Do you throttle it down while the temps are climing or after they get to desired temp??

[michiganwinters]

Last year I would load stove up on nice bed of hot coals and leave it wide open until it reached 550 or so then start to throttle it back to 1/2, 1/4 then down. But the more I started thinking by leaving the air wide open is that just sending all of the heat up the chimney, and maybe Im selling myself short? When do you start to throttle it down?? I was thinking that if I let it build to 350, then bump it down to say just over 3/4 and let it build wouldnt I be doing a better job at keeping the heat in the stove. And there would be less chance of having a run away fire.

Sorry that most of this post is run on but hopefully you get my point??

 

[BrotherBart]

I start down at 350 to 400 or so and level it out in two or three stages.

 

[caber]

I usually let it go up hotter then I want, then throttle it back to the temp i want.

 

[cd64133]

I have found that when get to 400 or 450 that I throttle down and the temp will continue to climb to 600 or so. If I waited to 600 before I throttled down I would be burning hotter than the max 700 degrees that stove manual states.

 

[Jags]

At wide open throttle, my stack temp is higher than my stove temp. For that reason, I watch the stack temp and when it starts hitting ~600F-700F (internal), I will throttle the stove back. At that time the stove temp will take a jump up, usually around 550-600F (surface), stack temp will start to drop, stove starts to settle in for a nice long burn.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

I close air when the secondaries will maintain- sometimes with a half step first. That's it. Works pissa.

 

[begreen]

Likewise, with the Alderlea. Once the box is hot enough to support secondary combustion, I back it down, usually in 2 stages. The flue temp will start going down and the stove top temp will continue to climb.

However, this is for an EPA stove. In an older air-tight stove there is a more direct relationship between the air control an stove top temp.

 

[fossil]

I monitor my systems with magnetic thermometers on the single wall pipes just above the flue collars. As a general rule I like to see that temp between 450F and 500F before I start throttling the primary back in two or three stages. If I really have a fire going quickly up in temp, I'll start throttling earlier, if it's a bit sluggish, I'll wait longer. I use both the thermometer indication and the view through the window to make my stove operating decisions. On the Lopi, I never quite shut the primary completely. On the little CFM I frequently do. I watch the burn go through its stages, and when it's beginning to get quiet, I start opening the primary back up to keep the fire a bit lively, until all is glowing charcoal ready for reload. Rick

 

[WOODBUTCHER]

When the teens and single digits hit.......I let my Oslo rip wide open with large splits to about 500-600, then kick it down at least 75%.

WoodButcher