Kni Co…how hot to burn it

[Bjorkman]

Hi everyone. New to WCS. I have been burning SO titanium stoves for quite some time. I know everyone might not agree but I have never (within reason) worried how hot the fire got in the box. I have ordered the snowtrekker 3 man Basecamp 9x11.5 with the Kni Co Alaskan Jr. I did buy the false floor but I have heard concerns with how hot to burn without damaging the stove or it’s integrity. Would love to learn more about this. Thanks for all the awesome content!

[SD_Motak]

Thanks for starting this thread. I don't have personal experience but I did some digging and found this advice - on the internet - so it must be true....therefore I add this caveat that I'm adding info to this thread, but I'm not saying the info is right or wrong. That's for the reader to decide.

At LOTN's site, they wrote,
"Protecting your Stove Bottom
Kni-Co recommends that you lay 1″ of sand or dirt in the bottom of your stove to protect the floor, which isn’t particularly practical for winter travel. Many people have recently started asking us about false bottoms. We don’t find that sand or false bottoms are necessary.

Instead, we lay a bed of logs or split wood in the bottom of the stove, and light our first fire on top of this layer. By the time the bottom layer of logs has burned through, enough insulating ash will have built up to adequately protect the stove bottom. We have always found that the tops and sides of a stove take more abuse than the bottom anyways. In fact, because we like to bake underneath our stoves, we often find ourselves digging a bit of ash out of the bottom to get more heat reflecting downwards. A radiant sheet of metal (and some other insulating materials like a hearth or boughs) then goes underneath the baking dutch oven, to reduce snowmelt under the stove."

Lighter steel will burn out more quickly than heavier steel. Stoves that are made from 22 gauge (Kni-Co Alaskan), 18 gauge (Kni-Co Tundra), and 13 gauge (Four Dog DX) or 12 gauge (Kni-Co Denali Jr) will behave differently.

Don from Four Dog says, "LIFETIME GUARANTEE AGAINST BURN OUT: This means that your stove is guaranteed to not burn out--meaning the bottom will not burn through from hot fires or steady use. This is very important! Poorly made stoves (due to design or material choices) can literally have their bottom surface of the firebox burn out, or burn through. This is bad, and I guarantee you'll never have that problem with a Four Dog Stove. I build these stoves to last a lifetime and stand behind my work."

Looking forward to more advice, knowledge, conjecture, whatever.

[Bjorkman]

Thanks SD_Motak!

That was very informative. Even though I did buy the false bottom I really like the idea of layering the bottom of the stove with wood and lighting the fire on top of this layer. It makes sense that ash would insulate the bottom. As far as the false bottom goes it is slightly raised and has holes in it. The idea for this is for more air flow to help with the fire. I imagine this effect would end when the ash layer is thicker than the false bottom.

[Heavy Duty]

With a false bottom on a Kni-co stove, you'll be just fine. Id burn it just as hot as a titanium stove. With a 9x11.5 basecamp (same tent and stove combo I have). You'll be able to heat that stove as hot as you can stand the heat in the tent.

[Bjorkman]

Heavy Duty thank you! That is what I was hoping to hear. I had a blast last weekend just burning it in….I can’t wait to really use it!

[4estTrekker]

I had a blast last weekend just burning it in….I can’t wait to really use it!

Firstly, welcome to WCS. Secondly, you must be from a locale that isn't 99 degrees at present, such that you burned your stove in last weekend. I have some new gear to sort out, too, but it's a little outta my comfort zone to venture much past the front door at present. Cooler times, they be a comin'.

[Bjorkman]

Hi 4estTrekker,
Thank you so much for the welcome! I am from Libertyville, IL. It is a stone throw from Southern WI. I grew up in WI and that is where I fell in love with camping etc… 4 more years and my daughter will be in college and then I will be as far north as I can go…ha I can’t wait to not have to drive so far. I couldn’t resist taking my new stove out in my backyard last weekend and burning it in. I do love summer but winter is mu favorite! Your right cooler times are a coming!

[Southcove]

I spent parts of 6 summers being shuttled between grandparents in Libertyville (near to Bultler Park?) and Waukegan... and have many fond memories of places that my grandfathers took me to in the surrounding areas,- parks, beaches, a cabin in WI... (and being used innumerable times as an excuse to stop for ice cream or hamburgers etc by grandparents who did not like to be shone up by the other man...) I also had some fun using a army surplus tent of my fathers and getting served b'fast in 'bed' by my grandmother, who was a splendid cook. Amazing how those memories stay with me. I also have a ST basecamp with a Kni-co.

[Bjorkman]

Hi Southcove!
Sounds like some amazing memories! I was not familiar with Butler Park but I looked it up quick…yep Butler Lake Park in Libertyville…looks like a great place! And yea… I can’t wait to try my ST out!

[chimpac]

I really like to broil my meat under the bottom grate of my stove. Usually by the time I have heated water for coffee and boiled my vegetables on top, my meat is done on the bottom. My stove is only 5” diameter.