Outdoor Wood Furnace Info
All-Purpose OWF Discussions => General Outdoor Furnace Discussion => Topic started by: mtoll on January 16, 2015, 11:59:46 AM
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Any suggestions on keeping the fire going when the furnace isn't calling for heat.
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Ayuh,... Fire in What,..??
My boiler will smolder for up to a day, waitin' for the call,....
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Mike, do you mean you are having trouble with your stove re-lighting? Technically, the fire goes out every time the stove cycles and the damper closes.
The key to keeping a good fire going is establishing your coal bed. To establish a good coal bed, load the stove with lots of smaller pieces and put in more than you would need and more frequently than you normally would need. Also, some wood coals better than others. I learned that Cherry is terrible at leaving coals. Hard to keep your fire going. Get some good dry wood, split to small pieces, load frequently and more than normal and you should get there.
Another thing I do when it warms up is I drop my differential down to less than 10 and I drop my high temp down to 175 or 170. Good luck and feel free to call me if you can't get it figured out!
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That's exactly what has happen, Had a good base this morning Filled at 8:30 last night and 8:00 this morn it had burn down to nothing but some coals so I put some large blocks in. No demand I guess and by 1:00 it wasn't relighting. Most of the wood I have is a little green, but your suggestions was I looking for.
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If your down to coals and using green wood large pieces will kill off the coals fast. If this happens make sure you use a maul and split nice and small, and add little bit at a time.
That's exactly what has happen, Had a good base this morning Filled at 8:30 last night and 8:00 this morn it had burn down to nothing but some coals so I put some large blocks in. No demand I guess and by 1:00 it wasn't relighting. Most of the wood I have is a little green, but your suggestions was I looking for.
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Maybe put more wood in then you have bin to get you threw to your next fill
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If burning green wood without a proper fire... it can just damper the temp most of the night with little heat. If your calling for heat throughout the night the wood will never get the house to temperature and by morning you might not have much wood left, but a house left cold. Packing a OWB to the top with wet wood, and cold temperatures.. You probably end up at the same boiler temp you filled it at by morning. I speculating if using natural draft, fan could be a different story. As you cut green wood during the later winter months the wood should be a bit drier.
For example you fill your boiler with green wood to the top with water temps around 140, I would expect you would probably wake up with the same water temp or below. Your heat demand never lets the boiler get to proper temp, and the wood just hisses and smolders. This all depends on your heat demand, during warmer weather green wood might work fine because of more idle time, but as temps drop green wood shows its not worthy of good dry wood to keep things warm. Yes.. I understand if you were to attend to your boiler every few hours during the very cold temps you could make do. Most fill at night, and refill in the morning.
Maybe put more wood in then you have bin to get you threw to your next fill