Overnight Burning - Need to know if I'm on the right path

[Moryseth]

Hello,

 

Been using a Slow Combustion stove for 2 years now and only recently I read tips & tricks about overnight burning.
Today I read some more that lead to stress because seems like there can be issues with doing ONB, like chimney fire and such.

In my case so far I have been actually saving some wood and kept my house warmer so I would prefer to keep burning overnight.

So far what I do is to load the stove at the end of the evening with the vent open at the max for like 20 minutes, most of the time it burns red by the time I close it and the flames goes on burning but more lingering. Not sure how to explain it but it's just that it dance a bit more horizontally rather than vertically.
For me it looks like what hell should be, seems freaking hot in there and alive.

So from what I could see my fire doesn't smolder and my glass didn't become dirtier yet. I just didn't look for the smoke yet which I will do tonight.

My question is, does it seems like my ONB is happening safely so far?
 

 

[neiln]

If you aren't getting dirty glass then you aren't making smoke/creosote and your flue will be clean BUT if you haven't swept your flue at since last year you should.... And that will confirm it's clean.

[richardwale]

I never over night burn on purpose, in fact I open the stove vents up before bed time to hot burn what's remaining. Large, dense very very dry lumps would work but a slumbering fire doesn't sit right with me

[Big J]

I just treat an overnight burn as I do any other. Shut the vents to the point where it's burning very slowly but not smoking. I get an overnight burn mainly down to the size of the stove (20kw). I haven't cleaned the glass since we moved in 4 months ago and we're mainly on softwood.

[Moryseth]

Thanks for the feedback, I'll pay close attention to my stove in the next week but so far it seems to burn adequately and generated close to no smoke when I looked outside. All the signs point to a proper burn of the wood so far.

[richardwale]

If the glass is clear in the morning I think you may have it sussed. My stove is a Burley with the only air intake coming from outside so tricky to get it right. 

[Woodworks]

12 hours ago, richardwale said:

I never over night burn on purpose, in fact I open the stove vents up before bed time to hot burn what's remaining. Large, dense very very dry lumps would work but a slumbering fire doesn't sit right with me

Do you think external air supplies make a stove harder control? Ours has that and I cant say I have liked the stove but maybe the version with a regular air supply would work better.

 

[openspaceman]

41 minutes ago, Woodworks said:

Do you think external air supplies make a stove harder control? Ours has that and I cant say I have liked the stove but maybe the version with a regular air supply would work better.

 

I can't see why. A room sealed system should be safer and probably the best in a modern airtight house but in a draughty house the small amount of additional air needed to run the stove is a fraction of normal air changes.

 

As the clean burn stoves have  some fixed secondary air they are impossible to turn right down and this is to prevent smouldering. Because of their action it is possible to extend the burn somewhat by using smaller pieces of wood  during the evening and,  because of the nature in which dry wood burns, a good depth of char will build up. This can then burn out overnight with the main air closed off and only the fixed portion of secondary air from above to burn the coals out. This will mean an increased level of CO in the flue gas but this will go up the chimney and is not a greenhouse gas.

 

As I said in a previous post I depend on the masonry of the chimney breast to keep the house warm until I rekindle the fire.

[richardwale]

The problem with the larger Burley stoves is the only air intake is from outside or from the rear if no room seal, so no air wash system or secondary vents. Fly ash sits on the glass, so a slumbering fire looks crap as the glass clouds over.

[Stubby]

8 hours ago, richardwale said:

The problem with the larger Burley stoves is the only air intake is from outside or from the rear if no room seal, so no air wash system or secondary vents. Fly ash sits on the glass, so a slumbering fire looks crap as the glass clouds over.

If you look inside you will see 2 rows of small holes on the box section that the top baffle plate shelf is welded to .  This I believe is the air wash and should work all the time . The other holes are  ( looking at the front ) on the left side at the rear pointing forward , then on the left front pointing from left to right , then on the right front pointing to the back . These  create the " vortex type swirl you can see with the flame . the air wash holes create the downward flame onto the glass .  All the air enters through these holes when the door is shut . I don't get what you describe  in my Burley . 

Edited November 30, 2018 by Stubby