Any tips on the log burner? Never seem to have success lighting it without loads of smoke in the house. I have those smokeless things from Amazon which I guess are garbage?
What "man jobs" have you done today?
- Thread starter jaybee
- Start date
What I do is after cleaning is to leave the stove doors open for about 15 mins to allow the warmer air of the room to displace the colder air in the flue. Prep the stove with cardboard, sticks for kindling and a few logs and a fire lighter. Close the stove door as much as you can and use one of those long lighters and light the fire lighter and close the door right away. Open the air vent to max to feed the fire and gradually close it down as the fire takes hold. I've got this down to a fine T with barely any smoke in the room.
Another tip - for cleaning the stove window glass use a damp paper towel and some ash from a previous fire - dab the damp paper towel in the ash and rub the glass down and it cleans it better than any chemical. I used to make a paste with ash but the paper towel method is much quicker.
Good tip, my burner is always a struggle to clean as i always burn waste wood (often treated etc). I'll try this next fire. :thumbsup:
Re starting it - never had any problems with smoke in the room. I roll approx 8-10" long tubes out of scrap corrugated cardboard which act as excellent firelighters. Then just pile smaller bits of wood on top. Rarely fails to take hold first time unless the wood is quite wet. Learn the effect that the vents have on the burner - controlling these is key.
After scrubbing our log burner for hours, I decided to buy some stove glass cleaner. Spray and wait a minute, then it wipes straight off. It really is a miraculous product.
To light it - I don't fully lock the door. The small amount of additional airflow makes all the difference. Once it's going and the air is all moving in the right direction I close up fully.
To light it - I don't fully lock the door. The small amount of additional airflow makes all the difference. Once it's going and the air is all moving in the right direction I close up fully.
As the posts above -the best glass cleaner is damp paper towel dipped in ash. Its free.
I do the same when lighting the stove - door open slightly then when going and sticks have caught then close up and open door vent quite a bit till it's going well.
As above really and not too much paper / cardboard (Amazon boxes smoke like things possessed) then kindling / twigs and a few logs but don't overload. Light the paper and leave the door slightly ajar or not locked in place, vents open. You shouldn't get any smoke, but once its taken hold, close the door over and adjust the vents. Once its rolling nicely final adjustment of the vents.
I have read, but never tried of people putting a sheet of paper on top of their logs and lighting that first to dissipate the cold air in the flue and prevent smoke build up or the cold air forcing the smoke back into the burner
For cleaning the glass, as above damp kitchen roll and ash, but for a more stubborn stain use the glass stove cleaners with like a scowering pad on one side and a sponge on the other - great and last a fair while
Soldato
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I do want to do something similar with ours, but I'm not a far of heights, obviously not that much of an issue for yours
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Soldato
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Do you get the stove filling with smoke and then smoke coming out of the bottom air inlets?
If so or something similar you probably aren't getting a draw on your chimney. First off is it clean?
Secondly if you haven't used your stove in a few days and it's cold the air in the chimney can get cold and relatively dense. The warm air from the stove lacks the power to create a draft upwards and gets blocked by the cold air actually descending from above. Your air flow ends inthe wrong direction. The smoke will appear towards teh end when you stove runs out of air and the stochiometry gets poor.
Solution.
With the door open light a small fire with kindling this will burn nice and hot little or no smoke. If you put your hand by the top frontt edge of the door you'll probably feel the gasses escaping out the door not the chimney. Once the knidling fire is going really well cover the top half of the door opening with cardboard or similar. You're trying to trap the hit bouyant air so it must go up the flue. Hold it there for several tens of seconds and periodically feel the flue pipe and see if it's getting warmer (luke warm) once it is you can be sure draft has started up the chimney and the risk of smoke in the room has gone away.
I've filled the front room with smoke on plenty of occasions before I recognised the problem was downward draft in the chimney.
Soldato
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Changed the porch light bulb as it gets really flaky in cold weather. Presumed it was the 10+ year old CFL but discovered the bulb and socket contacts were very corroded.
TIL you should lubricate exterior light fittings!
TIL you should lubricate exterior light fittings!
Looks good matewhat did you use ?
Cheers
EasyJoint in the end, 'Smoke' colour.
I'm bored of waiting now, so if it needs doing again later next year or whatever then so be it
Cheers
EasyJoint in the end, 'Smoke' colour.
I'm bored of waiting now, so if it needs doing again later next year or whatever then so be it
Cool, ill take a look
Soldato
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Surely they'd be IP rated and/or permenantly sealed? I say this even though I've replaced my old exterior light as it stopped working
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Soldato
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Ah it's just a pretty ordinary bayonet fitting hanging inside our... Sheltered porch thing? Basically a 2ft deep recess the front door is in. So it doesn't get rained on, but gets full outdoor wind and cold.Surely they'd be IP rated and/or permenantly sealed? I say this even though I've replaced my old exterior light as it stopped working