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Off the Grid/Homesteading Skills:  Fire place question  |
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Katlady93
True Blue Farmgirl
361 Posts
Charlotte
Denmark
SC
USA
361 Posts |
 Posted - Jan 21 2013 : 10:54:10 AM
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can anyone explain the concept of banking a fire? we are trying to use the woodstove more, and it is okay as long as we are awake to keep feeding it. some one told be i needed to "bank" the fire but wasn't able to explain how to do it. i have tried reading about how to do it, so far have not been successful. can anyone help?
Thanks
Some dreams are worth the risk it takes to make them real.
Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footsteps on the moon. |
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naturemaiden
True Blue Farmgirl
2569 Posts
Connie - Farmgirl #673
Hoosick Falls
NY
USA
2569 Posts |
Posted - Jan 21 2013 : 11:12:21 AM
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Hi Charlotte,
we have a fireplace insert and once we get it going it can last 3-4 hrs or even longer. my husband will add more wood after about 3 hrs. once we have a good fire going, meaning we also have a nice build up of coals, this brings the insert up to a nice temp to sustain a long lasting fire. banking would be to fill it full of wood (after you have an accumulation of coals, a couple of inches deep) and practically close the draft (this lowers the oxygen thus reducing the flame so the fire burns slower). if you have an accumulation of ash, push it off to the sides and the back, this provides more of an insulation and allows the wood to burn slower.
so first off, build a fire and let it go for an hr or so, adding wood as you need to, to get a nice build up of hot coals. this is the cruical step in building a long lasting fire that will burn for hours.
please note that is you do NOT have a nice accumulation of coals, and you fill the stove full of wood and close the draft, you will lose your flame and the logs will likely smolder and not burn. then you'd have to get the fire going again.
also the type of wood makes a difference. oak burns hotter, and sometimes a little longer. locust the same. of course make sure the wood is seasoned or else it will hardly burn.
the air flow is what makes the fire burn hot. we have a fireplace thermometer that attaches to the outside of the stove with a magnet.... it's good to have one to make sure that you do not let it get too hot which would be past 500 degrees or so. you have to be careful.
hope this helps,
Connie :)
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Edited by - naturemaiden on Jan 21 2013 11:22:20 AM |
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kysheeplady
True Blue Farmgirl
1291 Posts
Teri
KY
USA
1291 Posts |
Posted - Jan 21 2013 : 11:49:03 AM
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We have 3 woodstoves and have heated with wood for the past 20++ years. The main thing you want to rememeber is that you DON"T ever want to get you flu pipe red cherry hot ... that will cause a chimney fire for sure.
When burning with wood, type of wood and draft is everything. Our stoves go all night and the house stays very warm. We have NO other form of heat in our home, so you have to have a good stove and mix wet and dry wood together to achive that slow warm burn.
Check your stove, it should have a damper on it, as well as your pipe that goes into the chimney, that is what allows you to CONTROL the heat going into the house and heat being wasted up the chimney.If you have an older stove chances are it has air leaks ... which adds to more air gettting into it, which will make the fire burn faster ... kind of like being fanned all the time.
The less air that gets in the slower and less heat you will have at that point you are almost making charcoal ...
Once our fire is burning, we never let it go out. it will burn all winter ... I have a wood cookstove and backup stove in my living room and a wood furnace in the garage that is vented into the house. However, we do not run all 3 stoves at the same time.
You really just have to learn YOUR stove, and it's damper by trial and error.
It is the best kind of heat I know of ... Love it! Good luck!
Teri
"There are black sheep in every flock"
White Sheep Farm
www.whitesheepfarm.com |
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Katlady93
True Blue Farmgirl
361 Posts
Charlotte
Denmark
SC
USA
361 Posts |
Posted - Jan 21 2013 : 4:58:02 PM
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thanks ladies these are wonderful. am going to try this. i love it when we can keep the fire going long enough for the house to really get toasty. nothing beats that feeling. it is like being wrapped in love.
the stove was in the house when we bought it, no idea how old it is, but if it like everything else, the former owner skimped on that as well. DH and a good friend have cleaned the chimney a couple of times. and replaced part of it, but in all likelihood, that is going to be an issue.
Some dreams are worth the risk it takes to make them real.
Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footsteps on the moon. |
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oldbittyhen
True Blue Farmgirl
1511 Posts
tina
quartz hill
ca
USA
1511 Posts |
Posted - Jan 22 2013 : 12:04:36 PM
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Charlotte, make sure that your chiminey pipe is 3 layered to prevent heat and sparks from starting a ceiling/wall/attic space fire, if the pipe burns thru in these areas, you might not know till its too late, also make sure to clean chiminey pipe on a regular basis also...
"Knowlege is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad" |
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Katlady93
True Blue Farmgirl
361 Posts
Charlotte
Denmark
SC
USA
361 Posts |
Posted - Jan 25 2013 : 10:20:43 AM
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i am not sure about the chimney pipe but i am sure it is okay. a friend of ours is an ex-insurance investigator whose speciality was fireplace /woodstove fires. he supervised the last time DH took the stove apart. and by apart i mean in pieces on the side lawn. took everythign out. bricks, pipe, everythign. they were pressure washed, scrubbed, the whole bit before Martin would bless it and allow it to be put back together. that was a couple of years ago, i think perhaps i should set it up with him to do it again this summer. sure couldn't hurt.
Some dreams are worth the risk it takes to make them real.
Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footsteps on the moon. |
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Room To Grow
True Blue Farmgirl
974 Posts
Deborah
Kingston
Georgia
USA
974 Posts |
Posted - Feb 10 2013 : 1:31:38 PM
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I think we need an insert for our fireplace. Where can we get one...Home Depot, Lowes, Ace Hardware???
Thanks
Deborah
now we are on our forever farm. God has blessed us. |
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naturemaiden
True Blue Farmgirl
2569 Posts
Connie - Farmgirl #673
Hoosick Falls
NY
USA
2569 Posts |
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Room To Grow
True Blue Farmgirl
974 Posts
Deborah
Kingston
Georgia
USA
974 Posts |
Posted - Feb 15 2013 : 04:58:56 AM
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Connie...do you have to have measurements of the fireplace? what company did yo go with?
thanks
deborah
now we are on our forever farm. God has blessed us. |
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Ingrid
True Blue Farmgirl
432 Posts
Ingrid
BC
Canada
432 Posts |
Posted - Feb 16 2013 : 6:20:22 PM
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I suggest if you have a fire department in you town/city ask the fire fighters. They will be able to tell you exactly what is safe and how to keep it that way.
Give thanks to yourself everyday for all the wonderful things you do! |
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Off the Grid/Homesteading Skills: Fire place question |
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Fire place question
