How do you start your fires with a wood burning stove??

[Threerun]

Print the instructions. They are quite detailed.

In short- burn smaller hot fires, close the damper when the stove is warmed and the cat fires up. That's about it.

[jackmccullough]

I heated with wood for years. Until I replaced our stove with a furnace we went through a couple of years of getting up in a forty degree house until I started up the day's fire.

I just used newspaper and kindling (mostly split from my firewood) to get it started. You'll learn quickly.

$240 a cord seems expensive. You might want to follow this link to evaluate the price per million BTU for different fuel types. It's keyed to Vermont fuel prices, but you can extrapolate because the BTU content doesn't change.

http://publicservice.vermont.gov/pub/fuel-price-report/09nov.pdf (broken link)

[MattNJ]

so I used the catalytic today and got my cord of food stacked in my wooden shed. It was a very productive day.

When I opened the top to look in a huuuge puff of smoke came out now that I have the damper down.
How am I supposed to get wood in there if the smoke is the crazy, do I open then damper first?

Should the back air vent be open or close when the catalytic is on?

I also bought a magnetic tempature gauage, the directions dont say where I should put it, where do you guys think I should put it??

Thanks!

[MikeJaquish]

http://www.vermontcastings.com/catalog/elements/files/2008/2000956_Encore_25501.pdf (broken link)

Read the whole manual thoroughly.
Read page 23 about having the damper open when starting a fire or adding fuel.

From Page 27:
"Wood-burning is an art rather than a science. Once the stove and chimney system are in place, you can only vary your technique, mostly your timing, to achieve good results. If you keep track of your burning habits and relate them to their effects on the stove’s operation, you’ll be rewarded with good performance and a safe system."

[Threerun]

Originally Posted by MattNJ

so I used the catalytic today and got my cord of food stacked in my wooden shed. It was a very productive day.

When I opened the top to look in a huuuge puff of smoke came out now that I have the damper down.
How am I supposed to get wood in there if the smoke is the crazy, do I open then damper first?

Should the back air vent be open or close when the catalytic is on?

I also bought a magnetic tempature gauage, the directions dont say where I should put it, where do you guys think I should put it??

Thanks!

Yes.. please open all dampers when adding wood, and you may have to keep them open until your freshly added wood get's going.
I used two magnetic thermometers. One on the side of the stove about mid-way up to monitor the temperature of the stove, and one on the metal flue to measure the exhaust gas temperature.

[MattNJ]

Originally Posted by Threerun

Yes.. please open all dampers when adding wood, and you may have to keep them open until your freshly added wood get's going.
I used two magnetic thermometers. One on the side of the stove about mid-way up to monitor the temperature of the stove, and one on the metal flue to measure the exhaust gas temperature.

So I should put it on the outside of the stove, on the sidewall you think? They dont go inside the stove right?

[Threerun]

No. They don't go inside.

I'm not being mean, but do you own a fire extinguisher?

[MattNJ]

Originally Posted by Threerun

No. They don't go inside.

I'm not being mean, but do you own a fire extinguisher?

Ha, yes I do. Its by the stove.