600-700º is where the stove likes to cruise. Next fire try to turning down the air sooner, use thicker splits, packed tighter.
Some larger splits, less splits, and earlier turn down might help slow her down woody.
Larger splits for longer, slower burns...If you fill her, she will eat, but if you pack it tight, it will last a long time...They do like to cruise between 600 and 700. Once the nasties burn off, it will stabilize and cruise, then slowly lower in temps as the load burns down...always turn the air as low as you can, many of us go all the way low. You can cut it back sooner to keep the temps down and cruise lower also. I wouldn't leave it 1/4 open if you don't need it.
I can see how the lack of control would be upsetting when coming from a good cat stove...The pulse can be intense but only lasts a few hours followed by a relatively long glide...once you’ve shut the air to zero you can’t do anything else but let the fuel burn as it wants. So relax. With experience you will be more comfortable knowing that the stove won’t get too hot, it has a sort of built in rev limiter in that it was designed and tested to not melt down.
That's one thing I didn't know yet, that it would start to "plane off" above 650; When it passed 650 I wondered "Yikes, will I be zooming past 700 here in a few minutes??" I didn't want that.
With the load I had in there, it eventually reduced to a big load of coals, and there was still a decent amount the next morning. I told her she could just open up the air a bit if needed, and ride that coal heat for a long time.
Yep, I'll be making big splits and rounds for her to load. Although the big load looks in the pic like it has a lot of air space between splits, I tried to make it as tight as I could. There were several small splits in the load though, so not as tight as it would be with fewer but bigger splits.
I only had the air 1/4 open on that small, four-split load...
Here's the Hog gasket vs the new OEM style. I have been making new style with the ceramic blanket, just need to find a sturdier blanket material. The home made lasts 5+ years that I had it in use.
When I took the baffle out, there was just a rectangular gasket to seal the air channel to the baffle, no "ears" on the gasket. I'm wondering if I can just get some wide interam gasket and cut several gaskets out of it. Also, with the side baffle insulation back in place, and the stove breathing correctly, there was a little secondary action shooting out of the gap in the back, small flame all the way across.
I also think the PE, with some sort of automated secondary air control and a stainless baffle, was always one of the best noncat options for a full time heater.
I could tell that with fire, or just coals, this stove is dealing quite a bit more heat than the little Dutchwest was. That stove was still leaky though, even after I tried to tighten it up with cement, so some heat was wasted up the flue, I'm sure. Looking forward to not having leaky cement seams to repair...
While I’ve never ran a PE, I have been impressed every time I’ve broke one down to clean it.
This is the old version of the T5, where the secondary air is linked to the primary with a steel rod. I went with the proven long burn, but don't know if I would be better off with the new version with the "automated" EBT2. Seems like on the new one, maybe you could run the primary lower, but the secondary would open up to clean up the burn. Their description of the EBT2 says it responds to draft, but I don't really understand how that would work...
Yeah, webby, when I saw the exploded parts diagram, I couldn't believe how simple it was. Plus 304 stainless baffle and brick/baffle rails. Baffle is simple to remove, albeit a bit heavy. I like the idea of the "floating firebox" construction as well.
I'd still like to hear how low other users are able to burn while still keeping the plume clean. If we have to cruise it up around 600 to be clean, so be it.