Wood stove 102

       Wood stove 101 is just to basically put some wood into the stove and make heat for warmth, and even cooking.

            Wood stove 102 is to keep the stove going.

                        Now one can always start their stove or fireplace from scratch, which usually means using some kind of fire starter, often called kindling. And it works, but does take time.

                        Now one can also put "just enough" wood into the stove to make coals that will start the stove up when more wood gets put in later, usually during cold spells. Of course, this idea takes a stove that is already "hot" with coals.

            After all that, one just usually lets the stove go "cold". If all that sounds like a bet as to the future weather, well, that is pretty much it. The decision usually happens in the spring time. Whether that turns out to be correct, or not, once the stove is cold, it is a good time to dump ashes for the season. And the opposite applies in the fall time. Then the decision is when to start the stove up?

            Last, some wood burns "hotter" than other woods. Like hard wood burns better, like with more heat and less creosote, than softer woods, like pine or hemlock (often called spruce). The high tech person would say some woods burn with more BTU than other woods. Around where I live in East Tennessee, that idea is correct. Like the maple tree that is down in my yard burns with less heat than the red oak or chestnut oak, also down in my yard.

            But in keeping coals going to burn other wood later, about any wood should so do OK. Now if you boo boo, then you just get to start a new fire up from scratch, like using kindling, and being patient.

            End of lesson, and there won't be a test.