How to burn a fire in a woodstove?

[Willowynd]

OK, got wood stove (Fisher ) installed and have tried a few time to get a fire going. We manage to get it going (crumpled tight newspaper underneath and kindling)...it lights, gets hot...but then it just goes out. We are putting logs on a rack and criss crossing them. Are we doing something wrong? We have looked online at instructions and added in cardboard strips...still no go. A couple places said it won't burn until the temps outside drop to 35 or below is that right? Does not make sense to me. I have seen people post that they had thiers going when temps were warmer than that.

[OkieDavid]

Three things are required for fire. 1- Fuel. You have that one covered it sounds like although make sure you are using enough kindling. 2- Heat. There has to be an ignition source and it sounds like you have that one covered if you are using enough kindling. Finally 3- Air. The fire has to have oxygen to burn. I suspect this is where your problem is. Make sure your air vents are fully open when starting the fire. Once you get a bed of coals you can dial back the air flow and extend the burn time.

ETA. Outside temp has no effect on starting a fire or we wouldn't have fires during the summer. Also practice by just getting the kindling to'burn. Once you have a "good" fire going with the kindling, then add a stick of wood. If you are using fresh/green wood you will have a tough time ever getting it started.

[jennigrey]

You can't really catch a log on fire with a bit of paper or cardboard. You need some smaller sticks to catch fire first. This is called kindling. Also, your log has been split, right? Sometimes the bark on the outside of a log isnt very interested in catching on fire. Has your firewood seasoned or is it fresh/"green"?

[snoozy]

Is your firewood dry -- and more than dry, is it seasoned? Do you know where the air intake is? The airhole on mine is right in the front, so I put two logs in the shape of a V (with the apex in the back) and then put in plenty of paper and kindling in the middle, with tinder and smaller kindling on top of the paper and then larger kindling on top of that. One match gets it lit, and the air blows right at the bottom and the heat is concentrated by the V.

But you really need to have DRY seasoned firewood.

[Raeven]

Willowynd... the newer wood stoves will not burn well until they get good and hot. Once you work out how yours wants to be lit, you'll be fine with it. Mine is a bit persnickety.

Here's how I do it:

I make a good stack of dry kindling on the bottom layer. This consists of VERY dry cedar scraps I get from a local woodworking guy, but you can use any super-dry small kindling wood. Make a nice-sized pile with lots of airholes in it.

I throw a few dry pine cones in for good measure.

On top of that, I put very dry, smaller pieces of well-seasoned split firewood. Douglas fir is commonly used here. I criss-cross 3-4 bits of that.

Last, I add a good-sized piece of dry, well-seasoned, fast-burning split firewood. Again, Douglas fir here but a bigger piece or two as the top layer.

Make sure the damper is all the way open.

Use a little piece of fire starter or a rolled-up newspaper tucked into your kindling to light the fire.

Here's the important step: Leave the door slightly ajar after lighting. Let the kindling catch well.

Once your kindling is going well, you can kind of cock the door to the wood burner. Not quite closed, but mostly closed. I catch the handle gently on the bit that the inside part usually slides behind to create a draw and let it get roaring. The door is still helping the fire draw air from inside the room.

Once the fire is well and truly underway, you can close the door tightly.

Let the stove get up to temperature. Once it has reached its self-combustion stage, you can damp it down quite a lot to get maximum heat from your wood.

Now's the time to throw the long burning stuff on. We use madrone here.

ALWAYS use very well seasoned dry wood. You will hate your wood burner if you don't.

Hope this helps.

[Helena]

You can go to a place like Tractor supply store, Agway or hardware store and ask for ...fire starters. They are small square pieces of "something" that you light and will stay lite for about 10 minutes. Enough time for small wood to ignite. Yes...it's "cheating" but who cares as long as you get the fire started. yes..it will take a few times to get yourself going...but you will do fine..

[jwal10]

Sounds like you are able to get it going but then it goes out. You say you criss cross the logs. Just lay them straight, use a poker to move them to best keep a good strong flame. Start small and build the fire. After you have coals, add a log....James

[davel745]

Hi Willowynd
I read that you are putting the logs on a rack "We are putting logs on a rack and criss crossing them" i suspect this is the grate. All fires are started on top of the grate.

Add kindling as you need to get it going good then add logs.

Keep at it and you will get it down to a science. It takes a while to learn how your stove works.

[poorboy]

Lotsa good advice here. When your ready to place your large wood put two pieces on top of your kindling and then one more in the center on top of the bottom two..

[Cabin Fever]

Originally Posted by Willowynd

We are putting logs on a rack and criss crossing them. Are we doing something wrong? We have looked online at instructions and added in cardboard strips...still no go....

You have been given good advice on building a fire already, so I won't repeat the process.

From your question, I see you're using a rack (or a grate?) inside the stove. If you really are, get rid of it. There is no need for a grate in an air-tight stove and it may hinder firestarting.

As someone has mentioned, we also leave the woodstove door cracked open about 1/2" while the fire is being started. Once we are sure the logs are burning, we close the woodstove door, but leave the dampers wide open for about an hour or so. Lastly, we adjust the dampers to the air setting we want.

Some homes have a slight vacuum in them compared to the outdoor air pressure. This will cause the stove to not draw well during the firestarting phase. Some people find that cracking an outdoor window or door open will actually help with the chimney drawn and thus help getting a fire started quicker.

[Cabin Fever]

Originally Posted by davel745

Hi Willowynd
I read that you are putting the logs on a rack "We are putting logs on a rack and criss crossing them" i suspect this is the grate. All fires are started on top of the grate.

Add kindling as you need to get it going good then add logs.

Keep at it and you will get it down to a science. It takes a while to learn how your stove works.

Great minds think alike!

[Allen W]

I start with a couple of split pieces of wood for my base and lay my kindling on top.

[flewism]

Originally Posted by Allen W

I start with a couple of split pieces of wood for my base and lay my kindling on top.

I do the same,using the top down method for years now. Again leaving to stove door cracked open does help a lot. We're almost to the time of year where they will be running 24/7 anyway.

[emdeengee]

Also remember to heat the flue. We just use a roll of news paper. Light it and hold it up the pipe until it burns out.

[unregistered41671]

It is best IMO to heat up your stove slowly. It is a lot easier on the metal.

[davel745]

Originally Posted by Cabin Fever

Great minds think alike!

You are a lot more elegant than me in getting your information across. But I do find that we do come very close in our answers a lot of times. Thanks for the nice comment.

[zant]

What Cabin Fever said...if your house is closed up tight....no air flow..had the same problem with a super insulated house we owned(10"walls),cracked a window about 2-3",warm and cozy and -40....

[Ross]

Chimneys need heat to work on a differential in temps. Essentially what you were told about outside temps is true, but not in absolute terms. When its warmer outside the neutral pressure point in a chimney is higher up the chimney. You actually have to bring it down the chimney to create adequate draft at the appliance. In cold temps you have to drive it up. Modern furnaces do this with a forced draft prepurge of room temp air to establish airflow. You could sit there with a blowgun shooting air up your chimney and then starting the fire but really what you need is an intense (softwood) fuel kindling fire to create a significant differential in temps, from outside chimney air to inside stove temps. Follow up the intense softwood fire with full draft or the door ajar (even going an hour or so) with quality dry hardwood. Not poplar or soft maple but oak or ash or even elm if its good and dry. Once cold temps hit you'll have an easier time with it although the technique is the same just on a shorter time line. If you have a lot of tree cover you maybe obstructing a beneficial currential draft that would help, and raising the overall height of the chimney will improve draft too.

[Belfrybat]

I've never used a grate in a woodstove. I lay two medium pieces of wood on close to each wall (about 2-3" in diameter) and place small kindling pieces perpendicular across those. Then, since I have pallets cut up, I'll lay two pieces of pallet perpendicular to the kindling and two or three larger pieces across them (log cabin style). The pallet keeps an air space. By that time, I'm almost hitting the ceiling of woodstove. I make my own firestarter by melting old candles and mixing with cedar shavings (think hamster bedding). One piece about 2" square will set the whole thing ablaze just nicely. As others have said, keep the door cracked open and the damper fully open until you get a good fire going.

[haypoint]

Sounds like you are adding the bigger stuff before the fire is hot enough. Maybe more middle sized pieces.

You are leaving the bottom, air intake open? Feed door shut and the opening below, open. Maybe there is an ash door that you can open to get the air coming in creating a draw.

Wood must be dry. It takes many months for wood to give up its moisture, longer if it isn't split.