Air intake rule of thumb

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chutes

chutes

Member
Sep 8, 2008
184
CT
Just wondering what general rules you all apply for adjusting your air intake. For how long, typically, on start up will you have it open completely before you adjust? What are the indications to you that it is okay to begin to adjust (temp, time of burn, bed of coals, etc.)?

In a specific example, I am doing my second break in fire today. Going to get it up to 400. Should I have the air intake open all the way until it gets to my ideal temp, and then adjust down and try and keep it at that temp?


Thanks,
Dave
 
Good question I'm going on to my 4th breakin fire tonight and was wondering the samething I. I'm hoping to figure this out before the real cold weather sets in.

Thanks!
 
Pretty tough to generalize. Depends on the stove, the draft, the fuel, etc. I have two different stoves, both steel non-cat, but one has only a primary air control while the other has an additional secondary bypass for startup, so I operate them a bit differently. View of the fire and stovepipe temp just above the flue collar are the information I use to make my operating decisions. To answer your second-part question, your plan as stated sounds just fine to me. Have fun! Rick
 
Best thing to do (non cat stove) is start a fire, load it up, when the firebox is really full of fire for 10 minutes- close down the air. If there's a stable secondary action- you're there. Go outside now and look for smoke out the chimney.

If not, and the fire dies down/smokes etc it's not ready- open the air back up.

You will only figure it out by experimenting with your wood and your stove. If I were to burn pine, it would need very different control than oak or (especially) locust.

For mine- I like to see some life in the fire when I close the air. Blue flames, yellow flames, secondaries- it's all good, as long as it's not smokey/sooty. Once you get the hang of what the fire looks like with no smoke out the chimney- it's a snap.
 
Thanks for the responses.

This might be better for a new thread, but I've had this thing going for a good 45 minutes now. I have a nice bed of coals. I nice fire going. Yet my Rutland Burn Indicator seems stuck at 300 F. The air intake is all the way open.

I did test the Rutland (bought a new one today) per instructions from Brother Bart and confirmed that it read 450 with the oven set at 450.

Is there any reason I might be stuck at 300? Does it take more than an hour to get hotter than that? Or, am I actually probably at close to 400? I've read on this forum that some folks add 100 F to their Rutland. Mine is on the door of my Pacific Insert (positioned there on the advice of BeGreen).

Thanks-
Dave
 
And to AP's second post above, there is still smoke coming out of the chimney...
 
There is no bubbling out the end. There is a bit of crackling, but I don't know that I'd call it hissing. The wood that I bought I was told was 18 months old. Now, I know that being told that doesn't necessarily make it so, but, the wood passes many other tests for seasoning. It make a hollow sound when struck together, the bark falls off rather easily, and these splits are lighting on both sides very quickly when added to the fire.

I'm wondering if it is possible that I went from kindling to splits too quickly? I got the kindling going and then started adding some decent sized splits to the insert before I had a bed of coals.
 
Chutes, I have the pacific insert, take the thermometer OFF the door and put it just above the door on the righthand /hinge side of the unit. You will see a seam there, place it just to the left of the seam.
 
This is burning wood, not understanding women. If the wood is burning well, then it's burning well. Get some coals in there, load it and get the firebox full of fire for 15 mins or so and check the chimney with the air open. No smoke? Close it half way. No smoke? etc.

That's the only way you'll learn your stove, IMO.
 
Thanks AP.

Okay. I seem to be in good shape now. I took the trusty poker and gave my logs a couple of good shoves around and the fire got going even better, the temperature went up pretty quickly, and there is no longer smoke coming out of my chimney. Doing the close and check thing now. Thanks.

PS - wxman, I shouldn't have said "on the door" but it is above the door. However, I had it on the left side above the door handle side of the door. I have now moved it to the left beside the seam per your suggestion.
 
Good on ya bro. When the coals have died back quite a bit, ope air, pull coals to the front with the shovel and load up again- the fire should take off in nothing flat, no matches required. The air intake is right there- so air fans the coals and heats it all up for you.
 
one new question - as I mentioned, this is a break in fire, my second, is it normal for the smoke alarm to go off on occasion? (since it just went off)
 
if you have that nasty acrid paint burning off smell, plus have been opening the firebox with a small smoldery fire- then I'd expect it.


Oh- break in fire- later on when doing real full load fires, it should get to temp and ready to close up easier. The fire is self sustaining- more wood, more fire, better draft... etc.
 
My breakin smelled nasty but the alarms never went off, had the window closest to the stove open.
 
Break-in of my shop stove set the alarm off once or twice...never again after that. Alarm's ceiling-mounted, just about 4' (or less) from the ceiling support box. Ventilate. Rick
 
yeah. mine went off just the one time - closest alarm to the insert.

i do have every window in the house open. nice day in Connecticut. Even though I had them open yesterday too for my first break in fire, I still had a heck of a headache from the fumes.

saddest part about this break-in fire is that it is really going good, and I'm tempted to throw more fuel in there, but, it has been going at 400 for a good while now, so I guess i have to let it go out. hopefully after I do this one more time tomorrow I'll be ready to burn for fun and heat, instead of just breaking it in...
 
yer gonna want a fire tonight, gonna be first real cold one here
 
High_Iron where are you? saying 28-30 here in Riverhead
 
weather men have no clue anyway,...come on...what other job can you get where you can be wrong 90% of the time and still draw a paycheck?

(sorry, wxman, I couldnt resist, hehehe)
 
Stock brokers!
 
wxman said:
yer gonna want a fire tonight, gonna be first real cold one here
Click to expand...

I would love to have a fire tonight. In fact, I would really love to keep this second break-in fire going. My boys just got home from school, and they want me to throw a couple more logs on so bad, but I've been pretty religious about this break-in process. So, I'm letting it die down. I need to shut these windows and I think there is still some fumes to burn off...
 
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