Ok so I have had my insert (Heat N Glo Northstar) for a year now, and still fighting it. Wood is anywhere from 13% moisture up to about 18% moisture. The air comes in the front just below the doors and then has 3 secondary burn tubes up top. On a bed of coals with stove top temp through the grate at 250 I reload. takes about 10-15 min with the boost air open to get a good fire going. After that I shut the boost air off and let it ride almost all the way open till stove top hits 425 or so then start dialing it back. As I dial it back the secondaries kick in. With air 3/4 open stove top around 465 or so front doors up top are 470ish, front doors in the middle runs around 560-650. And the collar through the grates (don't have access to chimney as it is behind a wall) is about 425 or so. I dial it back to about half temps run about the same, and some smoke becomes visible out of the top of the chimney. For fear of it running away on me I close the air down to just over a 1/4 open and temps level out at about 500 top 450 at the top of the doors 500 in the middle of the doors and 400 on the collar which is 6 or 7" above the stove top. At this point sometimes there is a little smoke coming out of the chimney, sometimes there is none, and other times there is a ton. The fire has good secondaries and some primaries. After about 2-3hrs the secondaries go out and I lose most if not all of my primaries with two or three charred logs in the back of the firebox. If I move the logs a little primaries come back and it burns down nicely. I guess what I am asking, is are my temps good? Do I need to cut down the air sooner and more (too much draft sucking out air before burned) or leave the air open more (smoldering the fire)? The only temp that ever concerns me is the middle of the front doors that has gotten up to 600-700 before and that scares the crap out of me. Thank you for any and all advice, if I had a fancy Iphone I would time lapse the thing so you could see what is happening but alas I do not.
