Calling all US stove hotblast users...how full do you fill your firebox?

I have a hotblast 1557 and although its very basic and not nearly as good as what I will have eventually it does heat the house well. I've been using it about 5 winters now and can get an overnight burn with the good stuff(hedge and white oak) but most times its down to coals in 4-6 hrs. Now granted I'm heating a full basement and upstairs which is at least 2500 sq ft, in a home that's about 60% complete on the insulation upgrades...

Now onto my question... Do you guys stuff your firebox full enough that another piece can't fit in? I don't I guess because I'm worried about an overfire. its a big firebox and if u don't get that air mix right it can get the flu pipe up way too hot(ive done it) and i'm not comfortable with that or i guess i don't trust the strength of the sides of the firebox where there isn't firebrick either. Do you stuff yours full regularly? thanks for any input...

It's been a while since we had the old furnace, but I was never afraid to fill it to the baffle. We only added a few pieces whenever during the day, unless we were leaving. It was nighttime where we had to fill it to the baffle to get a solid overnight burn, especially when it was cold. I would burn locust rounds, or rounds of ash as big as I could fit into the loading door. Splits never seemed to burn as well. I do know when we filled it, there were many times the house would hit 80 overnight, but dare not touch it for 8 hours and we would wake to a 68 degree house and a cold furnace. It did the job for almost 25 years before I replaced it.

Thanks Laynes, I was hoping you'd chime in as I knew you've ran one of these for years. I haven't had as many rounds this year and it does seem to make a difference. These units make heat but you really have to let alot escape the chimney to keep a clean burn and heat pumping through the house for the square footage demand I'm asking of it. I'm hoping to use it a few more years until I either get a nice caddy like yours or go with an outdoor unit. Hoping to get a pole barn up in a few years that I will heat some of, which makes me lean towards an outdoor unit. Thanks again for the input!