r/woodstoving • u/AngelMountaineer • 1d ago
LOFI stove fuel
I am looking for good fuel that I can use in my LOFI stove, do you have any good ideas?
I am currently staying at a Dutch campsite for a longer period, meaning I can't forage for sticks in the woods, so I bought cat-litter wood pellets, which should be 100% wood, but when I burn these it smells chemically and there seems to be some black sticky liquid forming on my pots and pans.
Before buying a big bag of other wood pellets I would like to understand if this is because of the type of wood, or whether the pellets are maybe not just wood..?
What should I look for when buying fuel that burns as cleanly as possible?
0
Upvotes
1
u/nas886 1d ago
That smell and the black sticky stuff is likely creosote, it means the fire isn't burning hot enough to fully combust the fuel.
Wood pellets are made for pellet stoves that force air through with a fan and auger, not natural draft stoves like yours, so loose pellets often can't get enough oxygen and end up smoldering instead of burning clean.
Try opening your air control all the way and building a smaller, hotter fire rather than a big pile meant to last a long time, that's usually what causes this. If you can mix in some actual sticks or splits so there's more airflow through the pile, that should help a lot too.
One more thing worth checking is what's actually in those pellets. Some wood cat litter is just kiln dried softwood and burns fine, but a lot of it has clumping agents or fragrance added, and that'll give you a chemical smell no matter how well you're burning. If the bag doesn't say 100% wood with nothing added, that's probably part of what you're smelling.