Lets see your big load

sirbuildalot · Dec 26, 2018

Streblerm said:
Three bigger splits= good heat for 6-8 hrs with enough coals to relight fire for 12hrs

Stove chock full of smaller splits = good heat for 6-8 hrs with coals to relight fire for 12 hrs but the house gets up to 85 degrees for a while during the first 4 hrs.

Unless it is below zero I have no reason to load my stove to the brim. The dog might like it but other than that it’s just wasteful. That and I don’t like leaving the house with a roaring fire or throttled all the way down.

This is a very good point. The size of the splits used matter a great deal, as does the type of wood being burned. Some species burn hot and fast, others not as hot and for longer durations. I have actually started splitting my wood bigger this year. I didn't in the past because it was tougher to handle for my wife, and it took longer to season. My "old" splits were usually in the 5" x 5"- 6" x 6" range. This year I'm splitting them more in the 7" x 7"- 8" x 8" range. A lot of the stuff I used to quarter is now only getting split in half. Anything under 6" diameter is not getting split at all. I process my wood to 20", although my stove would take up to 26". I may start processing to 24" which although unwieldy, would result in more coals for re-loading. My stove manual actually suggests burning larger pieces or even whole logs up to a foot or so in diameter.