Starting a Stove Fire

[r porter]

a hair dryer will speed things up. too. just use the fan to get a flame.

 

[Egon]

If your paper is on the bottom your doing it wrong. Use a top down approach for starting your fires. If you have dry wood there is no reason to need any type of fire starters. Base layer of larger splits across the bottom with 2" gaps between. Second layer of medium splits perpendicular to the base layer. 3rd layer of small splits perpendicular to the 2nd layer. Kindling & newspaper on top. The kindling will start quickly and heat the flue creating your draft. Small splits will burn easily from kindling and the coals and fire will quickly work their way down each layer. No more continually stuffing paper into the bottom of your stack. Just light and done.

You mean I was imagining all those bottom start fires? Lots of different ways to start a fire and lots of different quality of firewood.

In retrospect it could be said that any way a fire gets started would be the right way.

 

[Egon]

I season my wood at least two years but still use birch bark for fire starter. Before bucking it up I run the chain saw the full length of the tree to score the bark. A few months later the bark has mostly peeled itself off and I put it in large bags or pails.

We heat with a wood furnace. Like others, I put down two small parallel pieces of wood. Then I light a piece of birch bark outside the furnace, drop it between the sticks once it is burning steadily and set other pieces of wood over it. I like the birch bark because it lights as easy as paper and it burns very hot once it gets going.

Inner dry bark that is debraided into threads works as well.

 

[Deere Dude]

You mean I was imagining all those bottom start fires? Lots of different ways to start a fire and lots of different quality of firewood.

In retrospect it could be said that any way a fire gets started would be the right way.

To the OP.
Lots of good ideas on thing thread. We expect a test of all the different ways to start a fire with a report. I am wondering how in the world the cave men did it?

 

[RedNeckGeek]

The top down method works really well for me, but I no longer bother with alternating directions on the layers or spacing out the splits. I cram as much wood north/south into the stove as will fit, place a handful of splinters and chips on top, wedge a newspaper or packing paper knot on top of that and give it a spark from a lighter. Set the damper down and walk away. Ten minutes later the stove is throwing off great heat and I turn the fans on to circulate it through the house. A lot of it has to do with very dry wood and a great drawing stove. This one is vented to the outside for fresh air, and the flue goes straight up through the ceiling and roof. Draws like a proverbial house afire.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I have no shortage of pine stumps but never really noticed that they burned well, except throwing them on a well established fire.

I had a friend and neighbor. A commercial pilot who moved up here, and a little out of his element. He introduced me to starting his fire with a torch, and I kind of laughed at him. But given trigger start torches, that's all I ever use to start a fire now.

 

[CADplans]

I have no shortage of pine stumps but never really noticed that they burned well, except throwing them on a well established fire.

Any pine that falls in the woods, it will rot from the outside - in.
You probably have seen this,, it looks like a piece of disfigured driftwood.

As the wood rots, the pine tar stays in the remaining wood, concentrating heavily.

So, the next time you see a 75% rotted pine log, grab it.
Break off (or cut) a piece, and put it under the wood to start the burn.

It will burn like paraffin soaked fabric!!

 

[Industrial Toys]

Thanks. I will certainly try that.

 

[jk96]

You mean I was imagining all those bottom start fires? Lots of different ways to start a fire and lots of different quality of firewood.

In retrospect it could be said that any way a fire gets started would be the right way.

I have no doubt your able to start your fires from the bottom. If you've got a better method using dry wood as I mentioned without fire starters or fuel from a bottom up fire how about contributing to the thread so we can learn. I haven't found a better method that drafts as quick with less smoke so clue me in.

 

[jk96]

The top down method works really well for me, but I no longer bother with alternating directions on the layers or spacing out the splits. I cram as much wood north/south into the stove as will fit, place a handful of splinters and chips on top, wedge a newspaper or packing paper knot on top of that and give it a spark from a lighter. Set the damper down and walk away. Ten minutes later the stove is throwing off great heat and I turn the fans on to circulate it through the house. A lot of it has to do with very dry wood and a great drawing stove. This one is vented to the outside for fresh air, and the flue goes straight up through the ceiling and roof. Draws like a proverbial house afire.

The only thing I've found different about your method and alternating stacks is by alternating it tends to leave more gaps to the bottom and seams to get the whole pile going a bit quicker.

 

[Egon]

I have no doubt your able to start your fires from the bottom. If you've got a better method using dry wood as I mentioned without fire starters or fuel from a bottom up fire how about contributing to the thread so we can learn. I haven't found a better method that drafts as quick with less smoke so clue me in.

There is no best way. It's what works with what you have. That's the clue in.


Contribute; I did, I just stated there are options rather than only one method.

Bottom start fire.



The Lake side fire may have been a little difficult to start with the top down method.

 

[Industrial Toys]

What are the round sections? Is that pine for fire starting?

What's on the camp fire? A big trunk and roots?

As a kid, I used these white blocks (ESBIT?), to fire my toy steam engine. I always loved the smell and wonder what they were comprised of.

 

[MAN IN BLACK]

The top down method works really well for me, but I no longer bother with alternating directions on the layers or spacing out the splits. I cram as much wood north/south into the stove as will fit, place a handful of splinters and chips on top, wedge a newspaper or packing paper knot on top of that and give it a spark from a lighter. Set the damper down and walk away. Ten minutes later the stove is throwing off great heat and I turn the fans on to circulate it through the house. A lot of it has to do with very dry wood and a great drawing stove. This one is vented to the outside for fresh air, and the flue goes straight up through the ceiling and roof. Draws like a proverbial house afire.

Same here....besides, ounce the cold sets in, my stove very rarely dies...always a good bed of red coals in the morning, reload with wood and go !

 

[Industrial Toys]

I actually have more luck maintaining coals in our fireplace with drafty glass doors and a heatilater, then I do in my rather small airtight (E-W) stove. Just for one thing, the firebox is so small that you can't really jam it up with much wood. I can't put any bigger pieces in there because there is this gas burning arrangement up top that limits height. I CURSE the salesman that insisted I not buy too BIG a stove! Then, when you do get some good amount of ash and embers, you have even less room for wood!

 

[PILOON]

Same here....besides, ounce the cold sets in, my stove very rarely dies...always a good bed of red coals in the morning, reload with wood and go !

LOL, while I no longer heat primarily with wood I do recall only using about 2 matches per year to heat my home.
There are always some hot coals hiding in there and experienced handling of the controls saves you a lot of matches,

 

[Deere Dude]

I can't put any bigger pieces in there because there is this gas burning arrangement up top that limits height. I CURSE the salesman that insisted I not buy too BIG a stove! Then, when you do get some good amount of ash and embers, you have even less room for wood!

You must have got the same brand as mine:laughing:

In WI I had a 4 cu/ ft fireplace and I could stoke the starch out of it and have nice hot long lasting fires that could overheat the house quickly. We moved to TN a couple years ago and I priced fireplaces and they doubled in ten years.

We have about the same size house but to keep cost down I got a 2 cu/ ft. air tite fireplace with all kinds of tubes in the ceiling of the firebox. Now I need to shovel the ashes out more often and I can only put three 4" or 5" diameter at a time. Once it gets hot though I stick one at a time in and it takes right off.

The bad thing about a short box, I can't stick fire starter then small sticks then bigger sticks then logs to get it going. It won't balance that high. I would bang into the stainless tubes in the top of the firebox.

But it is my fault for being so cheap.

 

[MossRoad]

I had one year where I only used 4 matches in 6 months of continuous burn. That was a long winter.... Last year and this year, I've had days where we didn't want a fire because its too warm just from the sun. Crazy weak winters...

 

[jk96]

There is no best way. It's what works with what you have. That's the clue in.


Contribute; I did, I just stated there are options rather than only one method.

Bottom start fire.

View attachment 497283View attachment 497282

The Lake side fire may have been a little difficult to start with the top down method.

Well thanks for pointing out the clue in.

In all seriousness I thought maybe you had a method that worked well as I have the same issues as the op when starting a fire from the bottom with any decent size logs.

 

[jk96]

Here's a video I took from earlier today.

For the op the key is going to be making sure you have well seasoned wood. One year minimum depending on type of wood and 2-3 years preferred. After that its pretty simple. In the video wood was from a standing dead honeylocust I cut down last week. Bottom row is 9-10" splits. Second row is 5-6" rounds. Third row is 1-2" splits plus kindling from the pile under my log splitter. Used a couple pieces of paper and 1 match.

 

[Deere Dude]

Here's a video I took from earlier today.

For the op the key is going to be making sure you have well seasoned wood. One year minimum depending on type of wood and 2-3 years preferred. After that its pretty simple. In the video wood was from a standing dead honeylocust I cut down last week. Bottom row is 9-10" splits. Second row is 5-6" rounds. Third row is 1-2" splits plus kindling from the pile under my log splitter. Used a couple pieces of paper and 1 match.

Have you ever left out the middle bottom piece and put the starter and kindling in there and then wedges above them. I would think you could get it rolling in half the time.