolutely no problem going through the night. I used to burn a Jotul Firelight, which has less than 3 cu ft box, and I could easily go 24 hours on a burn and still get the fire restarted without a match.

I must be doing something wrong because my Heritage has a 2.3 cu ft firebox, and I've packed it to the gils before and had just enough coals 8 hrs later to get it started with kindling but no newspaper.

Althought mostly I only close the primary to 1/4 open and not completely choked because everything I've read tells me full choke burns less clean and therefore you get less heat overall.

 

[IndyIan]

My firebox is basically square in my regency F2400, so normally we load with the ends facing the glass, but for a longer burn we load sideway with the ends facing the sides. This lengthens the burn time quite a bit and we can keep enough coals in the morning to start splits without kindling most of the time.

 

[woodbooga]

I do the Tetris thing, too, puzzle-piecing hunks of wood in varying sizes to get a nice snug fit. I usually open the intake draft all the way until a good combustion is achieved.

Then I bank the fire for the night by taking a shovelful of ash from the pan, putting a thin layer over the top. Close the intake draft and turn the key damper to about 45°

I should add that ours is a 100-year-old cast iron cookstove. While we do have a door, we topload by lifting the rear lid over the firebox. Same thing with the banking process.

I don't know if this would work with a modern stove with all the EPA features.

 

[bass_on_tap]

Drink a lot of water just before going to bed. When you have to get up and pee, toss some wood on the fire.

 

[meatwagon45]

I try to split my wood into squares so I can pack it in tighter

 

[J.W Younger]

To the OP if someone else has not covered this, the most dense part of a tree are the knotty areas and the butt.
If its possible make you a seperate stack or pile of this wood for your last load of the night wood.
The knotty stuff may have to be cut to size.

 

[CrappieKeith]

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?

The stove can only do what it can do....get a bigger one.
As long as you have good dry wood and you've got the desired draft there's not alot more you can do.