I started using wood pellets in my Lixada wood stove many years ago and realizing that the pellets can fall through the grate, I have found that a large tuna can lid (when cut off with an opener), fits perfectly in the bottom of the stove. I just drilled a few holes in it and it's perfect for air flow, but also keeping the pellets from falling through the bottom. Great video and demonstration. Thanks
Just watched your original charcoal test in the Titan, and am very glad to see this follow-up experiment! As I experiment myself and get to know my new Titan, I think I may try my own follow-up based on your commenters’ suggestions of 1) using larger and/or a higher ratio of wood pellets. And 2) I think I will light the fire from the bottom, and pack the fuel chamber more loosely to possibly permit greater airflow for the pellets to catch fire throughout the chamber. Thanks again for taking us along on your wonderful explorations! :)
Let me know how your tests turn out. While I do like using wood pellets in the Titan, I don't think charcoal is worth the effort. It will burn but because there is no wood gas left in it, it can't reach the same potential as wood or pellets do. Still, the charcoal may benefit from increased air flow so I am interested in hearing how you make out. Thanks for commenting
Why not add something else to the wood pellets bigger than them? Something like large pieces of dry dog food? Something that will create bigger air gaps. To bad you can’t get wood pellets in the size of regular marbles…
Charcoal cannot produce woodgas, because all the woodgas has already been removed in the charcoal process. Pellets alone however are probably the best fuel for a woodgas stove.
Charcoal can indeed create wood gas. Look at any kamado style grill and the backdraft it creates (hence why you burp them). More so the problem here is he over fueled the wood stove and chocked the air flow. It needs to be able to draft and heat the air coming through the wall of the unit. Look at videos of a charcoal chimney for the wood gas draft.
Wood pellets, alone , is difficult to get going. But once a flame is established, burns for a while. I'm able to boil 2 16oz pots of water. When the flame goes out ,the coals will provide lower heat cooking.
I learn a lot from your videos. From your videos I used cat wood litter, fired it up with alcohol gel. It burned for over 2 hours on my lixadia. Cooked with it. Was really good. You produce very useful, helpful videos.
Glad you have found my videos helpful. Great results with your stove. One caution I have learned off is maybe not to grill directly over the pellets as some contain chemical binders. Thanks for commenting
I'm using cat litter pellets also, dont think there is a big price difference, just the size of the packed product. One bag of firewood pellets will last 100 years!
You don't need a windscreen for a wood stove... a breeze will actually help it burn much better, just like with any fire. The idea is that air comes in through the vents at the bottom, and up between the double wall structure, where the air is heated by the burning wood in the chamber. Once the heated air comes out through the vents at the top, it mixes with gases that emit from the burning wood and causes re-ignition. This is what is known as the gasification process. I use my wood stove for outdoor BBQs all the time. One thing I'll say is that you don't need a lot of wood at the beginning. I see a lot of people stuffing their wood chamber to the brink, which will almost always cause your fire to die off half way. Fire needs oxygen more than anything, especially at the beginning... so you have to give your wood some room to breathe, and try to insert the sticks in a way that the fire can climb up and get going. Sometimes I'll just bring some kindling in case there are no sticks or twigs lying around. I sometimes also bring some charcoal as well, as it will stay proper hot much longer. Hope that helps...
How about adding large sized dry dog food instead of wood pellets? Wood pellets are themselves rather small, almost small enough to choke up some of the holes in the wood gas stove. Even miniature dog biscuits might be a good choice. Hard and compact, but they could be stacked on end with plenty of air gaps in between.
I have had great results with lump charcoal in same style stove as seen in this video. I pack a few large chunks in then do a top down burn, using twigs and birch bark for starter. Great way to boil, then simmer for a long time (nice for braising too).
Interesting. I have had no luck at all with lump charcoal in the wood gas stoves. It will burn but does not seem to receive the airflow necessary to produce a lot of heat. Thanks for commenting
I have tried small bits of lumpwood charcoal on my wood gas stove, just to see if was a viable set up. I found with pellets there is a flame and also gasses being produced, so allowing the stove to do what it was designed to do. With the charcoal there is no visible flame so no secondary burn. making the stove design redundant. Great to see it being tried out by others as well, Thank you.
Thanks Andrew. My findings as well. Up til now, I have found the Ikea hobo stove to be the best performer with both pellets and charcoal. I have a video coming out soon using lump charcoal in my Firebox Stove. Now that is a nice combination. Thanks for commenting
my pleasure.... I'm late to the show, purchasing a firebox stove, but i adore the thing. Needless to say i've now got all the add on bits for it. Just watched your pocket bellows vid' .... ; )
What I sometimes do for fuel with my gasification stove is to use my brush loppers to "lop" me some branches about 1 inch thick and as long as needed to fit in my stove. I then fill my stove with these wood pieces standing on end until the stove burn chamber is filled. I light them with a cottonball soaked in vaseline same as you used here. I also sometimes use some thick pieces of birch bark to light the stove instead of the vaseline cottonballs. It will burn for about 20 minutes without further maintenance. If I want it to last longer then I toss in fresh pieces of wood as needed when needed. Of course a person would need to have access to proper sized branches which not everyone does.
Hi Lonnie... I have been thinking about carrying my heavy duty garden shears while hiking for that very purpose... another viewer suggested a closed end box wrench that could be used to snap small branches...mostly I try to use materials found in the woods to start my fires and only resort to homemade if I am struggling and really want a fire... I will be working on getting the most from my wood gas stoves while out in the woods...as always..thanks for comenting
yes, that is our reality...can't use trees or even branches, twigs or even pine cones in our national and provincial parks...also can't import wood for fear of insect infestation... However, in our designated wilderness areas and crown land (government owned) we can use what we feel like...respectfully of course
Like your videos. I use wood gas stoves with wood pellets and set a folding grill over the stove for grilling meat. The grill surface is about five inches above the stove and is perfect for a steak or two hamburgers at a time.
Glad you enjoy my videos. I like the idea of suspending a grill above the stove. Good way to moderate the intense heat. Will give it a try. Thanks for commenting
They do but not well. I have learned that because charcoal has no wood gas left in it so it does not gasify in these types of stoves. Thanks for commenting
bio lite cook stove with wood pellets and the grill accessory is a great combination. does just what you were trying to do. long burn time and adjustable heat control.
I'm new to your channel and stumbled upon it, looking for some sort of hiking-friendly wood stove. I'm going to start by building one of my own (the Hobo-way), from junk tins from my household, and I wanted inspiration. Let me just thank you a bunch - it's delightful how you go rather unplanned into these tests, and just sum it up after. Great findings and modifications you are ending up with. Thanks for the good work. Subscribed!
Thank you for your kind words. I am fortunate to own a few stoves now but one of my favourites is my Ikea hobo stove. Partly because I made it myself but also because it is so lightweight and works so well. Enjoy making your hobo stove. I will be making a hobo stove build video in the near future you may be interested in. Thanks for commenting
Rune Borgbjerg Use a paint can with lid and a Bain Marie. As far as gasification goes some of the best fuel you can use is burning wood pellets from the top. They wind up smoldering just hot enough to produce gas which in turn lights off of the secondary draft holes. Real wood itself winds up burning up pretty much right away, does produce gas but because it has all the air space doesn't burn as long because there isn't as much fuel to begin with, but also because it gets all that air it's all primary burn. While charcoal kinda burns it burns in a totally different manner. There really isn't any volitiles to burn up and seeing a little gasifier isn't really set up to heat with infra red it won't really do so well in a gasifier or rocket stove.
Look at how charcoal is made, all the gas is baked out of it leaving charcoal that burns easily without gasification, wood pellets or tinder is best for the wood gas stove. Thanks for showing us what happens. And yes I think boiling water or frying something in a small skillet is all these are good for. And thats all a hiker out in the boonies needs lol
Yes, you are right on. Wood gas has been "cooked" out of the wood in the making of charcoal. The stove design limits the amount of air entering the burn chamber. As a result combustion of the charcoal is very slow. That would be okay if all you wanted to do was simmer a soup. Thanks for commenting
Just for thoroughness, you should have pressed on and put a burger over the coals to see what effect the burning of the drippings had. SPOILER ALERT The flame-broiled burgers of fast food chains are broiled by the flames of their fat dripping onto a red hot screen. Sorry DQ and BK, if I've pulled back the curtain.
Parafin Wax soaked cotton pads works well. When the wax melts, I think it soaks into the surrounding fuel and ignites it. They are also water proof but not always easy to ignite with a ferro rod unless you get a good wax.
I have made and use them before...funny thing... in a recent video I had one go out just like the Vaseline soaked cotton ball... I have good success with parafin wax (melted candles) and wood chips/shavings...make a patty and let harden..seems to work well for me...Thanks for commenting
I think the windbreak may be more of a hinderance than a help when it comes to the charcoal. Maybe try the windbreak to get started then remove it. Just my two bits. I use compressed logs instead of pellets and am very satisfied with them. However I use them in my backyard and don't pack them places. Thanks for the upload. Cheers.
Interesting. I had not considered using veg-oil to start a fire. I knew it would burn but had always kept it for cooking. I may give that a try. Thanks for commenting
Thanks for sharing- I love seeing experiments. I use my Biolite grill attachment all the time, and it's accepted into restricted, no open flame areas. I think the offset heat really works. I have no problems cooking steak, brauts, kabobs, etc.Maybe you could try making an offset or overset grill for your stove that would solve the high heat problem
It just seems like a lot of work for a slow starting fire that goes out. I did see one idea for grilling that seemed to work. The guy used a charcoal chimney starter, filled it with charcoal, and just threw a rack on top to grill a steak. Lots of power, probably had the steak done in 2 minutes, had to be 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Thank you for the video, Mark
I agree Ted... I actually have an Ikea without a feed port cut into it and thought it would likely be better but I wanted to see what one with a hole would work like...Thanks for commenting
Why don’t you try a combination of wood pellets and Gravy Train dry dog food? Both are roughly in the shape of pellets. I really didn’t realize that regular wood pellets were so small. The gaps in between them were rather small. Not sure if it’s the right deal for getting a wood gas type of stove going. Dry dog food looks like it’s going to be several times bigger. Better for the wood gas to get started going better because of the larger gaps in between the items. Bigger gaps in between means less resistance to the wood gas flowing through the system.
If you did all pellets, some charcoal pellets and some regular, all the same size, I'm certain you would get a better result, for cooking. The wood gas is another thing, which is really just smoke. The wood should provide that for flavor and get the whole burn going a little faster. Most of the gas is already burned off the charcoal. It seems the lighter the are, more wood gas has been depleted. I'm not a burnologist, but the higher the wood ratio, with enough oxygen of coarse, the faster and hotter it should burn. It takes a fairly high temp and some flame to get charcoal going good on its own, reliably.
Thanks again for your very informative video. I have the Ohuhu stove with little BBQ grill arriving today. I bought it for $21 off Amazon because I admit I made an impulse buy on the MSR Windburner stove. I did not do my homework and am having a hard time wanting to part with the price of their specialized cookware. I came across your channel because the Lixada stove pot rest ring works well enough (better than the Jetboil pot rest - too small opening) as a hack to allow me to carefully use any smallish regular pot. In learning how useful and complimentary these two stoves are I will be glad to have both it seems 👍 I was especially interested in your experiments with the different types of fuel. Thank you and stay safe!
I have not seen commercially available wood pellets. I suppose I could make some from dried sticks. The biggest issue in this video is the charcoal. By its nature it has no wood gas to burn in the gasifier. Thanks for commenting
Mark, what about using a box of small matches dumped on top of the first circle you made. Forget the pellets and keep building your pile...... with another box of the small matches sprinkled in. Pretty good amt of wood and one heckuva blast of heat when then matches ignite. I’m like you........ Love R&D 😄🔥😄
Interesting idea. Based on all my testing using different combinations I am convinced charcoal is not a good fuel for wood gas stoves. The fact that the wood gasses have been cooked off means pyrolysis and secondary combustion cannot occur. These types of stoves also have limited airflow so that will slow down the burn as well. I am doing okay. Few minor but cumulative reasons for taking the break but I will be back soon. Thanks for commenting
Question Mark, are the wood pellets ok to grill on ? Just wondering if there are any toxins in them such as glue or something. Great video series on these stoves.
I have a question for you, sir. I do a lot of baking. I do have an old camping stove with an attached oven but really don’t want to set it up to bake bread if the power should go out. The alternative I am working on is a copper box (for even heat distribution) on top of small, portable fireplace. The box is only about the size of a large toaster oven. I an thinking about using my wood gas stove as the source of heat for this oven. The bottom of the stove will be about 4 inches (10 centimeters) above the top of the stove. My desired baking temperature is around 350 degrees. The design of the entire setup is such that most of the heat from the stove will be absorbed into the copper of the oven. I’m guessing that the amount of heat that will be absorbed by the copper will be somewhere between 90 - 95 percent. Since you have been testing fuels in your wood gas stoves I am wondering as to whether or not you might have an opinion concerning which fuel(s) I should use. I need a baking time of approximately 25 minutes. Thank you
This is a very interesting project. I would very much like to see the finished item. I have baked with a couple of dog bowls, reflector oven, Coleman folding oven and in a few different pots and have videos doing so. With regards to fuels, I would go with hardwood pellets and make sure there are no additives. Pellets last a long time, (1 cup lasts in excess of 30-40 minutes) give nice clean, even heat. It can be quite high so I would think a bit of experimenting is in order. Hope this helps
I am curious as to why there is a prohibition against using the locally available twigs and such. Many parks in the US prohibit bringing wood from outside to prevent invasive insects from being introduced into the park. Great video! I am learning a lot from them. Thank you.
robert jeffery people would burn every stick in sight, which I say prevents forest fires, but they wouldn't stop there. People are bad enough now, hacking trees and stuff. Guess they just want a natural state.
As my learned friend says...the philosophy of the national and provincial parks is that it is to be left as natural as possible and that allowing local wood to be used would end up with a denuded park over time...We are also prohibited from bringing wood into the parks for fear of insect infestations... I could buy a load of park supplied wood but I would have to process it down pretty small to use in my wood gas stoves...Thanks for commenting
robert jeffery Mark I may add that in some case it's also because even if dead Wood on the ground and standing are a wonderfull ressource for bushcrafters and nature lovers enjoying a meal in the great Outdoors,They are an important ressource for wildlife in many many ways providing shelter to some, micro habitats to others even Food to others and ultimately it will decay bringing back nutrients to the soil. The problem in parks,reserves and other public areas is the amount of peoples will deplete the ressource very fast and the mission of preservation & conservation might be put at risk. When few persons are doing it once a while it's not an issue but with tous and of visitons or even more it clan be a real problem with years. The perturbation of a natural environment can change drastically the biodiversité so some rules needs to be there. But that I sure you already know it and agree 😉👍. Regarding the test, your conclusion is totally right 👌👌👌 just wondering if that mix of Wood pellets and charcoal briquets might gives a Better results in a more hobo stove style wood stove🤔🤔🤔 I have reçoive my firebox and started to Cook with it and really impressed by the performance of it, I haven't try the wood pellets yeat but I'll get some briquets and give it a try. thanks Brother for the time you take for doing those tests they are a great added value and very well conducted 🙌🙌🙌🙌👏👏👏👏 Ciao from Québec ⚜
Thank you Laurent for your extended explanation. It is of course, right on. Stay tuned for my next couple of videos...I think I may have something that you will like...Glad you like the firebox. It one of my favourite stoves..except for the weight, which I really don't mind all that much
robert jeffery don't worry Mark I'm stuck to your channel 😉Regarding the weight of the firebox it's not an issue for me either I think that the fact it's collapsible by far overtake the weight. I'm not an UL type of guy I'm more looking for space saving than weight 😉😜😂😂😂👍
I actually just asked this question in a forum. I thought I have though. Using pellets are like the primer to get the charcoal going. So would you not just put a small layer on the bottom and the charcoal on the top. Pellets gasify and star the charcoal, surely though you must be able to charcoal to grill or make a stew/hotpot type dish?
So, what I found is that getting the charcoal lit was not difficult and it did burn thoroughly down to ash but it would appear to be insufficient air flow to really generate enough heat. Additionally, the production of charcoal burns off all the volatile gasses that are found in dry wood and what is being ignited by the introduction of air through the vents at the top of the wood gas stove. Basically, there is no wood gas to burn. It is not that wood gas stoves are useless with charcoal. They do get hot enough to grill or otherwise heat up food. Just not hot enough to bring water to a boil. I found that a simple Ikea hobo stove worked much better in this regards when used with charcoal. Hope this helps
You could, I often do that when using wood in the stove. However, since gasification occurs at the top of the stove, lighting it there will result in a more efficient and longer burn. In addition, pellets are challenging to create good air flow through them. Thanks for commenting
Bear with me here... :) :) ... long-winded... need to 'splain... :) :) ... Since you used a wood-gasifier stove whose spent product at the end of gasification (and the burn) is charcoal...I am a little mystified as to your reason to (re) introduce charcoal bricks, which is spent, gasified wood anyway-- and useless to this type of stove. The double wall of the stove re-burns the smoke (wood gas) from the heated wood pellets and produces flames as a source of high heat-- to reheat the charcoal. The charcoal will not glow unless a sufficient amount of wood pellets have been introduced to be heated sufficiently to produce wood gas, which is the source of the flame, and the only way to reheat the charcoal-- since charcoal can only glow, and not make flame on its own (it's devoid of wood gas). ?. If you wish to grill on the charcoal, then you are using the charcoal bricks because they (you assume) last longer than the residual charcoal left over after a normal wood gasifier burn .? If the above is the case, then ratios matter... I would try using smaller charcoal bricks and more wood pellets. The danger here is a runaway stove, where after getting the charcoal hot enough to grill with, the fat drippings will wick into the spent pellets and charcoal below, catching afire and possibly producing gas-- and therefore more heat-- in a loop. What you will wind up with at the end is more or less exactly what you will wind up with if you properly fill the stove with the right thumb-sized wood chunks and do the top-down lighting thing to begin with; you will have that same amount of charcoal to try to cook on. When all is said and done, I am almost sure that a large coffee can without a **double-wall gasification mechanism** (the source of your defeat) will do the job. Love these scientific videos with stoves... they are fascinating! Thanks!
Wow...well thought out explanation... I agree charcoal was never going to be a good candidate for use in the wood gas stove for the very reasons you stated. A properly designed wood gas stove is very good for producing high heat cleanly... I will be reserving them for that purpose. As you say, there are much better setups for burning charcoal... I favour using a full load of sticks in my wood gas stoves as being the most efficient way to use them...of course, that was not the point of this video serious... Pleas don't call my videos "scientific"... I am just a hack playing with some ideas...Thanks for commenting
I learned what other pointed out all along, charcoal is wood that has had it's gasses already burned off. Nothing to to gasify in a wood gas stove. Now I know. Thanks for commenting Jim
I am a big fan of the wood pellets. They seem to burn clean and are very consistent. Also inexpensive and easy to transport with me for camping/backpacking.
What I have since learned is that charcoal will not gassify as it has already had its wood gas removed when it is made. Wood gas stoves do not have enough airflow to maximize the use of charcoal. Thanks for commenting
I think if you were to take smaller pieces of charcoal with you it could work, but the briquets are too pressed to burn in a smaller stove like the lixada... Just get the regular charl=coal and take out the smaller (dice size) bits for the lixada...
So having tried the charcoal I learned from others more knowledgeable than I that the reason the charcoal does not work in a wood gas stove is because there are no wood gasses left in it. Thanks for commenting
Mark Young I had been looking for some comparisons between fuels+ fire styles, and stoves as well. Really helpful series. I found a 40 lb bag of pellets for $9 at Rona which made it the attractive option 😂🤣
@@neilmcanally9337 I would think popping corn would be expensive. The feed stores are about an hour from here. The next time I am out that way I will check the prices
actually, it is a no-name brand I bought on eBay a goo dnumber of years ago. Much less expensive than any of the name brands. They come in 7 and 9 panels and in two different heights. Hope this helps
Sorry did I hear you right ? In the National Parks your not allowed to pick up sticks off the ground ? I was just wondering what the legal stance would be and if any what charge you would face ?
Yes, that is correct in Canada. It is stated in Parks literature but I am having trouble finding the specific regulation in the National Parks Act. I will continue to look for the specific law
I do not grill over my Solo Stove Lite , just use it as a normal heat source for cooking. A friend of mine like to use Hickory chips in his Zip Stove. I have not tried the Hickory Chips , I like small Oak twigs. If I can't use wood then I use a small Evernew Titanium Alcohol burner in the chamber as a 2nd heating source.
I agree, wood gas stoves produce hot smoke free heat but not a good grilling heat. hickory chips would work well, if expensive. Alcohol is my preferred back-up...when I remember to pack it..Thanks for commenting
@@jimgresham5529 I bought a couple of firebricks used to line wood stoves to place my stoves on at home. Cheap, light and the don't break under the heat
That would be part of it. Charcoal does need good air flow. The other issue is that charcoal can't gassify as it has already had its combustibles gasses "cooked" off in its making. Thanks for commenting
@@MarkYoungBushcraft love the work ur doing.. it helps many of Us FastForward our methologys and experiments .. to find Our Own UniqueSolutions. Im actually On my way outside right now to gather more and Im goinng to do some experiments with other nuts.. re corn .. i havent tried grains yet I thought they would explode Like Popcorn.. Buti have access to many grains.. FunStuff Btw The walnuts burn long hot clean and smell AWESOME .. albeit hard to ignite .. hence the methanol i got over 1 hour burn on 8 nuts! Less Than 1 oz of Methanol to start it
Maybe it could have worked if the charcoal was in much smaller pieces. BTW, you use kerosine, alcohol-gel and that esbit stuff to light a fire, why not use the waxy-wood stuff instead? Much cleaner...
The charcoal will burn but not with any great heat and cannot gassify as it does not have any combustible gasses to release. I do use the cheap wax-wood starters often in my tests. I usually keep my DIY wax-wood starters for use in the woods. For a clean burn nothing beats alcohol. Thanks for commenting
@@MarkYoungBushcraft Charcoal won't gasify itself, but in small amounts evenly distributed it might help the pellets achieve consistant 'gas and burn' at a slightly lesser heatlevel. You could have different 'mixes' for cooking, baking or just burning. It might let you save a few grams of weight as well. Just my 2 cents. You used too much charcoal, also too big pieces. Try a max of finger-nail-sized parts at a rate between 10/90 and 30/60 against the pellets. Use a waxy wood block to mix with the upper layer (also in very small parts). Then put another waxthing on top and fuego. 👌 You have to see it as a multi-layer-system for burning (instead of sleeping or clothing system).
@@andredeketeleastutecomplex You present an interesting methodology for utilizing charcoal with wood pellets. It is something for me to consider with the wood gas stoves as well as other stoves. Thank you
Hi Mark great video I think there may have been to much charcoal and maybe a layer of pellets then charcoal but just 3 or 4 then some more pellets would work but I do agree wood gas stoves do put out a lot of heat but treat it like a normal camp fire grill when it has just embers still good heat
Thanks for the suggestion... I have been hearing from a number of people who feel it won't make any difference how much or little charcoal I use... as it is already charred wood, there are no wood gasses to be given off for secondary ignition... What you suggest would likely work but I would have to wait for 30 plus minutes to get the coals..I do love my wood gas stoves but I don't think they are designed for grilling over...Thanks for commenting
actually would not likely help much for a couple of reasons. What I learned about charcoal is that it does not give off wood gasses because they have all been removed in the charring process. Also, wood gas stoves work best when lit from the top (TLUD (top lit up draft). Wood pellets work great this way but I will use other stoves for charcoal. Thanks for commenting
@@MarkYoungBushcraft I think what Flying Hamster meant was: for grilling heat, you could light charcoal only from below, maybe six briquettes, with a wood chip and wax starter. Not expecting gasification, but only Hibachi type heat for grilling.
Good suggestion for general use with these stoves but it won't help with the charcoal not being a good fuel for wood gas stoves as it has no wood gas left in it. Thanks for commenting
I appreciate your videos but,... Why haven't you discovered cast iron? I use a 12" square cast iron griddle with raised ribs on my Titan for camping & at home. The high heat is perfect for grilling outdoors!
LOL...I have a growing collection of cast iron and agree it is perfect for using over the higher heat produced by the wood gas stoves. I would use it car camping or canoeing but am not likely to carry it very far in a backpacking. Thanks for commenting
Hallo! Did you try woodchips ? I have no woodgasstove....only a Ikea hobo..It Works very well with these Chips from a woodchips heatingsystem. At its best with tough hardwoodchips. Pleased Eschweiler my Brokern english...i am from Bavaria Germany..and Song have anything präzise in your Langhagen😁. Greetings. Hans. I Like you videos
Hello Hans. Greetings from Canada. I have not tried wood chips in my stoves yet. I don't have a cheap source for them available to me. If they work well in your Ikea hobo stove I am sure they would work well in a woodgas stove. I am a little confused by your last sentence. Eschweiler and Langhagen are both villages in Germany? Thank you for commenting
Mark Young Yes Mark...they are...bin life in the south 100 km north of Munich. Here in the woods.everywhere this Chips lay around. They are used for comunal and big private heatingsystem...instead of oil or gas. In USA i saw them in packs for grillchips..used for smokers
I wonder if you loaded it up with charcoal, a layer of pellets on top, and boiled water for tea, then burned past that into the charcoal for the main meat dish? All in the name of science, eh? Maybe just buy those disposable charcoal grilling jobbies and just refill it. Take care!
I may look into that... wish it was the other way around so I could have flame to heat my water for coffee at the end...I've got something coming that may be the answer..thanks for commenting
Just wanted to add a quick note...on review I realised I actually only used one cup of wood pellets not two as I stated in the video...hope you enjoy
I started using wood pellets in my Lixada wood stove many years ago and realizing that the pellets can fall through the grate, I have found that a large tuna can lid (when cut off with an opener), fits perfectly in the bottom of the stove. I just drilled a few holes in it and it's perfect for air flow, but also keeping the pellets from falling through the bottom. Great video and demonstration. Thanks
Great tip! Thanks for commenting
Just watched your original charcoal test in the Titan, and am very glad to see this follow-up experiment! As I experiment myself and get to know my new Titan, I think I may try my own follow-up based on your commenters’ suggestions of 1) using larger and/or a higher ratio of wood pellets. And 2) I think I will light the fire from the bottom, and pack the fuel chamber more loosely to possibly permit greater airflow for the pellets to catch fire throughout the chamber. Thanks again for taking us along on your wonderful explorations! :)
Let me know how your tests turn out. While I do like using wood pellets in the Titan, I don't think charcoal is worth the effort. It will burn but because there is no wood gas left in it, it can't reach the same potential as wood or pellets do. Still, the charcoal may benefit from increased air flow so I am interested in hearing how you make out. Thanks for commenting
Why not add something else to the wood pellets bigger than them? Something like large pieces of dry dog food? Something that will create bigger air gaps. To bad you can’t get wood pellets in the size of regular marbles…
Charcoal cannot produce woodgas, because all the woodgas has already been removed in the charcoal process. Pellets alone however are probably the best fuel for a woodgas stove.
Yes, that is essentially the discovery I made
Very cool. I was thinking of that since it has already been burned.
Charcoal can indeed create wood gas. Look at any kamado style grill and the backdraft it creates (hence why you burp them). More so the problem here is he over fueled the wood stove and chocked the air flow. It needs to be able to draft and heat the air coming through the wall of the unit. Look at videos of a charcoal chimney for the wood gas draft.
Wood pellets, alone , is difficult to get going. But once a flame is established, burns for a while. I'm able to boil 2 16oz pots of water. When the flame goes out ,the coals will provide lower heat cooking.
@@mattserraes8561 actually, I found at least a top layer of pellets helpful in getting a TLUD going. Keeps the first embers from falling through.
I learn a lot from your videos. From your videos I used cat wood litter, fired it up with alcohol gel. It burned for over 2 hours on my lixadia. Cooked with it. Was really good. You produce very useful, helpful videos.
Glad you have found my videos helpful. Great results with your stove. One caution I have learned off is maybe not to grill directly over the pellets as some contain chemical binders. Thanks for commenting
I'm using cat litter pellets also, dont think there is a big price difference, just the size of the packed product. One bag of firewood pellets will last 100 years!
You don't need a windscreen for a wood stove... a breeze will actually help it burn much better, just like with any fire. The idea is that air comes in through the vents at the bottom, and up between the double wall structure, where the air is heated by the burning wood in the chamber. Once the heated air comes out through the vents at the top, it mixes with gases that emit from the burning wood and causes re-ignition. This is what is known as the gasification process.
I use my wood stove for outdoor BBQs all the time. One thing I'll say is that you don't need a lot of wood at the beginning. I see a lot of people stuffing their wood chamber to the brink, which will almost always cause your fire to die off half way. Fire needs oxygen more than anything, especially at the beginning... so you have to give your wood some room to breathe, and try to insert the sticks in a way that the fire can climb up and get going. Sometimes I'll just bring some kindling in case there are no sticks or twigs lying around. I sometimes also bring some charcoal as well, as it will stay proper hot much longer. Hope that helps...
Thank you for your suggestions
How about adding large sized dry dog food instead of wood pellets? Wood pellets are themselves rather small, almost small enough to choke up some of the holes in the wood gas stove. Even miniature dog biscuits might be a good choice. Hard and compact, but they could be stacked on end with plenty of air gaps in between.
Arff!
I really enjoy your videos, informative, laid back, and entertaining....all in one package!
I am glad you enjoy my videos. Thanks for commenting
I have had great results with lump charcoal in same style stove as seen in this video. I pack a few large chunks in then do a top down burn, using twigs and birch bark for starter. Great way to boil, then simmer for a long time (nice for braising too).
Interesting. I have had no luck at all with lump charcoal in the wood gas stoves. It will burn but does not seem to receive the airflow necessary to produce a lot of heat. Thanks for commenting
Thanks for making these awesome videos! I love the scientific approach, and the creative use of other items.
Glad you like them! Thanks for commenting
I have tried small bits of lumpwood charcoal on my wood gas stove, just to see if was a viable set up. I found with pellets there is a flame and also gasses being produced, so allowing the stove to do what it was designed to do. With the charcoal there is no visible flame so no secondary burn. making the stove design redundant. Great to see it being tried out by others as well, Thank you.
Thanks Andrew. My findings as well. Up til now, I have found the Ikea hobo stove to be the best performer with both pellets and charcoal. I have a video coming out soon using lump charcoal in my Firebox Stove. Now that is a nice combination. Thanks for commenting
my pleasure.... I'm late to the show, purchasing a firebox stove, but i adore the thing. Needless to say i've now got all the add on bits for it. Just watched your pocket bellows vid' .... ; )
What I sometimes do for fuel with my gasification stove is to use my brush loppers to "lop" me some branches about 1 inch thick and as long as needed to fit in my stove. I then fill my stove with these wood pieces standing on end until the stove burn chamber is filled. I light them with a cottonball soaked in vaseline same as you used here. I also sometimes use some thick pieces of birch bark to light the stove instead of the vaseline cottonballs. It will burn for about 20 minutes without further maintenance. If I want it to last longer then I toss in fresh pieces of wood as needed when needed. Of course a person would need to have access to proper sized branches which not everyone does.
I just read in the older comments that folks are not allowed to bring wood with them in some parks. Oh well.
Hi Lonnie... I have been thinking about carrying my heavy duty garden shears while hiking for that very purpose... another viewer suggested a closed end box wrench that could be used to snap small branches...mostly I try to use materials found in the woods to start my fires and only resort to homemade if I am struggling and really want a fire... I will be working on getting the most from my wood gas stoves while out in the woods...as always..thanks for comenting
yes, that is our reality...can't use trees or even branches, twigs or even pine cones in our national and provincial parks...also can't import wood for fear of insect infestation... However, in our designated wilderness areas and crown land (government owned) we can use what we feel like...respectfully of course
Like your videos. I use wood gas stoves with wood pellets and set a folding grill over the stove for grilling meat. The grill surface is about five inches above the stove and is perfect for a steak or two hamburgers at a time.
Glad you enjoy my videos. I like the idea of suspending a grill above the stove. Good way to moderate the intense heat. Will give it a try. Thanks for commenting
Thanks, I had also wondered if charcoal briquettes would work in this stove. Hope you're well.
They do but not well. I have learned that because charcoal has no wood gas left in it so it does not gasify in these types of stoves. Thanks for commenting
bio lite cook stove with wood pellets and the grill accessory is a great combination. does just what you were trying to do. long burn time and adjustable heat control.
I have a video comparing the BioLite with the VitalGrill. Both are amazing pieces of technology. Thanks for commenting
I'm new to your channel and stumbled upon it, looking for some sort of hiking-friendly wood stove. I'm going to start by building one of my own (the Hobo-way), from junk tins from my household, and I wanted inspiration.
Let me just thank you a bunch - it's delightful how you go rather unplanned into these tests, and just sum it up after. Great findings and modifications you are ending up with.
Thanks for the good work. Subscribed!
Thank you for your kind words. I am fortunate to own a few stoves now but one of my favourites is my Ikea hobo stove. Partly because I made it myself but also because it is so lightweight and works so well. Enjoy making your hobo stove. I will be making a hobo stove build video in the near future you may be interested in. Thanks for commenting
Rune Borgbjerg Use a paint can with lid and a Bain Marie.
As far as gasification goes some of the best fuel you can use is burning wood pellets from the top.
They wind up smoldering just hot enough to produce gas which in turn lights off of the secondary draft holes.
Real wood itself winds up burning up pretty much right away, does produce gas but because it has all the air space doesn't burn as long because there isn't as much fuel to begin with, but also because it gets all that air it's all primary burn.
While charcoal kinda burns it burns in a totally different manner.
There really isn't any volitiles to burn up and seeing a little gasifier isn't really set up to heat with infra red it won't really do so well in a gasifier or rocket stove.
Look at how charcoal is made, all the gas is baked out of it leaving charcoal that burns easily without gasification, wood pellets or tinder is best for the wood gas stove. Thanks for showing us what happens. And yes I think boiling water or frying something in a small skillet is all these are good for. And thats all a hiker out in the boonies needs lol
Yes, you are right on. Wood gas has been "cooked" out of the wood in the making of charcoal. The stove design limits the amount of air entering the burn chamber. As a result combustion of the charcoal is very slow. That would be okay if all you wanted to do was simmer a soup. Thanks for commenting
Just for thoroughness, you should have pressed on and put a burger over the coals to see what effect the burning of the drippings had. SPOILER ALERT The flame-broiled burgers of fast food chains are broiled by the flames of their fat dripping onto a red hot screen. Sorry DQ and BK, if I've pulled back the curtain.
good thought...I'll have to do do that for a future video...Thanks for commenting
Parafin Wax soaked cotton pads works well. When the wax melts, I think it soaks into the surrounding fuel and ignites it. They are also water proof but not always easy to ignite with a ferro rod unless you get a good wax.
I have made and use them before...funny thing... in a recent video I had one go out just like the Vaseline soaked cotton ball... I have good success with parafin wax (melted candles) and wood chips/shavings...make a patty and let harden..seems to work well for me...Thanks for commenting
I think the windbreak may be more of a hinderance than a help when it comes to the charcoal. Maybe try the windbreak to get started then remove it. Just my two bits. I use compressed logs instead of pellets and am very satisfied with them. However I use them in my backyard and don't pack them places. Thanks for the upload. Cheers.
I just bought some compressed logs to try in a few of my larger stoves. Thanks for commenting
Hi Mark, I myself recently learned that it's safe to use Vegetable Oil for a fire starter too.
Ya learn something new every day.
Lol
😀👍😎
Interesting. I had not considered using veg-oil to start a fire. I knew it would burn but had always kept it for cooking. I may give that a try. Thanks for commenting
Good idea especially if you have some old used oil but not enough to experiment with biodiesel.
Thanks for sharing- I love seeing experiments. I use my Biolite grill attachment all the time, and it's accepted into restricted, no open flame areas. I think the offset heat really works. I have no problems cooking steak, brauts, kabobs, etc.Maybe you could try making an offset or overset grill for your stove that would solve the high heat problem
The off-set grill is an interesting idea...I may give that a closer look...Thanks for commenting
It just seems like a lot of work for a slow starting fire that goes out. I did see one idea for grilling that seemed to work. The guy used a charcoal chimney starter, filled it with charcoal, and just threw a rack on top to grill a steak. Lots of power, probably had the steak done in 2 minutes, had to be 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Thank you for the video, Mark
wow..that is impressive... I am finding that the charcoal in my hobo stove does really well...Thanks for commenting
Great test Mark. I'm seeing a IKEA stove for charcoal, without cutting the hole, just as purchased would be a great way to go. No pieces falling out.
I agree Ted... I actually have an Ikea without a feed port cut into it and thought it would likely be better but I wanted to see what one with a hole would work like...Thanks for commenting
Why don’t you try a combination of wood pellets and Gravy Train dry dog food? Both are roughly in the shape of pellets. I really didn’t realize that regular wood pellets were so small. The gaps in between them were rather small. Not sure if it’s the right deal for getting a wood gas type of stove going. Dry dog food looks like it’s going to be several times bigger. Better for the wood gas to get started going better because of the larger gaps in between the items. Bigger gaps in between means less resistance to the wood gas flowing through the system.
Was not aware dog food would burn. Thanks for commenting
If you did all pellets, some charcoal pellets and some regular, all the same size, I'm certain you would get a better result, for cooking. The wood gas is another thing, which is really just smoke. The wood should provide that for flavor and get the whole burn going a little faster. Most of the gas is already burned off the charcoal. It seems the lighter the are, more wood gas has been depleted. I'm not a burnologist, but the higher the wood ratio, with enough oxygen of coarse, the faster and hotter it should burn. It takes a fairly high temp and some flame to get charcoal going good on its own, reliably.
Worth a try for sure. Thanks for commenting
Thanks again for your very informative video. I have the Ohuhu stove with little BBQ grill arriving today. I bought it for $21 off Amazon because I admit I made an impulse buy on the MSR Windburner stove. I did not do my homework and am having a hard time wanting to part with the price of their specialized cookware. I came across your channel because the Lixada stove pot rest ring works well enough (better than the Jetboil pot rest - too small opening) as a hack to allow me to carefully use any smallish regular pot. In learning how useful and complimentary these two stoves are I will be glad to have both it seems 👍
I was especially interested in your experiments with the different types of fuel. Thank you and stay safe!
I am pleased to hear my videos are being helpful to you. That was my intent in making them. Thanks for commenting
Great experiment
Glad you found it interesting. Thanks for commenting
great presentation - thank you for doing this!
I am glad you found the video helpful. Thanks for commenting
Could you grill over a tripod? You could raise or lower to change heat volume.
Grilling would be fine. Not a very high heat, but it would be consistent throughout the burn. Thanks for commenting
Good video, thanks. What kind of wood handle is your neck knife made of? Very nice.
Glad you liked the video. I re-watched and could not see a neck knife. I often wear one in the woods but not often around home. Another video maybe?
Hey Mark, I use hardwood chips in mine (the kind you use in your smoker). Works great! But I like the pellet idea too.
I must try hardwood chips. Thanks for commenting
Can't you get bigger pellets? They seem way too small and if they were bigger I think it would allow much better airflow...
I have not seen commercially available wood pellets. I suppose I could make some from dried sticks. The biggest issue in this video is the charcoal. By its nature it has no wood gas to burn in the gasifier. Thanks for commenting
That helps a lot. Thanks for the quick response. Just subbed your channel. Great videos!
You are welcome sir. Thanks for subscribing
Mark, what about using a box of small matches dumped on top of the first circle you made. Forget the pellets and keep building your pile...... with another box of the small matches sprinkled in. Pretty good amt of wood and one heckuva blast of heat when then matches ignite. I’m like you........ Love R&D 😄🔥😄
Interesting idea. Based on all my testing using different combinations I am convinced charcoal is not a good fuel for wood gas stoves. The fact that the wood gasses have been cooked off means pyrolysis and secondary combustion cannot occur. These types of stoves also have limited airflow so that will slow down the burn as well. I am doing okay. Few minor but cumulative reasons for taking the break but I will be back soon. Thanks for commenting
Thankyou Mark
Most welcome. Thanks for commenting
A few years late but in my opinion it might be better to use Wood pellets first, and when the wood gas is expended add the charcoal.
Worth trying. Thanks for commenting
Question Mark, are the wood pellets ok to grill on ? Just wondering if there are any toxins in them such as glue or something. Great video series on these stoves.
My understanding is that wood pellets are made with extreme pressure and steam so there should be no unsafe chemical additives. Hope this helps
I have a question for you, sir. I do a lot of baking. I do have an old camping stove with an attached oven but really don’t want to set it up to bake bread if the power should go out. The alternative I am working on is a copper box (for even heat distribution) on top of small, portable fireplace. The box is only about the size of a large toaster oven. I an thinking about using my wood gas stove as the source of heat for this oven. The bottom of the stove will be about 4 inches (10 centimeters) above the top of the stove. My desired baking temperature is around 350 degrees. The design of the entire setup is such that most of the heat from the stove will be absorbed into the copper of the oven. I’m guessing that the amount of heat that will be absorbed by the copper will be somewhere between 90 - 95 percent. Since you have been testing fuels in your wood gas stoves I am wondering as to whether or not you might have an opinion concerning which fuel(s) I should use. I need a baking time of approximately 25 minutes.
Thank you
This is a very interesting project. I would very much like to see the finished item. I have baked with a couple of dog bowls, reflector oven, Coleman folding oven and in a few different pots and have videos doing so. With regards to fuels, I would go with hardwood pellets and make sure there are no additives. Pellets last a long time, (1 cup lasts in excess of 30-40 minutes) give nice clean, even heat. It can be quite high so I would think a bit of experimenting is in order. Hope this helps
I am curious as to why there is a prohibition against using the locally available twigs and such. Many parks in the US prohibit bringing wood from outside to prevent invasive insects from being introduced into the park.
Great video! I am learning a lot from them. Thank you.
robert jeffery people would burn every stick in sight, which I say prevents forest fires, but they wouldn't stop there. People are bad enough now, hacking trees and stuff. Guess they just want a natural state.
As my learned friend says...the philosophy of the national and provincial parks is that it is to be left as natural as possible and that allowing local wood to be used would end up with a denuded park over time...We are also prohibited from bringing wood into the parks for fear of insect infestations... I could buy a load of park supplied wood but I would have to process it down pretty small to use in my wood gas stoves...Thanks for commenting
robert jeffery Mark I may add that in some case it's also because even if dead Wood on the ground and standing are a wonderfull ressource for bushcrafters and nature lovers enjoying a meal in the great Outdoors,They are an important ressource for wildlife in many many ways providing shelter to some, micro habitats to others even Food to others and ultimately it will decay bringing back nutrients to the soil. The problem in parks,reserves and other public areas is the amount of peoples will deplete the ressource very fast and the mission of preservation & conservation might be put at risk. When few persons are doing it once a while it's not an issue but with tous and of visitons or even more it clan be a real problem with years. The perturbation of a natural environment can change drastically the biodiversité so some rules needs to be there. But that I sure you already know it and agree 😉👍. Regarding the test, your conclusion is totally right 👌👌👌 just wondering if that mix of Wood pellets and charcoal briquets might gives a Better results in a more hobo stove style wood stove🤔🤔🤔 I have reçoive my firebox and started to Cook with it and really impressed by the performance of it, I haven't try the wood pellets yeat but I'll get some briquets and give it a try. thanks Brother for the time you take for doing those tests they are a great added value and very well conducted 🙌🙌🙌🙌👏👏👏👏
Ciao from Québec ⚜
Thank you Laurent for your extended explanation. It is of course, right on. Stay tuned for my next couple of videos...I think I may have something that you will like...Glad you like the firebox. It one of my favourite stoves..except for the weight, which I really don't mind all that much
robert jeffery don't worry Mark I'm stuck to your channel 😉Regarding the weight of the firebox it's not an issue for me either I think that the fact it's collapsible by far overtake the weight. I'm not an UL type of guy I'm more looking for space saving than weight 😉😜😂😂😂👍
ordered one of these this morning. for the cheap price there worth experimenting with. cheers
Don't think you will be disappointment...Thanks for commenting
Aprovecho Starts Their Pellets With Kerosene Or Lighter Fluid. Works Great!!
It would definitely light the pellets up. Thanks for commenting
Didn’t have wood pellet but I got pistachios for Christmas so I put the shells in it and it worked great lol
Very cool. If I ever get a quantity of pistachios I will give them a try. Thanks for commenting
I had a friend save coffee-cans full of them to light my biolite campstove which I burned wirh pellets.
That's a great idea - I'll start saving my salted peanut shells ... thanks!
Have you tried burning stove grade corn in these stoves?
No I haven't as I do not have access to it but I would love to try it if I can find some. Thanks for commenting
I actually just asked this question in a forum. I thought I have though. Using pellets are like the primer to get the charcoal going. So would you not just put a small layer on the bottom and the charcoal on the top. Pellets gasify and star the charcoal, surely though you must be able to charcoal to grill or make a stew/hotpot type dish?
So, what I found is that getting the charcoal lit was not difficult and it did burn thoroughly down to ash but it would appear to be insufficient air flow to really generate enough heat. Additionally, the production of charcoal burns off all the volatile gasses that are found in dry wood and what is being ignited by the introduction of air through the vents at the top of the wood gas stove. Basically, there is no wood gas to burn. It is not that wood gas stoves are useless with charcoal. They do get hot enough to grill or otherwise heat up food. Just not hot enough to bring water to a boil. I found that a simple Ikea hobo stove worked much better in this regards when used with charcoal. Hope this helps
can you put newspaper at the bottom to start? like a charcoal starter? heat rises and flame
You could, I often do that when using wood in the stove. However, since gasification occurs at the top of the stove, lighting it there will result in a more efficient and longer burn. In addition, pellets are challenging to create good air flow through them. Thanks for commenting
Bear with me here... :) :) ... long-winded... need to 'splain... :) :) ...
Since you used a wood-gasifier stove whose spent product at the end of gasification (and the burn) is charcoal...I am a little mystified as to your reason to (re) introduce charcoal bricks, which is spent, gasified wood anyway-- and useless to this type of stove.
The double wall of the stove re-burns the smoke (wood gas) from the heated wood pellets and produces flames as a source of high heat-- to reheat the charcoal.
The charcoal will not glow unless a sufficient amount of wood pellets have been introduced to be heated sufficiently to produce wood gas, which is the source of the flame, and the only way to reheat the charcoal-- since charcoal can only glow, and not make flame on its own (it's devoid of wood gas).
?. If you wish to grill on the charcoal, then you are using the charcoal bricks because they (you assume) last longer than the residual charcoal left over after a normal wood gasifier burn .?
If the above is the case, then ratios matter... I would try using smaller charcoal bricks and more wood pellets.
The danger here is a runaway stove, where after getting the charcoal hot enough to grill with, the fat drippings will wick into the spent pellets and charcoal below, catching afire and possibly producing gas-- and therefore more heat-- in a loop.
What you will wind up with at the end is more or less exactly what you will wind up with if you properly fill the stove with the right thumb-sized wood chunks and do the top-down lighting thing to begin with; you will have that same amount of charcoal to try to cook on.
When all is said and done, I am almost sure that a large coffee can without a **double-wall gasification mechanism** (the source of your defeat) will do the job.
Love these scientific videos with stoves... they are fascinating! Thanks!
Wow...well thought out explanation... I agree charcoal was never going to be a good candidate for use in the wood gas stove for the very reasons you stated. A properly designed wood gas stove is very good for producing high heat cleanly... I will be reserving them for that purpose. As you say, there are much better setups for burning charcoal... I favour using a full load of sticks in my wood gas stoves as being the most efficient way to use them...of course, that was not the point of this video serious... Pleas don't call my videos "scientific"... I am just a hack playing with some ideas...Thanks for commenting
StandsWithABeer Wow... Great dialog guys... I'm learning a lot!
Thanks to all.
good test, i had thought of it but never did try it.
I learned what other pointed out all along, charcoal is wood that has had it's gasses already burned off. Nothing to to gasify in a wood gas stove. Now I know. Thanks for commenting Jim
You may or may not have better luck by breaking the charcoal briquettes into smaller pieces and then mixing them together. I might try that myself.
I have had a few comments suggesting this idea. I may give it a try. Thanks for commenting
I am a big fan of the wood pellets. They seem to burn clean and are very consistent. Also inexpensive and easy to transport with me for camping/backpacking.
I agree. Pellets are a great fuel for lot of stoves. Thanks for commenting
Maybe the windscreen is blocking air from getting in the lower part of the stove
What I have since learned is that charcoal will not gassify as it has already had its wood gas removed when it is made. Wood gas stoves do not have enough airflow to maximize the use of charcoal. Thanks for commenting
I'm getting the ohuhu stove sometime this week. Will be trying a variety of different fuels
Did you try with wood charcoal instead of briquet charcoal?
Nick Casolino I have with the same results but didn't make a video of it.Thanks for commenting
I think if you were to take smaller pieces of charcoal with you it could work, but the briquets are too pressed to burn in a smaller stove like the lixada...
Just get the regular charl=coal and take out the smaller (dice size) bits for the lixada...
So having tried the charcoal I learned from others more knowledgeable than I that the reason the charcoal does not work in a wood gas stove is because there are no wood gasses left in it. Thanks for commenting
Cool vid Mark!
I think we need to get you hooked up with some real charcoal one of these days.
coming up in my next video...
Thanks 🙏
Most welcome. Thanks for commenting
Mark Young I had been looking for some comparisons between fuels+ fire styles, and stoves as well. Really helpful series. I found a 40 lb bag of pellets for $9 at Rona which made it the attractive option 😂🤣
Has anyone tried dry, shelled corn in a WG stove? Corn used to be touted as a replacement for wood pellets in pellet stoves.
I am interested in this also. If I can find an inexpensive source locally I will give it a try. Thanks for commenting
@@MarkYoungBushcraft I wonder if grocery store popcorn would work the same? Otherwise, it's a big bag from the feed store.
@@neilmcanally9337 I would think popping corn would be expensive. The feed stores are about an hour from here. The next time I am out that way I will check the prices
alcohol stove on top of the lid works great in a gasifier stove. snuff out with the simmer ring when done
Sounds good. Thanks for commenting
The charcoal in the bottom is covering up to much of the air holes and it's chocking it.
Thanks for commenting
@@MarkYoungBushcraft You welcome. Have a nice day.
Mark could you please tell me the make of your wind-screen? Thanks!
actually, it is a no-name brand I bought on eBay a goo dnumber of years ago. Much less expensive than any of the name brands. They come in 7 and 9 panels and in two different heights. Hope this helps
Sorry did I hear you right ? In the National Parks your not allowed to pick up sticks off the ground ? I was just wondering what the legal stance would be and if any what charge you would face ?
Yes, that is correct in Canada. It is stated in Parks literature but I am having trouble finding the specific regulation in the National Parks Act. I will continue to look for the specific law
I do not grill over my Solo Stove Lite , just use it as a normal heat source for cooking. A friend of mine like to use Hickory chips in his Zip Stove. I have not tried the Hickory Chips , I like small Oak twigs. If I can't use wood then I use a small Evernew Titanium Alcohol burner in the chamber as a 2nd heating source.
I agree, wood gas stoves produce hot smoke free heat but not a good grilling heat. hickory chips would work well, if expensive. Alcohol is my preferred back-up...when I remember to pack it..Thanks for commenting
I always pack a little alcohol for the trip , the thing is remembering to pack some for the alcohol burner. L O L.
Good experiment...
glad you enjoyed...thanks for commenting
Hi, what is your stove sitting on ?
A patio stone on top of two cinder blocks. Thanks for commenting
Thanks, Just got the same stove and burned wood pellets, had stove sitting in a heavy glass ashtray, bottom heat broke the glass in several pieces.
@@jimgresham5529 I bought a couple of firebricks used to line wood stoves to place my stoves on at home. Cheap, light and the don't break under the heat
@@MarkYoungBushcraft Thanks, can you find these at Homer D or Loews ?
@@jimgresham5529 I picked up my conduit clamps ate Home Depot in the electrical isle
I think if you used less pellets 1 cup and more charcoal, maybe better for cooking. Thank you for this video.
Great suggestion!
Try grilling a hot dog or burger patty when the fire goes out anyway. Sometimes the fat from the meat can get the flames going again.
Thanks for commenting
Seems like the fuel pack has choked off upward airflow.
That would be part of it. Charcoal does need good air flow. The other issue is that charcoal can't gassify as it has already had its combustibles gasses "cooked" off in its making. Thanks for commenting
walnut shells dried and methanol start .. werks for me
Cool. I will take a look and see if I can find walnut shells to try this with. I have also heard corn works well. Thanks for commenting
@@MarkYoungBushcraft love the work ur doing.. it helps many of Us FastForward our methologys and experiments .. to find Our Own UniqueSolutions. Im actually On my way outside right now to gather more and Im goinng to do some experiments with other nuts.. re corn .. i havent tried grains yet I thought they would explode Like Popcorn.. Buti have access to many grains.. FunStuff Btw The walnuts burn long hot clean and smell AWESOME .. albeit hard to ignite .. hence the methanol i got over 1 hour burn on 8 nuts! Less Than 1 oz of Methanol to start it
Maybe it could have worked if the charcoal was in much smaller pieces.
BTW, you use kerosine, alcohol-gel and that esbit stuff to light a fire, why not use the waxy-wood stuff instead? Much cleaner...
The charcoal will burn but not with any great heat and cannot gassify as it does not have any combustible gasses to release. I do use the cheap wax-wood starters often in my tests. I usually keep my DIY wax-wood starters for use in the woods. For a clean burn nothing beats alcohol. Thanks for commenting
@@MarkYoungBushcraft Charcoal won't gasify itself, but in small amounts evenly distributed it might help the pellets achieve consistant 'gas and burn' at a slightly lesser heatlevel. You could have different 'mixes' for cooking, baking or just burning. It might let you save a few grams of weight as well. Just my 2 cents.
You used too much charcoal, also too big pieces. Try a max of finger-nail-sized parts at a rate between 10/90 and 30/60 against the pellets. Use a waxy wood block to mix with the upper layer (also in very small parts). Then put another waxthing on top and fuego. 👌
You have to see it as a multi-layer-system for burning (instead of sleeping or clothing system).
@@andredeketeleastutecomplex You present an interesting methodology for utilizing charcoal with wood pellets. It is something for me to consider with the wood gas stoves as well as other stoves. Thank you
Try the swedish fire torch method from Firebox videos.
Worth a try. Thanks for commenting
use the tablet first, then add the pellets, take ONE charcol and split it into 4's
I have moved to natural chunk charcoal which burns so much nicer. It still won't gassify though. Thanks for commenting
try to put a litle vent to push the air force burning.....''???
Worth a try. Thanks for commenting
use a 1/4 hexamine tab to start it
Good tip. Since I am not a fan of Hexamine for cooking I may start using what I have for fire starting. Thanks for commenting
Hi Mark great video I think there may have been to much charcoal and maybe a layer of pellets then charcoal but just 3 or 4 then some more pellets would work but I do agree wood gas stoves do put out a lot of heat but treat it like a normal camp fire grill when it has just embers still good heat
Thanks for the suggestion... I have been hearing from a number of people who feel it won't make any difference how much or little charcoal I use... as it is already charred wood, there are no wood gasses to be given off for secondary ignition... What you suggest would likely work but I would have to wait for 30 plus minutes to get the coals..I do love my wood gas stoves but I don't think they are designed for grilling over...Thanks for commenting
Needed to place the fire starter below the fuel.
actually would not likely help much for a couple of reasons. What I learned about charcoal is that it does not give off wood gasses because they have all been removed in the charring process. Also, wood gas stoves work best when lit from the top (TLUD (top lit up draft). Wood pellets work great this way but I will use other stoves for charcoal. Thanks for commenting
@@MarkYoungBushcraft I think what Flying Hamster meant was: for grilling heat, you could light charcoal only from below, maybe six briquettes, with a wood chip and wax starter. Not expecting gasification, but only Hibachi type heat for grilling.
charcoal has already been gasified so it won't work in a gasification stove
Right on. I learned that when I made this video some time ago. Thanks for commenting
i tried same thing but smashed the brickets into smaller pieces and added a few small sticks .. worked great !..
use a griddle plate and adjust the height .
Good suggestion for general use with these stoves but it won't help with the charcoal not being a good fuel for wood gas stoves as it has no wood gas left in it. Thanks for commenting
I appreciate your videos but,...
Why haven't you discovered cast iron?
I use a 12" square cast iron griddle with raised ribs on my Titan for camping & at home. The high heat is perfect for grilling outdoors!
LOL...I have a growing collection of cast iron and agree it is perfect for using over the higher heat produced by the wood gas stoves. I would use it car camping or canoeing but am not likely to carry it very far in a backpacking. Thanks for commenting
Hallo! Did you try woodchips ? I have no woodgasstove....only a Ikea hobo..It Works very well with these Chips from a woodchips heatingsystem. At its best with tough hardwoodchips. Pleased Eschweiler my Brokern english...i am from Bavaria Germany..and Song have anything präzise in your Langhagen😁. Greetings. Hans. I Like you videos
Hello Hans. Greetings from Canada. I have not tried wood chips in my stoves yet. I don't have a cheap source for them available to me. If they work well in your Ikea hobo stove I am sure they would work well in a woodgas stove. I am a little confused by your last sentence. Eschweiler and Langhagen are both villages in Germany? Thank you for commenting
Mark Young Yes Mark...they are...bin life in the south 100 km north of Munich. Here in the woods.everywhere this Chips lay around. They are used for comunal and big private heatingsystem...instead of oil or gas. In USA i saw them in packs for grillchips..used for smokers
Use lump Charcoal it burns better than briquettes
Yes, all I use now is lump charcoal for the reasons you mention. It still will not work well in a wood gas stove though. Thanks for commenting
@@MarkYoungBushcraft, I really enjoy the videos. I am going to get a wood gas stove after seeing your videos on them.
Seems to me like your using to much charcoal
Possibly, but charcoal won't gasiffy in any case. There is no combustible gases left in it to gassify. Thanks for commenting
I wonder if you loaded it up with charcoal, a layer of pellets on top, and boiled water for tea, then burned past that into the charcoal for the main meat dish? All in the name of science, eh? Maybe just buy those disposable charcoal grilling jobbies and just refill it. Take care!
I may look into that... wish it was the other way around so I could have flame to heat my water for coffee at the end...I've got something coming that may be the answer..thanks for commenting
The charcoal is robbing all the oxygen leaving nothing for the pellets to burn...
I expect you are right on with that. Thanks for commenting
Good try!
Thanks for commenting