another silly reload question!

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Nov 11, 2010
39
Coastal MA
ok, so its finally cold. im home for the long weekend heating 24/7 and im running up against an issue. ive been waiting to reload until the temps on the stovetop is 300-325ish. by that time the fan is switching on and off on the ol' 1402, and has been for 45 minutes or so as the temps in the room are dropping while i wait for the stove to cool off enough. it seems as though the stove hovers in the 400 degree mark for a while. once i reload the heat is coming quickly, so thats not the issue. my problem is how to bridge the gap, as it were, between usable heat times. should i just reload at a higher temp and damper down quicker and take a chance of running high (which doesnt seem like the best idea)?

on a side note, which ill probably post another stove-specific thread about after this- when do your heat-ontrolled blowers stop running? i know a coule times the stovetop temp was at 650 for a bit and the fan was still turning on and off. this was after a couple reloads, so i would think the stove/flue/whatever else is probably heated up so the stove should be blowing that heat out, non? maybe the sensor came loose?
 
I reload when the temp in the room requires. 200 may be fine to reload one day, but if its colder the next day I'll reload at 300 etc. Do what ever works and keeps you comfortable.
 
I can't help with the blower, I don't have one, but when it is this cold, I will reload when the stove starts to go down to coals. There will be alot of coals at this point, so I will rake a large sum of them forward and open the air all the way up...this will help burn them up faster. After awhile, maybe a half hour our so, I will spread the coals evenly, and reload, usually getting a quick ignite, faster stove temps, the sooner I can close it down.this is what I do when its real cold and I need continuous heat. I'm sure others will chime in. good luck.
 
I will reload based on need. During these cold snaps, it's not uncommon for me to reload at 400 - where during more humane temperatures I'll let it drop to 300 or 200. When I do reload "hot" (anything above 300 on my Kent), I find I don't have to touch my air control at all. Just leave it where it is...by the time I'm done stuffing the box, the load has already taken off and all I need to do is close the door and walk away.
 
thanks for the good input so quickly! i assumed reloading a little hotter would be better than letting the room get frigid (well, mid-60s frigid) while the stove cools to the low 300s, but had never really done so...
 
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