Brandon3r,
Let's slow down before we get ahead of ourselves. I have the Wins18 which is basically the same stove you have in the form of an insert and a 2cuft firebox vs. the 2.7 yours has. Other than that, they are exactly the same in form and function. Also, like you, I have a very short chimney. Mine is 10'9" from top of stove to top of chimney. My stove performs like a champ.
I would be willing to bet your issues have more to do with you being dialed-in with the characteristics and personality of the stove than anything else. A couple things I didn't notice you mention; do you have the optional blower on your stove and if so, how are you using it? Also, do you have a stove-top thermometer that you have been monitoring?
Once you know for sure that your wood MC is >20%, give it another shot. When trying to get a fire going when the stove is cold, it sounds like you have the right idea for the most part. Just some small increments in timing and the steps in which you do things can have a huge impact on the success of your fire.
Assuming your wood is adequate, load the stove. If your wood is dry you won't need any paper, just a piece of starter like Fatwood, Super Cedar, Duralog, etc. With your air fully open, light your starter. Do not latch door shut. The amount of opening in your door can vary from 2-3" to just cracked. You will notice the smaller the opening, the greater the inward draft.
Backing up a little bit.... The draft of your chimney will be weaker cold vs. when it's hot from a strong fire.
Ok, with the starter going and some wood starting to take, continue to leave door open. Don't even consider turning the air down. Let the wood take off so that it is burning pretty good and pieces are beginning to char up. Could very well take up to 10-15 mins. Once you feel it is going pretty good, try closing the door. DO NOT turn down the air. Monitor the fire, if it begins to go out, simply open the door again. Do this until the fire will stay burning with the door closed.
Let it burn. Air fully open. If you do have a blower, leave it switched to 'auto' and turned to the lowest position. Now is where your stove-top thermometer comes into play. If you don't have one already, go buy one. Let the fire roll until your stove top temp is at least 500-degrees or better. Once 500*+, you may SLOWLY begin turning down the air. Start closing air with increments of about an 1/8 at a time. Wait about 10-15 mins or so before lowering again. Continue to monitor your temperature readings. The stove will continue to get hot. If you have a blower it may or may not have kicked on by now. If everything goes as planned after some time you should be able to have a peak stove top temp of 650-700*, and your air turned all the way down.
At this point the fire should just cruise along hot and steady. The stove will cool, especially with the blower, and will settle around +/-500*. As the fire burns and 'fuel' get consumed, the temp will gradually descend. After 8-12hrs you should be left with a stove top of about 150* and ready for a re-load.
This may all sound like a lot, but after a few weeks, you will begin to really understand the stove's attitude, and this will all become second nature. If your wood is in fact dry, and the tips I gave you do not lead to success, then I would suggest investigating other areas that may be contributing to your struggles. However start with the basics first before you start chasing something that has nothing to do with what you are experiencing.
That is a great stove and you will really love it once you get it dialed-in. Good luck.
