Buck 2800 AHHHHHHHHHHHH so warm... but need burning tips

[WASPKFD]

Hey Guys..
well started running low on 4x4x8 dunnage and bought 3 cords mostly oak and walnut.. does not burn near as long as the dunnage..
how do I get a longer burn..( I have all new door gaskets)
how full is full load in burner.. if calculating the complete area I would guess 1/3 when Im burning
im getting a good 3 hr burn then down to coals
its been sub zero the last week here
ash ash ash holy crap I have a lot of ash?

Hey Im not complaining ,, I knew going in this thing would eat wood,, I love this thing no doubt..

one more question if reloading in the middle of the night do you stand there and wait with flu open till 400 deg then close flu and drop air draft... or load it closed and go back to bed???

 

[WASPKFD]

 

[bsruther]

Putting a gasket between the doors helped me a lot. Kind of difficult to keep it attached, but it helps the seal. Lowering the fan speed seemed to extend my burns too. I can get 5 to 6 hours of usable heat from a load. I close my air down almost completely, but my wood is very dry and there's not too much smoke and creosote buildup is minimal. That grate may be keeping you from getting enough wood in the stove too. At one time, I had a grate like that in mine and it took up way too much space. Made some low profile fire dogs out of railroad spikes and it helped out tremendously.

 

[WASPKFD]

Hey Thanx for the tip.. ya I can see a gap it the top between doors,, but the door are so snug its had to believe I can shove a gasket in there ,,, but will try..
This morning I tried adding more wood and it really helped and stacking the wood tight... Ive just loaded it as full as I can and time will tell...I let it get to 500 pulled damper closed and dropped the air to about 20 ...


but whats the diff in loading full and just adding small loads? will the burn time be about the same or will these tight full loads last longer?
and night loading?

 

[bsruther]

When I choke my air down, there's about 1/8" opening on each of the sliding air inlets. I just see a small sliver of fire glow, when I look at it, but that's just my personal preference and what works best for me.
Speaking of the air inlets, I have had embers shoot across the room through the opening. I have a screen that I set on the ash pan and attaches to the top of the stove to control this issue.
Another thing I've done to contain flying embers is to lean a piece of sheet metal against the stove, over the openings. The air still gets in, but nothing gets out.

 

[WASPKFD]

1/8 is tighter than Ive been going, was afraid it would kill fire.... no problems with embers so far.. there are screens on the air controls ..thax again for the tips... what about night loading...

 

[gzecc]

I also have a 28000 I use as an insert. Be careful not to over heat it. You will certainly roast the fan. Are you using the fan and thermostat designed for this Buck?
I load up the box full with quality seasoned hardwoods and get 7 hours of heating from it. If I use locust I get more.
I obviously use the thermometer on the front door. If you put it there, we can compare temps.
The ash is coming from the walnut. I steer clear of walnut even though it smells great.
Increase the quality of your wood and you'll get better burn times for sure.

 

[WASPKFD]

Well after some adjustment and great advice from here I got a 7 hour burn with coals and dead out at 8 1/2 hours..

I loaded the stove about 2/3 full pulled the flu shut after reaching 450 and closing the air vent to almost closed..

one of the main problems I think I read leave the flu open 45 - 1 hr....

the fan I have shuts off and on hot and cold.. also has a setting to just on....

Thermo is on the stack 18 high..
I will buy another for the door.....

But as of now I am floored This thing kicks ass and there is 4 deer outside my window lol,,,,,,

btw the grate is still in til I can get a smaller one....

 

[WASPKFD]

hmmmmm I thought walnut was suppose to be good.. thank on the ash info.. Like I said its my first year of burning,,, but I have a pile of dead oaks Ive been dragging home,,,, THANX AGAIN

 

[WASPKFD]

This was as of a month ago... Ive ended up with 2 good loads of cherry( not pictured) it seems wood is just finding me now lol....

 

[gzecc]

Go to (broken link removed)
to see the manual and parts list for your stove. One of your problems is unseasoned wood. Oak takes two years to season and walnut at least one after its been split and stacked. The wood is best when seasoned to below 25% moisture content.
I start a fire, get the door temp to about 300 then close the flue. Depending on the heat requirement, I may leave the lower inlets open a little, monitoring the temperature..
Realize the more air in the more air out.
With unseasoned wood (what you seem to have) you will need to allow extra air to keep up the temperature and prevent creosote from forming.
The fan has two positions. One, is thermostatically controlled, low, medium and high. The other is fixed on high. According to the company above, you should not allow the stove to operate at high temperatures that allow the high fan to come on.

 

[gzecc]

Here is a link I find helpful regarding wood species. Look to the bottom on seasoning ratings.
http://mb-soft.com/juca/print/firewood.html

 

[WASPKFD]

The wood above is the wood I got this year( not burning) just hauling it home to slit this spring/// The wood I bought seemed to be doing great a 7+ hour burn time is great after learning some tricks , and I think it was from fear of loading a stove too much,,, and too much air and flu open too long...
Thanx for the links Ill check them out tonight,,,,

Btw not sure if I mentioned this but saw a friend in the store buying plastic for his windows,,, Hell I have to open doors