Use wood NOT £1 fire logs Cheap fire logs are a great way to start your hot tent stove faster but the fire log seem to black the chimney up and that can be very dangerous. #hottentcamping #englishwoodsman #wintercamping
Neil I couldn’t agree more. As for common sense Snoochie, I don’t agree. What Dan was saying in my mind was that he used 5 of these one after another not all at once which doesn’t seem to suggest a big fire, just a deadly one as time goes on. Keep it up Dan, brilliant video which may really help some poor sole.
@@adriangibbons893 I'm not slating Dan at all I'm just saying anyone who's out regular will know that this is just common sense . It even says on the pack not for stove use
Those firestarters are great for external camp fires , but should never be used in tent stoves for the reasons you said , try cotton balls coated in vasaline , they burn cleaner ,and stay alight long enough to start most fires.
Good video Dan. Those fire logs are nothing more than saw dust mixed with a binder and an accelerant. They burn quick and dirty, never use in a stove. The best advise is to get yourself a "wire" flue brush and use regularly during burning season. I've heated my home with a wood burning stove using all kinds of wood for over 30yrs with regular cleaning and no issues. It's a dirty job, but must be done.
To be honest I think you will find that you will have the same problem no matter what you burn. It is just that those fire logs probably block it up quicker than other fuel. Look at old coal fires and the mess that comes out after having those chimneys swept and cleaned. I reckon it is more the material that has been used to make those chimneys everything sticks to it and clogs it up quicker
I could just imagine your wife's voice coming over & shouting, "I hope that you are going to clear all that mess up" as you cleared the chimney stack & all that black soot came out
Probably the most important thing that I have watched on RU-vid . Dan you need to report this to the place you bought these from and also trading standards. People burning these in their homes must get the same problem without knowing. You could be saving someone’s life by reporting this.
Carbon monoxide killer waiting silently to strike.Brilliant shout out obviously safety wise don't use these when hot tenting and I'm sure most folks will say for extra safety a battery powered carbon monoxide alarm can easily be carried but be aware it needs to be used at half height or a bit lower near your sleeping area.Carbon monoxide is a heavier noxious gas and tends to sit or pool at shin height and left alone will kill you.Same as hexy blocks inside a tent NO NO NO!!!!!. Nice video my friend good safety shout stay safe .Kind regards.Big T
For tight arses use a burning candle (safely) if the flame goes out you will be following it as it means there is no OYGEN WHICH WE NEED TO BREATH.Be safe
Nice bit of info, I’m still weighing up the idea of getting a hot tent set up, but these little Gems add up to allow better decisions for the future! Ta, oh and the “Fun Dragon” has had Pork Chops added to next weeks shopping list!
I’ve just got my stove , as you set me of on hot tenting, so this is really good information, and a mistake I now won’t make keep up the good work stay safe
I use fire logs to get my fire started to warm my chimney up, and is a great initial way of warming up the tent. After that I go with hardwood. There's usually no soot left, and I've never really had a problem. But I only use them to start The fire not constantly for fuel.
Hi Dan, Great video regarding those package logs. Most of those types of logs Dan are for the use to clean off the build up of Creosote inside the walls of the house chimney. The fine dust particles coats the build up creosote causing it in some cases to actually fall of and help stop chimney fires. We use them a lot over here in Calgary to clean well used chimneys during the winter months.
Good vid as always Dan👍 Just a word of warning, don’t whatever you do cut the top off that top pipe, it’s all part of the “spark arrestor” which lets the smoke from the firebox out but keeps any sparks in the chimney till they burn out, without it in place you have a very good chance of doing some serious hole damage to the tent. Regards from deepest Dorset.
If your chimney gets even partially blocked while you're asleep those fumes coming back out will include carbon monoxide. I remember a few years ago a young girl died in a tent because the family had taken a barbeque inside it to keep them warm and the CO2 killed her in her sleep. I know the tent stove is different but the principle's still the same so thanks for the warning. Good work.
Cheers Dan, I've just got a Winnerwell stove and about to burn it in. I got three of these fire logs for a 90minute burn time, not in tent. I also got a bag of logs from the garage. I think I might just get the stove burnt in and save the fire logs for a campfire now. So glad I saw this video before I lit up!
A great safety video Dan. The soot is being formed due to incomplete combustion. It’s not been getting enough Oxygen. I’d clean the chimney after every use, irrespective of what fuel you are using and get a CO Detector.
I don't do hot tenting myself but do have a woodburning stove. believe me they can be a nightmare. the trick with a woodstove is to get it hot fast. kindling to create heat and then the logs. logs with moisture content over 20% will burn with less heat and thus reduce efficiency leading to smoke and soot. basically the dryer the fuel, the better off you'll be.
I had exactly the same issue using fire logs it clogged up my spark arrestor after one night and about three fire logs. Very convenient but very dirty.
I have multi fuel stoves for heating my house. Used those once many years ago. They burn quick because they are petroleum based. Nasty stuff you made the right decision there my friend. Compare that pipe with an old exhaust pipe and you get the idea Stay safe young Dan.🔥
That is creosote that clogs up chimneys in fireplaces too. There is a creosote-removing log that you can buy to get rid of that stuff. I have never tried one, so that may be something you can look into, Brother. You have saved lives with this video. Keep up the great work !!!
Thanks very much, brother for taking the time to put this warning up there. There are a lot of people who have no idea that you’re supposed to clean out those chimneys after every use. I wonder if it’s the same situation for people with a baffle put in the stove, for a re-burner. Would you mind telling me, whether you have a re-burner or a baffle put in your stove, please? I’m asking because I’m about to make my own, and I am more than willing to put in extra work to keep things a little extra safe for winter camping, if it would make a difference. Any suggestions will be well appreciated, my brother.
Excellent advice. Thanks for raising this issue publicly. I would also wonder what they do to a domestic chimney and or home installed wood burner!? That is a huge amount of soot and particulate to worry about in terms of how often a chimney is swept. It would seem to be far more than for burning the equivalent number of seasoned logs.....I have never used them but have wondered about keeping a couple in my truck for back up use when 'truck hot tenting'.....I have now changed my mind! A great, helpful video. By the way, a reminder for anyone reading this and forgive me for stating the obvious, but just in case there are less experienced people who may be new to Hot Tent camping: ALWAYS have a Co2 monitor in any hot tent/confined space when using a wood burner, portable gas cooker or Trangia type stove. They ALL give off harmful Co2 and you must monitor the levels and have ADEQUATE VENTILATION. You are very unlikely to even know that you are already being poisoned before it is way too late and as so many of us camp solo, there may not even be anyone else to notice or render any help.....Stay Safe All!
Oh my goodness! I wish that I had seen this video before I went camping in the Lake district this week. I used a firelog in my Outbacker Tiki stove, in my OneTigris Rock Fortress hot tent (and my word, the interest the tent created, especially with the lady campers! 🤣) and on the night it seemed fine., But the next night when the temperature dropped near zero (hard frost) I could not get the stove to burn properly, and smoke was billowing out of the tent. It was too dark and too late to try and sort it (I had bought oven mitt type gloves but couldn't find them 🤣.) Just as you described Sir! Fluffin Falls! That night it was freezing and thank goodness I packed wool blankets. Old NHS blankets bought in charity shops. They helped us get through the bitterly cold night (and when I say bitterly I mean UK bitterly not American minus 50F nights 🤣The next morning I found the culprit. The paraffin wax or whatever is in the logs blocked my spark arrestor, which meant that the only way the smoke could escape was through the stove door into the tent. Outdoor firepits, bbqs after you have cooked your sausages... these firelogs are perfect. But I would never use them again in a hot tent stove. That said, I did use Instant light bbq coals (in the bag) after and they worked a treat in getting the fire started and maintaining heat, ready for additional dry wood. If you are stuck, then remove the fire arrester. That won't choke your stove. But removing the arrestor increases your chances of sparks. Great video Sir.
There's nothing easier than lighting some instant fire lighter ( the white paraffin stuff ) and a couple of small pieces of kindle to start a hot tent stove . Me personally I'd go for the cotton wool and zero grade wirewool technique , For some reason I love it .
I once used a fire log and was smoked out almost immediately even without the flue blocking. I use a product called Hotmax which burns much more cleanly. Its about £7 for a 20 kilo bag and is available from agricultural stores. The fire logs and blocks that you can buy out of the B&M stores are designed for stoves are a good alternative and burn very well. However the B&M products seem to have seasonal availability especially in their smaller stores.
These are great for getting camp fires going in winter, used them a few times think they contain peat. It does state on the packaging to ensure chimney is clean!
Greenie mistake, never use waxed logs or soft woods in a tent stove , second mistake is buying a stove with a removable plate , there not safe and serve no purpose. I've been doing this for 25 years now ,good vid mate
Thanks for the tip mate.I have a hot tent but have never used one of those compressed blocks before .I think you have convinced me not to use them. ATB
I have used them for years. I use regular wood for cooking and heating. But i would use these logs overnight so i could sleep longer between fills. They do create buildup, but I would always clean when done. No issues. I would use the bigger logs and cut in half. I've never seen any that small before.
Good info Dan lad.go get yaself a pomoly t1 clone off Amazon if you fancy a lighter stove that can fit in your backpack.really glad I bought mine,the one and only flaw it has is it’s not totally air tight so you can only damp the burn down so much but that doesn’t bother me because I don’t burn all night long.half the price of a pomoly as well.
Hay mate I had the same in my shed just by burning wood so what I did was I took it of and it worked a lot better all so u could by a 63mm exhaust pipe at 2 m long it dose the same job
I'm so pleased you did this video. I have the exact same stove, the One Tigris hot tent and the exact same instant logs. I'm yet to try an instant log in it so I'll perhaps try one and keep an eye on it. Hopefully, if it is later backed up with hot burning logs once established, I imagine it will burn off any residue. Thanks very much for the heads up on this! I do use a CO alarm, which I guess is extra important now. Dan, have you tried those bricks that are supposed to keep going all night? They're supposed to glow for 8 hours. Wondering how good they might be overnight or if they give the same problem?
Dry wood, burnt with sufficient air supply produces very little CO. Those 'firelogs' are impregnated with hydrocarbons which produces much larger quantities of CO (along with VOC, NOx, CO2 and particulates). In addition, in a confined stove, they are unlikely get sufficient air to burn efficiently.. hence the soot.
Used them few times to get campfire going great for that , glad youve braught this to fellow wildcampers attention , as prevoius post might just saved someones life , top man
I’ve used these in the same stove. 100% correct. Burns very dirty. I’ve tried several kinds and the more you pay the better they are. Usually 🤨 the ones from bargain madness £1 each are by far the worst. I’ll never use one again
Good point Dan. It’s also a good idea to regularly brush out your chimney too. Especially if the wood you have been burning isn’t fully dried out. Thanks for highlighting the issue. Ps. Did you see my email?
As a combustion engineer flues can soot up very very quickly, and as you said, fumes back down the flue into the box and into your tent. Hopefully others will add this video and tell others who have similar 👍
Such logs might only burn well in stoves with secondary burn? Perminently installed stoves are supposed to have such now. I'm thinking such is likely a bigger market&fuel may be optimised for such . 2ndary burn, adds air after log and literally burns up smoke. That should reduce, or even eliminate build up in chimney.
There's some keen folk on here lad, 10 minutes posted and 26 views already, that's good. I've been looking at hot tents now to extend my camping seasons. Are there varying qualities of those logs? I got a couple of packs of wood now, I collect twigs on my daily walks and dry them out as well as old bits of wood my neighbour - I call Noah as he's always building with wood - leaves lots of odds and ends of wood in the ginnel; I repurpose it as kindling. Good stuff Dan. I have an old ammo box to make my fire with and some glass from an old Parkray fire and rope ready for the build, when my mate gets over with torch.
Useful stuff,i think a combo of hexy-blocks and pre-made feather sticks is the way to go.? I'm itching to get my new firebox and lavvu into operation to test it's combination but so far this year,there's no sign of snow threatening in order to pursue this endeavour.I.m wondering if there's a recommended,ideal amount of those chopped logs you show there that might be recommended, for say, a 24 hour winter session ? l have two bags of bigger chunks to go but boy are they heavy and cumbersome,but i wouldn't want to risk running out of them in my favoured cliff-top camp location (zero trees available) yet wouldn't conversely want to have too many that get wasted. I'm guessing a lavvu/firebox combo wouldn't be an ideal match given the size differentials when something smaller (ammo tin size maybe?) would be more suitable for smaller lavvus but i'm keen to find out but 'prior preperation prevents piss poor performance ' as they say in certain quarters?
Well spotted Daniel, im guessing the easy light logs are treated with something thats not getting taken away by the chimney, like you indicated probably ok to get it going. That practice of cleaning the chimney pipe/flue is a good heads up, amazing how much crap came out of it.
Those firelogs are absolute shite. Even on an open fire, they break up while not even properly burning and just end up smothering any coals underneath them. Don't get the ones that are impregnated with fuel. I have tried numerous types including some made of compacted coffee grounds. They were OK but only for an open fire. The only ones I'll ever buy again are the solid dry ones which usually have a hole down the center. You can get them from supermarkets and some petrol stations. These will break up, but only once they are they fully glowing and red hot so they don't smother your coals, they add to them.
Yes I wouldn’t use them either. Did you carbon monoxide alarm go off?? Plus that video was very important to people just starting out. Well done. 👍👍🍺🍺👍👍👍👍
Weird, I used a bag of 12 Homefire Heat Logs in my Outbacker stove a few weeks ago with no issues at all. 🤷♂️ I actually found them to be far cleaner and longer burning than the kiln dried hardwood I used.
You should do a stealth camp where you made your last video when you took your family to that lake/ pond. Since you're on lockdown over there it'd be a true stealth I think you should do it. And you need to cut the top of that chimney off so it's open cuz you're still going to gather soot no matter what
