Why won't our wood burner get going?

A._Badger · 7 December 2012 at 9:26PM

One exception to that - chestnut! It is often sold as suitable for stoves because they have doors that can be closed against the spitting. But the spitting is so violent and prolonged that it even happens when you have the doors open to refuel.

I do agree about oak, by the way. It just sulks on my stove. Lord knows how the French manage to use it so widely.

Greenfires · 7 December 2012 at 11:04PM

Yep that's true Badger - some softwoods can be a bit spitty too. I'd also make a mention of the old "Firewood poem" that's often referred to - a fair bit of that is just nonsense - though it does rhyme quite nicely!!

Leif · 8 December 2012 at 11:45AM

A slight aside, but last night I couldn't get my stove going, and the room was filling with smoke. It was caused by the extractor fan in the kitchen. The two rooms are separated by a hallway. I might open up the sitting room air vent to allow for this. I blocked it as it is not needed by the stove, and it encourages warm air to escape from the house. I recently discovered that some fires, such as the Charnwood C-Four, can take in air from outside via an opening in the back. Sadly my chimney is in an internal wall.

grahamc2003 · 8 December 2012 at 12:45PM

A properly designed vent shouldn't let lots of draught in, unless being sucked in by a stove, when it is doing exactly what it should. Those put in for humidity reasons should control the humidity (to a lesser or greater extent) with no airflow through it. The water vapour migrates out through the air to equalise the relative humidity with the outside. Of course, there should be a 90 degree bend on the outside so wind hitting it doesn't just enter the room and cause a howling draught. If situated at a low level, there shouldn't be much warm air lost.

Regarding wood and moisture meters - I have doubts that they are always used correctly. Mine measures the moisture to about a millimeter depth if I really push the spikes into the wood, so the reading relates to the moisture at that level. Which of course isn't necessarily the moisture content deeper in the wood.

When I first got mine and used it that way, I though great, all my six month old wood is about 21/22% moisture, so just about burnable. But when I split it, it was much wetter indside, and not burnable.

So now if I'm in doubt, I take a half inch slice off a log, and remeasure the exposed surface. The half inch slice gets burnt.

I collect all my own wood, so although I have plenty, I rarely have plenty of dry wood. I speed up the seasoning by splitting thinner logs than ideal. I try to burn at no greater than 20/21%. Imv, the ideal log would be about 15% (to be pragmatic) and almost fill my (small) stove, only being put it when the stove was already hot. And made of wood, any old wood does me.

hethmar · 8 December 2012 at 3:05PM

Greenfires wrote: »

I'd agree on a moisture meter - but I think ash is a bit over rated tbh. Its major plus is the fact that it tends to be naturally drier than a lot of other species to start with - that's where the thing about being able to burn it green comes from

Well, I agree virtually anything can be used if seasoned (though we werent over pleased to see a customer using tarred up railway sleepers - as far as he was concerned they were dry, seasoned and usable) - we are mixing in some 8 inch dia ivy at the moment! HOWEVER, we and you know what can and should be used. My point was, if the inexperienced person requests ash then hopefully the supplier will supply some decent stuff that will be very usable the following year, rather than offload 6 week cut willow. (which we have seen block flues in a few weeks of customers using). I was assuming you are in the stove business or sweeping? In which case you would know its best to make over the top recommendations because otherwise you will find wet wood of any type causing problems with inexperienced burners stoves.

We have split oak logs in the garden that we still wont use after nearly 3 years.

So a moisture meter and split dry wood and a decent shelter is the way to go. Oh and a stove temp gauge. Though do use it correctly. Had a man just yesterday telling me he couldnt get his stove over 400 degrees which was the recommended temp in his stove manual. When we checked he was running using the centigrade rather than fahrenhite markings :eek:

Greenfires · 8 December 2012 at 4:51PM

Haha - some customers frighten the life out of you don't they?!! Did a stove thios morning for a couple of guys - not drawing and smoking back apparently. Yes - that might be to do with the cheap housecoal you've been feeding it for god knows how long! Think I've only had one who'd had a go with sleepers - and they frightened themselves to death with them so it was a one off!

Yep - I take your point about over the top advice - that's a fair comment. I probably spend almost as much time talking to people about how to run a stove properly and what to stick in it as I do actually sweeping their chimneys. Some of them apologise for asking "stupid questions" but I always tell them there's no reason why they should know all this stuff - most older people have memories of their parents or grandparents using open fires - but there's not yet such a long tradition of domestic woodburning or multifuel stoves, so why would they know all the ins and outs. So there's no such thing as a stupid question.

There could be some pretty daft answers though....;-)

hethmar · 8 December 2012 at 9:04PM

Also yesterday, chap with a problem with smoking - we fitted and lined for him nearly 7 years ago. I said to him "and you have had it swept?" "Yes - you did it". I said, no, sorry, we dont sweep chimneys. He said, "It was definitely you who swept it when you fitted it"

On the data plate, on the warranties, on the invoice it says how often to sweep and to retain the certs on top of us telling customers verbally when we leave the job - but this bloke hadnt seen or heard any of that. He then asked how it was swept! Replied it had a soot door in the stovepipe - Id checked the record on my computer as we were talking - "but how, do you sweep the outside of the liner?" he said?

Honestly, I give up - and that person is in a professional occupation involving a stethescope, gawd help us.

muckybutt · 8 December 2012 at 10:08PM

Glad i'm not the only one to have come across a custy that thought it a great idea to burn the old railway sleepers!

A while back a young couple rang me for a sweep, I think weve had a chimney fire can you come and give the chimney a sweep was the message, so i duly turned out.
Lovely 18c cottage beamed ceilings and all that, any how stove was fitted - no liner, had a look withthe inspection mirror and all I could see was cinders from the tar, went on to give it a right good fettle and got nearly 3 bin bags full of crud and cinders down the chimney. I was intreagued as to what they were burning - the reply oh my other half decided to chop up the old railway sleepers we have in the back garden :eek: they burn relly hot and give off loads of heat......durrrr yeah they will do they are soaked in tar !
Result was that the insides of the chimney were burgered many of the bricks had split and quite a few were glazed over, the chimney breasts on both floors had the plaster blown off them in the ensuing heat generated by the fire. When asked what they did to put it out, oh my boyfriend stayed up all night to make sure it burnt itself out :eek::eek: no fire brigade ? no we didnt want them messing the carpet up. To be honest and I told her so I was surprised they had a house left !....surprisingly never been back to sweep their chimney....some folk really do take the urine

Greenfires · 8 December 2012 at 10:24PM

Haha - I went to a customer the other week after a chimney fire. Asked the lady if they'd had the brigade out. "No" she says - "hubby's an officer at the station and said that no way was he calling them !!!!!!s out as he'd never hear the end of it"

hethmar · 9 December 2012 at 5:35PM

Its the thermal shock that often causes the worse problems after a chimney fire. Still, better than the house burning down, eh.

But it is so surprising how daft some people can be. They wouldnt run a car on the wrong fuel, in the wrong gear or not have it serviced, but they think their chimney needs no care at all.

Why won't our wood burner get going?

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