Got to Smug- Almost Lost Fire

Devil505 · Post by **Devil505** » Thu. Jan. 22, 2009 7:57 pm

I waited a little to long today & shook down with way to much ash in the stove. I noticed the fire barely livened up at all with the ash door opened for almost 10 minutes.(& then, only one side livened up)
Figuring I still had plenty of good coal in the fire box, I poked & shook down & found out there was practically nothing but ash left in the stove! I had to baby the left hand side back to life, & even used a small fan to blow some life back into the fire from underneath. (didn't touch the small fire for fear of smothering it. The whole rest of the stove was dead)
Took me about 45 minutes to complete but now it's fine & I'll clean out the other side tomorrow.

eelhc · Post by **eelhc** » Thu. Jan. 22, 2009 8:34 pm

If I've been too long away from the fire like in the morning or after returning from work when the coals have been left unattended for ~8-10hrs and I don't feel like tenderly nursing the fire back... I cheat.

I do the shakedown/poke/slice and throw a scoop of wood pellet fuel on top of the weak coals before loading up the hopper. Fire comes back much quicker.

Devil505 · Post by **Devil505** » Thu. Jan. 22, 2009 8:40 pm

eelhc wrote:I do the shakedown/poke/slice and throw a scoop of wood pellet fuel on top of the weak coals before loading up the hopper. Fire comes back much quicker.

Good point...I could have thrown a few wood scraps in to speed things up but I didn't bother.

eelhc · Post by **eelhc** » Thu. Jan. 22, 2009 8:47 pm

Devil505 wrote:
eelhc wrote:I do the shakedown/poke/slice and throw a scoop of wood pellet fuel on top of the weak coals before loading up the hopper. Fire comes back much quicker.
Good point...I could have thrown a few wood scraps in to speed things up but I didn't bother.

Yeah.... It's like admitting defeat but the point is to be lazy and stay warm.

Devil505 · Post by **Devil505** » Thu. Jan. 22, 2009 8:49 pm

eelhc wrote:Yeah.... It's like admitting defeat but the point is to be lazy and stay warm.

Yeah....There's that too.

coalkirk · Post by **coalkirk** » Thu. Jan. 22, 2009 9:18 pm

As long as you didn't need to use another match until October 2009, you are still in the club!

Devil505 · Post by **Devil505** » Thu. Jan. 22, 2009 9:33 pm

coalkirk wrote:As long as you didn't need to use antoher match until October 2009, you are still in the club!

Not one match!!!

Jack Magnum · Post by **Jack Magnum** » Thu. Jan. 22, 2009 10:59 pm

Devil505 wrote:
coalkirk wrote:As long as you didn't need to use antoher match until October 2009, you are still in the club!
Not one match!!!

I did almost the same thing today. Took me about an hour or more to get it back up. Right now dancing ladies and 80 degrees

Dann757 · Post by **Dann757** » Thu. Jan. 22, 2009 11:55 pm

Same thing happened to me; I cleaned out the whole stove and swept the chimney in the morning. Really got a good look at how much ash buildup was going on. With a fresh fire, I haven't had to poke the fire from beneath for two days now! It really burns hot for a few days and needs less tending. Now it will get a little ash buildup and actually keeps the fire a little more subdued. I've learned so much, no one match club for me; but really happy to have the same fire for a few weeks running!

Millworker · Post by **Millworker** » Fri. Jan. 23, 2009 9:25 pm

Devil505 wrote:I waited a little to long today & shook down with way to much ash in the stove. I noticed the fire barely livened up at all with the ash door opened for almost 10 minutes.(& then, only one side livened up)
Figuring I still had plenty of good coal in the fire box, I poked & shook down & found out there was practically nothing but ash left in the stove! I had to baby the left hand side back to life, & even used a small fan to blow some life back into the fire from underneath. (didn't touch the small fire for fear of smothering it. The whole rest of the stove was dead)
Took me about 45 minutes to complete but now it's fine & I'll clean out the other side tomorrow.

Funny, I'm stuck with the same dilemma right now. Interestingly, I have found a technique that I have used twice now that has to my amazement worked. I discovered this because a dying fire really pi*ses me off and I don't have the patience to nurse it back like you have. Sooooo, what I did was get the patch of coal that's still burning revved up as much as possible. In this case it was probably 30% of the coal bed on the left. Then I carefully took out a couple scoops of the dead ash from the right side, forming a pocket. Next, I spread the lively coals into the pocket over the ash, and quickly top the whole thing with a layer of coal. Wait for it to catch and add another layer. Then top off and once it catches hard I can do a proper shake down to rid the stove of the ash I had neglected before. Now, back to my wine

Devil505 · Post by **Devil505** » Fri. Jan. 23, 2009 9:31 pm

Millworker wrote:Next, I spread the lively coals into the pocket over the ash, and quickly top the whole thing with a layer of coal. Wait for it to catch and add another layer

Glad it worked for you. I've never had much luck trying to move lightly burning coal....it invariably goes out on me.

I never touch the weakly burning area, just add to it. We all have our own techniques!

Conductor · Post by **Conductor** » Fri. Jan. 23, 2009 10:23 pm

i got home late from work today . did the stove at 330 am before I went to work. I got home at 430p stove still glowing a little . opened the damper and the air flap in the back then gave it some nut coal. waited 10 min then gave a few shakes that was the end of that the whole glow fell in the ash pan . this stove has been going sence november, man I dident want this to die out.I put some cowboy charcoal in there and matchlite charcoal this thing is taking forever to get going again. it starts to go then I put some rice coal on it and starts to go out again.back to the charcoal I got it 3 hours later now she is up and running what a night.

eelhc · Post by **eelhc** » Sat. Jan. 24, 2009 7:39 pm

Conductor wrote:i got home late from work today . did the stove at 330 am before I went to work. I got home at 430p stove still glowing a little . opened the damper and the air flap in the back then gave it some nut coal. waited 10 min then gave a few shakes that was the end of that the whole glow fell in the ash pan . this stove has been going sence november, man I dident want this to die out.I put some cowboy charcoal in there and matchlite charcoal this thing is taking forever to get going again. it starts to go then I put some rice coal on it and starts to go out again.back to the charcoal I got it 3 hours later now she is up and running what a night.

I used to use charcoal... now I use wood pellet fuel. Cheaper, cleaner and faster lighting. Just spread a generous amount over the weak coals before adding new coals on top. Give it plenty of air and I can bring back any fire from the brink in 30 minutes.

Devil505 · Post by **Devil505** » Sat. Jan. 24, 2009 8:44 pm

eelhc wrote:I used to use charcoal... now I use wood pellet fuel. Cheaper, cleaner and faster lighting. Just spread a generous amount over the weak coals before adding new coals on top. Give it plenty of air and I can bring back any fire from the brink in 30 minutes.

Sounds like a good idea! I'll have to buy a bag & try it!

japar · Post by **japar** » Sat. Jan. 24, 2009 9:32 pm

I always have oak pallets cut up in the basement. If I wake up or come home to almost dead fire I throw some oak on top then open the ash door. The oak creates a rawing fire and instance heat. I shake or poke a little and when the wood burns down I throw coal in. I will have a rawing bed of coal in no time. If the fire is totally out I use a 3 prong garden tool and keep raking the coals back and forth. All the ash drops in the pan then I push the remaining coal to each side. I then start a new coal fire using pallet wood. I throw new coal in the center and it off and running. If I give it enuff air it will ignite both sides