I live on a windy ridge with a lot of glass and have to push the BKK to keep up when its cold and blowing. Last year, the best I could do was get a 12 hour burn cycle with good dry hardwood. Burn cycle to me is reload to reload in a manner that can be sustained for 7 months. With set it and forget it, max output over the 12 hour burn seemed to be setting the tstat @ 3 and the blowers on low. Then, 8 hours in, opening up the tsat all the way for the last 4 hours.
During the recent cold snap, I have reduced this to 8 hours by abandoning the set it and forget it convenience of the tstat and instead micro managing. My new scheme is something like tstat @ 3.25 blowers on high for the first hour or so. Then, gradually increase the tstat to wide open to maintain high stove temp. Then, start reducing the blowers to maintain stove temp. Adjustments every 1/2 hour seem to be adequate. By the time I turn the blowers off, what is left gets raked front center and gets a 1/2 hour or so to heat up for the next reload.
My highly scientific hand on the double wall stove pipe measurement technique says that the heat is not going up the pipe. Has anyone else tried this that has a flue probe? Yes Nate, I know that if I am running this hot, or for that matter above 1 on the tstat, I should be overheating the joint.
During the recent cold snap, I have reduced this to 8 hours by abandoning the set it and forget it convenience of the tstat and instead micro managing. My new scheme is something like tstat @ 3.25 blowers on high for the first hour or so. Then, gradually increase the tstat to wide open to maintain high stove temp. Then, start reducing the blowers to maintain stove temp. Adjustments every 1/2 hour seem to be adequate. By the time I turn the blowers off, what is left gets raked front center and gets a 1/2 hour or so to heat up for the next reload.
My highly scientific hand on the double wall stove pipe measurement technique says that the heat is not going up the pipe. Has anyone else tried this that has a flue probe? Yes Nate, I know that if I am running this hot, or for that matter above 1 on the tstat, I should be overheating the joint.