Hi, all. I grew up with fireplaces and got my first wood stove back in August (a Blaze King Princess Insert). I have been burning it pretty much nonstop since then, and I've read a hojillion pages of stuff on the internet (including this whole thread!), but still have a few questions.
1) When reloading the stove hot, the manual says to put the thermostat at max, the fan off, wait 2 minutes, open the bypass, wait 2 minutes, and crack the door. The purpose of the procedure is to cool off the cat a little and introduce cool air slowly to avoid thermal shock to the cat, right? So why do the instructions say to turn the fan off before starting? Wouldn't the fan on high cool the firebox at the top, and therefore cool the cat a little before you crack the door? Wouldn't a better procedure be 'fan on high, thermostat on low, wait 2 minutes, open the bypass, thermostat on high, wait 2 minutes, crack the door' ? It seems like there'd be less chance of thermal shock that way, but maybe the procedure is accomplishing some other goal as well.
2) I haven't burned in really cold temperatures yet (I've been amazed by the low and slow capabilities of this stove, though). I have read that these stoves are able to burn on high for a full load. I've also read that direct flame impingement on the cat is Bad. ...if I put my thermostat at 50%, I'm going to have flames on the cat's intake. I feel like if I put the thermostat at 100%, I'd have flames out the chimney. =D I usually run it at ~5% on warm days (45-60F, what a december this has been), and ~10-25% on colder days (30-45F). How does one burn on high (or medium, for that matter) without having flames impinge the cat? Load a quarter load in the very back? Aside from "my cat is bathed in flames", how else do you tell how hot is too hot? I've read lots of posts saying that stovetop temp is not a good measure, and that the cat thermometer isn't good for checking internal temperatures.
3) The firebox has firebrick that extends up a few inches in the rear of the stove, and then the top of the firebox has no firebrick at the rear. Am I missing some bricks (I think not, because I don't see any kind of a retaining system for the 'missing' ones)? Is it OK if wood gets loaded into this area?
4) How do I sweep the chimney liner without pulling the insert out? Can I just open the bypass and sweep from the top? Won't a bunch of crud land up behind the cat, which you can't remove without buying a gasket? Is it possible to disassemble something inside the stove and get a plastic bag under the flue pipe?
I'd also like to apologize in advance if my percentage-based thermostat notation further confuses The Great Sticker Debate, but I wasn't sure the insert's thermostat had the same range of motion as other stoves, so I went with a percentage of the adjustable range rather than an "O'clock" notation.
Cheers, and thanks in advance!
