# The ultimate OverNight-Burn Thread !!



## goanin (Dec 13, 2010)

This topic has probably been grinded to fine powder more than once. But I have to bring it up again as "Overnight burning is a skill which has to be developed over time." (said by too many).
Elders and experienced folkes feel like they're gonna repeat themselves discussing this topic, but there are always new guys who find their knowldge useful. So let's act as if this thread is the ultimate, most comprehensive guide to Overnight Burining (ONB) in wood stoves. 

Does ONB lead to more creosote buildup?
Does ONB reduce efficiency?
How often would you preform ONB?
Would you prefer it if you didn't have to do it?
Do you do any damage control befor of after ONB?
Are there wood types that are not recommended for ONB?
For what reasons aren't they recommended?
How do you preform ONB?
- Do you care about the stove temp?
- Do you close *all *air inlets and dampers?
- How do you load the stove full safely?
and more...


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## England14 (Dec 13, 2010)

I'll be watching this close and looking forward to getting some useful info.


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## palmrose2 (Dec 13, 2010)

I'll jump right in, although I wasn't aware that Jerusalem was a place in need of much wood heat.

It's been my experience that massive pieces of hardwood and draft set normal gives best results. I purposely don't split my wood very small for this reason. If you can FILL your firebox with two or three pieces of wood you are golden. My hardwood consists of sugar maple, hop-hornbeam, and maybe some beach. I'm sure oak and things similar would work fine.

Big chunks are far easier to control than small stuff with air space all through the load. In the past I've used slab wood. Depending on how you load it, you can either have a lot of air space or very little.


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## Ambull (Dec 13, 2010)

My Round Oak 18-O-3 was built back in the 20's so it is about 90 years old. It has no problem burning for about 12 hours, if it has a good bed of coals. This stove will probably not go out until March. Any warm days and I just simmer it until it gets cold again.

This stove is not nearly as efficient as modern stoves, but it keeps the chimney much cleaner. Not exactly sure why, but I would guess that the smoke temperature is higher, lowering the amount of creosote build up.

Where I live, without overnight burns, the house temperature would swing too low at night.

Here is a picture of it:


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## max2cam (Dec 13, 2010)

*Overnight Woodstove Burn*

Before going to bed, put in a bigger chunk or two of oak or birch upon a bed of good glowing coals. Shovel some dead ashes over the top of the wood chunks to insulate and retain the glowing hearth effect. Admit only a little bit of air. Close stack damper. Pray it doesn't go out.

Get up once in the night to add more wood and repeat process. Hopefully fire isn't dead out but still coals in there. 

In morning get good blazing fire going with pine, spruce, etc. to heat place up again. No backup heat source here. Just woodstove. Gets very cold. Zero, -10, -20, -30 F. Below zero last night and again tonight. Leaky log house.

Only burn DRY wood. Don't cheat and take it off the new pile sitting out in the rain and snow. Only use stacked protected DRY stuff. Clean chimney every year.

My 2 cents.


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## Highbeam (Dec 13, 2010)

Does ONB lead to more creosote buildup?

Yes

Does ONB reduce efficiency?

Yes or no, depending on how you do it. Smoldering fires are less efficient. No smoke = efficient.

How often would you preform ONB?

Nightly.

Would you prefer it if you didn't have to do it?

Sure I would prefer to only need to burn while I'm awake.

Do you do any damage control befor of after ONB?

There's no damage to control.

Are there wood types that are not recommended for ONB?

No, all dry wood burns the same.

For what reasons aren't they recommended?

Silliness.

How do you preform ONB?

Load full, get it going, and draft to zero. EPA stove in my house so zero isn't really zero.

- Do you care about the stove temp?

No.

- Do you close all air inlets and dampers?

As much as possible.

- How do you load the stove full safely?

It's always safe. Load to the roof.


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## pook (Dec 13, 2010)

Highbeam said:


> Does ONB lead to more creosote buildup?
> 
> Yes
> 
> ...


did u retest ur old fridge in higher humidity =summer climate or ???????????


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## Whitespider (Dec 13, 2010)

Oh! Oh! Oh!  My Turn!  My Turn!

Just before you go to bed you look at your teenage daughter (_who is up half the night staring at something on her Lap Top called "Facebook" and sending text messages from her cell phone_) that if you wake up to a cold stove in the morning she will be carrying a cord of wood from the shed to the house at 5:00 AM.

Hey, it works for me, my stove is always hot in the morning. :biggrinbounce2:


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## pook (Dec 13, 2010)

colder outdoor temp + wind consumes wood via fire & chimni, duh


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## Greenthorn (Dec 13, 2010)

I usually throw two or three 18" by 30" (elm, oak or agent orange) rounds in around 9pm, don't have to mess with it again till 7am!

People always ask me why I leave so much wood unsplit, and that there be why!


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## ryan_marine (Dec 13, 2010)

Toss in a couple pieces of hedge apple and forget about it for atleast 8 to 10 hours. Just don't leave the draft door open or the stove will melt.

Ray


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## rmount (Dec 13, 2010)

Does ONB lead to more creosote buildup?
Don't know

Does ONB reduce efficiency?
Keeping my house warm overnight using only 3 to 5 pieces of wood is effecient

How often would you preform ONB?
Once a night

Would you prefer it if you didn't have to do it?
No, I prefer sleeping through the night

Do you do any damage control befor of after ONB?
No damage to control for that I know of

Are there wood types that are not recommended for ONB?
Small splits or low density wood don't work; high density woods, knotty pieces and unsplit rounds are best

For what reasons aren't they recommended?
don't know

How do you preform ONB?
- Do you care about the stove temp?
Easiest if there is a good bed of coals to start

- Do you close *all *air inlets and dampers?
Get it roaring well then shut inlet right down (EPA rated stove)

- How do you load the stove full safely?
Not sure what safety issue you're worried about

I usually fill the stove (Pacific Energy Aderlea) around 10:30 or so in the evening then rake the coals and add fresh wood around 6:30 next morning. Keeps us cozy & warm!


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## PA Plumber (Dec 13, 2010)

Does ONB lead to more creosote buildup?
Shouldn't if the wood is well seasoned.

Does ONB reduce efficiency?
I would guess this is when the stove is most efficient.
Secondary burn is a must here.
I use small splits. Oodles of coals in the morn'n.

How often do you preform ONB?
Every evening. 

Would you prefer it if you didn't have to do it?
I would rather not have the fuel oil furnace run.
In order for that to happen, we need to "load up the ole stove."

Do you do any damage control before of after ONB?
Yep, remove ashes every few days.

Are there wood types that are not recommended for ONB?
Haven't had any wood yet, that wouldn't hold coals through the night. (Approx. 7 to 10 hours.)

For what reasons aren't they recommended?
The more dense the hardwood, the larger the bed of coals in the morning. Easier for gett'n the stove cook'n again.

How do you preform ONB?
Stove temp 450 deg F plus, load it up, then shut down the draft all the way.
Non-Cat EPA stove.

- Do you care about the stove temp?
Yes. Prefer not to have it over 700 deg. F.

- Do you close *all *air inlets and dampers?
Yes.

- How do you load the stove full safely?
Gingerly, add as much wood as the stove will accept.


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## Agnes (Dec 13, 2010)

Does ONB lead to more creosote buildup?
Not sure but would tend to think that lower burning temperatures will produce more creosote in chimmney

Does ONB reduce efficiency?
Depends on stove and if it has a Catalytic unit

How often would you preform ONB?
Every night I hate starting the fire up again when it goes out.

Would you prefer it if you didn't have to do it?
Yes, but it is easier than relighting the fire in the morning in a cold house.

Do you do any damage control before of after ONB?
Nope.

Are there wood types that are not recommended for ONB?
Yes, softer woods 

For what reasons aren't they recommended?
How do you preform ONB?
- Do you care about the stove temp?
No usually around 300 or so
- Do you close all air inlets and dampers?
Close the only damper on the stove so it only allows little air flow into firebox.
- How do you load the stove full safely?
Load the pieces in before going to bed, close the door adjust the damper.

I would recommend using hard wood when possible. What I find works the best is a hot bed of coals and putting a nasty piece of crotch wood from wood that has been split. Split crotches burn all night and have been termed yule logs in our home..... because "you'll" be seeing the hot coals in the morning.


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## avalancher (Dec 13, 2010)

Highbeam said:


> Does ONB lead to more creosote buildup?
> 
> Yes
> 
> ...


.


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## dingeryote (Dec 13, 2010)

I dunno about creosote, probably does because ONB is a bit cooler.

We just pick through the Oak splits to get the right ones to fit the tightest, and load the thing up over a good bed of coals, and then give it 15 Min or so to get going, then damp it down to about half.

Did that last night, and it was 60 in here when we got up with enough wood left to flare up when opening the air control. Dadgum wind will suck the heat right out of a house.

It helps to run Red Oak, Hedge, Hornbeam, or any good dense wood, but we have found that Cherry coals out and really helps even if it does burn down so quick. 

Stay safe!
Dingeryote


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## rmount (Dec 13, 2010)

Agnes said:


> Split crotches burn all night and have been termed yule logs in our home..... because "you'll" be seeing the hot coals in the morning.



:hmm3grin2orange::hmm3grin2orange::hmm3grin2orange::hmm3grin2orange::hmm3grin2orange:


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## cassandrasdaddy (Dec 13, 2010)

*this*

year is a new deal for me. i go to work at 2 am so i fire it real good before i go. fire never dies down much house is toasty but i use quite a bit more wood. thankfully have plenty


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## bobt (Dec 13, 2010)

My wood furnace doesn't really choke down much even if I shut the draft down to minimum. I just keep big roundwood for the nights. I think they last much longer. 

Bob


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## MNfarmer (Dec 13, 2010)

ONB can cause creosote build up just the same as any other time of the day burn if the chimney is too cool. My experience with my set up is that you can dampen down a fire fairly low and as long as the chimney is warm it will not build up that bad. I clean my chimney once a year and get maybe 1/2 of a 5 gallon bucket full. There is some that falls down during the summer that I scoop out before I clean it and that adds up to less than a 1/4 bucket full.


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## jimbojango (Dec 13, 2010)

i do ONB nightly, use a big piece of GREEN hedge on a decent sized fire to start, let burn 30 minutes, shut dampers all the way down. My stove ISN'T EPA so you're not convincing me of much that its losing efficiancy anyway. Have millions of cords of it around, so the faster it gets burnt the better. I always have plenty of wood and coals in the morning to open the damper's up and toss a lil ash on it. Then depending on how cold the house is (above 75 or above 70) i'll throw some oak or ash on.


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## 4seasons (Dec 13, 2010)

Does ONB lead to more creosote buildup?
Only if you choke the fire back too much so it cant pull a draft.

Does ONB reduce efficiency?
Only if you choke the fire back too much so it cant pull a draft.

How often would you preform ONB?
Every night that the temps will be below 35

Would you prefer it if you didn't have to do it?
I don't have to do it, I have a heat pump and aux backup as well. I burn wood because it is cheaper than electric. 

Do you do any damage control befor of after ONB?
Damage? What would there be to damage?

Are there wood types that are not recommended for ONB?
I wouldn't use any type of pine but that is only because oak is so plentiful in my area. The longer lasting more heat producing woods will always rain supreme when you want to keep a fire going for an extended period.

For what reasons aren't they recommended?
Well I guess if your chimney or stove are questionable you wouldn't want to go to sleep with fire going, but I wouldn't want to have to keep a constant eye on it when I was awake either.

How do you preform ONB?
- Do you care about the stove temp?
Nope, only about the room temp in the room with the stove.

- Do you close *all *air inlets and dampers?
Not all the way, but if you have short burn times you need to choke it back some.
- How do you load the stove full safely?
Big wood in first then smaller pieces in to fill up the gaps.

and more...
I am spoiled with the long burn times I can get from my stove. Part is because my wood is mostly 3 year seasoned white oak, part is because of a good size stove in a small house. My fire box measures 24"x12"x18" so I cut my wood in 20" lengths and split to 6" wide. For my long burn times I try to use the 8" rounds that I cut 22-23" long just to get more wood in the box. Tonight the low is suppose to get down to 10 so I stuffed it pretty full and set the dial about 1/2 way open. I'm going to bed in a few minutes and the living room (were the stove is) is 75. When I get up in 8 hours I expect the living room to be 70 and to still have a piece or two of wood that haven't burned up yet resting on a solid bed of hot coals. Just in case I wake up in the middle of the night cold, I carried in a few more sticks of wood to throw on, but I rarely use them until morning anyway.


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## treeguyinoh (Dec 13, 2010)

I stack my old Fisher grandpa bear full as i can of honey locust or hedge apple and back the dampers off from shut 1 full turn. 9:30 pm until 5:30 or 6 am with no troubleat all. Still have a pile of coals, throw in some pine in the morning for a little quick heat, and repeat. As far as creosote buildup, I am eally not sure. There seems to be a little more on my heat reclaimer in the morning, but during the day the wife cleans it off a few times. But, my stove may not go all the way out for months, if the weather is cold enough, so I am really not sure just how much the overniters contribute to this. Any decent stove should be able to maintain an 8 or 9 hour burn with decent wood.
Dennis


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## chowdozer (Dec 13, 2010)

I put three logs in at 2100 hrs and go to bed. When I wake up at 0430 hrs it's about 66 in the house. I shut the draft all the way and go to work. When I get home at 1700 hrs, about half the time I still have coals and just throw a couple of pieces of wood in. The other half the time, I have some clinkers to restart a fire. After 14 years with this stove, I have the system down.


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## dmlefevre (Dec 13, 2010)

Right stove + dry wood = no worries. Load at 11pm, 6am, 3pm.


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## StihltheOne (Dec 13, 2010)

Big Blaze king non epa, load her full of cottonwood at 10pm, 8am and maybe a little snack on the after noon. Easy 10 hours per load, will need a full load in the afternoon if temp stay below 20 for highs.


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## corrupt (Dec 14, 2010)

Can people add there firebox sizes like "4seasons" did, then we will kow what size fire box we all need to get a nice 10h ONB.


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## Junkrunner (Dec 14, 2010)

Before or after damage control? 
After a ONB, I open the stove dampers-up and get'r blazin for at least a half hour. I do this EVERYDAY. 

If I'm gonna catch the place on fire, I want to be awake.

And about every two weeks I throw acouple of beer cans (empty of course) in when its really cookin.. I was always told this helps with releasing the creosote. Seems to work for me.

Potato peels work too, I've heard.

My box is 20" wide 20" tall and 32" long. I built my stove 14 yrs ago.

The biggest thing that helps mine is keepin the right amount of ashes in the stove. I never clean ALL the ashes out. Unless I'm done for the year.

I fashioned an ash box that sits under the stove and sticks out the front about 4" that has a lidded grate on it. This allows me to just "rake" some of them out while it's still burnin.

Usually by mid October I'm in full burn. It won't go out till april sometime.

I burn all wood. Yes some is better than others. You just GOT to know what works best for ya.

This is however, my first winter burnin some ailanthus. I know, I know its junk wood. But to be perfectly honest. I think it burns hotter and longer than other junk wood. Like sycamore, poplar and silver maple.

I've bin doin my own personal little studies on this.
The biggest difference that I've found, that seems to matter is, when the ailanthus is cut. 
I had to clear about a half acre of the crap in the fall of 09 , after the leaves came off.
I hated the idea of just dumpin it. So I cut it, split and let it season.

Now if it's cut in the spring or summer, it's a completely different animal. It seems to go punk before it drys.
Other than the fact it smells kinda like burnt peanut butter, I'm not gonna just let it rot.

Besides, it's the best way to get rid of this invasive monster.


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## lopro (Dec 14, 2010)

At 11pm I usually just put the largest piece of wood that can fit (my firebox is only 1.5 cu. ft. but it cranks pretty good for its size). Preferably a round or crotch piece. Turn down the damper, but not fully to prevent soot on the glass, and wake up to a sleepy, slow burning bed of coals around 5:30 or 6am.

It doesn't burn as hot overnight, but at least it's still burning in the morning. It's better to throw a few sticks on and have a nice morning fire without hassles than starting a new fire in the morn.

I don't know about my creosote buildup.

Efficiency...I don't know either but it doesn't burn as hot.

How often do I ONB?...as much as possible!!!

I prefer ONB over starting a new fire every morn.

Damage control??...what damage?

Types of wood?...Anything big enough to fill up the firebox. Bigger pieces are more dense and take longer to burn out. Must be dry so it doesn't make my glass sooty.

Plus, I don't measure stove temps and it's safe if I can close the door tight.

Amen.


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## goanin (Dec 15, 2010)

*Does ONB lead to more creosote buildup?
Does ONB reduce efficiency?*
Hard to believe it doesn't. The fire isn't intense and oxygen is low. According to what I've learned so far, this leads to:
1. Smoke not having a chance to burn completely, so more of it leaves the firebox and goes up the chimney.
2. The chimney isn't as hot as it can get during a high oxygen burn, so more particles condense, thus more creosote builds up.
3. Less burnin', more smoke - less efficiency..

*How often would you preform ONB?
Would you prefer it if you didn't have to do it?*
That's the reason I asked. Because I don't feel like I wanna do it to many times. So I would it on Friday night, through Shabbat and only if it's cold.

*Do you do any damage control befor of after ONB?*
By 'damage control' I ment doing things that can help get rid of any creosote that could have been formed. Because a few people told me that after ONB they burn a very hot fire to burn the creosote on the chimney.

*How do you preform ONB?*
Load a full as I can. Burn HOT for 10 min, and only then reduce air.
*- Do you care about the stove temp?*
Ya. I want it not to be to cold.
*- Do you close all air inlets and dampers?*
No. I don't want the glass door to get dirty. So just a crack..
*- How do you load the stove full safely?*
*This is important. I raised the question because my firebox is rectangular (21"X11"). It lets me load only east-west. So if I load to high, I'm always scared that pieces could roll over and break the glass. *


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## chowdozer (Dec 15, 2010)

goanin said:


> Does ONB lead to more creosote buildup?


It can. I'm not very concerned about it.


goanin said:


> Does ONB reduce efficiency?


It can, not very concerned about it.


goanin said:


> How often would you preform ONB?


Every night when its cold for the last 25 years.


goanin said:


> Would you prefer it if you didn't have to do it?


It's one of the prices you pay for keeping warm. I don't consider it a problem or a burden. It just becomes a fact of life like taking a leak.



goanin said:


> Do you do any damage control befor of after ONB?


No. I burn a hot fire every 4-5 days when it's raining or snowing which will control any possible sparks from the flue that may land on the roof.




goanin said:


> How do you preform ONB?


Fill the firebox before I go to bed.


goanin said:


> Do you care about the stove temp?


Not particularly as long as it's reasonable. If the magnetic thermometer is between 300 & 400 F it's good.



goanin said:


> Do you close all air inlets and dampers?


No, I have a setpoint for the draft control. 


goanin said:


> How do you load the stove full safely?


Open the door and put wood in. Shut the door. I use a welding glove on my hand because I am not fireproof.



goanin said:


> This is important. I raised the question because my firebox is rectangular (21"X11"). It lets me load only east-west. So if I load to high, I'm always scared that pieces could roll over and break the glass.



I took the glass out and welded 1/4" steel in it's place. I am more into the heat of the stove that sitting watching fire.


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## pook (Dec 15, 2010)

http://www.woodheat.org/tips/hiperwoodburning.htm


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## rmount (Dec 15, 2010)

goanin said:


> *
> This is important. I raised the question because my firebox is rectangular (21"X11"). It lets me load only east-west. So if I load to high, I'm always scared that pieces could roll over and break the glass. *


*

You could cut some wood to 10" length and keep a separate ONB pile which packs north-south.*


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## ozzy73 (Mar 1, 2011)

*My ONB*

Does ONB lead to more creosote buildup?
Yes due to lower burn temp. Just run the stove hot for 20-30 min every day and burn the creo out the chimney and you wont have issues.

Does ONB reduce efficiency?
No.

How often would you preform ONB?
As often as I can.

Would you prefer it if you didn't have to do it?
No, I prefer to do it. We are using an air-air heatpump as a heatsource that is not able to get the house above 69F on the cold winter days.

Do you do any damage control befor of after ONB?
No.

Are there wood types that are not recommended for ONB?
Soft wood's produce less BTU's and burn quicker and do not coal as well as hardwoods. Anything wood can be used.

For what reasons aren't they recommended?
You really have to be comfortable with your wood stove to load it full of wood and adjust the controls to a low setting and go to bed. I must have gotten up every 20 min to check on my stove the first coupe of times i did and ONB. They might not be recommended because of an operators experience level with the wood stove.

How do you preform ONB?
Remeber every stove and setup is different. My stove has a 2.9 cft box so achieving an ONB is no problem.

For the ONB load I make sure there is enough coals in the stove and rake all the coals forward, close to the lip of the firebox close to the airwash. Load the stove North to South ( this way no wood will roll forward to damage the glass ) all the way to the to baffle ( or an inch below the 2ndary tubes ). Open the damper and get the wood chared really well and actually burning. Once I see the stove reach 500 I adjust the air intake to 1/2 closed, this will settle in the temp between 500 - 600. Turn down the air intake to 1/4 and go to bed.

I found this works great because the load burns from front to back and the entire load is not consumed all at once. Just like smoking a CIGAR :msp_biggrin:

- Do you care about the stove temp?
Yes.
- Do you close all air inlets and dampers?
Yes, I close the air intake to 1/4 and top damper all the way.

- How do you load the stove full safely?
Make sure there is no active fire but only a nice coal bed when you are loading it. Use welding gloves and position the wood the way you want it.

The other thing I want to add is burn in cycles, this reduces loading the stove every hour and is more enjoyable. During the day I load the stove approx every 3-4 hours but maintain higher temps. Every stove and setup is different so experiment with your stove and different types of wood and find out what works best for you.

Cheers,
Ozzy


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## km1423 (Nov 10, 2011)

*New Stove Owner (UK)*

I am a complete novice and have never owned a stove in my life. I own a multifuel stove (Defra approved), that means it safe to burn wood in a smoke control zone. Stove isn't huge, 5 KW. Plenty enough for our space and so far so good - although it hasn't been cold here yet at all.

Great to read information about overnight burning - it really is hard to find. The manual which came with my appliance is so basic, even the diagrams are misleading, Airwash fully open - diagram shows in closed position; No wonder there are folks who don't get the best out of their appliance. I count myself lucky to find 12 lines of text about ONB. Wood being in those 100 words - Wow! 

This is a great Forum for newbies like myself to learn about techniques. Glad I found it. Useful and relevant information, which you would never find in a manual, it really is a matter of trial and error unless you have an experienced person giving you these tips first hand. 

I have tried ONB with coal with a modicum of success. So far I have kept stove going for four days. I use this time before it becomes cold to practice and get the optimum out of my stove, before Winter really takes a hold. 

I will keep my eyes peeled for any new information.

Cheers.


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## olyman (Nov 10, 2011)

Whitespider said:


> Oh! Oh! Oh!  My Turn!  My Turn!
> 
> Just before you go to bed you look at your teenage daughter (_who is up half the night staring at something on her Lap Top called "Facebook" and sending text messages from her cell phone_) that if you wake up to a cold stove in the morning she will be carrying a cord of wood from the shed to the house at 5:00 AM.
> 
> Hey, it works for me, my stove is always hot in the morning. :biggrinbounce2:



:hmm3grin2orange::hmm3grin2orange::hmm3grin2orange:


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## Fyrebug (Nov 10, 2011)

Ambull said:


> My Round Oak 18-O-3 was built back in the 20's so it is about 90 years old. It has no problem burning for about 12 hours, if it has a good bed of coals. This stove will probably not go out until March. Any warm days and I just simmer it until it gets cold again.
> 
> This stove is not nearly as efficient as modern stoves, but it keeps the chimney much cleaner. Not exactly sure why, but I would guess that the smoke temperature is higher, lowering the amount of creosote build up.
> 
> ...



That's a gorgeous stove.


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## Fyrebug (Nov 10, 2011)

You have to qualify if you are burning with an EPA stove or not since they burn differently. I'll comment from an EPA stove point of view:

*Does ONB lead to more creosote buildup?*
No, as long as you your firebox is hot enough to get the secondaries going and your wood is dry

*Does ONB reduce efficiency?*
No, if anything your efficiencies will be better. 

*How often would you preform ONB?*
Load up your stove to the hilt on a decent coal bed, make sure the wood has started to char, make sure the secondaries are engaged and damper down.

*Do you do any damage control befor of after ONB?*
Not sure what that means. No damage, they are designed to burn that way.

*Are there wood types that are not recommended for ONB?*
You can burn whatever wood you want to as long as it's not been chemically treated. Soft woods will give you shorter burns.

*For what reasons aren't they recommended?*
Highly recommended, That's the selling feature

*Do you care about the stove temp?*
Yes, Thermometer placed about 18" on the flue will tell you if you are burning too cold (creosote zone). EPA wood stove should be around 350f

* Do you close all air inlets and dampers?*
Yes

* How do you load the stove full safely?*
If you can, North/South


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## badwood (Nov 10, 2011)

When u say dampers u guys are talking about the stovepipe damper being closed all the way and the air inlet closed all the way to is this correct just making sure I don't close one iam not to. Thanks


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## rmihalek (Nov 10, 2011)

I never touch the stovepipe damper: it stays vertical (wide-open). When I regulate the draft, it is with the damper controls on the stove.

I need to try burning some unsplit rounds overnight; never tried that before. I normally just put in some bigger split pieces for the overnight burn.

I always do a 30-45 minute "hot" burn each morning during breakfast. I just throw two or three small splits on the coal bed and open the draft all the way. This cleans the glass and hopefully the chimney as well. I clean the chimney twice a year, once mid-way through the heating season and once some time in the summer before the fall heating season starts.


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## km1423 (Nov 10, 2011)

*Onb*

I agree, that is a stove to be proud of. Very impressive. Stove Envy.


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## Ambull (Nov 10, 2011)

Fyrebug said:


> That's a gorgeous stove.



Thanks. I like the way that these stove heat a lot, so much that I got a second one for upstairs. It is very similar, a Round Oak 18-O-2. Here is a picture of it last year at Christmas time. The windows are lit up from the fire. The ash pan is huge, and can hold a solid week's worth of burning. And the stove has a round shaker grate, so it is easier to get the ashes down into the pan without making a mess. With these two stoves going, I can keep my 5000 square foot house toasty warm, even when outside temps are below zero.


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## lopro (Nov 11, 2011)

For the best overnight burns, it takes time to know your stove. After a year or two, and sampling different types of wood, you'll get better at it. My stove is small compared to others on this site (Morso 5660), so in order for me to get a good overnight burn, I have to have a very good bed of coals. For me that means burning for at least 4-6 hours beforehand to get my stove temp up and the bed of coals good and hot.

From there, I pick some big hardwood pieces and stack them with as little air in between as possible (this is where experience in picking the right sized pieces and wood types is important). Then, I turn down the damper to the almost closed position, wash my paws, and hop in bed with the wife. G'night.


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## Chris-PA (Nov 11, 2011)

ONB - of course! I never get up in the night to reload the stove - I like my sleep, I don't want to waste the wood, and this idea that a house must stay at a constant temperature is a silly notion that resulted from the age of fossil fuel heating. The easiest thing to change is your own expectations, and once you understand that houses are cold in the morning then everything is normal. 

Don't take out all the ashes, load it big before bed and let it get cranking, then stop it down hard, but not so hard it doesn't burn. My stove is surrounded by stone so much of the heat is stored and I don't have to smother it to smoldering. If your house is of frame construction you may have to take a different strategy, but the most important thing is to have hot coals in the morning.

The biggest problem with this is the "waiting for it to get cranking part" - lay down on the couch in the 80-90 degree basement and try to stay awake. Go ahead, I dare ya. You wake up a while later and yeah, it's cranking all right!


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## lopro (Nov 11, 2011)

WoodHeatWarrior said:


> The biggest problem with this is the "waiting for it to get cranking part" - lay down on the couch in the 80-90 degree basement and try to stay awake. Go ahead, I dare ya. You wake up a while later and yeah, it's cranking all right!



I've done that a couple of few hundred times!!! The missus definitely don't like that one.


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## Chris-PA (Nov 11, 2011)

How many can tell what temperature the stove is by the way it smells? You wake up and take a sniff of hot metal and think "oh crap, that's overfired!"


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## JRepairsK70e (Nov 11, 2011)

i can tell where the stove is in the burn cycle by looking at the heat powered fan on the stovetop [hotter it gets the faster it spins ,starts slowing down when temp drops below 300 ]


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## Genie82 (Nov 30, 2015)

Fyrebug said:


> You have to qualify if you are burning with an EPA stove or not since they burn differently. I'll comment from an EPA stove point of view:
> 
> *Does ONB lead to more creosote buildup?*
> No, as long as you your firebox is hot enough to get the secondaries going and your wood is dry
> ...




I have been studying for DAYS... I have an Avalon 990 Rainer - it is my home's primary heat source (we have a space heater in our bedroom at the back of our house). I sort of need an overnight burn, but it honestly scares me. So, I am trying to minimize creosote build-up by following ONB recommendations in the owners manual... I build a fire, burn it with the air full open for 15 minutes. Then I fully load the firebox, burn another 15 minutes with the air open, then shut the air all the way down. After a few minutes, I lose all flame, including the secondary combustion, and smoke appears at the chimney. I have tried burning full open longer. I have tried closing the air partially. Everything I try eventually leads to a smolder and smoke. Should the secondary combustion keep going when I close down the air? Am I doing something wrong?


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## flotek (Nov 30, 2015)

For me I just toss an arm load of wood in it . Crack the door for a couple minutes till it gets going , close it and the furnace does the rest ,I just go to bed


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## TimberWolf530 (Nov 30, 2015)

I burn all night and all day all winter long. I clean my chimney liner a couple times a year, but I haven't had any creosote problems yet. Just an ashy coating inside that comes off easily. Season your wood, and you shouldn't have an issue.


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## ashy larry (Nov 30, 2015)

I can get 12-16 hr burns with enough coals to throw a couple small splits in and start up again. This is in a hotblast with spindraft nubs removed. The colder it is, the shorter the burn.

Ive got mine down to a science. 
40-50 degrees, fill with softwood and open spindraft 1/2 turn.
30-40 degrees, hardwood and 1 turn.
20-30 degrees, hardwood and 1.5 turns
10-20, hardwood and 2 turns
It rarely gets colder than that here in NC.
I do see quite a bit of creosote from this practice, mainly bc its been so warm that if i did a real hot burnoff in the morning my house would be 90 degrees in no time, so i clean it pretty often.


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## Iaff113 (Nov 30, 2015)

ashy larry said:


> I can get 12-16 hr burns with enough coals to throw a couple small splits in and start up again. This is in a hotblast with spindraft nubs removed. The colder it is, the shorter the burn.
> 
> Ive got mine down to a science.
> 40-50 degrees, fill with softwood and open spindraft 1/2 turn.
> ...




I'm am currently in the learning process with mine. So you are opening the spin draft from being completely shut? I still haven't ground off my nubs. I guess I will do that the next time I let the stove die down 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## ashy larry (Nov 30, 2015)

Yes open from fully closed. Grind them nubs. Take a cutting wheel, open draft completely and you have enough room to knock em off without removing anything. 5 min tops


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## chipper1 (Nov 30, 2015)

palmrose2 said:


> I'll jump right in, although I wasn't aware that Jerusalem was a place in need of much wood heat.


The best wood for an ONB is gopher or olive. The cedars of Lebanon work great as well.
The burning of dung has been outlawed as it is unclean, but please check with you local perish as exceptions may be made based on the needs of the people.


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## Iaff113 (Nov 30, 2015)

Copy just walked down and took them off before I forgot. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## ashy larry (Nov 30, 2015)

Youll thank me


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## chipper1 (Nov 30, 2015)

Genie82 said:


> I have been studying for DAYS... I have an Avalon 990 Rainer - it is my home's primary heat source (we have a space heater in our bedroom at the back of our house). I sort of need an overnight burn, but it honestly scares me. So, I am trying to minimize creosote build-up by following ONB recommendations in the owners manual... I build a fire, burn it with the air full open for 15 minutes. Then I fully load the firebox, burn another 15 minutes with the air open, then shut the air all the way down. After a few minutes, I lose all flame, including the secondary combustion, and smoke appears at the chimney. I have tried burning full open longer. I have tried closing the air partially. Everything I try eventually leads to a smolder and smoke. Should the secondary combustion keep going when I close down the air? Am I doing something wrong?


You must have dry wood first of all.
If the wood is dry it eliminates most issues and will help the learning curve of ONBing.

Second is to have the temperature in the stove up to at least 350(more in some stoves).

Third the inside of your stove should be white not black when you shut the air controls down. This is a lean condition which will quickly correct itself once the air controls are shut down.

A stove is an engine. The byproduct is heat and exhaust. It must have proper fuel and air in order to run. If you put water in your cars fuel it will not run, same with a stove.

When the weather outside is not very cold it will be harder to control an all night burn.
There is a learning curve to burning and it takes time. It's ok to be afraid, (proverbs says its the beginning of knowledge), you will get it and you will love it once you do.
Hope this helps,
Brett


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## ashy larry (Nov 30, 2015)

Yep, i was a mess last year when i installed it. All recently cut wet wood and very little hardwood.

Sometimes it would catch and wed wake up to 90 degrees. Sometimes it wouldnt catch and id wake up seeing my breath. We used auxiliary space heaters a bunch, which was defeating the purpose altogether. 

Good seasoned oak and a bunch of it has made this season go much smoother. Also tying up some loose ends as far as insulation has helped, windows, front door, etc.


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## chipper1 (Nov 30, 2015)

ashy larry said:


> Yep, i was a mess last year when i installed it. All recently cut wet wood and very little hardwood.
> 
> Sometimes it would catch and wed wake up to 90 degrees. Sometimes it wouldnt catch and id wake up seeing my breath. We used auxiliary space heaters a bunch, which was defeating the purpose altogether.
> 
> Good seasoned oak and a bunch of it has made this season go much smoother. Also tying up some loose ends as far as insulation has helped, windows, front door, etc.


It's funny when I thought back after using good dry wood, it would have been wise to pay for a cord or two of wood my first yr and only use dead standing trees for the rest. When you look at the cost of gathering wood and the work involved it's a labor of love. For around 6-800 a year I could have enough wood for a whole yr delivered. At 8-1000(2+yrs of wood)a nice semi load and all I need to do is buck and split. Then the "cheap" route would be to scrounge and need a truck or trailer(maybe both), have to load/unload, spend money on fuel, time going to get the wood, time loading, time unloading, did I say time,and dodge the DOT. The cost of getting the wood home does not usually justify the trouble or purchasing of extra equipment. If you have a truck or a way to haul wood or just love to cut wood then that is another thing. I have a lot of trees(good to have a saw), love to run equipment, mechanical( can fix equipment when it breaks, it will), and I have access to wood(free wood), also have kids(little wood haulers). If any of those things were not present I would just buy split or have a semi delivered as the savings is in not paying for propane, not in the harvesting of the wood.
Oh wait this is the ONB thread, not the scrounging thread lol.


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## Genie82 (Nov 30, 2015)

chipper1 said:


> You must have dry wood first of all.
> If the wood is dry it eliminates most issues and will help the learning curve of ONBing.
> 
> Second is to have the temperature in the stove up to at least 350(more in some stoves).
> ...




Thanks! I was looking at my stove this morning, and as it is brick-lined, I'm not sure that I could tell by sight when it is hot enough... The bricks are not black, at all, lol. Also, I do not have a stove thermometer. Perhaps I should invest? 

I am right now burning a small load full open to a) address any overnight creosote build-up - hopefully - and b) build a coal bed for some slower burns through out the day. I am not seeing any secondary combustion in the firebox, though I am also not seeing any smoke at the chimney. I think maybe its time to schedule a maintenance visit?


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## chipper1 (Nov 30, 2015)

Genie82 said:


> Thanks! I was looking at my stove this morning, and as it is brick-lined, I'm not sure that I could tell by sight when it is hot enough... The bricks are not black, at all, lol. Also, I do not have a stove thermometer. Perhaps I should invest?
> 
> I am right now burning a small load full open to a) address any overnight creosote build-up - hopefully - and b) build a coal bed for some slower burns through out the day. I am not seeing any secondary combustion in the firebox, though I am also not seeing any smoke at the chimney. I think maybe its time to schedule a maintenance visit?



No smoke is not bad, but good.
When the air controls are open you may not see the secondary combustion because of how the air flows in the stove and the wood will be burning. When the secondary combustion takes place(or is noticeable)is when you close that air controls. 
When you first reload the stove it will take a minute for the wood to light depending on how dry the wood is. As the wood is lighting look at the color of the bricks and at the top inside of the stove, it should be darker in color. Continue to burn with the air controls open until you see the bricks and the top of the stove start to turn a light brown to white. You can begin to close the air controls at this time. When you close the air off you should see the secondary combustion begin. If the secondary combustion stops it is typically because the wood is moist which is basically putting out the fire. The other thing is there is not adequate draft which could be caused by many different things (this would be when you need to call for service). One that does not require service would be the outside temperature is not cold enough to close the air controls down very far, once again this is part of the learning process. 
You should get a thermometer as it will help you "guage" where things are at. It will only tell part of the story and you will still need to adjust things as you learn.


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## mesupra (Nov 30, 2015)

Quadrafire Cumberland Gap wood stove

We burn 24/7 starting in November and ending in April. I pay close attention to my preparation for over night burns.

I burn nearly all Maple some 90% with a mix of Pine (only during the days), and the occasional Ash and Oak.

If possible I will burn Oak overnight, from 10pm-5:30am.

The only thing I do different is I actually grab the smallest splits possible. I figure the more lbs of wood I can stuff in the stove the better off I am. From my experience I can get more heat for longer from small pieces that I can from large chunks. The large chunks might give me an addition hour however the heat output is not nearly as good. 

I can keep the house at 68-74 really easily, but when the temps get into the single digits I am forced to do a mid-night stoke around 2:00.


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## ChoppyChoppy (Nov 30, 2015)

I would throw my stove out the front door if I couldn't easily get 12hrs on a load without fussing with it.


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## chipper1 (Nov 30, 2015)

ValleyFirewood said:


> I would throw my stove out the front door if I couldn't easily get 12hrs on a load without fussing with it.


I can't wait to get my cord of wood lol.
I couldn't resist. Can you through a few salmon in there as well.


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## mesupra (Nov 30, 2015)

Valley what kind of stove do you have that you can get good heat for 12hrs?


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## zogger (Nov 30, 2015)

mesupra said:


> Valley what kind of stove do you have that you can get good heat for 12hrs?



I believe he runs the big blaze king.


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## chipper1 (Nov 30, 2015)

zogger said:


> I believe he runs the big blaze king.


He does.


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## mesupra (Nov 30, 2015)

I can still build a fire after 12-14 hours maybe more but I'm not getting enough heart for 2000 Sq ft that's for sure


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## Highbeam (Nov 30, 2015)

mesupra said:


> Valley what kind of stove do you have that you can get good heat for 12hrs?



I can easily heat my 1700 SF of 1963 built rambler in 20 degree temps with the smaller princess and 20 hour reload times, been doing it all week. Warmer temps I reload on 24 hour cycles. No matches. Oh and I only burn crap softwood.

No other brand of stove can do this.


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## ashy larry (Nov 30, 2015)

Thats awesome. Anybody seen any Heatmors? I realize they are expensive and some are huge but i have a dealer nearby. The proprietor owns one personally. He told me can get 48 hrs on one full load. Now, thats coming from a "salesman" but i made clear i already had a stove.


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## ChoppyChoppy (Nov 30, 2015)

I have the Princess Blaze King. My house is about 1400sq ft, single level ranch, 3bed/2 bath, 2 car garage.
I burn a mix of birch, poplar and spruce.

Only use the natural gas boilet floor heat in the garage and in the house if no one is home for a few days (not often)

I burn in the area of 3-3.5 cords a winter. Burning season here is roughly late September to early April


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## Deleted member 83629 (Dec 1, 2015)

I roughly burn 6-7 cord per winter depending how cold it is between two stoves. The best i can manage in the house 16hr burn times if i keep the stove dampered down.
My shop stove the most i can do with it is 8 hrs on wood but it is a antique cast iron stove.

If i load it with 40 lbs of coal and keep the damper shut and air inlet barely open i can get 23-25 hr burn times.
house is 1800 square ft built around 1901 single story has 12ft ceilings 2 bed 1 bath. i burn black locust, oak, hickory, hackberry, maple, cherry, anything!
My stove in the house is a late 70's ashley circulator. and the stove in the garage is a 1900's sun potbelly.


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## NSMaple1 (Dec 1, 2015)

ashy larry said:


> Thats awesome. Anybody seen any Heatmors? I realize they are expensive and some are huge but i have a dealer nearby. The proprietor owns one personally. He told me can get 48 hrs on one full load. Now, thats coming from a "salesman" but i made clear i already had a stove.


 
So - you're talking an OWB?

Boilers are different - they have a liquid cooled firebox. Longer burn times means smoldering, smoking, creosote making, and wasted wood. So anybody selling one or trying to by bragging about long burn times is really trying to sell shortcomings. Or they just don't know.

Did he say how much wood was in that 48 hour load?


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## ashy larry (Dec 1, 2015)

I know they are different. It holds a lot of wood. I could get inside the firebox.


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## ashy larry (Dec 1, 2015)

This was my stove at 630am this morning. That was 5 splits of white oak at 1030pm on top of a bed of coals. Fiance told me the low was in the high 30s so i adjusted accordingly. Welp, the low was 45 so the house was 76. Never listen to a woman.


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## olympyk_999 (Dec 1, 2015)

ValleyFirewood said:


> I would throw my stove out the front door if I couldn't easily get 12hrs on a load without fussing with it.


 you shouldn't be doing that...not with all of your back problems and all


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## chipper1 (Dec 1, 2015)

olympyk_999 said:


> you shouldn't be doing that...not with all of your back problems and all


Guess its a good thing his stove kicks butt

I'm still wondering when that wood is going to get here. It should make my stove do as well as his right


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## nywalleye (Dec 1, 2015)

Interesting thread, I'm learning a lot from you guys.


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## chipper1 (Dec 1, 2015)

I don't get burn times nearly that long.
Mine stove is a non catalytic epa stove
with a 2.1 cubic ft firebox.
If I fill my stove on a large bed of ashes I will have a good hot burn for 6-10 hrs depending on the outside temp.
Clean burns are dependent on a great draft and dry wood. 
I will post pictures if last nights some of the night some of the morning burn(SNSMB) later when I get a min.


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## reddogrunner (Dec 1, 2015)

Regency Harmon H200. Load 6 solid pieces. Get them engaged with flame and turn damper down all the way. 8-10 hours later plenty of coals to re-ignite. Keeps house above 65. That's all I care about


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## ChoppyChoppy (Dec 1, 2015)

chipper1 said:


> Guess its a good thing his stove kicks butt
> 
> I'm still wondering when that wood is going to get here. It should make my stove do as well as his right


Nothing special about my firewood, just get a Blaze King.


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## chipper1 (Dec 1, 2015)

ValleyFirewood said:


> Nothing special about my firewood, just get a Blaze King.


One thing that's great here is all the learning, one thing not so great is realizing there is a better way and how much it's going to cost.


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## CaseyForrest (Dec 1, 2015)

I can pull allnighters with our Resolute.... But I get up around 4am so its relative.

The longest Ive gone so far with enough coals to get another load going is 8 hours.


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## chipper1 (Dec 1, 2015)

CaseyForrest said:


> I can pull allnighters with our Resolute.... But I get up around 4am so its relative.
> 
> The longest Ive gone so far with enough coals to get another load going is 8 hours.


Sounds like you need some black locust.


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