New stove owner help, please!

[qesiii]

Hi everyone. I bought a house with an Olympic Crest 78. It vents straight up, probably about 30 feet through my house. I would like to make this my primary heat source.

Occasionally I can get the stove pretty hot, other times, not so much. Can anyone point me to an article that explains the basic operation, what "features" it has and how they work, fire building tips, etc. There is a "hi/low" on the back, 2 front and 1 side door and a lever above the side door. I have never been able to really make a fore last through the night so I can reignite the next morning. Should I be able to?

Also, I have a nice screen I can place when I open the front doors, buy that wouldn't make the hottest fire. Just for ambience, right?

Sorry for the rookie questions, but it is obvious I gave found people with a wealth of knowledge.

Lastly, I had the stove cleaned last year before I ever started it. Probably used it 15 times. Should I get it cleaned before this winter?

Thanks again everyone in advance.

 

[fbelec]

welcome to the forum. it might be best if you snap a couple of pictures and post them so that people can see it. also i don't know how or even if i can move this post to a different section of the forum but if no one moves you you will need to make a new post. why because the section is for vermont casting stoves and here you might not get the attention of the right people to see your post. but you should get some answer from someone that has used your stove.

frank

 

[Wisneaky]

How dry is your wood? What kind, when was it cut and split?