Outdoor Wood Furnace Info

All-Purpose OWF Discussions => General Outdoor Furnace Discussion => Topic started by: lugnut on November 17, 2011, 09:20:45 AM

Title: Short burn cycle???
Post by: lugnut on November 17, 2011, 09:20:45 AM
Will someone please explain this to me?  Of the many assorted replies to my posts on here, I've seen this often and did not respond with a question as to what the term: short burn cycle " meant.

Thank you.

Lugnut
Title: Re: Short burn cycle???
Post by: jerkash on November 17, 2011, 09:27:16 AM
Instead of filling up with wood and burning 24 hrs, fill half full and burn 12 hours.  That's my understanding anyway! 
Title: Re: Short burn cycle???
Post by: lugnut on November 17, 2011, 11:41:17 AM
Instead of filling up with wood and burning 24 hrs, fill half full and burn 12 hours.  That's my understanding anyway!

Well now this does make sense to me.  Thank you.  So which is better to do...short or long cycles?  Depends on outside temps I would assume? 

When the subject came up folks were just making lite of whether I was doing "short burn cycles" or other.

Boy, I'll sure be glad when I have this ALL under my belt.  Fingers are getting tired from all the typing, re-learning how to post photos on this site from another photo tool site.....I'm learning much yet still have further questions.   Moving right along....

Jerry
Title: Re: Short burn cycle???
Post by: jerkash on November 17, 2011, 12:47:54 PM
I'm new to the OWF and I have been running mine for 3 weeks.  I try to load mine twice in 24 hours.  It's been up and down temps here but I'm getting a handle on the amount of wood to put in each time.  I have found out that when I reload it, I want nothing but coals left.  It just seems to work better for me like this.
Title: Re: Short burn cycle???
Post by: Scott7m on November 17, 2011, 05:07:18 PM
I prefer to run my stove with a 15 degree differential, fires are the most efficient on a longer burn, there hotter and produce less creosote and burn off any build up

If you remember the guy who was wanting to put a "cruise control" on his.  Stove to hold it at one set point, one thing all experienced folks told him was that he was building an inefficient creosote builder!

Title: Re: Short burn cycle???
Post by: mikenc on November 17, 2011, 05:18:31 PM
mine seems to work better with 15deg differance to. burns creosote better. still load twice a day in cold  weather.
Title: Re: Short burn cycle???
Post by: Roger2561 on November 21, 2011, 06:25:46 AM
mine seems to work better with 15deg differance to. burns creosote better. still load twice a day in cold  weather.

Mikenc;  What do you have for a OWB?  You mentioned that in the cold of winter you have to stoke the fire twice a day.  Is that twice every 24 hours or twice every 12 hours?  I do not know where you live but I live in NH.  While I'm away at work (I live alone and have no pets) I lower the thermostats to 62 degrees.  I feel there is no reason to heat the house while no one is there.  About an hour before I get home, the thermostats automatically will set to 68 degrees so when I get home from work it's comfortable in the house.  Roger     
Title: Re: Short burn cycle???
Post by: lugnut on November 21, 2011, 09:29:03 AM
I'm new to the OWF and I have been running mine for 3 weeks.  I try to load mine twice in 24 hours.  It's been up and down temps here but I'm getting a handle on the amount of wood to put in each time.  I have found out that when I reload it, I want nothing but coals left.  It just seems to work better for me like this.

So the last few days this is what I have had left...ashes.  But still enough ashes where I just throw some wood in and in a bit it takes off again.  The temps this week are supposed to be in the 40 and "maybe" lower 50s.  So now, I will just burn a fire for the DWH.  I don't really want to waste the wood for this, but I'll be damned if I want to give any money to WPS either.

My main concern here is still the build up of creosote.  I REALLY need to get that larger 75 cfm blower motor with the auto damper...this WILL improve the furnace greatly and keep me from going outside and regulating that darn manual cover on the blower.  Too far open and I go through wood rapidly, too closed and I strangle the fire.

I have a large metal trash can of ashes that I NEED to get rid of today and I have the perfect hole in the ground for them.

Lugnut