Merrimack large fireplace insert

[TheCape]

I've had mine for a little over a week now and really enjoy it. The manual that came with the insert says it should burn for about 12 overs when set to slow burn settings. I can't get it to burn for more than 5-6 hours tops. I've loaded it with about as much wood as I can fit in the thing and kept the airflow setting all the way to the right for the slowest burn possible. Any ideas on what I may be doing wrong?
Thanks!

 

[prezes13]

I think you have to give more details about your burning method. From my own experience I can say that in the beginning I couldn't get more than 2-3 hours out of my insert. Turned out and it took me a while to learn it (I didn't know about this site) that I had wet wood, I run the stove too cool. Do you run your stove 24/7? If you don't you not gone get your 10 hours burn. If I start from scratch I will get 5 or so to get everything warm, next cycles will be longer. It also depends on the outside temp how warm you trying to keep the house etc. there is a lot of variables. That 12 hours from you manual it's a perfect scenario, it will happen rather rarely. I am sure that there will be people here who will get more into details why your not getting long burns and how to help you get there.

 

[prezes13]

Also burn times don't mean active flame for 12 hours

 

[Grisu]

Welcome to the forum!

Please be aware that "burn time" does not really mean you will see a fire all the time. After some hours, the wood will be burned down to coals who will still glow and emit heat but don't have much if any flame. Still, your stove should be warm enough to give you some noticeable heat during that coaling stage. Most people here define burn time to the point when you still have a good amount of hot coals left that allow an easy restart. Manufacturer's probably use a similar definition. Maybe they should call it "heating time" rather than "burn time".

If you have lots of coals left but the stove temp has dropped too much for your liking, you can rake them forward and keep the air control full or partially open to burn them down faster. A small split placed on top of the coals can aid that process. That way you will make room for more wood faster. However, too many coals can also mean your wood is not quite seasoned. How long has it been split and stacked in a sunny and windy location?

 

[Charles1981]

Pretty big firebox in that stove (3cuft).

I would not expect 12 hours burn time on that stove unless you were burning very well seasoned oak or locust.

I would expect you to be able to fill it up and get a good 5-6 hours of a flame show and stove top above 500 degrees, followed by another 2-3 hours of a good amount of coals still putting off a decent amount of heat where the stove stop stays above 300 degrees. Burn times will drop substantially as the temperature falls off outside as well though (into the teens and single digits and especially negative digits).

It would be best to know the moisture content of your wood and how long it has been cut, split, and stacked for (C/S/S) as well as the species of tree you are burning.

But never expect the posted burn time to live up to reality imo.