Buck 74 air intake

[scott_johnson100]

Hi all,
I have a new Buck 74zc. I’ve been burning wood in various stoves for 30+ years. This stove is a struggle. It doesn’t seem to pull in a lot of air and the fire struggles unless the wood is super dry say less than 10%. The wood I have is oak in the 14-18% range. If I open the door a crack it will go. If I add more wood, that new wood won’t burn for a couple minutes.

The other issue is moisture content. I have wood that’s in the 14-18% range. If I split it, it’s visibly wet, but the meter still reads in an acceptable range. I also see moisture wicking out of the ends when burning.

To me and my experience, this wood it way too wet to burn, but the meter and the internet say it’s ok. My stove seems to not want to burn it either.

Am I missing something?

Thanks!

 

[Burnin Since 1991]

Hi all,
I have a new Buck 74zc. I’ve been burning wood in various stoves for 30+ years. This stove is a struggle. It doesn’t seem to pull in a lot of air and the fire struggles unless the wood is super dry say less than 10%. The wood I have is oak in the 14-18% range. If I open the door a crack it will go. If I add more wood, that new wood won’t burn for a couple minutes.

The other issue is moisture content. I have wood that’s in the 14-18% range. If I split it, it’s visibly wet, but the meter still reads in an acceptable range. I also see moisture wicking out of the ends when burning.

To me and my experience, this wood it way too wet to burn, but the meter and the internet say it’s ok. My stove seems to not want to burn it either.

Am I missing something?

Thanks!

my meter has multiple modes. Check to make sure yours is in the correct mode. If you can visible see moisture when you fresh split a piece of wood, then clearly it isn't ready. What kind of wood is it and how long has is been seasoned? How is it being stored now?

I also keep about 2 days worth of wood inside by the stove.

 

[stoveliker]

Seems from here to be a wood issue, not a stove issue.
These modern stoves really want dry (drier) wood.

How tall is the flue? Is it lined?

Regarding the moisture meter, if the settings are correct, either it's broken, or you're not doing it right.
Are the splits at room temp? (I.e. been inside for 24 hrs)
The pins should be into the freshly split surfaces,. parallel to the grain, and in all the way, not just 1/25 of an inch.