wood and woodstoves

Just a couple of questions concerning woodburning. I just bartered a woodstove insert. It has an adjustable flue vent as well as adjustable slots in the door. What is the most effecient way to use these? Also, new wood, if you want to season wood the fastest way, do you cover it or leave it uncovered?

Thanks

Uncovered yet out of the rain is optimum, but if you don't happen to have a tobbaco shed in your back yard, uncover it on clear days, and tarp it before a rain. Oh... and cabin-stack it for maximum airflow <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Troy

As much rain as we've had this winter I'd have to cover and uncover every other day it seems. lol BTW what is "cabin stack"? I just have it stacked in rows.

First, leave the flue already built into the fireplace wide open. Use the flue on the insert. If you have a pair of andirons w/ about 4" clearance under them, start with a good size back log. Add some kindling at the lowest level in front of this. Then stack split wood (i.e. 1/4's or 1/8's like the back log). If the wood is dry and the fireplace/insert combination draws well, this should light readily with a few sheets of newspaper. Open the flue & door vents wide open, light, and close the doors quickly. Once the logs have caught well, close the door vents and push the flue almost closed. Only leave the door vents and flue wide open if you need a LOT of heat FAST. Not closing them can have you sitting on the porch in shirtsleeves with the front door propped open & every window in the house open.

That's when you start with two pieces of wood, side by side, a few inches apart, then on top of that, you put two more pieces, side by side, a few inches apart, in the other direction... like a log cabin... and keep going from there.
It's not really something you'd really do for firewood, I was just making an attempt at humor, but I have seen it stacked that way when the wood's going to be used for a kiln, forge, or still <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />
Seriously, this is a way to quick-cure green wood, but average Joe won't go to that much work, unless he needs the wood to put out some really serious heat, and if the wood's that dry, it gets kind of hard to bank a fire for the night.

Troy

Now there's a man that knows his woodstove... er... fireplace.

Troy

Hey, it's what I needed to know. Even though I don't live in a "frigid" climate, I want to keep the oil furnace from comming on as much as possible. The wood is free to me. (If you don't count my hard work cutting and splitting it) Thanks for any info.

Fed one several times a day for about nine winters when I was growing up. If I ever get the chance to build a house, I plan on getting the plans for that fireplace.

Same here, the house I grew up in had a fire place both up and downstairs, and with the built in heat exchangers/ducts, we could heat the whole house.

Troy

We have central gas and electric as well as fireplace insert. One thing, if you are not going to use fireplace shut the flue completely off or you will lose a lot of heat that way. My damper does not work, so the only way to shut it completely off is to cap it on top. Not much fun climbing up on icy roof to uncap if we lose power. That is the only time I use wood stove anymore.

Stack it so that there is air space around the wood. Some old timers say to stack it lose enough for a rat to run through the woodpile. I cover mine with a sheet of tin roofing material and then weight it down with several pieces of wood to keep it from blowing away. This allows lots of air to get to it but does not keep moisture under it like a tarp or plastic would. I also stack it up off the ground on treated 2x4s or 2x6s, which once again allows air to move around it and keeps the ground moisture away from it.
Split wood will dry faster than whole logs and smaller pieces dry fastest. I know that may be stating the obvious but I thought I would go ahead and throw it out there.

Re: moisture under the tarps. I was on a country road somewhere (actually, I was lost, okay?) and saw three piles of wood covered with blue tarps. What was interesting was that they had duct-taped one of those "chimney hat" things to the top center of each one.

I've since wondered if that really works to help get rid of moisture inside. Think?

Sue

Yea might work. But it seems like a hard way of doing a fairly easy task.