What Just Happened and How Dangerous Was It?

i had it happen on my pos dutchwest neverburn.what was really scary is it happned when i opened the side door to re-arrange the wood! took my eyebrows half off! that was the begining of the end for that stove!

Sad to say, but I actually read mine cover to cover.....except the installation instructions, oh, and the lighting a fire portion, may have skipped the clearance section, oh, and maybe, just maybe I skipped the parts details. Other than that, read everything.

This was a fluke, I wouldn't worry about loading it up full. The refractory in the back is made in such a way that it would really be hard to block it with wood. Just make sure that ashes don't cover the exhaust ports in the back and don't be so quick to shut the air down and you will be fine.

It will not be long before you are like the rest of us....,load it up, make sure it is burning right, go to bed and sleep in the warmth the wood stove is providing. Then you will get even more comfortable and put a full load in before you go to work so the house doesn't cool during the day. VOILA! You are a 24/7 burner.

The stove was designed to provide heat for the house, no different concept than your boiler/furnace. Yes, there is a little more personal maintenance to keep it running smooth, but now that I have mine figured out (well, at least for now) I would say that my wood stove runs better than my boiler.

The comfort will come- get that extra pipe on the top. Sounds like you are running things hotter before shutting down, that IR gun will become one of your best friends. I call mine Tattle Tale.

Good luck!

Just stay away from those "Black Stealth" ones. The truth is out there:

http://zapatopi.net/blackhelicopters/

You can't say I didn't warn you.