It seems like my fires burn out incredibly fast, like within hours, even with 50+ pieces of firewood at a time. Does it burn extremely hot and fast that way, rather than lasting a long time? I'm going through logs like crazy trying to keep a fire burning...

Thanks

As long as there are coals/cinders in the stove it provides warmth equal to (or perhaps close to) a burning fire. With all doors closed and coals in the stove, a cabin will remain warm enough.

How do I know if there are hot coals in there? Is it a graphical thing or can I examine it somehow? F3+clicking on the fireplace just tells me there is a fireplace there.

It leaves the same graphic as a burnt out campfire - a little black smearish starburst. If you look inside the arched opening of the fireplace you can see about half of it. On examine the tile says "a burnt out fire". Even outside a fireplace these tiles continue to radiate some heat.

Great, thanks for the explanation.