Amanda just a helpful tip... lf you buy welders gloves they will keep your hands safe as you load more wood into a hot stove.... they also come up covering your forearm for added protection..
Totally depends on the type of wood also. Ash and mulberry for the day time. Oak and black locust for the night time. Hedge for when it gets cold (zero fahrenheit and below)🙏🏻
Yep, I can heartily agree with your method. The key part is the firebed - the layer of hot embers onto which the fuel stack is placed. It can take up to an hour to create the proper firebed - it should be seriously hot - stoke it with a bunch of wood with all the dampers closed. Minimum airflow will drive off all the volatiles from the wood and leave you with what is basically charcoal. Distribute that mass of charcoal evenly so the air can get through, open the dampers and let the airflow go to maximum. If the flames go blue and you have plasma dancing in the firebox, it's hot! The load it up with the densest, knottiest, gnarliest hunks you can find - the density is key. Once they're on the hot firebed, close down the air and let them do their thing overnight. Come the morning you''ll have a warm room and a firebed ready for the day. Opening the door delivers 'Top air' - that's air that mixes with the volatile gases coming off the wood, burning them in a top flame. For a long burn, you need just enough 'bottom air' - air flowing through the grate, up through the fire for complete combustion. BTW - I really like your stove! That big window is superb! 🙂
Thanks, your description is awesome! I love the fact that I can start it again right away in the morning. Still a beautiful bed of hot coals under the ash. Happy heating!
Nice video! Similar to what I do but I rake all the coals forward so you get that true front to back cigar burn. I also don’t leave door open, no need if draft is good
Thank you just got my epa wood stove, waiting on my mobile home install kit to arrive but tomorrow putting my hearth together and putting up my imperial wall shields. Great vid thank you.
What i would give for this style of wood burner stove. Absolutely fabulous to sit and look at the front glass section. So relaxing and the little fan blowing the air out also is amazing. Unreal .
Thanks for the demonstration it seems to be a nice unit thinking about getting one like that for my house. Now, in my shop, I have an old 1920 rugged wood stove, and it burns for a good 10 hours loaded with seasoned wood. Hey take care and God bless
A tip for loading the wood into a hot firebox so you don't get burned: wear a pair of heavy leather welder's gloves and you can load the wood in a more leisurely fashion. I agree with the 'perpendicular' stacking of the wood in the stove, it seems to be easier to get a hotter burn. Sometimes, I'll lay the bottom row in a perpendicular fashion and layer 2-4 pieces horizontally.
Thanks for the comment, I do have a pair of gloves but my dog tends to eat them so I got out of the habit of using them. Definitely a good idea though! That's an interesting idea about the perpendicular and horizontal stacking. Any reason you choose one over the other? I have always found I could fit them together better perpendicular.
New to wood heating, so thanks for the visual demonstration of stacking for an overnight burn. With this crazy cold front, I'm learning the hard way that a heat pump just isn't enough in negative temps, so it's a crash course in wood heating!
I totally agree, we just put in our heat pump this fall and are trying to avoid using the electric auxiliary heat. We find the heat pump doesn't do enough below freezing temps and can only keep the house up to 15 or 16deg C. With the stove we can get it much more comfortable. Thanks for watching!
I just moved to Mount Shasta and my heat pump went kaboom. A new one will be installed in January. I am down to my wood stove and boy - you have to learn. I love the heat it provides. A question I have is - after you put that big dense log on the hot coals, must you see fire dancing from that log before you are comfortable with the settings? Still learning!!! And I don't have the damper... only a push pull vent on the bottom
More properly the air intake rather than flue, but great video, and you can see the secondary burn tubes working well. This is the secret to a long burn I believe, burning/lighting up the volatiles in the smoke, via secondary burn. This means your logs aren't being consumed as quickly. In the bad old days before secondary burn all those volatiles went up the flue as smoke and creosote. Any stout glove like those cheap pigskin leather gloves from handyman and gardening stores will allow you better access to a hot stove as you load it up...
Was going to mention the same thing. If there were a flue, it would be in the chimney/stove pipe. It looks like this is a Regency stove, not sure of the model. Ours is a 2500, with catalyst and electric blower, installed last year to heat our house full-time. We always use this loading technique, which keeps the catalyst up to temperature so we can keep the blower on "high" and get the most heat out of each load. At least once a week, we have to let the coals burn down to ash to reclaim the space in our stove. We try to do that on a sunny day when we don't need as much heat, because getting the stove back up to temperature takes a bit longer; the first load becomes the bed of coals for the next overnight burn. It's good to see that others are doing it the same way! Remember: wood heat is both renewable, and carbon-neutral!
Kinda... kinda... kinda... IAC I'm puzzled by your nomenclature. The flue is the pipe leading up from the top (or sometimes back) of the stove That lever you're moving around at 5:39 is the air vent control--isn't it? I've never seen a flue control at the bottom of a stove.
Hello, thanks for the comment. You're right that is the air intake control. Before having a woodstove we had an open fireplace, guess I am just used to calling the lever the flue. My apologies.
Best thing I did was to connect an outside air connection for combustion air. After burning firewood for 20+ years I finally decided to install an outside air kit. I used to feel cold even with the wood stove roaring. I finally realized it was due to a draft from the indoor air being pulled into the stove. The humidity also went from
That’s a good tip. From what I understand external air kits are needed when your home is newer or really well sealed. We have been working to seal our house better as it’s rated as pretty leaky. So, at the moment we don’t need an external air kit. Maybe one day!
I couldn't agree more the difference in heat retained in the home is staggering. My stove suddenly heated my 2000 square ft house like it had doubled its output.
@@idamandahomestead4221 there's more to it than that. A fire requires a flow of air it will not burn in a vacuum. The idea is with a fire burning and pulling air from inside the building it literally pulls cold outside air in to replace what the fire burnt and sent up the chimney. If you draw directly from outside there is no exchange of air happening in the building as the fire is drawing from outside consuming what it needs and sending it back outside. This increases the overall efficiency and effectiveness of your heater dramatically. Edit sorry for the long post and i load my stove the same for the overnight 👍
@@squirlnutsbigsack4864 that's really interesting, I will have to look into this! I had understood that as long as your house isn't airtight you didn't need one. But, I will definitely check it out because I am all for increased efficiency!
Thanks for doing this. I’m with your method, for the most part; with the exception that I get a longer burn by using two of the largest dense full ‘rounds’ I can squeeze in on top the bed. If the bed of coals is a bit shite, I may put 2 or 3 small splits on top the bed first.
Glad this video popped up in my feed, i will give this a try! Not tonight, though, as we're going down to -15, and my usual technique works as long as I have the right sticks. Normally, I set aside the biggest and knottiest logs and load the stove with them in the usual way, leaving space between and then placing the next layer across the lower one. We have a very old stove - 1982 - so it is anything BUT efficient (it was free, though!) and the fire tends to cool right down or even go out if there isn't adequate spacing between the sticks. So, I'll give this a shot on the next not-so-cold night, since my man really likes splitting the wood small 🤦♀️ Small sticks are nice for getting it going, but then we're feeding the damn thing every half hour or so because they just burn too fast! Ugh, all these people saying, "gloves"... Not practical for the most part - heck, we have a pair of MIG welding gloves handy - but yeah, if you don't have a fire poker (which you do), then they're not really all that necessary unless the poker just isn't cutting it and you need to go in with your hands and they're not fire-hardened yet. I think i may have used the gloves once over the past few years?
Haha, thanks for the comment. I do agree with you that I rarely use the gloves at any other time. However, they do work better when loading the stove this way at night. I just have to keep them hidden otherwise my dog will eat them and so I forget about them! Let me know how you do with your over night burn, I agree that the big knotty pieces are good for longer. I always want a selection of piece sizes but doesn't always work out that way! Happy wood heating!
Thanks for the video, I've been wondering about this for the first time this past winter and am still burning now even in March but less so. My stove is not that big and does not have the same flue mechanism so I'm not sure this will work but I'll give it a try. One crucial thing I've done which has been great is I finally started wearing leather work gloves while tending the stove at all times, no exceptions, it's made a world of difference in not having beat up and sometimes burned hands, and it makes handling hot coals and logs so much easier.
Haha, yes since making this video I always wear gloves when stacking the stove for overnight. It was a bad habit I got into not to use them, because my dog has a thing for leather gloves. He's eaten a few when I forget and leave them out. Sigh. Anyway, I use them now! Thanks for the comment!
Haha, yup gloves are a good idea! I don't use them when loading just a piece or two but I do normally use them when loading up for the night. Thanks for the comment and the subscribe!
Very nice video, thank you very much. Just put an old Jotul cast iron stove in my basement and it heats the whole house, but I’ve been having a hard time keeping it stoked for the entire night. Going to try this method tonight.
Pick up a nice thick set of welding gloves with long sleeves. I purchased a cheap set off amazon and it allows me to reach into the stove without burning yourself. Just like oven mits.
This fire pit is one of a few covered pits that is on the list th-cam.com/users/postUgkxAU9pOCSV9Y5JprooHvfxTpOrt4hx8uRM of approved products for Disney Fort Wilderness. The product served its purpose well and provided excellent fires throughout the evening. We were able to open the door and do s'mores, but I had to be careful because the handle was a bit hot on occasions. Additionally, I wish they had replaced some of the standard nuts with lock nuts in some places. We lost the door handle after just a couple of days of usage. Not a deal breaker, just a recommendation. I still give it 5 stars.
Gosh I can't wait! Have a propane fireplace in this cabin and planning another build on vacant land. Will have a wood stove in garage and pellet stove in living room. I cannot wait for that quality heat that gets into everything.
Really good video, Amanda. This is the best way to burn overnight with a 2020 EPA stove. I can see what looks like gas jets of flame at the top of the stove. I know these are where the pre-heated air mixes with the vaporous fuel. This fuel used to go up into the chimney and become creosote. Now it's being burned in the stove. The new technology has a bit of a learning curve, but you've done a great job of helping people figure it out. If you plan on cleaning your chimney yourself, please let me know. I'd be happy to give you some professional tips. (btw I'm a NFI Certified Master Hearth Professional.)
Thanks for the comment, I really appreciate it! I can't say I am ready to try cleaning out my stove on my own, but I will let you know if I change my mind!
i have never tried this and i have been truly disappointed i could not get a load in the stove to last more than a few hours hopefully it works just as good in my wood stove which is older but still really solid burner
I can shorten this up a bit: Create the bed of coals using smaller pieces of wood. Damper your flue (I just call it the air intake) down to a minimum and then add REALLY large pieces of firewood. At least two three is better. Then go to bed. I've used this approach for thirty years with my Pacific Energy Spectrum stove with great results. I only burn birch firewood. Sometimes it's seasoned for a year other times just a week or so. I have a straight vertical chimney about 10' in length and have never had to sweep the chimney for creosote.
Hey Guys I'm new to wood stoves. How do I follow this process without having a "run away stove". I tried this or something similar by packing it full and my stove top started to get a red spot. I freaked out and read to open all air and the stove door to allow cool air in and that worked but I of course lost the wood because it burned in a couple of hours.
You should be able to control the fire by closing down the air intake and the damper. If your stove doesn't have a built in damper, you can put one in the stovepipe. The magnetic thermometers are good to tell you when to turn things down. It takes some experimentation to figure out . Good luck!
It's an Ecofan, I actually do have a video that shows how it works. Uses something called thermoelectricity so it doesn't need a battery or to be plugged in. Great for when the power is out. Thanks for watching!
Very good video. The hot bright spot in the center bottom of your stove looks like an air leak. On my stove that indicates the rope seal around the ash dump drawer is ready for replacement. I don't know if that applies to this stove or not. Thank you for your video.
I actually just did a video on how to tell if you are burning at the right temperature. You should check it out! The newer stoves shouldn't ever get hot enough to melt or cause a fire but you can definitely damage them if you overfire. Thanks for watching!
...I have no idea who this woman is and this is my first encounter with her channel. That said, her idea for how she wants to set the stove up for the overnight burn certainly seems logical to me and she presents it very well. It just makes sense, doesn't it? I just wish we came back the following morning to see the results... no matter, still a thumbs up.
Thanks for the comment! I didn't think about doing the next morning! It usually is still hot glowing coals and the fan is still throwing out heat. I put some kindling on and it just flames right back up. That's after about 12 hours. :)
Put a 152000 BTU vogelzang in our house 2600 sq. ft. in 2013. Electric bill went immediatly to 65.00 per month through the winter. We have not turned our heat pump on since 2013, and you can adjust this stove to keep your home about whatever temperature you are comfortable in. Also whenever power goes out in the winter you have light from the stove and you can cook and heat water. Old habits hard to break.
Yes, we have just taken out our gas furnace and put in a air heat pump. We are hoping to only use it a little and rely mostly on the wood stove. We are lucky to have woods to supply our wood. I have boiled water on it too!
I have the same stove and if I put more than 4 pieces in it the fire starts rolling rapidly and over fires the stove even with the damper almost fully closed. What do you do that I’m not?
@@jmanyoo3305 sorry for the delay in replying I missed this comment. I am not sure what the difference is. You could maybe try full logs? I have seen several comments that this reduces the temp of the burn. I am going to try that too. Let me know!
Great tips. I try to accomplish the same affect by putting in the largest round possible (22” diameter and 9” tall). I cut some of my wood in very short pieces (9”) which also keeps me from having to split these. Gary
Love this video and all the comments. Something not touched on is stove temperature. Loading the stove like that in a steel made stove with damper open you have to be careful with an overburn. Too hot means the stove can warp. Cast iron is better for that but takes longer to start up, and is more $$.
Hello there and thanks for the comment. It's true I don't mention stove temp in this video. I do have another video that talks about using a stove thermometer to create safe and efficient burns. Very true about wanting to overfire your stove. I think if you're planning on doing an overnight burn a thermometer is a necessary piece of equipment and I probably should have addressed that in this video. Have a great day!
@idamandahomestead4221 Thanks for the reply. Im curious on what I should do when it is overburning. Open door to let more heat out or just close damper and let it go
What is your stove temp? We just had a fireplace stove insert installed. Our installer recommended not getting the stove above 550 farenheight because it can start to eat thru our chimney liner. Thoughts?
It does help circulate the warm air, warms the air twice as fast as without. We have a blower but this is especially great when the power is out. Thanks for the comment!
I have the same stove!! Very nice video, thanks for sharing! I was wondering if you had the same problem I do, with the thermometer hitting the double wall pipe?
Hello there! I do have a double wall pipe, so my stove thermometer is one that is designed to sit on the stove top. I didn't want to get one of the ones that you drill a hole into the pipe. Seems like lots of potential for me to damage something! What do you do to measure the temp?
A thermometer into the pipe came with mine, but it sits up against the pipe and the part that moves hits on the pipe. I’m going to try throwing a little spacer in it!
The way my Fireplace Insert is configured, I have to load East to West. It has a shallow 14” depth. The only way I can fill the fire box front to back is cut my firewood to 12”, which I do at times. East to west the fire box will except a 24” piece of firewood. Nice video👍
Yes, we could put a longer piece east to west, but I would have to reach further in which would be more difficult. I have welding gloves now so maybe I’ll try it!
Love my wood stove, but every year I DO brush the chimney to remove Any creosote. And my wood has been dried in my drying shed for at least a year after being split. You never can be too safe!
We don't generally measure them but they're probably about 18 to 24 inches long. I usually have a few inches open at the front. Our firebox is about 27 inches deep. Thanks for the comment, have a great day!
Thank you for the info. That is a deep firebox. Mine is 27 inches wide, but not that deep. I would much rather have one like yours. We are looking for a new one, so you gave us something to consider. Just found your channel and I have been binge watching all of your videos. Thank you so much!
Nice... thank you so much for posting. I didn't read the prior comments (sorry) but have you ever put the wood in East to West, rather than North & South like you did in this video. I heard that by putting the wood in lengthwise (east & west) you get a longer burn time. Experiment. thank you.... and happy wood heating..
I prefer shorter pieces put in North and South, only because when I have longer pieces and put it in lengthwise, they tend to roll off and lay against the glass. Then there's this whole having to barely crack the door so I can reach in with the poker and scooch it over!
Correct. Wanted to point this out too. With the grain contradicting the natural airflow of the stove all wood will burn slower. I just use larger rounds so the buggers can’t roll. We can’t get an all nighter with subalpine fir any other way but, if it works for others then that’s great. Thanks for the vid!
I would like to hear some advice on the stove top fan you have. Type of metal, number of blades, brand, etc. My stove has a built-in electric blower, but I would like to add the top heat-driven fan.
That's a good idea, I should do a segment on that. It doesn't move as much air as a blower even when its on low. But, it's good secondary option especially if you have a small area to heat or if the power goes out!
That is called an Ecofan. I have a video on how that works if you want to check it out. It’s also great if we have a power outage because it doesn’t use electricity. Thanks for watching!
Hopefully you have a good flu gas thermometer in your stove pipe. Also, be careful when you open your stove door, that the overhang doesn't go beyond the protection on the floor. I have seen an ember stick to the door, and fall off the door onto unprotected floor surface. Can be very dangerous. Happy heating.
Thanks, that’s definitely important. We just had the installation of this stove done about 4 months to supplement our stove insert in another room. It’s WETT certified and has a large area of floor protection. I wouldn’t want one without that, too dangerous!
That’s a really nice stove, mine is an older one but once my night sticks start burning good I shut it down and always have coals next morning for next fire.
For the last 16 years we've been using a buck fireplace insert that was in our den when we bought our home. It's in a closed off nook of the house and is ok as long as it doesn't get stupid cold outside,but we're now getting more serious about wood being our sole heat source. We bought a used fisher grandpa bear stove and we're installing it in the center of our house. The firebox is 24" wide,18" deep,and14" high. They have a reputation as being a long burning fairly efficient stove( for what they are). Its top is 5/16 plate steel,it weighs about 500lbs,and has an 8" flu. I live in West Virginia so our winters are hit and miss as far as cold and snow go,but I figure I'll burn about 5 cord a year on average. Hopefully I'll be able to get long overnight burns in mine. Most agree that in my stove 10 hours is reasonable. I'd be happy with eight hours as that's about all I sleep anyways.
Sounds good to me! I think each stove has it's own personality and I am sure you will be able to figure out how to get those 8 to 10 hour burns. That has certainly been long enough for us. Thanks for the comment!
I also controlled the amount of fresh air intake to slow burning. Lastly I would save y-sections of wood ( where the trunk splits). Split them and put one in the stove at bed time. They burn more slowly and I'd still have hot coals or flames in the morning.
One thing I was hoiping you would explain - why not close the door and flu all the way after loading the wood? Is the concern that the fire would go out? Too much smoke/PM2.5? Thanks.
Hello there and thanks for the comment! Yes, leaving the door open gives the fire more oxygen and helps it get burning faster. Then I close the door and it keeps going. if your fire is really hot to begin with you may not need to do this.
Thanks for the comment. Yeah I guess I should have filmed it the next morning! Usually after 12 hours it’s a bed of glowing coals but no flame. I just add kindling and it flames back up immediately. Thanks for watching!
As a 2020 certified EPA wood stove it is very close to air tight. The reason the stove works with the damper fully closed is that secondary burn tubes have their own air intake that is always open. Also, hard to tell from the video but it looks to me that fire burned too hat for too long. Get yourself a stove thermometer or an IR gun and make sure the stove does not go over the manufacture’s specs. I’m guessing that fire was burning well over a 1000 degrees for a while.
Hello there, I actually do have a stove thermometer and the temp does stay within the safe range. I completely agree that if you are going to do something like this you don't want to over fire your stove! Thanks for the comment!
It’s called an Ecofan and I got mine from a local garden supply company, Lee Valley. You can order them online too. I have a video about how it works if you want to check it out. Thanks for watching!
Hello there and thanks for the comment! It's an EcoFan. I do have a video on how it works but basically it uses the difference in the air temperature and the temperature of the base of the stove to create an electrical current that powers the fan. It's pretty neat. It has been showed to increase the temperature of the air around the stove twice as quickly as without a fan. It's not as effective as a blower but works great in a power outage or if you're off grid. Thanks for watching!
Anyone reporting burn times....this is a regency F1150 with an airmate. I have a brand new one in my basement, no matter how I pack it, I get 3 to 4 hour burns, maybe 2 hrs. if I just fill half way. These are great because the firebox seams are factory welded, made in Canada. Nice stove for the price, will last a long time.
Hello there, I also have a Regency stove but it is a bigger one. I would think you should be able to get a longer burn that 3-4 hours. Have you tried getting a really nice bed of coals then placing full (unsplit) logs in there wedged together? You can then put splits in just to fill the gaps. That should burn slower especially if you slowly close the air intake. Thanks for watching!
Well done, the other watcher is correct to invest in a pair of wood stove gloves, or welder gloves. But interesting the difference in changing how you put the wood when loading for the night.
Great tips! Thanks. Just installed a smaller Regency stove in my cabin. Do you like the electric fan unit? I bought mine without it. I’m debating investing in one. ✌️
I really do like the electric fan, it makes a big difference in moving the air. The cost of the electricity is negligible. The high speed of the fan is loud so we mostly use the lower speed unless we want to heat the place really fast. Thanks for watching!
It is a 2.3cu ft stove and puts out up to 75,000 BTUs. We have a 3,000 sq ft bungalow and it heats it nicely when we use the blower. Not sure how many sq ft is rated for, probably depends on the climate. Thanks for the comment!
It's a Regency F2450 which is a medium non catalytic stove. That wood will burn about 10 hours. I just added a video that shows what it looks like in the morning if you want to check it out! Thanks for watching!
I don't know how cold it is where you are or what your draft is like but I have heated my house for 30 years and I don't do all that and think you burned off a lot of wood that could have burned longer into the morning. Good bed of coals absolutely, but then I just pack it as tight as I can, shut the air down the max cuz my 30 year old VC stove is not air tight anymore and it burns all night from 9:30 pm to 6:30 am. I guess what works for you works but it isn't how I do it and like I said I've been doing this for a long time.
I guess it depends on the weather and the size of the house. Our house is over 3000 sqft and weather gets down to minus 20 celcius sometimes. So, a little bit cold here!! Stove does great though!
@@idamandahomestead4221 It gets that cold here too but my house is on 1 level and is 1500 sq ft. Have you ever just kept loading wood into it vs letting it all just burn down to coals so that about 30 minutes before you go to bed you can add a couple of logs to fill the stove vs having nothing but coals and having to spend the time to build the fire? I'd bet that takes a good 15 to 30 minutes. For me, when it is time to hit the sack, I don't want to spend any more time than it takes to go outside, grab a few pieces of wood and shut down the stove for the night.
I really like the idea of moving the wood to the back and tightly stacked. But, your floor protection is not adequate. Wider and thicker. Also you don’t have a heat shield in the back of your stove. I agree other commenters; invest in fireplace tools/welding gloves. I will definitely try out your method tonight. Thanks from central Canada.
Hello there and thanks for the comment! I hear what you are saying about the floor protection but in fact this is what is described in the manual of the stove. I can actually touch the back of this stove with my bare hands, so the clearance is less than other stoves. It's great for small spaces. As far as the gloves, I do use them now! I just used to hide them from my dog and then forget about them. Haha. Happy heating!
Is it ok to bring your stove super hot like this for 10 minutes? I've heard that it shouldn't be higher than 600f on the top part (using a stove thermometer)
Thanks for the comment. You are absolutely right that you don't want to run your stove too hot. I have a stove thermometer and if you do this right the stove never gets into the "red" or too hot range which is over 600deg F. Happy wood heating!
We've had our stove glowing red a couple times 🤣 One time was when there was 3' of snow on the ground, so we went outside and had a "bath" because we just got too hot, and hey - free clean water in crystallized form, so why not? Definitely wasn't good for the stove, as the back is now warped, but we took every precaution when we built the little addition where our stove is, including using a fire-proofing treatment on the wall studs and inside of the sheathing behind the concrete board and heat shield, and using roxul instead of fiberglass for the insulation. I was a firefighter, so I don't mess around when it comes to fire prevention ;)
It’s called an EcoFan. It’s cool because you don’t have to plug it in and it helps circulate the warm air. Not super powerful but it moves air twice as fast as diffusion would.
The chimney pipe is actually two pipes, one inside the other. The vents allow air to enter and exit. The cool air is pulled in and more warm air exits. Its a great design!
Inside the stove are secondary air tubes. These allow fresh air in which burns the hot gases before they head up the chimney. This creates that upside down looking fire she was showing.
Great info. Quick question...when I load my stove like this, it cranks heat and the flue goes to about 700degrees, the temp gauge says that is way too hot. Any tips?
My suggestion is to close the air intake gradually so it never gets going crazy hot. I find if I let it get too hot then I can't get it to burn slowly. The other option is to load full logs and not splits, they will burn more slowly. Let me know if that helps!
When I first started burning wood I'd always hear people talk about "banking the fire" for an overnight burn. I did this for the first few years, but since I cleaned my own flue every year I saw just how much creosote can build up if the fire (therefore the flue) isn't how enough. I have a masonry chimney with a terracotta liner. Best thing I invested in was a thermometer for my stovepipe. I like to keep my temp around 400 degrees. I'd rather have to get up in the middle of the night to throw wood in the fire than burn a cool, smouldering fire.
Absolutely. After you burn wood for a few years you can just tell when it's hot enough but someone new to it will try to burn green wood and end up with a flue fire. I never really have to clean my flue, just open the tee in the pipe over my stove and vacuum out the burned creosote that falls down on the baffle plate of my stove.
Thanks for the reply! From what I understand banking a fire involves putting a layer of ash over hot coals/wood to partially smother it and really slow down the burn. I think it would not therefore generate much heat but would preserve hot coals for the morning. What we are doing is keeping the fire going but at a slower rate. I have a woodstove thermometer to help me make sure it doesn't get too hot or cold. I try to keep it out of the creosote range. I have another video on that too if you are interested. Other thoughts/suggestions welcome!
Hello there, sorry for the delayed reply! It's a Regency F2450. That's a large stove and heats our 3000sq ft home even down to below -15 celcius. Thanks for the comment!
Hello there! I like doing this because I want the wood to burn from front to back and so the coals really help it get going. Once it's burning well and your stove is at the right temp (stove thermometer is key) then you can begin to close the damper. Have a great day!
It's called an Ecofan, it uses the temperature difference between the stove surface and the air behind it to create an electric current. This allows the fan to turn. It circulates the air 2x as fast as without. I have a video on this if you like! 😀
For those of you who use a smoker to cook meat, this is the same technique to lay briquettes down and conduct a controlled burn which last hours. Using round logs, not split, will add some burn time in an overnight burn.
I loaded with nice 6 inch diameter or so red oak or sometimes we had maple or even Elm Before closing it down for the night About 1/4 turn open with one damper Fisher mama bear😊 It would burn for at least twelve hours this way👋 If I loaded our stoves that way my Father would Have me up at 0400 hours to start it again It irritates me so much to see people destroying good firewood turning it into kindling. Plenty of dead branches for that we had ten acres bordering on county state and Nicolet national forest That blurred into Hiawatha and chequamagon national forest. We never had to cut any trees down healthy ones that is for ten years without hardly making a dent in it😂 I miss hovering over wood stove with coffee in the mornings ☕
I’ve had a high efficiency Regent wood stove in Canada for 20+ years. In exchange for the long burn, you are sure to get creosote buildup. After a while, you risk a chimney fire, especially when preheating as per the video. (One commenter said the chamber was getting up to 1000 deg.) Get a thermometer and be sure the chimney is not overheating. Second, if you do this a lot, clean the chimney a couple of time a heating season until you know how much buildup you are getting.
I definitely agree that you need to monitor for creosote buildup as well as your stove burning temp. I do have a stove thermometer and it never gets over 700 deg with this method. We do also have our stove cleaned yearly and they have told us we are using good burning methods. You definitely need to keep an eye on that though! Thanks for the comment!
You can always add a dampener to the flue pipe for additional things to fiddle with. They do actually help control airflow especially when it’s very cold or windy.
We are pretty sheltered from the wind where we are and I haven't had trouble with this. I did think about getting a dampener in the stove pipe more as an emergency back up in case I need to put out an overheated fire. This is especially so since the EPA rated stoves are not airtight. Thanks for the comment!
Question: Should I use the primary air vent or secondary when getting the fire hot? I have three sliders on my fireplace: Primary, secondary and tertiary. Thanks a lot for the video. I have a Northern Flame Azar multifuel fireplace; I’m just acared of overburning if I it heats up as much as yours did.
Hello there! To be honest I am not sure of the answer to your question. I have only one air intake to adjust. I would think if you look up the instruction manual for your stove it should help. As far as the stove overheating, that's why I use a stove thermometer over the firebox to make sure I am keeping a safe temp. Good luck!
Can’t say I have actually measured this. I do notice the air from the blower is not as warm. Can be a good way to prevent the house from getting too warm!
I have a magnetic thermometer on my flue pipe with a black, green and red section anything in black causes creosote, green is the perfect burning temperature and hardly no build up of soot in the flue and red is to hot and can cause fires. They're brilliant and cheap to buy. Can't get them on amazon
When I use this technique for an overnight burn, the thermometer on my stovepipe says that my temps are low and in the 'creosote' zone, is this a problem? This is only my second winter with this house/stove and last year I didn't even try to keep a burn going overnight. It sure is nice to wake up to a toasty house! (I did clean my stovepipe inside and out and plan on doing so every year.)
Just a question, do you have a single or double wall stove pipe? If it’s double wall (which mine is) you can’t use a regular magnetic stove pipe thermal. I use a stove top thermometer. Let me know and if it’s not that we can do more problem solving!
@@idamandahomestead4221 Thank you for replying! Stove pipe is single wall. I'm in shock that it's possible to keep it around 400 all night without burning out?! Honestly it's been warm enough in the morning that if I didn't have the thermometer telling me it's in the sketchy range, I wouldn't have thought twice.. Not sure if this is helpful info- my stove is a Blaze King and it has two handles for dampers but the round dampers that I can see from inside the stove are broken/don't move with the handle so they stay open. The other one that I can't see works but the stove doesn't have an intake (I think that's what it's called, where air comes in thru the bottom?) and I don't have a cat converter in it because the previous owners somehow melted the compartment for it. I'm doing my best lol.
@@kbea-e1m I think as long as it's in the good range when you go to bed you'll be fine. As the logs burn down the temp will naturally go down there isn't much to do about that unless you want to get up in the night and add more. I would say as long as your chimney cleaning company says everything looks good then you're doing a good job!
Amanda just a helpful tip... lf you buy welders gloves they will keep your hands safe as you load more wood into a hot stove.... they also come up covering your forearm for added protection..
what I do
Came here to write the same comment, also you need not throw the logs in with welder's gloves. Tossing the logs in risks breaking the bricks.
@@brianwelteroth9248 fellow brick breaker here! can attest than welding gloves are a must! make that ol stove last just another century
Yes by the wife a pair every x mas.
Yep, a good investment for anyone with a wood heater
Doing that for 50 years and that approach is perfect procedure
Thanks!
Totally depends on the type of wood also. Ash and mulberry for the day time. Oak and black locust for the night time. Hedge for when it gets cold (zero fahrenheit and below)🙏🏻
Yep, I can heartily agree with your method. The key part is the firebed - the layer of hot embers onto which the fuel stack is placed. It can take up to an hour to create the proper firebed - it should be seriously hot - stoke it with a bunch of wood with all the dampers closed. Minimum airflow will drive off all the volatiles from the wood and leave you with what is basically charcoal. Distribute that mass of charcoal evenly so the air can get through, open the dampers and let the airflow go to maximum. If the flames go blue and you have plasma dancing in the firebox, it's hot! The load it up with the densest, knottiest, gnarliest hunks you can find - the density is key. Once they're on the hot firebed, close down the air and let them do their thing overnight. Come the morning you''ll have a warm room and a firebed ready for the day.
Opening the door delivers 'Top air' - that's air that mixes with the volatile gases coming off the wood, burning them in a top flame. For a long burn, you need just enough 'bottom air' - air flowing through the grate, up through the fire for complete combustion.
BTW - I really like your stove! That big window is superb! 🙂
Thanks, your description is awesome! I love the fact that I can start it again right away in the morning. Still a beautiful bed of hot coals under the ash. Happy heating!
You mean hearthily agree.
Nice video! Similar to what I do but I rake all the coals forward so you get that true front to back cigar burn. I also don’t leave door open, no need if draft is good
Thank you just got my epa wood stove, waiting on my mobile home install kit to arrive but tomorrow putting my hearth together and putting up my imperial wall shields. Great vid thank you.
What i would give for this style of wood burner stove. Absolutely fabulous to sit and look at the front glass section. So relaxing and the little fan blowing the air out also is amazing. Unreal .
It's funny you know I used to dread winter, but with the wood stove I really look forward to it. A blanket, a book and I'm good! Thanks for watching!
Really good video , I learned a lot. Just installed a Hearthstone and am happy with it. Going to use your techniques for an all night burn. Thanks
This was a really informative video, although including a clip of what it looked like in the morning would have been helpful too
Thanks for the comment, here's a link to the morning after video. th-cam.com/video/1bBhL6r9ZNc/w-d-xo.html
@ awesome
This is the best video I have watched regarding putting together a successful and efficient overnight but. Thanks!
But what 😗
Thanks for the demonstration it seems to be a nice unit thinking about getting one like that for my house. Now, in my shop, I have an old 1920 rugged wood stove, and it burns for a good 10 hours loaded with seasoned wood. Hey take care and God bless
Glad it was helpful!
A tip for loading the wood into a hot firebox so you don't get burned: wear a pair of heavy leather welder's gloves and you can load the wood in a more leisurely fashion. I agree with the 'perpendicular' stacking of the wood in the stove, it seems to be easier to get a hotter burn. Sometimes, I'll lay the bottom row in a perpendicular fashion and layer 2-4 pieces horizontally.
Thanks for the comment, I do have a pair of gloves but my dog tends to eat them so I got out of the habit of using them. Definitely a good idea though! That's an interesting idea about the perpendicular and horizontal stacking. Any reason you choose one over the other? I have always found I could fit them together better perpendicular.
New to wood heating, so thanks for the visual demonstration of stacking for an overnight burn. With this crazy cold front, I'm learning the hard way that a heat pump just isn't enough in negative temps, so it's a crash course in wood heating!
I totally agree, we just put in our heat pump this fall and are trying to avoid using the electric auxiliary heat. We find the heat pump doesn't do enough below freezing temps and can only keep the house up to 15 or 16deg C. With the stove we can get it much more comfortable. Thanks for watching!
I just moved to Mount Shasta and my heat pump went kaboom. A new one will be installed in January. I am down to my wood stove and boy - you have to learn. I love the heat it provides. A question I have is - after you put that big dense log on the hot coals, must you see fire dancing from that log before you are comfortable with the settings? Still learning!!! And I don't have the damper... only a push pull vent on the bottom
Hey@@cjjillian1958 did you get it figured out? I haven't mastered the all night burn yet 🙂
More properly the air intake rather than flue, but great video, and you can see the secondary burn tubes working well. This is the secret to a long burn I believe, burning/lighting up the volatiles in the smoke, via secondary burn. This means your logs aren't being consumed as quickly. In the bad old days before secondary burn all those volatiles went up the flue as smoke and creosote.
Any stout glove like those cheap pigskin leather gloves from handyman and gardening stores will allow you better access to a hot stove as you load it up...
Was going to mention the same thing. If there were a flue, it would be in the chimney/stove pipe.
It looks like this is a Regency stove, not sure of the model. Ours is a 2500, with catalyst and electric blower, installed last year to heat our house full-time. We always use this loading technique, which keeps the catalyst up to temperature so we can keep the blower on "high" and get the most heat out of each load. At least once a week, we have to let the coals burn down to ash to reclaim the space in our stove. We try to do that on a sunny day when we don't need as much heat, because getting the stove back up to temperature takes a bit longer; the first load becomes the bed of coals for the next overnight burn. It's good to see that others are doing it the same way!
Remember: wood heat is both renewable, and carbon-neutral!
Kinda... kinda... kinda... IAC I'm puzzled by your nomenclature. The flue is the pipe leading up from the top (or sometimes back) of the stove That lever you're moving around at 5:39 is the air vent control--isn't it? I've never seen a flue control at the bottom of a stove.
Hello, thanks for the comment. You're right that is the air intake control. Before having a woodstove we had an open fireplace, guess I am just used to calling the lever the flue. My apologies.
Best thing I did was to connect an outside air connection for combustion air. After burning firewood for 20+ years I finally decided to install an outside air kit. I used to feel cold even with the wood stove roaring. I finally realized it was due to a draft from the indoor air being pulled into the stove. The humidity also went from
That’s a good tip. From what I understand external air kits are needed when your home is newer or really well sealed. We have been working to seal our house better as it’s rated as pretty leaky. So, at the moment we don’t need an external air kit. Maybe one day!
I couldn't agree more the difference in heat retained in the home is staggering. My stove suddenly heated my 2000 square ft house like it had doubled its output.
@@idamandahomestead4221 there's more to it than that. A fire requires a flow of air it will not burn in a vacuum. The idea is with a fire burning and pulling air from inside the building it literally pulls cold outside air in to replace what the fire burnt and sent up the chimney. If you draw directly from outside there is no exchange of air happening in the building as the fire is drawing from outside consuming what it needs and sending it back outside. This increases the overall efficiency and effectiveness of your heater dramatically. Edit sorry for the long post and i load my stove the same for the overnight 👍
@@squirlnutsbigsack4864 that's really interesting, I will have to look into this! I had understood that as long as your house isn't airtight you didn't need one. But, I will definitely check it out because I am all for increased efficiency!
@@idamandahomestead4221 👍
Thanks for doing this. I’m with your method, for the most part; with the exception that I get a longer burn by using two of the largest dense full ‘rounds’ I can squeeze in on top the bed. If the bed of coals is a bit shite, I may put 2 or 3 small splits on top the bed first.
i had a nice full round of dense fir burning all yesterday and its still in there this morning about 18 hours later .
Glad this video popped up in my feed, i will give this a try! Not tonight, though, as we're going down to -15, and my usual technique works as long as I have the right sticks. Normally, I set aside the biggest and knottiest logs and load the stove with them in the usual way, leaving space between and then placing the next layer across the lower one. We have a very old stove - 1982 - so it is anything BUT efficient (it was free, though!) and the fire tends to cool right down or even go out if there isn't adequate spacing between the sticks. So, I'll give this a shot on the next not-so-cold night, since my man really likes splitting the wood small 🤦♀️ Small sticks are nice for getting it going, but then we're feeding the damn thing every half hour or so because they just burn too fast!
Ugh, all these people saying, "gloves"... Not practical for the most part - heck, we have a pair of MIG welding gloves handy - but yeah, if you don't have a fire poker (which you do), then they're not really all that necessary unless the poker just isn't cutting it and you need to go in with your hands and they're not fire-hardened yet. I think i may have used the gloves once over the past few years?
Haha, thanks for the comment. I do agree with you that I rarely use the gloves at any other time. However, they do work better when loading the stove this way at night. I just have to keep them hidden otherwise my dog will eat them and so I forget about them! Let me know how you do with your over night burn, I agree that the big knotty pieces are good for longer. I always want a selection of piece sizes but doesn't always work out that way! Happy wood heating!
😂❤
Thanks for the video, I've been wondering about this for the first time this past winter and am still burning now even in March but less so. My stove is not that big and does not have the same flue mechanism so I'm not sure this will work but I'll give it a try. One crucial thing I've done which has been great is I finally started wearing leather work gloves while tending the stove at all times, no exceptions, it's made a world of difference in not having beat up and sometimes burned hands, and it makes handling hot coals and logs so much easier.
Haha, yes since making this video I always wear gloves when stacking the stove for overnight. It was a bad habit I got into not to use them, because my dog has a thing for leather gloves. He's eaten a few when I forget and leave them out. Sigh. Anyway, I use them now! Thanks for the comment!
I liked the video and subscribed as a result. I immediately thought gloves, I’ve burned knuckles, but you’ve heard that often enough! Thanks ❤
Haha, yup gloves are a good idea! I don't use them when loading just a piece or two but I do normally use them when loading up for the night. Thanks for the comment and the subscribe!
Very nice video, thank you very much. Just put an old Jotul cast iron stove in my basement and it heats the whole house, but I’ve been having a hard time keeping it stoked for the entire night. Going to try this method tonight.
Pick up a nice thick set of welding gloves with long sleeves. I purchased a cheap set off amazon and it allows me to reach into the stove without burning yourself. Just like oven mits.
Yup, I have them. Just forgot to use them for the video. They do make things easier!
great nice fire, perfect gasification when only top flame is burning, bottom charcoal is just heating wood and supplying the gas
nice wood-burning stove, nice tip, thanx for the upload.
Such a thorough helpful video. I appreciate all the attention to detail.
Hi Amanda, it has been really very useful and illustrative. Thank you for the nice video, i wonder what is the stove model you have?
It's a Regency F2450 which is a Canadian brand I think. Not sure what country you're in but it's a good one if you can get it! Thanks for watching!
This fire pit is one of a few covered pits that is on the list th-cam.com/users/postUgkxAU9pOCSV9Y5JprooHvfxTpOrt4hx8uRM of approved products for Disney Fort Wilderness. The product served its purpose well and provided excellent fires throughout the evening. We were able to open the door and do s'mores, but I had to be careful because the handle was a bit hot on occasions. Additionally, I wish they had replaced some of the standard nuts with lock nuts in some places. We lost the door handle after just a couple of days of usage. Not a deal breaker, just a recommendation. I still give it 5 stars.
Do you use a stove top thermometer so not to over fire your stove?
I haven’t used a thermometer, I just make sure that the flame isn’t too big and a darker red so it’s not so hot.
Relay do you have tell us this I think it internment have you ever packed a cord of wood out sawed split and stack
Thanks, wanted to see it in the morning
No problem 👍
just a quick question. do you clean the baffel plate when you sweep the chimney??
Welder Gloves are really good
Gosh I can't wait! Have a propane fireplace in this cabin and planning another build on vacant land. Will have a wood stove in garage and pellet stove in living room. I cannot wait for that quality heat that gets into everything.
Yes, the radiant heat from the Woodstove is just so nice! We usually end up all sitting around it reading or talking. Makes the winter more enjoyable!
Really good video, Amanda. This is the best way to burn overnight with a 2020 EPA stove. I can see what looks like gas jets of flame at the top of the stove. I know these are where the pre-heated air mixes with the vaporous fuel. This fuel used to go up into the chimney and become creosote. Now it's being burned in the stove. The new technology has a bit of a learning curve, but you've done a great job of helping people figure it out. If you plan on cleaning your chimney yourself, please let me know. I'd be happy to give you some professional tips. (btw I'm a NFI Certified Master Hearth Professional.)
Thanks for the comment, I really appreciate it! I can't say I am ready to try cleaning out my stove on my own, but I will let you know if I change my mind!
i have never tried this and i have been truly disappointed i could not get a load in the stove to last more than a few hours hopefully it works just as good in my wood stove which is older but still really solid burner
I can shorten this up a bit: Create the bed of coals using smaller pieces of wood. Damper your flue (I just call it the air intake) down to a minimum and then add REALLY large pieces of firewood. At least two three is better. Then go to bed. I've used this approach for thirty years with my Pacific Energy Spectrum stove with great results. I only burn birch firewood. Sometimes it's seasoned for a year other times just a week or so. I have a straight vertical chimney about 10' in length and have never had to sweep the chimney for creosote.
I am john in bc canada ,, do you take the bark off ? I understand it relly messes with the pipes , I take what i can EASY and the rest i burn
That’s interesting about the bark, I haven’t heard that. We just burn it all. I will look that up though. Thanks for watching!
@@johnnyelectric4844 Just leave the bark on. It burns fine.
Hey Guys I'm new to wood stoves. How do I follow this process without having a "run away stove". I tried this or something similar by packing it full and my stove top started to get a red spot. I freaked out and read to open all air and the stove door to allow cool air in and that worked but I of course lost the wood because it burned in a couple of hours.
You should be able to control the fire by closing down the air intake and the damper. If your stove doesn't have a built in damper, you can put one in the stovepipe. The magnetic thermometers are good to tell you when to turn things down. It takes some experimentation to figure out . Good luck!
You can see the secondary burn pipes are working just fine and efficient.
I agree with this method!
Can you tell me what kind of fan is on your stove please?
Thanks!
It's an Ecofan, I actually do have a video that shows how it works. Uses something called thermoelectricity so it doesn't need a battery or to be plugged in. Great for when the power is out. Thanks for watching!
Very good video. The hot bright spot in the center bottom of your stove looks like an air leak. On my stove that indicates the rope seal around the ash dump drawer is ready for replacement. I don't know if that applies to this stove or not. Thank you for your video.
I don’t have an ash drawer and haven’t noticed a leak. I will use a smoking stick to check for leaks though. Thanks for the advice!
If you fill it full it wont get so hot it explodes will it ive heard that it will get red hot and can blow up?
I actually just did a video on how to tell if you are burning at the right temperature. You should check it out! The newer stoves shouldn't ever get hot enough to melt or cause a fire but you can definitely damage them if you overfire. Thanks for watching!
...I have no idea who this woman is and this is my first encounter with her channel. That said, her idea for how she wants to set the stove up for the overnight burn certainly seems logical to me and she presents it very well. It just makes sense, doesn't it? I just wish we came back the following morning to see the results... no matter, still a thumbs up.
Thanks for the comment! I didn't think about doing the next morning! It usually is still hot glowing coals and the fan is still throwing out heat. I put some kindling on and it just flames right back up. That's after about 12 hours. :)
Dayum no, I doubt that stove is built to be able to Run on over 10kW 🤯
Put a 152000 BTU vogelzang in our house 2600 sq. ft. in 2013. Electric bill went immediatly to 65.00 per month through the winter. We have not turned our heat pump on since 2013, and you can adjust this stove to keep your home about whatever temperature you are comfortable in. Also whenever power goes out in the winter you have light from the stove and you can cook and heat water. Old habits hard to break.
Yes, we have just taken out our gas furnace and put in a air heat pump. We are hoping to only use it a little and rely mostly on the wood stove. We are lucky to have woods to supply our wood. I have boiled water on it too!
I have the same stove and if I put more than 4 pieces in it the fire starts rolling rapidly and over fires the stove even with the damper almost fully closed. What do you do that I’m not?
@@jmanyoo3305 sorry for the delay in replying I missed this comment. I am not sure what the difference is. You could maybe try full logs? I have seen several comments that this reduces the temp of the burn. I am going to try that too. Let me know!
Wonderful instruction. Great fireplace
Great tips. I try to accomplish the same affect by putting in the largest round possible (22” diameter and 9” tall). I cut some of my wood in very short pieces (9”) which also keeps me from having to split these.
Gary
That’s a great idea! I will tell my husband to try to cut some like this the next time we take down a tree!
Love this video and all the comments. Something not touched on is stove temperature. Loading the stove like that in a steel made stove with damper open you have to be careful with an overburn. Too hot means the stove can warp. Cast iron is better for that but takes longer to start up, and is more $$.
Hello there and thanks for the comment. It's true I don't mention stove temp in this video. I do have another video that talks about using a stove thermometer to create safe and efficient burns. Very true about wanting to overfire your stove. I think if you're planning on doing an overnight burn a thermometer is a necessary piece of equipment and I probably should have addressed that in this video. Have a great day!
@idamandahomestead4221 Thanks for the reply. Im curious on what I should do when it is overburning. Open door to let more heat out or just close damper and let it go
What is your stove temp? We just had a fireplace stove insert installed. Our installer recommended not getting the stove above 550 farenheight because it can start to eat thru our chimney liner. Thoughts?
what does the fan on top do, ours doesnt have one, is it worth getting?
Yes it is. Its to move the hot air and it uses no electricity.
It does help circulate the warm air, warms the air twice as fast as without. We have a blower but this is especially great when the power is out. Thanks for the comment!
I have the same stove!! Very nice video, thanks for sharing! I was wondering if you had the same problem I do, with the thermometer hitting the double wall pipe?
Hello there! I do have a double wall pipe, so my stove thermometer is one that is designed to sit on the stove top. I didn't want to get one of the ones that you drill a hole into the pipe. Seems like lots of potential for me to damage something! What do you do to measure the temp?
A thermometer into the pipe came with mine, but it sits up against the pipe and the part that moves hits on the pipe. I’m going to try throwing a little spacer in it!
The way my Fireplace Insert is configured, I have to load East to West. It has a shallow 14” depth. The only way I can fill the fire box front to back is cut my firewood to 12”, which I do at times. East to west the fire box will except a 24” piece of firewood. Nice video👍
Yes, we could put a longer piece east to west, but I would have to reach further in which would be more difficult. I have welding gloves now so maybe I’ll try it!
How do you cut the wood down? I will need to do this for a small stove but I'm unsure what's the best way to do it.
@@nataliebutler cut the same way you would at 16”, except cut and split at 12”, or even smaller if you need to.
Love my wood stove, but every year I DO brush the chimney to remove Any creosote. And my wood has been dried in my drying shed for at least a year after being split. You never can be too safe!
Totally agree!
thumbs up in support of your channel thumbs up
Just out of curiosity, what length blogs were those? Very good video. Thank you.
We don't generally measure them but they're probably about 18 to 24 inches long. I usually have a few inches open at the front. Our firebox is about 27 inches deep. Thanks for the comment, have a great day!
Thank you for the info. That is a deep firebox. Mine is 27 inches wide, but not that deep. I would much rather have one like yours. We are looking for a new one, so you gave us something to consider. Just found your channel and I have been binge watching all of your videos. Thank you so much!
Nice... thank you so much for posting. I didn't read the prior comments (sorry) but have you ever put the wood in East to West, rather than North & South like you did in this video. I heard that by putting the wood in lengthwise (east & west) you get a longer burn time. Experiment. thank you.... and happy wood heating..
I prefer shorter pieces put in North and South, only because when I have longer pieces and put it in lengthwise, they tend to roll off and lay against the glass. Then there's this whole having to barely crack the door so I can reach in with the poker and scooch it over!
Correct. Wanted to point this out too. With the grain contradicting the natural airflow of the stove all wood will burn slower. I just use larger rounds so the buggers can’t roll. We can’t get an all nighter with subalpine fir any other way but, if it works for others then that’s great. Thanks for the vid!
I would like to hear some advice on the stove top fan you have. Type of metal, number of blades, brand, etc. My stove has a built-in electric blower, but I would like to add the top heat-driven fan.
That's a good idea, I should do a segment on that. It doesn't move as much air as a blower even when its on low. But, it's good secondary option especially if you have a small area to heat or if the power goes out!
What kind of fan on top? That would help distribute heat better. I love ❤️ this. Thank you.
That is called an Ecofan. I have a video on how that works if you want to check it out. It’s also great if we have a power outage because it doesn’t use electricity. Thanks for watching!
Hopefully you have a good flu gas thermometer in your stove pipe. Also, be careful when you open your stove door, that the overhang doesn't go beyond the protection on the floor. I have seen an ember stick to the door, and fall off the door onto unprotected floor surface. Can be very dangerous. Happy heating.
Thanks, that’s definitely important. We just had the installation of this stove done about 4 months to supplement our stove insert in another room. It’s WETT certified and has a large area of floor protection. I wouldn’t want one without that, too dangerous!
That’s a really nice stove, mine is an older one but once my night sticks start burning good I shut it down and always have coals next morning for next fire.
Yes I love that! Wake up, throw some kindling on, splits on top and it flares right up!
Good information and well done. Thank you.
For the last 16 years we've been using a buck fireplace insert that was in our den when we bought our home. It's in a closed off nook of the house and is ok as long as it doesn't get stupid cold outside,but we're now getting more serious about wood being our sole heat source. We bought a used fisher grandpa bear stove and we're installing it in the center of our house. The firebox is 24" wide,18" deep,and14" high. They have a reputation as being a long burning fairly efficient stove( for what they are). Its top is 5/16 plate steel,it weighs about 500lbs,and has an 8" flu. I live in West Virginia so our winters are hit and miss as far as cold and snow go,but I figure I'll burn about 5 cord a year on average. Hopefully I'll be able to get long overnight burns in mine. Most agree that in my stove 10 hours is reasonable. I'd be happy with eight hours as that's about all I sleep anyways.
Sounds good to me! I think each stove has it's own personality and I am sure you will be able to figure out how to get those 8 to 10 hour burns. That has certainly been long enough for us. Thanks for the comment!
When you pack the stove at night, how hot does it get temperature wise if you happen to know?
We have a stove thermometer and it shows the burn doesn't go over 700 deg F. That is still in the good range. Hope that helps!
I also controlled the amount of fresh air intake to slow burning. Lastly I would save y-sections of wood ( where the trunk splits). Split them and put one in the stove at bed time. They burn more slowly and I'd still have hot coals or flames in the morning.
One thing I was hoiping you would explain - why not close the door and flu all the way after loading the wood? Is the concern that the fire would go out? Too much smoke/PM2.5? Thanks.
Hello there and thanks for the comment! Yes, leaving the door open gives the fire more oxygen and helps it get burning faster. Then I close the door and it keeps going. if your fire is really hot to begin with you may not need to do this.
Great video! Very cool! THANK YOU!
This is great, thanks. I'd like to see what your fire looks like when you wake up in the morning.
Thanks for the comment. Yeah I guess I should have filmed it the next morning! Usually after 12 hours it’s a bed of glowing coals but no flame. I just add kindling and it flames back up immediately. Thanks for watching!
@@idamandahomestead4221 Thanks for responding!
@@jefffeldman3861 I just posted a video showing the next morning if you want to check it out!
@@idamandahomestead4221 Thank you! I will look right now!
As a 2020 certified EPA wood stove it is very close to air tight. The reason the stove works with the damper fully closed is that secondary burn tubes have their own air intake that is always open. Also, hard to tell from the video but it looks to me that fire burned too hat for too long. Get yourself a stove thermometer or an IR gun and make sure the stove does not go over the manufacture’s specs. I’m guessing that fire was burning well over a 1000 degrees for a while.
Hello there, I actually do have a stove thermometer and the temp does stay within the safe range. I completely agree that if you are going to do something like this you don't want to over fire your stove! Thanks for the comment!
Nice video. Where did you get the fan on top of your stove?
It’s called an Ecofan and I got mine from a local garden supply company, Lee Valley. You can order them online too. I have a video about how it works if you want to check it out. Thanks for watching!
This is very helpful! Thank you!
what kind of fan do you have on top?
Hello there and thanks for the comment! It's an EcoFan. I do have a video on how it works but basically it uses the difference in the air temperature and the temperature of the base of the stove to create an electrical current that powers the fan. It's pretty neat. It has been showed to increase the temperature of the air around the stove twice as quickly as without a fan. It's not as effective as a blower but works great in a power outage or if you're off grid. Thanks for watching!
Thank you for the helpful advice.
Anyone reporting burn times....this is a regency F1150 with an airmate. I have a brand new one in my basement, no matter how I pack it, I get 3 to 4 hour burns, maybe 2 hrs. if I just fill half way. These are great because the firebox seams are factory welded, made in Canada. Nice stove for the price, will last a long time.
Hello there, I also have a Regency stove but it is a bigger one. I would think you should be able to get a longer burn that 3-4 hours. Have you tried getting a really nice bed of coals then placing full (unsplit) logs in there wedged together? You can then put splits in just to fill the gaps. That should burn slower especially if you slowly close the air intake. Thanks for watching!
Well done, the other watcher is correct to invest in a pair of wood stove gloves, or welder gloves. But interesting the difference in changing how you put the wood when loading for the night.
Yup, I have a pair but they're leather and my dog will eat them if I leave them out so sometimes just don't use them. Thanks for the comment!
Great tips! Thanks. Just installed a smaller Regency stove in my cabin. Do you like the electric fan unit? I bought mine without it. I’m debating investing in one. ✌️
I really do like the electric fan, it makes a big difference in moving the air. The cost of the electricity is negligible. The high speed of the fan is loud so we mostly use the lower speed unless we want to heat the place really fast. Thanks for watching!
What size stove is this how many square feet is it rated to heat
It is a 2.3cu ft stove and puts out up to 75,000 BTUs. We have a 3,000 sq ft bungalow and it heats it nicely when we use the blower. Not sure how many sq ft is rated for, probably depends on the climate. Thanks for the comment!
What brand Woodstove is that and how long would that stack of wood last, all night? Thx!
It's a Regency F2450 which is a medium non catalytic stove. That wood will burn about 10 hours. I just added a video that shows what it looks like in the morning if you want to check it out! Thanks for watching!
Thx for the feedback! Do you cook on it by chance?
Thanks, I’ll do this method.
Let me know how it goes!
I don't know how cold it is where you are or what your draft is like but I have heated my house for 30 years and I don't do all that and think you burned off a lot of wood that could have burned longer into the morning. Good bed of coals absolutely, but then I just pack it as tight as I can, shut the air down the max cuz my 30 year old VC stove is not air tight anymore and it burns all night from 9:30 pm to 6:30 am. I guess what works for you works but it isn't how I do it and like I said I've been doing this for a long time.
I guess it depends on the weather and the size of the house. Our house is over 3000 sqft and weather gets down to minus 20 celcius sometimes. So, a little bit cold here!! Stove does great though!
@@idamandahomestead4221 It gets that cold here too but my house is on 1 level and is 1500 sq ft. Have you ever just kept loading wood into it vs letting it all just burn down to coals so that about 30 minutes before you go to bed you can add a couple of logs to fill the stove vs having nothing but coals and having to spend the time to build the fire? I'd bet that takes a good 15 to 30 minutes. For me, when it is time to hit the sack, I don't want to spend any more time than it takes to go outside, grab a few pieces of wood and shut down the stove for the night.
I really like the idea of moving the wood to the back and tightly stacked. But, your floor protection is not adequate. Wider and thicker. Also you don’t have a heat shield in the back of your stove. I agree other commenters; invest in fireplace tools/welding gloves. I will definitely try out your method tonight. Thanks from central Canada.
Hello there and thanks for the comment! I hear what you are saying about the floor protection but in fact this is what is described in the manual of the stove. I can actually touch the back of this stove with my bare hands, so the clearance is less than other stoves. It's great for small spaces. As far as the gloves, I do use them now! I just used to hide them from my dog and then forget about them. Haha. Happy heating!
Is it ok to bring your stove super hot like this for 10 minutes? I've heard that it shouldn't be higher than 600f on the top part (using a stove thermometer)
Thanks for the comment. You are absolutely right that you don't want to run your stove too hot. I have a stove thermometer and if you do this right the stove never gets into the "red" or too hot range which is over 600deg F. Happy wood heating!
We've had our stove glowing red a couple times 🤣 One time was when there was 3' of snow on the ground, so we went outside and had a "bath" because we just got too hot, and hey - free clean water in crystallized form, so why not?
Definitely wasn't good for the stove, as the back is now warped, but we took every precaution when we built the little addition where our stove is, including using a fire-proofing treatment on the wall studs and inside of the sheathing behind the concrete board and heat shield, and using roxul instead of fiberglass for the insulation. I was a firefighter, so I don't mess around when it comes to fire prevention ;)
Question, what is the fan for on top of your stove???
It’s called an EcoFan. It’s cool because you don’t have to plug it in and it helps circulate the warm air. Not super powerful but it moves air twice as fast as diffusion would.
What are the 2 pipes with the holes in them on the inside of the stove on the top? Looks like gas lines or something.
The chimney pipe is actually two pipes, one inside the other. The vents allow air to enter and exit. The cool air is pulled in and more warm air exits. Its a great design!
Inside the stove are secondary air tubes. These allow fresh air in which burns the hot gases before they head up the chimney. This creates that upside down looking fire she was showing.
Enjoyed the video very informative
Great info. Quick question...when I load my stove like this, it cranks heat and the flue goes to about 700degrees, the temp gauge says that is way too hot. Any tips?
My suggestion is to close the air intake gradually so it never gets going crazy hot. I find if I let it get too hot then I can't get it to burn slowly. The other option is to load full logs and not splits, they will burn more slowly. Let me know if that helps!
@@idamandahomestead4221 Will try these ideas. Thanks so much!
When I first started burning wood I'd always hear people talk about "banking the fire" for an overnight burn. I did this for the first few years, but since I cleaned my own flue every year I saw just how much creosote can build up if the fire (therefore the flue) isn't how enough. I have a masonry chimney with a terracotta liner.
Best thing I invested in was a thermometer for my stovepipe. I like to keep my temp around 400 degrees. I'd rather have to get up in the middle of the night to throw wood in the fire than burn a cool, smouldering fire.
Absolutely. After you burn wood for a few years you can just tell when it's hot enough but someone new to it will try to burn green wood and end up with a flue fire. I never really have to clean my flue, just open the tee in the pipe over my stove and vacuum out the burned creosote that falls down on the baffle plate of my stove.
Thanks for the reply! From what I understand banking a fire involves putting a layer of ash over hot coals/wood to partially smother it and really slow down the burn. I think it would not therefore generate much heat but would preserve hot coals for the morning.
What we are doing is keeping the fire going but at a slower rate. I have a woodstove thermometer to help me make sure it doesn't get too hot or cold. I try to keep it out of the creosote range. I have another video on that too if you are interested. Other thoughts/suggestions welcome!
Just out of curiosity, what kind of woodstove is that?
Hello there, sorry for the delayed reply! It's a Regency F2450. That's a large stove and heats our 3000sq ft home even down to below -15 celcius. Thanks for the comment!
Very helpful, thank you.🙏🏻
How important is raking the coals to the front? I've been getting too hot and have not been doing this.
Hello there! I like doing this because I want the wood to burn from front to back and so the coals really help it get going. Once it's burning well and your stove is at the right temp (stove thermometer is key) then you can begin to close the damper. Have a great day!
what is that fan on the top of the stove/fireplace?
It's called an Ecofan, it uses the temperature difference between the stove surface and the air behind it to create an electric current. This allows the fan to turn. It circulates the air 2x as fast as without. I have a video on this if you like! 😀
Would of liked to seen the fire The Next morning, great video tho thanks for quality content!!
By about 10 hours later it is lots of hot coals under a thin layer of ash. Then i just put kindling and splits on top and it starts right up again!
Gloves please 🙏🏼
For those of you who use a smoker to cook meat, this is the same technique to lay briquettes down and conduct a controlled burn which last hours. Using round logs, not split, will add some burn time in an overnight burn.
That's a great tip about the smoker. I agree about the whole logs, unfortunately I didn't have any at the time to do that.
no secondary air intake?
Yeah, no just the one air intake.
Also if you put unsplit logs in at night they'll burn longer .
And yes get the welders gloves .
I agree, unsplit logs are better. I was just using what I had at the time. And yes, gloves. Haha, I have some now. Thanks for the comment!
I loaded with nice 6 inch diameter or so red oak or sometimes we had maple or even Elm
Before closing it down for the night
About 1/4 turn open with one damper
Fisher mama bear😊
It would burn for at least twelve hours this way👋
If I loaded our stoves that way my Father would Have me up at 0400 hours to start it again
It irritates me so much to see people destroying good firewood turning it into kindling.
Plenty of dead branches for that we had ten acres bordering on county state and Nicolet national forest
That blurred into Hiawatha and chequamagon national forest.
We never had to cut any trees down healthy ones that is for ten years without hardly making a dent in it😂
I miss hovering over wood stove with coffee in the mornings ☕
awesome very well explained Cheers :-
Why would you not wear Leather fire Gloves?
Didn't want to.
Would this work if I put my ‘coals’ to the side of the woodburner bed and then let the burn go left to right?
I don’t see why it shouldn’t work!
I’ve had a high efficiency Regent wood stove in Canada for 20+ years. In exchange for the long burn, you are sure to get creosote buildup. After a while, you risk a chimney fire, especially when preheating as per the video. (One commenter said the chamber was getting up to 1000 deg.) Get a thermometer and be sure the chimney is not overheating. Second, if you do this a lot, clean the chimney a couple of time a heating season until you know how much buildup you are getting.
I definitely agree that you need to monitor for creosote buildup as well as your stove burning temp. I do have a stove thermometer and it never gets over 700 deg with this method. We do also have our stove cleaned yearly and they have told us we are using good burning methods. You definitely need to keep an eye on that though! Thanks for the comment!
You can always add a dampener to the flue pipe for additional things to fiddle with. They do actually help control airflow especially when it’s very cold or windy.
We are pretty sheltered from the wind where we are and I haven't had trouble with this. I did think about getting a dampener in the stove pipe more as an emergency back up in case I need to put out an overheated fire. This is especially so since the EPA rated stoves are not airtight. Thanks for the comment!
Question: Should I use the primary air vent or secondary when getting the fire hot? I have three sliders on my fireplace: Primary, secondary and tertiary.
Thanks a lot for the video.
I have a Northern Flame Azar multifuel fireplace; I’m just acared of overburning if I it heats up as much as yours did.
Hello there! To be honest I am not sure of the answer to your question. I have only one air intake to adjust. I would think if you look up the instruction manual for your stove it should help. As far as the stove overheating, that's why I use a stove thermometer over the firebox to make sure I am keeping a safe temp. Good luck!
Fire gloves work great!
Yes they do! I have some but got out of the habit of wearing them. My bad!
Please tell me about how much does your temp on the stove top and flue drop after you turn down the primary air ?
Can’t say I have actually measured this. I do notice the air from the blower is not as warm. Can be a good way to prevent the house from getting too warm!
I have a magnetic thermometer on my flue pipe with a black, green and red section anything in black causes creosote, green is the perfect burning temperature and hardly no build up of soot in the flue and red is to hot and can cause fires. They're brilliant and cheap to buy. Can't get them on amazon
Sorry meant to say you can get them on amazon
@@susantunmore6676 that's super cool, I will look into it! What is the device called so I can find it on Amazon?
@@idamandahomestead4221 I just typed in thermometer for log burner. I'm from the UK but I'm sure the US 🇺🇸 will sell them too
When I use this technique for an overnight burn, the thermometer on my stovepipe says that my temps are low and in the 'creosote' zone, is this a problem? This is only my second winter with this house/stove and last year I didn't even try to keep a burn going overnight. It sure is nice to wake up to a toasty house! (I did clean my stovepipe inside and out and plan on doing so every year.)
Just a question, do you have a single or double wall stove pipe? If it’s double wall (which mine is) you can’t use a regular magnetic stove pipe thermal. I use a stove top thermometer. Let me know and if it’s not that we can do more problem solving!
@@idamandahomestead4221 Thank you for replying! Stove pipe is single wall. I'm in shock that it's possible to keep it around 400 all night without burning out?! Honestly it's been warm enough in the morning that if I didn't have the thermometer telling me it's in the sketchy range, I wouldn't have thought twice.. Not sure if this is helpful info- my stove is a Blaze King and it has two handles for dampers but the round dampers that I can see from inside the stove are broken/don't move with the handle so they stay open. The other one that I can't see works but the stove doesn't have an intake (I think that's what it's called, where air comes in thru the bottom?) and I don't have a cat converter in it because the previous owners somehow melted the compartment for it. I'm doing my best lol.
@@kbea-e1m I think as long as it's in the good range when you go to bed you'll be fine. As the logs burn down the temp will naturally go down there isn't much to do about that unless you want to get up in the night and add more. I would say as long as your chimney cleaning company says everything looks good then you're doing a good job!