New insert, looking for burn advice.

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hotjava66

Member
Feb 29, 2012
28
Michigan
Just looking for some advice on how to get the cleanest burn and best burn times.
Couple of questions,
1.Is it better to load the stove full, and let it burn down, or just start a couple splits and add more as they burn up.
2.Better to add splits when there is still some of the old ones left or let it burn down to coals before adding more.
3.How to set air when adding splits and starting. Do you open it up and let the splits become fully engulfed before dialing back the air or just add them and keep the air down.
4. Best burn? I have been setting the air so there is some flame on the splits and secondary flame above them and along the top of the stove. This is usually between 1/2 and 3/4 closed down. I tried a fully closed burn overnight and it did burn completely down but smoked up the glass pretty good.

Thanks for any input!
 
hotjava66 said:
Just looking for some advice on how to get the cleanest burn and best burn times.
Couple of questions,
1.Is it better to load the stove full, and let it burn down, or just start a couple splits and add more as they burn up.
2.Better to add splits when there is still some of the old ones left or let it burn down to coals before adding more.
3.How to set air when adding splits and starting. Do you open it up and let the splits become fully engulfed before dialing back the air or just add them and keep the air down.
4. Best burn? I have been setting the air so there is some flame on the splits and secondary flame above them and along the top of the stove. This is usually between 1/2 and 3/4 closed down. I tried a fully closed burn overnight and it did burn completely down but smoked up the glass pretty good.

Thanks for any input!
Click to expand...
I do all the blue pretty much..you have not seen a smoked glass on a long slow burn till you see BKK after doing that..lol..we live with it though!
 
hotjava66 said:
Just looking for some advice on how to get the cleanest burn and best burn times.
Couple of questions,
1.Is it better to load the stove full, and let it burn down, or just start a couple splits and add more as they burn up.
2.Better to add splits when there is still some of the old ones left or let it burn down to coals before adding more.
3.How to set air when adding splits and starting. Do you open it up and let the splits become fully engulfed before dialing back the air or just add them and keep the air down.
4. Best burn? I have been setting the air so there is some flame on the splits and secondary flame above them and along the top of the stove. This is usually between 1/2 and 3/4 closed down. I tried a fully closed burn overnight and it did burn completely down but smoked up the glass pretty good.

Thanks for any input!
Click to expand...

On a non-cat stove, you don't want to be really smoking up your glass. I think you have a good feeling for the sweet spot from your post. If your wood/chimney only allows you to close 3/4 down, then that's fine. Smoking up your glass good/or bad on a non-cat stove would have me worried about more creosote in the chimney.

Play around with different load sizes, but I like to burn down to a smaller coal bed before a reload. For me, loads that are 2/3 to 3/4 full are the easiest to predict/manage.
 
Of course 3 years on oak is a must!
Maybe even locust and some other dense woods..if you can only wait less then a year get ash!
 
Stove is a FPX Large Flushwood, it is one of the new hybrid stoves with a cat. Not that that really tells me much since it is my first one. The wood I am burning now is 3 year seasoned red oak, been cutting ash like mad for next year and down the road. I also have access to some 1 year old ash that I may delve into before the winter is over.
 
Tubes with catalytic assist. That would be beyond my experience. Beautiful fireplace though from the images I just saw on my google search.
 
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