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Hello, currently glamping with wife and kids. We have a small wood burning stove that is eating wood but not producing much heat. What am I doing wrong? I assume flames are bad and glow is good? Terrible phone connection and so I can't even easily reply to the "useful" comments that usually role in. Thanks
Whats the wood like? wet (heavy) or rotten (very light) wood won't give off much heat
don't use it in the tent
Just got new bag from local store-nothing special but dry. Should vents be nearly closed when it is going well to reduce the flame and give a slower, hotter burn. Top vents vs bottom vents?
For mine top and bottom vents open till the wood catches then close the bottom then as the fire gets fully established close the top down opening a bit if it gets smoky or new wood is slow to catch.
The stove isn't also hearing water is it?
No flames are not bad.
You have to get the stove up to temperature. You have to get the flue up to temperature
Then you can close it down a bit.
Smouldering glow is bad , its the worst most ineffiecent way to burn and dangerous as your sending incompletely burnt gas up the fluw to condense into tar and condensate on your flue .
Local store being a general store ? Wood will not be dry, there in lies the problem .
Stoves are not use and forget , they require preparation and in use need attention reasonably often, if you have used a boiler all your life you may be in for a shock.
Ok - thanks. Wood is definitely not great but we are getting some fairly decent heat now after careful tending. Tent/pod things don't hold heat so ultimately pointless as we will all wake up at 2am wishing we had brought proper sleeping bags. Pleasant way to spend an evening though, especially with a fireside dram.
If you can find somewhere that sells "hotmax fuel logs" I'd recommend them... particularly for getting your stove / flue up to temp. But they burn really well and clean at any time and give off loads of heat.
Get the fire roaring hot to warm the flue before you close it down, then a good draft from below the grate should give you a decent bed of glowing embers, onto which you can throw more dry wood. That bed of embers is all-important and it helps if you start with small pieces so as to get good distribution over the grate.
Thank you. Warm tent and sleepy children. Sorted.