Drolet Escape 1200 No Airflow when door closed

[WoodStoveGuy]

Hi All,

I need help! I just got a new Drolet Escape 1200 for my shop. It burns well with the door open but once it's closed the fire goes out. The fire is big and burning great, then once the door closes it dies down. The airflow is all the way open. After the fire dies down the only way to get it going again is to crack the door which gets smoke in the room. This can't be how the stove is supposed to work. Am I doing something wrong?

This is the first burn for the stove

 

[EatenByLimestone]

This is often a symptom of wet wood. In order to test this, pick up a moisture meter. Warm a split to room temp over night, then split it. Test the center, with the grain. You're looking for under 20% moisture.

 

[GrumpyDad]

Hi All,

I need help! I just got a new Drolet Escape 1200 for my shop. It burns well with the door open but once it's closed the fire goes out. The fire is big and burning great, then once the door closes it dies down. The airflow is all the way open. After the fire dies down the only way to get it going again is to crack the door which gets smoke in the room. This can't be how the stove is supposed to work. Am I doing something wrong?

This is the first burn for the stove

Shop? Sometimes they sounds to me like single story. How long is your flue pipe?

 

[WoodStoveGuy]

Shop? Sometimes they sounds to me like single story. How long is your flue pipe?

It is a single story 11' ceilings. The chimeny about 30-40' tall. But the fire is roaring with the door slightly open. It's when it's closed it starts to die down. The air flow just isn't enough. Does anyone else have this issue with the Escape 1200?

 

[Jskar]

I second the wet wood theory. I had to buy around half a cord to burn towards the end of this season and had the same problems in my Ventis 240. Once I bought a second batch of wood from someone else it fixed my issue. I’ve also noticed when I reload and close the door, there will be a dip in fire activity. Leaving it alone for 10-20 minutes lets it do its thing and get going. On reloads try to have a decent amount of coals and not run it down to almost zero. I’ve done that a few times and it’s taken an hour to get going again.

 

[begreen]

Hi All,

I need help! I just got a new Drolet Escape 1200 for my shop. It burns well with the door open but once it's closed the fire goes out. The fire is big and burning great, then once the door closes it dies down. The airflow is all the way open. After the fire dies down the only way to get it going again is to crack the door which gets smoke in the room. This can't be how the stove is supposed to work. Am I doing something wrong?

This is the first burn for the stove

Wet wood or poor draft.

It is a single story 11' ceilings. The chimeny about 30-40' tall.

Is this a typo? I'm not following how a 30-40' flue is on a single story building.

If you open a window a little does that help the fire burn better?