Okay, well here goes. First off, this SOB likes to run HOT. It's in it's nature. :coolgrin: External door temps with a magnetic thermometer routinely run 700-750. The blower does a good job of dispersing this vast amount of heat throughout my 1200sf farmhouse. No box fans needed. When you reload, unplug the fan before opening the doors, as it sometimes sucks in and blows around the ash. Not a whole lot, but some. Start out with the two draft sliders wide open, and the damper lever all the way in. After 15 mins, close the damper (pull it out) but leave the draft sliders open. After another 15 mins, cut the draft down 1/2, then again. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. This stove is virtually indestructable. You will want to replace the glass gaskets with small diameter rope, as the ones Buck makes don't seal well. Not even new. Be sure to tighten the screws around the glass snug, but careful. Replace the gasket around the rectangular outlet in back, as well. When you replace the gasket around the door opening u-channel, you'll likely find that the doors will bind pretty hard for a while until the gasket breaks in. I'm going to grind down the outer edges of my doors on the inside lip to prevent this for this season, which will also give me a tighter seal in the middle where the doors meet. You'll see what I mean. At nite, or at work, you can close the draft all the way, because the doors are designed to still allow a small amount of air in. Examine it closely, you will see that it is not truly air-tight. I plan on modifying mine to make it such. The three speed fan will come on by itself, though sometimes I flip it on manual if I become too impatient. This stove can really throw heat- I can raise the temp in the house 15 degrees in 45mins! In fact, my kids once got "sun burned" playing a board game on the floor 8 feet away from the stove :bug: You will be amazed at how much wood you can stuff in this beast- I think I calculated the firebox at some 4.5 cubic feet. Oh yeah- another modification worth considering- a bracket that run down the middle of the opening (removable, or pivoting) where the doors meet to allow maximum stuffage of the cavernous firebox. Well, good luck- like I said, mine runs great- I really love it. Of course, a new stove would use less wood, but we can't always get what we want. If I think of anything else, I'll PM ya. Any other questions, you do the same. Brooktrout over and out.
