Burn time with new insert

USMC80 said:

Most likely. What wood are you burning?

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I'm burning mostly norway maple with black locust mixed in. Thanks.

Beech burns up quickly too...

and gone in an hour?

Yes 1 hour, flame out....

Maybe my splits are too small? I did that purposely to get it ready for this year....

Bagelboy said:

I still think the stove should be burning at a slower rate, but I could be wrong

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After what I saw last night, so do I....

regardless of split size one hour burn is not right. You can get an hour on kindling alone. Something is off

Well I am talking flame only, my unit gives off great big flames....

Would not having a block off plate have anything to do with it?

I had the exact same problem with my Osburn 2200. 30' liner and all. I spent the first two years finding clever ways to position the splits and pile ashes in front of the primary air so it wouldn't blast the flame through the entire box for what seemed to be the inevitable inferno. Then I started tinkering.

The air control seems perfectly functional but it just never controlled the fire as I would have expected. In fact, from what I can tell the air control actually only controls air through the secondaries. The primary air enters through a hole in the bottom front and is NOT adjustable. That's a major problem with the draft created from my tall, insulated liner.

I started trying to constrict the hole with a magnet and that's when burning became soooooo much more manageable. When I covered ~60% of the opening the stove wouldn't do a thing. It went from a guaranteed inferno to nothing in one shot. That's when I knew I was on to something. I'm still working it out but I tapped the .4" factory hole and screwed it a brass fitting drilled with a smaller hole. 1/4 " was too small but 5/16 seems to be doing the trick.

begreen said:

Small splits will outgas quickly. For the same volume of wood there is a lot more surface area exposed. Try some thick splits tonight. You should see a notable change.

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I did pack 6 splits together, in a bunch, but didn't see better results, you had an article on block off plates, I do not have one, I have no issues with getting heat into my room, just the fact that I need to reload too often.....Ty

Ram 1500 with an axe... said:

I did pack 6 splits together, in a bunch, but didn't see better results, you had an article on block off plates, I do not have one, I have no issues with getting heat into my room, just the fact that I need to reload too often.....Ty

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If you are reloading to often, some thing is wrong.

Doing The Dixie Eyed Hustle said:

If you are reloading to often, some thing is wrong.

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Your right, what?.....

Ram 1500 with an axe... said:

I did pack 6 splits together, in a bunch, but didn't see better results

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You say "small" splits, what size? 2"x2"x16"? You also mentioned "Flame only", are you talking secondaries?

I burn red oak, around 20% moisture. Recent nights I've put in 3 or 4 splits that are about 4"x4"x18". Primary flame, from the wood, lasts about 2 hours. Secondaries, the gas jet type at the burn tubes usually start about 30 to 45 minutes after the stove is lit and will last from a half hour to an hour. Lazy secondaries, I call them Aurora Borealis secondaries, will float around the fire box for the next few hours. With 3 or 4 splits in at 11PM I still have useable heat and a hot bed of coals at 6am.

It sounds like you might have one of two problems. (Maybe a little of both) Is your primary air control working? When I light my stove there is a full box of flames with the air control fully open. If, before everything has time to heat up, I suddenly close the primary air most of the flames will disappear. This proves the air control is working. On the newer Montpeliers there is an access hatch held closed with two screws just above the air control handle on the top of the stove. It was added to fix/adjust the air control without having to remove the entire outer skin. If you try the above test and do not see a radical difference in flame you might want to check the control linkage.

Have you ever measured the draft? Too much draft is going to suck air in via the vents that are always open. These vents are supposed to let enough air in with normal draft so the fire burns cleanly with the primary closed.


KaptJaq

Bagelboy - Thankfully, the intake on mine is front and center coming up from underneath the firebox. There is about 2" between the bottom of the firebox and bottom plate of the stove. This is where the blower sits and sends air underneath the firebox, up the back and out of the top, front. I found it with a mirror underneath. The hole was right in front of the sliding air control plate. You might be able to confirm by shining a flashlight through the primary air holes and viewing up the hole with a mirror. That sealed the deal for me.

1. Do you have an outside air kit installed? If so, try obstructing some of the flow on the intake.

2. Is there a provision in your owners manual for adjusting the door seal? (ie. dollar bill test)


As others have recently stated, I would look closely at ways you could be getting too much air in the firebox. Also, have you tried shutting the air controls down earlier after a reload?

KaptJaq said:

You say "small" splits, what size? 2"x2"x16"? You also mentioned "Flame only", are you talking secondaries?

I burn red oak, around 20% moisture. Recent nights I've put in 3 or 4 splits that are about 4"x4"x18". Primary flame, from the wood, lasts about 2 hours. Secondaries, the gas jet type at the burn tubes usually start about 30 to 45 minutes after the stove is lit and will last from a half hour to an hour. Lazy secondaries, I call them Aurora Borealis secondaries, will float around the fire box for the next few hours. With 3 or 4 splits in at 11PM I still have useable heat and a hot bed of coals at 6am.

It sounds like you might have one of two problems. (Maybe a little of both) Is your primary air control working? When I light my stove there is a full box of flames with the air control fully open. If, before everything has time to heat up, I suddenly close the primary air most of the flames will disappear. This proves the air control is working. On the newer Montpeliers there is an access hatch held closed with two screws just above the air control handle on the top of the stove. It was added to fix/adjust the air control without having to remove the entire outer skin. If you try the above test and do not see a radical difference in flame you might want to check the control linkage.

Have you ever measured the draft? Too much draft is going to suck air in via the vents that are always open. These vents are supposed to let enough air in with normal draft so the fire burns cleanly with the primary closed.


KaptJaq

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Hi Kapt, yes some splits, are near what you said 2*2, some bigger and some, not your typical size splits, mostly Maple, I split it small to get it ready for this season, but I packed 6 pieces together and it still burned at the same rate, I am heating a 550 sq ft area, it is uninsulated and I have a total of 10 windows including the doors, so there is a lot of glass with plaster walls built in 1943.
The primary air is working, there is a big difference between open and closed, even closed I am getting secondaries and nice looking flames. When I went to bed I turned off the fan, I woke up and saw there were still lazy flames, but I did not time it, but seemed longer then in past, that will be my next test, filling box up fan off and air closed.
How about blocking the air holes in the front with ash, would that help?
How do you measure draft?
Thanks for your help.....