In conclusion, the harder and denser the wood, the longer it will burn. Start the fire with smaller pieces of wood and gradually add larger logs to avoid smothering the fire and putting out the flames.
Seasoned hardwoods make the best firewood. Hardwoods like oak, cherry and maple are denser than softwoods like pine or cedar. Due to their density, they burn longer and produce more heat or BTUs.
Too Much Air Can Make Logs Burn Fast in a Bonfire
Air is essential for a campfire. However, too much air can make the logs burn faster than intended. This can lead to your fire-pit time being cut short because you have run out of wood.
Maintain oxygen flow.
For a great fire, you must have good oxygen flow, so consider how to stack the firewood. If you stack wood too tight, it can snuff out the fire because the air and oxygen doesn't flow between tightly placed wood.
For longer burns, restrict the airflow to the fire to draw out the length of the fuel burning. Low airflow fires will burn at a lower BTU output for long periods whereas high airflow fires will spike with a quick rush of BTUs and quickly burn out, requiring additional wood.
Insufficient airflow can lead to poor combustion and can cause the fire to smolder or extinguish. On the other hand, excessive airflow can accelerate the burning process and potentially cause the fire to burn out quickly.
To cool down an overfiring stove, you will need to reduce the airflow by partially closing the air vents, reducing the oxygen intake. This will slowly lower the temperature as your fire's oxygen supply depletes, calming the fire and bringing your stove down to a more appropriate temperature.
Limit the air intake for the fire
When you go to bed you want to ensure your fire goes out consistently and over a period of time. Don't shut off the air vents completely but close them right down as this will limit the amount of air that gets into the chamber so the fire will slowly die out.
While dry firewood is preferable for clean burning, logs can become overly dried out below ideal moisture levels. Wood with extremely low moisture content under 15% can burn too quickly, create fire hazards, increase air pollution, and reduce heat output. The ideal moisture range is around 15-20%.
Redwood and spruce also fall under this category. Poplar and chestnut are smokey, alder and spruce are too quick to burn, elder and fir fires are puny, and hemlock shoots off sparks. Eucalyptus is the worst firewood for your fireplace.
Evenly distributing small pieces of wood throughout the fireplace will increase air circulation and speed up the burning of the wood. This creates a sustainable fire, but the wood burns faster. Placing large logs closer to the fireplace will keep the fire burning longer between refills, maximizing heat output per log.
To create fires that produce more heat, open the damper as wide as possible when lighting a fire. A wide-open damper will increase the amount of air reaching the fire and improve combustion. As a result, the fire will burn hotter.
Splitting Firewood Produces More Heat
The greater surface area of split wood (when compared to that same log before it was split) also results in greater heat, this is because more oxygen can reach more of the wood and support combustion.
Grab that bucket of cleared away ash and sprinkle a little in a neat layer under the grate, to act as fuel and insulation for your fire. Next, loosely ball up pieces of newspaper—you still want some air to be able to move through them, so not too tight—and push them under the grate on top of the ash.
On average, a single log can burn for about 2-4 hours, depending on its size and type of wood. To ensure a consistent warmth throughout the day, aim for a minimum of 4-6 logs in a 24-hour period. This conservative estimate will guarantee that your home stays comfortably heated without the fire burning out prematurely.
If you add lots of wood, especially when the stove is already heated up, the temperature in the chimney will rise and lots of heat will go to waste. High emissions of unburnt volatile compounds mean also a correspondingly high level of wasted energy – the same goes for having lots of unburnt charcoal in the ashes.
On a dual lever appliance, the bottom control is the Primary air and the top control is the Secondary. Read your manual for other configurations such as 2 levers on the base.
Yes, wood does tend to burn better on a fireplace grate. This is because the grate elevates the burning wood, allowing additional oxygen to feed the fire from underneath.
Restrict air flow
However, if you're finding that your fire is burning fast and extinguishing quickly, you may need to restrict the air into the chamber. To do so, start closing the vents off once you add your logs (without completely shutting them down) and, as a result, your fire will burn slower and last longer.
A fire will burn too quickly if there is an excessive air supply. If you find that this is the case please check that the door is closed properly, and that all vents and seals on the stove. Door seals on stoves do need to be replaced on stoves due to wear.
To keep a wood stove burning all night, use seasoned hardwood, control airflow with the damper, and add large logs before bed. Ensure safety with detectors and proper maintenance.
The Best Way to Build When Firewood Won't Burn
Lay your tinder uniformly around the pit. In the center of the pit, arrange your kindling into a teepee. A teepee shape will allow ventilation to encourage the fire from the kindling onto the firewood. Finally, arrange your firewood into the shape of a log cabin.
Regularly add more kindling or tinder to help keep your flames burning longer and hotter. Leaning logs against each other in a criss-cross pattern can help keep them upright while creating an efficient airflow through which oxygen can reach deeper into the pile and create a larger flame.