Air Control Osburn 2000

[Woodpush67]

I've just had an Osburn 2000 installed in a Sierra cabin and am breaking it in with small fires. My question is about the air control on the bottom of the unit. I'm not sure that I am using it correctly. Is it only supposed to move a few inches in either direction, and is the idea to simply push it to the left to open it up? I can't tell that it has any effect in increasing the flame with the door shut. It certainly doesn't have the same impact as when I open the door just a crack .. in which case the burn and flame increase significantly.

Am I using this lever correctly? Is there something I'm missing?

 

[weee123]

Whats the temperature outside when you are burning? The colder it is the more significant the effect will be. It also isn’t an instant effect it takes a little bit for the fire to adjust to the new air volume.

 

[Woodpush67]

Whats the temperature outside when you are burning? The colder it is the more significant the effect will be. It also isn’t an instant effect it takes a little bit for the fire to adjust to the new air volume.

The temperature is mild .. low 50s high 40s fahrenheit. I only have one log in the fireplace with some kindling. Perhaps this is the reason I'm not noticing anything. But it definitely doesn't have the same effect as cracking the door open a bit.

 

[begreen]

The draft may be weak or the wood may not be fully seasoned. One log is not enough for a fire. Try 3 or 4, 2" thick splits stacked criss-cross or lincoln log style with the kindling in the middle.

 

[cygnus]

I believe this is the same basic design as my 2200. Firstly, left is closed, right is open. So, you'll want to start the fire with the control to the right.
More importantly, this only controls the secondary air. The primary air is not adjustable. The primary air flows through a single hole at the bottom which means you are at the mercy of all the factors that determine the draft through your stove (i.e. chimney height, chimney temp, interior/exterior tempo, etc.) I know this because I struggled to control very fast burns with my 36' lined, flue for the first few years. I finally figured all of this out and crafted a way to restrict the primary air hole to better match my install. Now it burns great.
I'd be interested to know how yours burns. If you are saying that it burns to slowly and is hard to keep hot then you might have the oposite problem where the primary air is to restricted for your install and may need to open the hole a bit...though, I'd wait for the colder temps to really get the best sense.

 

[Woodpush67]

I believe this is the same basic design as my 2200. Firstly, left is closed, right is open. So, you'll want to start the fire with the control to the right.
More importantly, this only controls the secondary air. The primary air is not adjustable. The primary air flows through a single hole at the bottom which means you are at the mercy of all the factors that determine the draft through your stove (i.e. chimney height, chimney temp, interior/exterior tempo, etc.) I know this because I struggled to control very fast burns with my 36' lined, flue for the first few years. I finally figured all of this out and crafted a way to restrict the primary air hole to better match my install. Now it burns great.
I'd be interested to know how yours burns. If you are saying that it burns to slowly and is hard to keep hot then you might have the oposite problem where the primary air is to restricted for your install and may need to open the hole a bit...though, I'd wait for the colder temps to really get the best sense.

Thank you