With the warming weather, a fire is not such a pressing need anymore. In fact, the only wood I have been burning is the sticks I pick up on my way back to my cabin at the end of my daily walk.
The problem is that those dry pine sticks make a powerfully and possibly dangerously hot fire. I have this magnetic stovepipe thermometer to help me gauge when the fire is getting out of control. When it gets too hot, I just close the damper. It also tells me when I’m burning my fire too cold–possibly creating too much creosote build up in my stovepipe.
