Starting a Stove Fire

[Jstpssng]

My survival guide says a bag of Doritos is almost 100% grease and super combustible,, great for starting a survival fire,,

DO NOT use the slick inserts in the newspaper, or slick magazines to start a fire,,,
The paper is slick because there is a high percentage of clay mixed in the paper,,
clay will not burn, the clay simply stops the air flow,,, and makes starting a fire difficult.

I suggest that you try the Doritos in a non survival situation first. A lot of those tips only work if the stars are aligned right.

I almost posted about the coated paper in the "Pet Peeves" thread... I hate scrounging for newspaper when I always have a pile of junk mail on coated paper, waiting for trash day.

 

[Industrial Toys]

If I had Cool Ranch Doritos, I would freeze to death before sacraficing just a one.:licking:

 

[PILOON]

LOL. what flavor of Doritos Do U suggest is best to start your fire?

 

[goeduck]

Takes me forever to get my fingers licked clean after a bag of Doritos. :licking:

 

[LouNY]

You boys having to light your fires all the time are just burning the wrong fuel.
I lit mine in mid November this fall using one match to light a bag of matchlite charcoal,
once it was going good I shoveled a 3 inch layer of good anthracite coal on and waited for the blue ladies to start dancing,
repeated that 3 times then filled the hopper.
Now I shake down the ashes once a day and refill the hopper, nice steady heat all day and night.
No wood fires in my house just good Pennsylvania Anthracite Coal.
With any kind of luck just one match for the whole winters fire.

 

[Jstpssng]

If I could go out back and dig good Pennsylvania Anthracite Coal, I would consider burning it. About the time I pay for fuel it's going to be either pellets or good old fashioned dead dinosaur juice.

 

[rangerfredbob]

No coal over here, it's stupid expensive...

I forgot to mention my current kindling source... when I got my load of lumber offcuts for firewood they threw a bundle of stickers from their lumber in the bed of the truck, about a 3' diameter bundle of 6' long sticks that are 1/4-1/2" thick that look to be cut from scrap 2x material for the most part, breaking with the grain in that orientation about a foot long is easy as pie... I piled the full length pieces in a metal garbage can upright on the porch as well as a couple 5 gallon buckets. I've used less than 1/4 of the can worth so far this winter.

The wife and I both work, and it hasn't been that cold yet... with our EPA insert it's hard to get a fire that will go all night so we start a lot of fires, the harbor freight butane torch and everything I've mentioned above makes quick work of things though...

 

[Diggin It]

I think the longest I've had mine running is about 30 hours or so. It's small and doesn't have hoppers or shakers, so I have to shovel it out. If I don't, the ash clogs the bottom under the grate and I lose airflow/draft.

Most years we don't have extended cold spells, so I can do evening or morning burns to take the chill off. These past few weeks, a 4-6 hour burn will keep the house warm enough that the gas furnace hasn't come on more than a few times. Those years that we do have extended cold spells take a lot more effort to keep it going longer and it only augments the furnace which still runs a few times a day. Have had a couple of really nasty spells of a week or more with temps in the teens or below and plenty of snow and ice. Trying to keep enough wood in dry areas was a challenge what with carrying it over snow/ice covered steps. Clean the steps off and a few hours later they were covered again. Thankfully we only get those kinds of winters several years apart.

So, yeah, I do a lot of starts and need to find ways and materials to keep available.

 

[dasranger]

I use a little kindling and the following:

 

[Deere Dude]

I suggest that you try the Doritos in a non survival situation first. A lot of those tips only work if the stars are aligned right.

I almost posted about the coated paper in the "Pet Peeves" thread... I hate scrounging for newspaper when I always have a pile of junk mail on coated paper, waiting for trash day.

Once a year I go down to the library and ask for old newspapers. They come out with a big armful of papers without any inserts. Then Wife makes a pile of newsprint two pages each. That is what I use for starter, but of course I wrap them around a very small palm handful of diesel covered chunks of wood.