Man...This first year is getting really discouraging...Thinking of packing it in.

[firefighterjake]

Well hey since Pook has left some Maniac has to "say" something a little bit strange once in a while . . . I figured the school girl image would fit the bill nicely . . . and no, to tell the truth, I don't dress up as a schoolgirl with patent leather shoes . . . what I really do is dress up as a pirate with an eye patch and yell out "Shiver me Timbers!" when loading up the dry wood.

 

[jadm]

This insert does have a learning curve. I had a hard time when I switched over and it a lot longer than I expected to get the hang of it - about a seasons worth of burning.

I kept at it and read a lot here.

Learned not to shut the door too soon.
To use 2 small rounds n/s as a base to rest larger e/w splits on. (Provides more air to circulate under load and mine needs a lot of air to get things going.)
To only start with 2-3 splits in the beginning - letting them get going and the mass of the insert to heat up before adding more splits to fill the firebox.
To not shut down air until temp. hits 500* and to do it in stages.
To re-load before it drops below 350*. (400* depending on weather conditions and coals and what my goals are.)
To wait to turn the blower on. (I usually let it get to 500* before turning it on.)

This is my 3rd season with it and I feel broken in by it now. (It knew what it was doing all along - it was me that didn't. ;-P ) I am still learning but feel much more confident than I did that first year.

Once you get the hang of it you are going to love it. Just give it time to teach you all of it's tricks. ;-)