question.. if its low, does this mean ill need to add more fuel more often to keep the cruising temp higher? You think 400F is good then?
Most important question.. if 350F is low, dont we all get down to that temp anyways at night during a night burn when we wake up to coals?
I can't speak for all stoves or set ups, as they are all obviously different.
Here is a typical reload & burn here at my place.
Load on a bed of coals that has been burnt down to a decent layer on the stove floor, which for me, usually means a few remnants of splits in their last stages of coaling(small pcs chunks). I break up any bigger coals, and spread evenly on firebox floor.
Load new load of fuel, for me big splits.
Let it establish a good initial charring & fire.
Cut air back, anywhere from 300 to 400 degrees on thermo, and visually what I have experienced seeing over the years also depending on the fuel species. Pine, poplar etc, is more about visual than temp, as they can go high heat, quickly.
The secondaries kick in, small and slow at first, then then it will kick on full secondaries, may be slowly at first, but will always end up full bore secondaries on her own (with good dry wood). Otherwise with wet wood it may stall, or take an extended time before the wood dries out and full secondaries kick in. With 3+ years splits stacked, this is not an issue.
It will peak at about 700-750ish, depending on when I cut the air back, and how large the splits are, how tightly I pack the box. Full secondaries and some dancing flames here and there.
Then after the nasties burn off, it will settle in about 600-650 for the majority of the burn, then slowly cruise down in temp till next reload, which can be anywhere from 250- 300-350ish, again depending on length of time, fuel species, outside temps, wind, etc.
At the end and coaling stage, 300, 350, even lower to cold is not a issue, as most of the bad stuff is burned off, the stack is hot/warm, and there is no concern for major creo build up. IMO most major creo build up is from wet wood releasing major moisture into the stack which condenses and settles on the inside of the stack. Smouldering is also a culprit.
So bottom line, is low temps after initial firing of new load = bad, low temps during cruising = bad, low temps at end = normal.
As originally said, if 350 is heating without smouldering, and serving the purpose, it may be fine for your set up, but I think is is a bit low. Keep an eye on the top of your stack, it will give all the info you need as to whether you're burning too low or not. Note some build up is normal at top, as this is the coolest part of the stack. Some build up at top is normal, lots is not.
Once they are burned down and I've made more room in the box, I'll jam it full and repeat the process.
