Stove Startup
This is about the quick stove startup of blower stoves for fast backpacking cooking.
Introduction
“Stove startup, it’s a breeze if you make your own breeze.”
At the outset, it is critical to understand that a well-managed blower stove will happily burn small bush sticks with a wide range of moisture content once the burn is established and there is a bed of glowing coals to dry and pyrolyse the new incoming fuel sticks.
When starting the stove, finer dryer less dense wood is better and on wet days, carrying a few little dry sticks from the previous camp would be prudent, or I sometimes collect some such sticks along the way when the weather looks like changing for the worse. (see related page Stove Fuels ).
Setup prior to ignition
It is important to set the stove up carefully before ignition to make the start-up quick and clean, particularly with damp fuel sticks. It is a very long list and most of it is just common sense.
“Any fool can keep it stoked”
A. Set the stove up with the fuel stick opening facing downwind. The fire burns better with this arrangement because this opening is also the exhaust port.
B. Put a 3-5 mm layer of ash or soil over the inside of the bottom of the stove. This insulates the stove bottom from heat loss, (protects the bush mounting pole from charing in the case of the Snow Stove) and makes more heat available for cooking.
C. Sprinkle charcoal chunks (preferably dry) if available over the ash layer. This will help establish a hot coal bed quickly.
D. Place a solid, thick, dense fuel stick at the back of the burn chamber furthest away from the blower air tip. This provides persistent ‘back log’ for the fire and protection of the stove metal from premature heat/oxidation damage. (see Fuels And How They Influence Stove Performance And Survival ) and it is preferable if it is damp or green so that it will burn slowly. It will form a stable glowing wall of charcoal that will throw heat back into the fire and help to burn any smoke.
E. Place progressively smaller dry sticks in front of the ‘back log’ and tinder in front of them. This means that the most easily burnt material will provide heat to start burning the more stubborn larger fuel sticks and the large coals formed by the larger stick will help to burn any smoke.
F. Place a Thick Waxie fire starter through the tinder.
G. Have the blower fan ready to be turned on with the shutter closed. This is because it is difficult to light the fire with any blower draft. Only start the blower when a strong flame is established and progressively open the blower shutter as the fire spreads.
H. Have a little supply of small dry fuel sticks handy to initiate a strong burn and also have a stack of suitable sticks for ongoing fueling of the stove. The thickness and length of these sticks are determined by ‘what I can easily break over my knee’. (For the Snow Stove, short sticks are required as the stove has only a short stick shelf to support the outer ends of the sticks.)
I. Have a cooking pot of water handy to place on the stove soon after startup. This is because the bottom of the pot forms the top of the burner chamber and is crucial for the best functioning of the burner and the spread of the fire. (An empty pot will do, but it will get badly burnt or melted.)
Ignition
Have two or three thin waxies at hand and light a Thin Waxie and use this to light the thick one in the tinder. Quickly use more Waxies to encourage the flame. If needed, light up a Flame Drizzle Stick in the infant flame and spread the fire with the burning drops of melting plastic. Turn on the blower and increase the shutter opening as the fire builds. Maintain a high airflow until a good bed of coals have formed. Regulate the fuel load and airflow as required and settle down for an enjoyable cooking session.
Please see the video below as an example of a start-up. The video (sorry, not very good sound) was one of my first ones prepared when I was still using ‘white fire starters’ instead of my Thick Waxies, but the method is just the same. Blower stove start-up
