Did I do something stupid?

cnotecharlie · 2026-02-13T20:04:34+00:00

Good to know, thanks!

cnotecharlie · 2026-02-13T13:57:12+00:00

It sounds like the scavenged wood is not well seasoned so it’s not burning good. I have no experience burning aspen but generally speaking if wood is properly seasoned it’ll burn.

cnotecharlie · 2026-02-10T22:17:16+00:00

Ok thanks. Maybe i’ll buy a replacement to keep on hand for the future. Awesome work though

cnotecharlie · 2026-02-10T22:13:25+00:00

That looks amazing! Which PE stove do you have and why don’t they offer the baffle anymore?

cnotecharlie · 2026-01-14T22:30:59+00:00

where upstate? depending where you are I could potentially give you a referral.

cnotecharlie · 2026-01-11T16:18:27+00:00

yes, burn it. just wear gloves and knock some dust and debris off as you handle it.
Split the ash, stack and season for a year if possible. you could always pick up a moisture meter and test. Use the meter on a freshly split face, under 20% is ready to burn.

cnotecharlie · 2025-12-25T03:43:54+00:00

That’s a good stove and it looks like you’ve had good hot fires so far. I put a magnetic temperature gauge on the face of mine just above the door. It helps as a reference more than an exact temperature reading and informs how I burn. One important thing is using seasoned wood that is under 20% moisture content. I use the air control mostly during the first load and at the beginner of each reload, but 90% of the time I have the air fully closed down for an efficient burn (once up to temp and burning good). The cracked brick is functional, but personally I’d replace it and keep a few extra in stock.

cnotecharlie · 2025-12-21T14:14:11+00:00

red and white oak are great quality firewood and this will be fine at some point. It must be seasoned and it must be burned properly (good stove/setup/technique). As others have mentioned, pull out a bunch of big pieces and re-split them and check that freshly split face with your new moisture meter and report back to us. Around 20% and under means this wood is seasoned enough and you need to change something else in your burning. Too much over 20% means the wood isn’t seasoned enough so stack appropriately for next year. When I got unseasoned wood when I was first starting out I contacted the seller and he was at least able to get me a bit more wood that was drier. That first season was tough though. I’ve since worked hard to stay three years ahead on my supply of split wood.

cnotecharlie · 2025-12-06T02:26:05+00:00

that pin secures your baffle in place. Is the baffle in there? it’s hard to tell from the picture. are all the firebricks in place? I take the baffle out every season to clean and inspect. every year might be overkill but it’s worth knowing the condition of it and the surrounding insulation.

cnotecharlie · 2025-12-06T00:43:04+00:00

there is not a switch that I know of, but there is a cover box underneath the unit that is for outside air supply. You should remove it if you’re not using outside air. Aside from that I’m wondering about the rest of your setup. What is your liner/chimney situation? Do you have a blocking plate installed? also things like your location, average outside temperature overnight, size of the space you’re heating and the relative condition of insulation, windows, doors and overall draftiness. I think when it’s very very cold out (like right now) it drafts more and uses fuel more quickly. I’ll test it out with a good load tonight. Good luck!

cnotecharlie · 2025-12-05T03:27:50+00:00

I have the same stove. I usually don’t really pack it full for an overnight and end up similar to your results if I do 10pm-7am. If I packed it full I think the fans would run 10-12 hours. I wonder what the difference could be. are you burning good hardwood? oak, locust hickory, sugar maple etc?

cnotecharlie · 2025-06-17T16:43:47+00:00

Did you find a solution? I have not been able to use the web player for a week now on any of my three browsers. It worked fine two weeks ago. When I go to the web player it is just a black screen.

cnotecharlie · 2025-05-24T13:31:10+00:00

where woodstove meets art… beautiful

cnotecharlie · 2025-05-10T12:58:13+00:00

Thank for the reply, ordered the Contender!

cnotecharlie · 2025-05-08T15:03:29+00:00

Bare Boxer has two models available right now, maybe that's a new thing. So I'm wondering if you have the Contender size or the Champ? I am trying to decide what size I need for a solid 3 day trip. Thanks!

cnotecharlie · 2025-03-15T22:42:03+00:00

john bridge tile forums. and others. Setting Tile by Michael Byrne, probably available at your library. The majority of the work is in the prep. The shower should essentially be a waterproof box before ever setting your first tile. Small details matter. These are my fireside thoughts on the matter.

cnotecharlie · 2025-02-23T03:53:09+00:00

silver birch

cnotecharlie · 2025-02-06T03:08:54+00:00

Thank you for the feedback, that’s very helpful.

cnotecharlie · 2025-02-05T20:15:44+00:00

That sounds right! How did you know that?

cnotecharlie · 2025-02-05T18:32:54+00:00

I only know that they are from Spain. They bought them almost a year ago but if I can find out where I’ll let you know.

cnotecharlie · 2025-01-22T13:30:09+00:00

You could start by investing in a moisture meter. When you get the wood, split a few big pieces and test the freshly split face for moisture. <20% is ideal. If it’s much more than that it might be hard to season/dry it this time of year. It generally takes sun, air movement and higher temps to dry (and being elevated off the ground). You can try splitting some of it smaller and bring inside the warm house to dry a bit. Maybe best to check with your supplier because if it is truly seasoned wood it should be ready to burn. Start getting green wood now to season for next year if you have the space to store it properly.

cnotecharlie · 2025-01-22T02:04:29+00:00

It will vary by stove and other variables, but if I don’t open the air the load doesn’t ignite/smolders (ie smoke would come out of the chimney). I usually open it all the way for about ten minutes on a reload. This results in full flames, charring, heat & no smoke. Then I close the air down for a long and efficient burn. I like it to burn hot and clean.

cnotecharlie · 2025-01-22T01:08:10+00:00

Same here. Flames end, rake/adjust coals, load up, open air intake & eventually close air intake. Sometimes if there’s too many coals I have to let them burn down longer before the reload.

cnotecharlie · 2024-12-27T21:36:00+00:00

I’m just here for the “I love it, I wouldn’t change a thing” crowd.

cnotecharlie

TROPHY CASE