Wood stove metal grate

[warburtonplayer]

Has anyone ever used a metal grate to put the wood on like in a traditional fireplace in order to start faster?

[MikeD74T]

Putting a grate in a fireplace is done to allow more exposed surface area for burning which equates to faster burning & more light. This would be counter productive in most wood stove applications. I have a wood/coal stove with shakable grates. These are necessary for coal burning but with wood the fire lasts longer if I let the ashes build up to restrict airflow. It doesn't make sence to make more heat than the stove can transfer to the room, excess just goes up the chimney.
To start the fire faster build a "grate" out of kindling (by stacking crisscrossed) & set bigger wood on it. Or put in a sheet of crumpled paper, a cup of used oil, logs, light it & forget it. MikeD74T

[valley]

I use a 1/4 cup of drain oil, works great just like you said.

[jimmyj]

I put one big log on the left, another on the right and make a bridge of kindling across the middle. Throw some paper and a stick or two of kindling under the bridge and Bob's your uncle.!

I think a grate would just waste space in the firebox.

[RonMar]

I have always used a grate in my woodstoves. It dosn't necessarilly make for a faster or easier startup though. I use similar methods to those already mentioned, except the cup of oil. Never needed any oil, just paper and dry kindling.

I use the grate to keep the combustible material up and out of the ash so it burns completely and does not smolder. Ash is a wonderfull insulator. Wood buried in ash dosn't burn, it turns into charcoal. Smoldering/smoking fires = incomplete combustion and creosote in the chimney. I control the ammount of heat produced by controlling the ammount of O2 allowed to enter the nearly airtight firebox, and the amount of wood I feed it... My preference is for a small hot fire as opposed to a large slow burning one. The small hot fire of course requires regular attention, and is never fire and forget. The grate allows for nearly 100% combustion and, when I allow full air entry, a good hot fire that helps to clean out the chimney. As a rule, I have always run my stoves on full throttle at least once a day, and have never had any chimney fires/issues with an airtight stove ran this way. Had a chimney fire growing up, and it left quite an impression That was with a non airtight ben franklin stove though, which was basically a cast iron fireplace with accordian style doors on the front.

[Pirate]

Why not use a fire starter? I have used them for some time in my insert. It's a monster size unit. One fire starter does the trick. No muss, no fuss. These are the small brick sized starters that are sawdust and I guess wax.

[dmccarty]

I start a fire like JimmyJ. Two short pieces of wood perpendicular to the stove door with balled up newspaper in between. Place sticks/wood splinters on top of paper. Some not so big cord wood on top of stick/wood splinters. Stack loosely for air flow.

Burns every time. One match. I get wood splinters when I am splitting wood. I keep buckets near the splitter and all of the wood chips that are produced by splitting the logs get thrown into the buckets. Makes perfect wood starter. I also use the splinters to create my oak smoked pork in the smoker/grill.

A metal grate in my stove would take up too much space that is better used for wood. I wish they had made the stove a bit taller so I could get another layer of wood in the burn box.

Later,
Dan

[jimmyj]

I should add that I shred newspaper instead of wadding it up. More surface area edges to ignite. Works great. When I do it my wife always complains that it looks like I'm making a nest!

[Phils]

Originally Posted by Pirate

Why not use a fire starter? I have used them for some time in my insert. It's a monster size unit. One fire starter does the trick. No muss, no fuss. These are the small brick sized starters that are sawdust and I guess wax.

I use those firestarters but I break them into thirds or quarters and they start the fire just fine.

Phil