The Ashford insert is a handsome unit, especially with that beautiful enamel. I think it is the best looking BK unit and I would have considered one if we had a fireplace.
You must not be married.Crabbing Froo-froo Ovulator?
I'd experiment with running it a little bit lower than all the way up for that long. Just my experience
Some households have members that have veto powers, I call her the the CFO around here.
Crabbing Froo-froo Ovulator?
I am married. She is a voracious reader but this forum is about the last thing she's interested in reading.
I'll show her a pic occasionally, that's about it. Besides, I wasn't referring to her, I was trying to get to the bottom of what Steve was calling his wife. That's my story.. 
We can usually arrive at an agreement about most things. I got her to let me slide on this one, but it was only for a couple weeks until I could get this wood a little drier with a fan. 
I realize that there are other couples that can't always compromise, and one or the other will put their foot down: A lot of times we end up making fun of and laughing at the foibles of the other. 
That reminds me of last winter where I had about 200 lbs of wood cribbed next to the stove... Thankfully I was able to get ahead and we don't have to look at stacks all winter.I am married. She is a voracious reader but this forum is probably the last thing she'd be interested in reading.
Like many other women, she has her own ideas on how she wants her house to look. But if I told her "this ugly stove is going to be the only one that will work," she might give me some leeway seeing as I'm the CFO..Certifiable Fire Obsessive.
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Most of the time after the bypass is closed, still too much smoke outgassing from the wood. The cat can eat just so much, always some will pass thru and up the chimney. Many variables affect the amount of smoke. On reloads a good bed of coals and reloading with an active cat help with the amount of smoke. Also starting a fire, a little of top/down method helps a lot. How tight or loose you load play a role too. I do look into the amount of smoke too but sometimes it is what it is. My 24hrs schedule and loading when dark, also helps a lot.
Most of the time after the bypass is closed, still too much smoke outgassing from the wood. The cat can eat just so much, always some will pass thru and up the chimney. Many variables affect the amount of smoke. On reloads a good bed of coals and reloading with an active cat help with the amount of smoke. Also starting a fire, a little of top/down method helps a lot. How tight or loose you load play a role too. I do look into the amount of smoke too but sometimes it is what it is. My 24hrs schedule and loading when dark, also helps a lot.
That would bug me. How long does it smoke like that after closing the bypass? If just for a short time (<30min.) then probably tolerable, but more than that I would be inclined to change procedure. For example, does it smoke this badly if the thermostat is set wide open?
There's an awful lot of steam there. How sure are you there's smoke in it?Ok, so what is an acceptable amount of smoke coming out of the stack when the cat is engaged? I can visibly see smoke aiming out. Is something wrong?
I will add that it is WAY more if I open the bypass. The cat is glowing red and I don’t see any visible dead spots or area that might be plugged. Stove is less than a month old and average MC of wood is 18%
Yes, it can affect it. How close are you? One of my stoves is just 4.5 inches off an exterior masonry wall, the other is more than a foot, due to one fireplace being much deeper than the other.
Everything depends. I have two setups, one on 19' and the other on 24'. On the shorter stack, with two 45s plus 60 to 70% exposed , I can run wide open and after 5 to 10 minutes the stack clears up and just heat waves is coming.
How long after you closed the bypass was this pic taken? Did you have a pretty hot fire before that, getting the stove up to temp? Reason I ask is that creo from the previous load can burn off the box when you have a hot fire, burning in the new load, and the cat doesn't seem to handle that stuff very well. Once you cut the air and the box cools some, that creo stops burning and the plume is clear. It's happened to me, and BK guys have reported it as well. You can tell by the smell if it's creo smoke.
Yeah, Josh, if you took that pic this afternoon, it was pretty humid in our neck of the woods, and the steam will carry pretty far from the stack. With low humidity, steam will vanish quickly. If you can get on a side of the house where the smoke blows back down, you'll be able to smell how smoky it actually is.
Once my stove is up to temp and I close the bypass, cat will glow shortly after and smoke ends quickly, as Isucet said. I never have the air wide open at that point, more like a quarter open or less, but the BK guys are told to run wide open for a half hour so they are probably getting varied results, like Isucet said happens on his two different setups.
Nope, chief financial officer - she makes waaaaay more money than I do(actually, she's an English prof), and I'm OK with that! Kidding aside, all of our decisions are collaborative, and she has a keen eye for aesthetics...and neither of us wanted another less than attractive
That sounds about right for that type of start. Yes, once the stove gets fully up to temp, air is cut and the cat is glowing, it will be eating all the smoke. Once the load gets to the coaling stage, there's little or no smoke to burn, of course..
