True North won't slow down!

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SonofTomJoad

New Member
Nov 18, 2014
1
eastern Ontario
Last night and one other recent evening, my PE TN19 would not slow down. Afraid to go to bed until the two big pieces of ash in there started to slow down a little. Took a look inside little bottom plate where I can feel air control lever (they call it a quadrant assembly on website but don't show how it's put together), and linkage seemed fine. I can feel a semi-circular hole when it's is in the full open position and that that hole is almost completely closed when lever in fully off position. There is only a tiny corner open in there. I suppose that is how it should be. Door and gasket are fine. Beginining second winter with this stove, and no such problems last year. Any ideas??
 
Could you tell us a bit more? Do you have a stovetop thermometer? How hot did the stove get? Just two big splits should not get the stove to a worrisome condition. Maybe what you see is just the normal operation of the stove once the wood is dry?!
 
The stove will slow down, how quickly will depend on the fuel load, but for sure it will eventually burn up. There are ways to avoid a big flare up, but as long as the stove top temp stays below 700-750F the stove is ok. To reduce flareups, burn down the coal bed first, reload when the stovetop is below 250F, load decent sized splits (4-7") and use small stuff only to fill the gaps between larger pieces. Then close down the air sooner than later. If the wood is dry you may be able to reduce the air from full open to closed in one or two steps. Start turning it down at least half when the fire starts fully engaging and stove top temp has not passed 400F.
 
Dry ash does burn hot,and can burn faster, I burned dry ash all winter one year and had to change and adapt my burning style to this wood, Once I had it sorted out I loved It! Way different than burning maple. And keep a least an inch of ash in there, My Spectrum seems to burn better with 1.5" ash, not coals ash, Also if your chimney was freshly cleaned it's probably drafting real good. That combined with dry ash could do that. Do you have any maple or other wood to try. This year I had a little learning curve as I have mostly all hard maple and elm. Hang in there you will sort it out;)
 
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