| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| welshboy454 |
Lighting a fire- Top Down burning !I was brought up on a farm and experienced countless open/woodburner fires.I thought it was normal for there to be loads of smoke from a wood fire. Yes normal for the traditional way of lighting a fire- pyramid style kindling at the bottom bigger stuff on top. After building a masonry stove I came across a counter intuitive method which is much better. I make no apology for the bold emphasis. The trick is to build the fire in reverse - bigger stuff on the bottom with a pyramid style of smaller stuff on top of that with enough kindling/paper/firelighter if you wish on top for a little fire about enough to say boil enough water for a cup of tea if you get the picture. What happens then is a little bit of smoke at the start( hardly anything) and the fire works its way down. All the normally unburnt energy which would have been in the smoke is burnt efficiently giving off heat . As the heat intensifies the water vapour in the smoke passes through the hot coals and the h2o is cracked into hho and some of that burns as well .The chimney top will be clear of smoke. The chimney is cleaner- less deposits so sweeping is not needed so frequently. Here is the link to where I read about it a few years ago http://www.woodheat.org/tips/topdown.htm All this assumes dry wood. Next time you light one try it and see and spread the word Couple of pics Just lit 
10 mins 
30 mins after lighting 
Proof of no smoke just a haze. 
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| chicken feed |
 thats how i do it i was brought up on a farm with logs burners and dad has astma so they had to find away of making less smoke it works well.
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| Treacodactyl |
I wonder how it would work on a camp fire, I'll have go next time. Sadly no stove at the moment. 
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| RichardW |
There are lots of smaller type stoves it does not work well on. I think due to the air flow pattern inside the stove. | ||
| Rob R |
I've just tried it with our small one and it didn't work, but it did make me think of trying the middle-out method. ie lay a few logs down in the bottom first (to stop the paper collapsing at the front, smothering the fire & ejecting the contents out of the door) as well as maintaining airflow. So thanks. 
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| James |
I tried the top down method two or three times about a month ago and had no success at all (in our small wood burner). |
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| judith |
Interesting. I shall give it a go next time I light the fire. | ||
| vegplot |
This is very true. It only really works well with a tall firebox. Our Morso can just about get away it but we don't tend to burn fiercely enough to gain much benefit as there's very little thermal mass. We tend to burn at lower temperatures with all the problems that incurs (less efficient & sootier). |
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| Mutton |
We're still burning smokeless (working on the wood supply for the future). Quite often have a layer of part burnt dead coals in the bottom of the grate that I lay the paper, kindling and a few fresh coals on top. That seems to work better most times than doing bottom up. Wonder if it keeps the underside of the fire hotter.
We've got a smallish multifuel stove. (6kw from memory.) |