Timer ignition of wood stove....

I'm building an off grid home with a Homewood Heritage wood stove. In winter, I want to be able to set a timer and auto-ignite it, rather than having to get up at 5am to relight... I'm wondering if anyone knows of any commercially available products for this application. There are lots of ways I can think of, nichrome wire and a chunk of fire starter seems the simplest idea I've thought of yet, but unsure about ignition temps. I'm going to do some experimentation and googling, but thought this forum might have some thoughts!



Here's a few more pics of my installation - flue going in tomorrow!! https://photos.app.goo.gl/z7jFr2kfUccM8m13A

I found this:
https://aksportingjournal.com/lopi-introduces-the-greenstart-wood-stove-igniter/

And also just thought, a fricking laser to ignite the fire starter...!

Or, a car cigarette lighter coil, with some wood shavings on top!?
https://www.hunker.com/13408529/how-a-pellet-stove-ignitor-works

They make gas fireplaces that run from a remote.  You could turn that into a gas fireplace starter for your stove.  

I don't think you will find something that starts a fire on a timer for sale.  WAY too many liability issues.

What you are talking about has a commercial precedent -- it is called an outdoor furnace. It starts/stops based on simple thermostatic controls rather than the clean combustion of wood. It is commonly known to neighbours as "the place they would burn down if they could possibly get away with it."

In industry, there is a fancy, semi-smart thermostat called a "PID" -- proportional integral derivitive as a vaguely recall. It mathematically anticipates events before they happen (precog) and takes action to prevent them. I can imagine the programming would run like this:
- PID predicts room temperature will drop below preset in 60 minutes
- PID activates progressive action sequence 1, opening cat door to initiate scratching and wailing at bedroom door.
- If rules not met, after preset time, PID activates progressive action sequence 2, playing highlighted scenes from movie 'Deliverance' on repeating loop through unbreakable speakers in bedroom.
- If rules not met, after preset time and sequence 1 and 2 completed, PID activates progressive action sequence 3, activating fire alarms in building and activating maximum air conditioning in bedroom.
- Rules: Action sequences can only be silenced by opening of stove door and IR fire sensor indicating initial combustion, followed by gradual increase in room temperature.

Dude, just put a pot of flavourful tea in a thermos the night before, put on a housecoat and fuzzy slippers at 5 am, start your fire, wrap in a big blanket and doze lightly on the couch while it all comes together. This is the sweetest hour of the day!

Is this near Invers, Nathan? How cold is it going to get overnight on average...near 0C on the coldest nights? I would guess that the thermal mass around the stove is going to retain a fair bit of heat. But if you really do need the fire to be up and roaring before you are, I like the laser idea best of all.

I don’t know what your evenings are like, but we usually go to bed with the fire still lit, and usually chuck another large log on for good measure. The fire still has enough good embers to restart quickly and easily just by throwing a handful of kindling on top.

I can’t see how a device to relight a fire would work under typical usage like this. If the fire is still hot, you can’t load it up and with fuel the night before because the fire is still burning. So does your device also have to load the fuel into the fire for you?

How about a charcoal lighting coil?

Can I ask what you end goal is with this?  A warm house in the morning?  Or something else?  

We tend to load up the stove before going to bed.  Usually there are enough coals in the morning to relight it pretty easily.  If it's really cold (-30F), I might go put a few logs on in the wee hours but at that point the coals are big and it lights without me having to do anything.

Looking for this too.   Thinking a model rocket ignitor and controller modified with a timer could do the trick

Given how much care laser optics require to stay clean enough to avoid self destruction, I doubt a wood stove is a good application for them.

What about using a pellet stove igniter and a handful of pellets? The igniter needs to be placed in such a way that the falling wood does not damage it, but that seems solvable.

Using a gas burner is also tempting. But then your control software needs to make sure failed ignitions are detected and your are not turning your stove into an explosive device.