Osburn 2400 Woodstove - working questions

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I MADE A MESS OF THIS THREAD WITHOUT BEING IN SOLID POINT FORUM.
SORRY

MOD: this thread is now merged for continuity
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Hey As most of you probably know, I just VERY HAPPILY replaced my VC with an Osburn 2400 Woodstove.

After first fire with just bits of kindling to let it off-gas, adding 2 small pieces and air cut in half, she's already at 500 degrees ! I see no problem when I load this baby up.

QUESTION: SECONDARY COMBUSTION + Thermometer Placement

1) Thermometer. I have a small magnetic type. Not sure the best place to put this one. Ont he VC it was simple, in the back away from flame. But the Osburn 2400 really flames evenly, and the central part next to the Chimney gets the most. I PLACED IT more out front in the left corner. Thinking? it's best to have more of the average projecting heat temp instead of where flame could be falsifying the temp....... THOUGHTS?

2) SECONDARY COMBUSTION.
First Fire:

NO REAL LOAD OF SECONDARY FLAMES UP TO - PLEASE READ
Very small build. Burned right away on Full Air. Got up to 400 fast. Added larger kindling and this burned for 1 hour. Temp dropped to about 300.
During this time there was good flame in the box top and bottom, and you could see the Torch Effect up top with orange flame (not yellow).

Now a small bed of red coal - I then added a small 2" round and small split. Got it firing well and turned off the air. The flame went nearly out, but you could still see the top grab the little flicker and Torch it. But soon needed more air for a bit. It did let me turn off the air when the temp came back up to 400 or so. I then turned Off the Air and let it coast.

The wood DID burn because it turned white and the coal under stayed red, but there was very little to no flame in the bed or up top.
This burned around 400-450 for 1.5 hours. I ranked the coals forward - a good red bed. I added 3 small splits East-West and 2 Medium/Big splits diagonally (18 inches I found too long for N-S)

I could not turn the air off as the fire went out. Opened the air 1/2 and cracked the door - Bang now we are flaming. Closed the door, left the air 1/2 got near 30 minutes. Got temp to stay around 450. Flame was good and could see some Torching up top (but not yellow, and not what I'd call swirling around the top, just flickers.)

Turned off the air. Drastic flame drop. But temp stayed and wood continued to turn white. But no Top flaming.

As it burned over the next 2 hours (to present) the temp would raise to 475 and after it burned down a bit, more flame now dances in the box and when the top catches it you can see the Torch effect noticeable, but not excessive or swirling, and orange (not yellow).

EVENTUALLY -- WHEN I LOOKED in the box, I am now seeing No Flame, then wait a second and a blanket of soft red flame will swirl up from the bottom and hit the pipes and then do the Torch thing . But it’s not a constant flame swirling in the top because only intermittent flame waves are coming up from the wood ((When I had the VC this was called the wood off-gassing, this was the gas to burn, but if it puffed it meant not enough air—- If I open the air , I\ll get a faster burn…...........ahhhhhh)) [/b]

I GOT 4 HOURS SO GREAT (just not much noticeable Secondary Burn)


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***** SECOND LOAD UP -- 30% *****
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So, loading about 30% it kicked in, 450 degree, Full top of stove in Flame, Torching.
BUT 2 Hours later the wood is now a heap of coal, no flame and temp dropped 100 degrees.
This should burned for about 4-4.5 hours

First no flame, now tons and fast burn-out.
I’m confused.

I thought no flame meant no secondary combustion. Though the wood still burned (more like smouldered with high temp) without flaming.

I did nothing different, everything is just as tight—- just I did leave the door open a little more at the start and let the temp get to about 450-475 before closing the Air Off (though I read some people let it go to 800 before closing down and it lasted)

Nervous feeling 8( -- though the COAL is holding at 350 for an hour..... I'm at about 3.5 hour this way. Basically an hour off and 50 degree lower than expected.

OH... ONLY DIFFERENT THING IS: first time wood was 3 small split East-West, then 2 big Diagonally. Second Time same amount of wood but 3 small E-W and 2 big ALSO East-West. Could that make the same amount burn in 2 hours when the first time was 4 hours ?

((UPDATE)) I edited my original post and removed my updates to make it simpler and more uniform.
Thanks!

THIS WILL BE MY UPDATE POST - JUST UNDER THE ORIGINAL TOPIC in case anyone wants to keep up (grin)

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11PM (atlantic time) --
Setting up my FIRST all-night load.
2 Big 19-20 inch East-West in the back and 2 thinner East-West in the front.
4 BIG 18 inch long North-South and 1 small to fill On Top.

Full Air, door cracked. 2 Minutes and we got flame.
5 Minutes and we got a LOT of flame on one side and in the middle where there's a path --
***** because the North-South are long, Flame is burning right up past the baffle and back to the chimney. IS THIS OK ?
The FRONT TUBE in the center where the most flame is whipping up the baffle is GLOWING RED -- IS IT OK?
I cut the air back to half - early.

***********Still lots of flame, temp 525 - so closed the air off (even wood is little ashy around the surface)
***********BUT.... now there is NO FLAME at all. Kind of really low smoulder. (Book says not to let it smoulder without flame)
***********I'm at a complete loss...................

OK.... opened air 25% and plenty of flame. Waited few minutes and off again. Flame stayed and a the whole top if torching.
Few minutes later, one main spot of flame where the logs are separated, and that is licking the tubes but not a sheet of flame like before..
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Thanks hoffa

@DA -- probably just nervous getting that close to the window. Probably will AFTER I get this figured out with the secondary burn. I'm really stuck on reading it must be Yellow and must be noticeable swirling around the top in order to be effective secondary combustion. Maybe that was wrong, I just don't know. And my personality is - I'll hang on to that and keep searching til figured out (being compulsive can suck !)

Hey. Thats just it -- no smoke, but also times of no flame. And sometimes some flame but no torch effect in the top near tubes.
With the larger would I need to keep the air 1/2 open for about 30 minutes before establishing a good flame - but again after turned off, about 1/2 way into burn the flame was better, then dropped closer to the end (I know, flame will go, but was weak to begin with).

I'm working on it - it's time to load it up.

---I did end up with 3 hours off that before the flame is dead and really solid coal is left at about 350 degree.

IS IT NORMAL for the Air Tubes in the top to GLOW RED ?

I just added a 1/2 load of wood on a bed of coals. Full open air wasn't doing much so cracked the door a bit as usual. Lots of good flame then. Gave it about 2 minutes and closed the door.

Good flame in there now, but it's burning strong on one side (no too much on the other) and the flame is hitting the Tube directly and it's orange color.

After a minute the flame died down a bit, and the Tube is normal color now -- BUT IS IT OK for it to cherry up like that ?

Thanks

Outlined everything in my FIRST POST to clean it up.

Basic Problems:

1) Either no flame in stove so no real secondary combustion (if you must have flame and yellow torching in top?)

2) Second attempt TONS of Flame and what should be a 4 hour burn is coals in 2 Hours !!

@burley- thanks. I had my air full opened for 30 minutes, totally engulfed in flame for a good 10-15 minutes at least.
I closed the air off and now there is nothing. Temp started to drop too. Nothing.
I opened the door a second and opened the air 25%, caught - closed the door, left the air 25% opened.
Now have flame started.
But I can't leave the air opened, I need this to burn all night.
It's really boggling my head right now.
Everyone else said they only leave the air opened 10 minutes too... But for me it's not possible to do that AND have fire in the box when air is then turned off.
8(

****just went to look at it and at 25% air, wood is completely caught. Been like that a few minutes now. I shut the air off again and now I have fire dancing in the bed and a river of Torching at the tubes. Perhaps there is a sweet spot for timing and air open or not..... I mean, it had air for a good 45 minutes and when off would not flame.

*** and a few minutes later, the flame is lower, just a path where the logs are separated the flame is through and is also licking the Tubes there...., the rest no flame, not red.

(Side note--- unlike you, once the air was off and no flame, the tubes also lost the redness so no, nothing was happening.)

ANYONE ???

9 big pieces of wood - no air -- 6 hours....crap

Yup, 3 E-W on bottom and 4 Large on top N-S

Sorry guys, made a mess of my other thread and don't know how to delete it --- so Consolidate everything here in point forum.
Hopefully someone can figure it out with me (grin.)
Replaced the VC stove with this big brute, just trying to get it to work like the rest of the guys in here.

1) Thermometer Placement -- here you find is the best place so it's not just reporting hotspot heat?
2) Loading Near Tubes -- can you stack the wood that it touches and/or goes between the Top Air Tubes?
3) Burning Issues: Always fast start-up with Loads of Flame with Air Full Open, BUT:

A) Even after 30 minutes full open when the air is shut Off, Flame all but dies out completely. It only smolders at most. Instructions say there MUST be flame for it to work right. But if I open the air my burns will be even shorter.

B) A couple times after the air was off and no flame stayed, I hoped the door and the air a bit. Fire came back, I closed the door and waited a few minutes with ope air. Fire stayed - Closed off the Air and Fire Stayed, but.... a LOT of flame stayed in the top, making the Tubes glow (which I know is ok) but within 2 hours my wood load was COAL.

C) Last night: on a coal bed I loaded 3 small splits East-West, and 4 BIG pieces North-South.
*Full Air, tons of flame. Let it run for 30 minutes, Temp to about 450.
*Shut it off. DIED. Wood was clearly charred and there was red coal, but no flame.
*Opened the door and the air a bit, Poof. Closed the door. Waited 5 minutes and closed the air.
*Tons of top flame torching.
*2 Hours later that massive load was coal in wood shape. AND the flame was out. I opened the air a small amount and got a little flame and left it that way. IT gave the occasional Torching around one Tube.
*Total -it burned to completely coal (holding a little shape) in 5 hours. The heat was noticeably less which I think is what woke me. Of course it was a fast reload and fire, but that's not the point, right?

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D) Trying an all day burn now. Solid bed of coal, 4 small splits North-South this time. 2 Big ones stack in the back on top East-West and 2 little smaller East-West in front. (wasn't sure how much it could touch the Tubes)
*Started immediately with air full.
*Waited 10 minutes engulfed in flame. Cut back 1/2. Waited 5 minutes still good flame and top is fully Torching. Cut back to 25%. I'll wait for a few more minutes then try to turn it off.
*Ok, now it is still fully fired, Torching the whole top. Wood is getting ashy around the surface and the underneath wood is starting the crack up and get red after 10 minutes longer with 25% air.
*Shutting off Air. Stove top is 575.

*1 Hour in -- wood is still burning with air off. Top is fully in flame with tube torching.
The wood underneath is already starting to go to coal, the wood on top is ashing outside, cracking up and blackening where it burns.
Flue temp about 18 inches up is 300 degrees.
There is now visible gap between the wood and Tubes.

*1.5 hours in --
Wood is all blackened now, ash coated, shrunken to about 1/2 it's volume
Stovepipe Temp is down to 250 from 300 -- 18 inches from stove top
Stove Top is 500
Firebox top still has some dancing swirling flame at the tubes, but only looks like it touches down on the wood a little (sounds like normal gassing)

Thanks -- I made a mess of this thread in my nervous state and so started a clean point form one... sorry guys. Just so tired of stove probs.....

After 6 hours it was red coal and white ash.

Pack tighter? I was told to leave air between everything. And not sure if I could touch or go between the top Tubes. (I mention this in the newer post.... again, made a mess of this.... it's a long read here, haha)

Yes. It's birch, maple, oak. Bought split. Left outside to air out/age til mid summer, the stacked inside the shed til it was needed when the snow started flying.
Yes, there is a little higher moisture level in it from what I can see this year.