Buck stove shot gun control

[Crank shaft]

Hello, My name is Mike and I'm new to the group. I purchased a model 80 catalyst stove and could not get the fire to the back of the stove so I called buckstove. I read the directions that came with the stove and also downloaded a set right from buck stoves website. The directions state to control your burn from the primary controls at both sides of the stove and close the shot gun hole in the center. The people at buckstove told me to control the burn from the center control and the ones one both sides are the chit gun holes. I read the posts on this website and it looks like everyone controls from the side. I'm lost can anyone please help me? This is our first catalyst stove and I'm very lost. Thank you, Mike

 

[johneh]

Maybe you would get more help from the wood burners .
Hopefully a mod will move this for you
by the way welcome to the forum

 

[Crank shaft]

I'm not sure how that works.

 

[JA600L]

It looks like you have two primary, a bypass, and a secondary control.

 

[Crank shaft]

Yes, just not sure how to use them.

 

[JA600L]

If I understand it correctly, you close the bypass once the cat is hot enough. Then you gradually close the primary controls. I guess the secondary air controls the cat air supply? Not really sure.

 

[Crank shaft]

I do understand the by pass valve just confused about the primary and shot gun controls. Directions tell me one thing and buckstove tells me another.

 

[begreen]

Thats' right, Start the fire with the top center bypass and primary controls pulled out. Once the stove has started getting hot and the cat gets over 600F the bypass (top cntr) is pushed in. As the cat temp rises, gradually push in the primary air controls to where you want the burn rate to be.

Not sure what is meant by shot gun controls. (edit - do you mean the center bottom control?)

 

[JA600L]

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[begreen]

OK, now I see your quandry. The Buck 80 has several air controls. This should be clarified by Buck if you don't get a proper answer here. The problem is poor documentation. The Buck 91 manual is clearer in describing the controls. On the 91 the left air control is the shotgun air. It looks like this controls the feed to doghouse in the bottom front of the firebox for starting boost air. If so that air is mostly for starting and should be closed once the fire is burning robustly. The right side control is for the primary air. On the 80 there is also a secondary air control (bottom center) that the 80's docs say nothing about other than saying that it exists and pulling it out opens it. I would call Buck tomorrow and have them clarify each control's normal operation. They really could use some improving of this manual.

Here's a screen shot of the Buck 91 parts ID. Hope that helps a bit.

 

[JA600L]

I thought it was rather confusing.

 

[Crank shaft]

Ok I will do that once I get home from work. I will also download the 91 manual. Is this the same stove? The only thing buck tells me is to control the fire from the bottom center control and leave the ones on the sides pushed into the closed position.

 

[coltfever]

On the Buck 80 model you have the secondary air is the slide in the center of the stove which is also called the shotgun air control. When starting your fire you pull that slide control out and that opens all the way. You get an inrush of air at the base of the firebox. With your primary air on both side open all the way and your seconday open you start your fire. After about 10 mins you close the secondary (shotgun air) all the way off by pushing the slide in. Leaving your primary still open all the way along with the combuster damper open just keep watching combuster temp prob and when it reaches around 600 close your combuster damper and just start closing your primary on each side just alittle at a time for the next 30 to 45 mins until you see how hot and what kind of burn your wanting. This might seem confusing at first but you will get the hang of it and really enjoy your Buck stove this winter. I've got the( 91) for my use. My son has the model 80 like you have. Welcome to this site Mike. Lots of good info here. One more thing Mike, you need the manual for the Buck 80. Its different from the 91.

 

[Woody Stover]

Looks like a 91 in the vid that JA600L posted, so no help with the 80 air controls there.

confused about the primary and shot gun controls. Directions tell me one thing and buckstove tells me another.

It's possible that you talked to an customer service person that didn't have a full understanding of the controls on your particular stove. I've had good luck talking to Buck, but it wasn't about air controls. Call back and tell them you still don't understand exactly what they do, and ask specifically what each air control feeds. And ask how they should be used, from startup through final settings. Running the stove on only shotgun air, and not the air wash, doesn't sound right to me.

The Buck 91 manual is clearer in describing the controls. On the 91 the left air control is the shotgun air. It looks like this controls the feed to doghouse in the bottom front of the firebox for starting boost air. If so that air is mostly for starting and should be closed once the fire is burning robustly. The right side control is for the primary air.

Right, but they still don't tell you too much about how to use the controls. I use a small amount of shotgun (doghouse) air at the beginning to fan the base of my starter pile that I burn down to make a coal bed and raise stove temp for the cat light-off.

On the Buck 80 model you have the secondary air is the slide in the center of the stove which is also called the shotgun air control. When starting your fire you pull that slide control out and that opens all the way. You get an inrush of air at the base of the firebox. With your primary air on both side open all the way and your seconday open you start your fire. After about 10 mins you close the secondary (shotgun air) all the way off by pushing the slide in. Leaving your primary still open all the way along with the combuster damper open just keep watching combuster temp prob and when it reaches around 600 close your combuster damper and just start closing your primary on each side just alittle at a time for the next 30 to 45 mins until you see how hot and what kind of burn your wanting. This might seem confusing at first but you will get the hang of it and really enjoy your Buck stove this winter. I've got the( 91) for my use. My son has the model 80 like you have. Welcome to this site Mike. Lots of good info here. One more thing Mike, you need the manual for the Buck 80. Its different from the 91.

Hey, Colt. Nice that you could chime in with first-hand experience of the 80. My guess is that the right control is the air wash, and the left control may go to a channel across the top of the firebox further back, like what the 91 has (I think the right slider on the 91 feeds both the air wash and the channel.) Unless the left and right controls on the 80 do different things, two wouldn't be necessary. I just happened to be working on the 91 yesterday....and accidentally got a pic of rear air channel across the top of the box:

 

[Woody Stover]

Hello, My name is Mike and I'm new to the group....and could not get the fire to the back of the stove

BTW, welcome to the forums, Mike. If the left control does indeed feed a rear/top channel, having that control closed would hinder the wood in back from burning. But I'm just guessing at this point since I don't know the 80...

 

[Woody Stover]

I only use the shotgun air on the 91 for starting. Once the cat is lit off and I want to cruise the stove, I close the shotgun and use only the air wash/rear channel. And I have that just barely open. The stove is on a 22' liner, though, so draft is pretty strong.

 

[begreen]

Ok I will do that once I get home from work. I will also download the 91 manual. Is this the same stove? The only thing buck tells me is to control the fire from the bottom center control and leave the ones on the sides pushed into the closed position.

Apparently not. I mainly used the 91caption to illustrate the large difference between the controls labeling on the 91 vs the 80 in the manual. According to the helpful post by coltfever the 80's "secondary control" is what they call the "shotgun control" in the operating instructions (and then only nominally). That manual is in need of revision.

 

[mellow]

The 80 sounds like my Appalachian.

I open up the side air vents all the way on the door, I used the center "shotgun" to start the fire, just like the name implies it allows a rush of incoming air to get the fire going, right at the best spot too, down low, it works really good. Once I got the fire established really good I would start closing down the shotgun air control and just leave the door vents wide open till the fire got going hot enough to start closing them down, once I got to about 600 on the catalytic probe I would close the bypass and then start to really shut the air down once the cat got over 1000.

I would also cover over the shotgun air vent with ash once I did the first reload, I found it would leak air into the firebox and covering it with ash would help increase my burntimes.

I have a picture of the shotgun air in this post: Appalachian 52 BAY Wood Stove Insert

 

[Woody Stover]

That manual is in need of revision.

And throw us nerds a bone while you're at it...tell us where the air from the various controls is going.
From the manuals;
91: 8. Once your fire is burning well, close the bypass damper completely (push in). Gradually close the primary air
controls (push in). You will have to experiment with the primary air controls to accommodate your draft. If
you close them too soon, your fire may die down too quickly and go out. Close them gradually, a little at a
time, until you can close completely.
80: 8. Once your fire is burning well, and probe has reached 600º close the bypass damper (push in). Gradually close the primary air controls (push in). You will have to experiment with primary air controls to accommodate your draft. If you close them too soon, your fire may die down too quickly and go out.
But then, in Section 5 (Operation,) "Burn Rates," both manuals say to set both controls partially open, more for higher burn rates. So what the guy at Buck told you may be true, depending on your draft. As the manual says, you will have to experiment. With my 91, the stove burns well just using the airwash/channel air (right slider,) and the load burns completely. My final setting is, shotgun closed, air wash open about 1/8".
Both: "NOTE: When refueling or removing ashes turn “OFF” room air blower. Be sure to turn room air blower back on when finished."
I usually leave the blower off until shortly after I close the bypass and I know the cat is taking off, as indicated the cat probe rising over 1000. But as mentioned, you have to remember to turn the blower switch (or the rheostat, if you use that) back on.

@Crank shaft, open the ash pan door and the switch/rheostat door and look underneath. Then operate the air controls; Maybe you can get a better idea what they are doing.
BTW, I adjusted one of my air intake cover plates, mounted to the slide levers, to cut slightly more air when closed, so I could get a slower burn. Having done this, I don't think I could now run with both air controls completely closed. To be clear, I'm not suggesting that you modify the air controls...most likely, you'll have no reason to do that. With the strong draft I have, I found it helpful. One thing to keep an eye on is the ash pan gasket; If it isn't sealing tightly, air can enter the stove there. This will be evidenced by the coals glowing much more brightly over the ash dump lid. If they are only glowing slightly more than the rest of the coals, don't worry about it.
Mike, do you have the 80 set up free-standing, or as an fireplace insert? How tall is your chimney, and do you have a stainless liner installed?

 

[Crank shaft]

Yes I have a stainless liner. I think the chimney is about 20 feet, the wood stove is set inside the fireplace.

 

[Crank shaft]

Ok all, just started a fire, is the object to eventually got all of the controls shut all the way closed? Should I have the fire box full of wood?

 

[Crank shaft]

Sorry all just reread the posts. I have a better understanding now. Thanks everyone!! I truly love the site and I'm sure I'll have more questions as I try to learn how to run this animal. Sure is alot different than the old Lopi I replaced. Thanks again!

 

[Crank shaft]

We had a very nice and warm fire last night. I truly appreciate everyone's help and advise on running this thing.
Mike.

 

[mellow]

If you are loading the wood E/W I also found it helped to do a single trench in the middle in the ashes from front to back, that would allow the air to get to the bottom on the wood in the back.

 

[Crank shaft]

I just tried that and it worked well. My fire box has alot of flame in it. Thank you!