It’s eleven o’clock at night, freezing cold outside, but wonderfully warm in the living room. But what now? Let the fire burn out, or stoke it properly, close off the air supply, and hope the stove lasts until morning?
It may not be forbidden to leave a stove burning overnight with every model. However, deliberately smothering the fire to keep it burning as long as possible is not a good idea.
I’ll fully load the combustion chamber and close the air supply. Will it then last eight hours?
You might find some hot embers in the oven in the morning, but that doesn’t mean you heated efficiently all night.
If the air supply is too restricted, the wood can smolder for hours instead of burning properly. This produces more smoke, pollutants, and tar deposits, increasing the risk of a chimney fire.
And you may even get less usable heat than expected.
A long smoldering fire period is not the same as a long period of high-quality heating.
Are there ovens designed for long-term operation?
Yes. Some models are designed for long-term or continuous operation.
However, this does not mean that you can fill the firebox arbitrarily and reduce the air supply to a minimum.
The manufacturer’s instructions, the permissible amount of fuel, the control method and the operating conditions of the respective stove are decisive.
If the manufacturer does not explicitly permit night operation, do not attempt to achieve this through your own modifications.
I want to be warm in the morning. Is there a better solution?
That depends on what you actually expect.
Should the stove still be lit in the morning? Then you need a heating appliance that is specifically designed for adequate long-term operation.
Do you want your home to stay warm even when the fire goes out? Then storage heaters or other suitably designed storage heaters might be more interesting.
A storage heater can store some of the energy during combustion and release it gradually later. The fire is no longer burning, but the heater continues to radiate heat.
However, this is something different from an ordinary oven with decorative stone or tile cladding.
What should you think about before going to bed?
For conventional stoves that are not designed for nighttime operation, it is advisable to allow the last amount of fuel to burn off safely according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
The permissible amount of fuel must not be exceeded, the fuel filler flap must not be left open, and the air supply must never be closed in a manner not permitted by the manufacturer.
A functioning carbon monoxide detector, correctly installed according to the operating instructions, should be standard practice. However, it does not replace the professional installation and maintenance of the oven.
So what to do in the evening?
The best heater for the night might not be the one that keeps the fire burning all night.
If you want to wake up to pleasant warmth in the morning, choose a stove based on its actual operating mode and heat storage capacity.
And don’t let anyone tell you that the best stoves are the ones in which a single log can smolder all night.