I've had a continuous fire going for 48 hours, and I see coals in the belly of the boiler now!!! I was concerned getting through yesterday as it was in the 60's and 50's overnight. I purchased a cheap moisture meter, and the wood that I was burning had a reading of 25-30%. The wood I'm currently burning is 20% or less. I was also given a tip to drill a small hole below the fan damper to allow air circulation to the coals. When the fan kicks on, I get an instant fire now. Currently set at 170 with a diff of 10.
I feel like I'll be in good shape with all the knowledge I've gained from this site. Thank you for taking the time to help me out.
How did you check the moisture? Standing dead oak isn't likely to be anywhere close to 30%.
You need to split a piece and check the middle.
To get a good bed of coals, put in a lot more wood and probably cut back the air some. Wet wood needs at least enough loaded to last well past the next loading. Don't put any pine in till you have a bed of coals. Coals from pine burn up almost right away and don't build up at all.
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Topic: Developing a coal bed (Read 5999 times)