Another wood heat question

[kidsngarden]

We have an airtight stove(1 year old - short, easy to clean stove pipe), seasoned wood (mostly mill ends, and some logs from our woods we are clearing.) My question is how to regulate the heat and still prevent creosote buildup. I know slow and low is bad as it causes buildup, but when I get a rip roarin fire in there we heat up so fast the living room is sweltering! so should I just get the huge fire going and let it die when we are all hot in the LR, then have to build one in late afternoon/evening when it cools down? I'd much rather have just a constant lower heat going if I can do it without much creosote buildup

Suggestions appreciated,
kids

[Cabin Fever]

Build smaller fires.

[fantasymaker]

what he said! and stack bricks around the stove

[Drizler]

This is the place where all your questions are made to come clear.............
http://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/

[nehimama]

Stack bricks all around the stove? I have not ever heard of this. How would you do this, and what is the reason? Thanks!

NeHi

[comfortablynumb]

use fans to keep the air moving and to push hot air into other rooms.

[Alex]

Our catalytic Blaze King, or one like it, will burn gas and smoke more completely and help reduce ash, and all products of combustion, to give a cleaner burn. Fires will burn with very little smoke, for up to 47 hours during the warmer weather.

Good luck,

Alex

[RenieB]

My dh uncle, who had burned wood all his life told us to start with a hot fire and let it burn for awhile every morning and then close things down. This will clean up any creosote from building up. This year we have purchased something new "Bio Bricks" which burn cleaner and longer than wood. The reason we bought this is that these a brick size pieces that we (getting up there in age) can no longer handle the heavy large chunks of wood.

RenieB

[TheBlueOne]

Bricks around the stove are for thermal mass and is only effective if the stove is uninsulated or hot to the touch.

kids,
Does your stove have firebrick (rectangular things that look like patio pavers)in it? Our previous wood furnace (from the 80's) was not firebrick lined while our new one is. Big difference in the level of heat being much more even. The firebrick provides the thermal mass inside the stove that stacking bricks outside does.
You're burning seasoned wood, what type? Softwoods or pulpwoods burn quick and hot, hardwoods burn even and hot but are harder to light.

[nehimama]

Thanks, TheBlueOne. I have firebricks in my stove, so I guess I won't have to schlepp in a buncha bricks to stack around it. THANK GOODNESS.

NeHi

[Rockin'B]

What kind of wood are you burning? If it's good seasoned hardwood you shouldn't have much problem with creosote build up if you run a fairly hot fire in the morning for a short period of time before damping down.

Cleaning the flu once a year is manadatory and helps prevent buildup. I damp the fire down pretty low becuase we have a large stove and haven't had problems. the new efficient stoves are pretty good about burning without creating a lot of creosote.

Sounds to me like you are burning at too high of rate when you actually could damp it down quite a bit.

[Shepherd]

I imagine trial and error will help you learn with time how best to regulate your fires for temperature control. Our fireplace has a thermostat and fan control hooked up to the blower system, so that really helps us.

For me I've found that I have to be vigilant in keeping the fire fed with new logs if I want to keep a constant fire - we go through the wood fast.

[Spinner]

The flame isn't where you get the heat. You want a good bed of hot coals that will keep your house nice and warm.