I have a question that I needed some advice on. I have had a rough time keeping a good fire in my stove all morning and yes I am burning the same wood that I have had all season so far that has burned fine. I had a lot of ashes in my firebox, more than usual, well it was time to clean out and I left a good size of hots in the middle and cleaned out the sides and re- loaded my stove and wow its burning great. So does the ash in the firebox affect the fire/burn or diminish the air in any way. I know this sounds crazy but its burning great now.