"Phil Crow" wrote in message
Do I light the fire and leave the door cracked until the wood (not
kindling) is burning well? I had my vents open all the way and the
door closed; the fire just smoldered. I opened the door, smoke got
all over the garage, I closed it. I opened it a crack and noticed
that the draft was drafting pretty hard, so I left the door open a
crack. About 2 minutes later, with a mild, uh, whoosh, flames
appeared. I let that burn for a while, then closed the door with the
vents wide open. By the way, she was a little warm at this point.
Just a few additions to the already good advice.
Get a pair of wool lined leather gloves as used in foundry work. You can
lift a burning log if you have to in an emergency. They are even thicker
than welding gloves. At some point in your wood burning career, you will be
thankful for having them.
Pay attention to what happens and repeat the good stuff, not the bad as it
will become apparent that it will not work.
Never try to burn one log even if you only want a small fire. You need at
least two to keep a fire going. Be generous with the kindling. Trying to
scrimp only makes for more aggravation in the long run. Lay some crumpled
paper, then some small kindling, then some larger, then two or three logs
about 2" to 4" dia. If you feel a cold draft coming down the chimney, light
a sheet of paper and hold it near the flue opening. This will help it heat
and reverse the direction of the airflow. Otherwise just light the paper.
Keep the door open for a while until it is burning well. Guard for sparks
though.
Now that things are starting to burn, watch the two larger pieces of wood.
Notice how the flame goes back and forth between them? As the log heats, it
gives off gasses and it ignited by the other log. They feed on each other.
Now you add two more pieces, but still not huge logs. Get them going, then
add the larger pieces. Keep the vents wide open until the fire is going
good and the logs are heated. Then you can fill the stove and close the air
to maintain the temperature you desire.
To prevent the stove pipe and chimney from getting coated with creosote,
burn the fire hot twice a day. I like to load up the stove and run it about
wide open for a short time. When the cast iron top is 800 degrees, I'll
damper it down to the usual 400 that it runs at.
OK, you been doing this for a few days and think you are pretty good about
it. The stove is loaded up for the night, air is adjusted just right. Oh,
you want to peek inside? NO ! ! ! Don't open the door. You have 50 pounds
of hot wood in there, ready to burn, but right now the oxygen is limited.
Open the door and WHOOOOSSHHHHHH, you have one hell of a roaring fire.
Over time you will learn how much wood you can put in and how long it will
burn. You get feel for it from experience. After a couple of weeks,
remove the flue pipe and see if you have any buildup. Check the thimble and
feel into the chimney for creosote. That will give you an idea of how long
before you need to sweep.
Ed
http://pages.cthome.net/edhome