I'm burning a Drolet Myriad up here in MN. I burn 24/7, enjoy it and try to get as much heat out of the stove as reasonably possible using proper burn techniques. This stove is new to me, alcove installation done by me with 4' of single wall going into 21' of 6" supervent, all a straight shot, so I can can get excellent, if not excessive drafts. I spent 18 years in my previous house burning a PE super series spectrum(~1993 epa model) with a very similar chimney set up to what I have now. Also burned 24/7 with this stove, 3-4 cords a year. That stove had one major difference to the Myriad in that it had a doghouse air inlet in the front - removable doghouse plate for cleaning. The Myriad does not have any doghouse air inlet that I can tell.
I've modified the firebox on the Myriad slightly by installing a second row of fire brick on both the sides and back. I have also filled in all the gaps on the top of the FB (between it and the top plate) with ceramic insulation. Also did this on some other areas in the sides too. So, the firebox is more insulated, although nothing done with the top SS plate (don't believe that can be insulated up above). Mods work great, I can get the FB up to temp quickly and it holds very well.
I'm getting great burns, stove filled, up to temp, shut the air down and great long lasting secondary burns - maybe not quite as long as I would like, but I think that is due to inability to restrict the secondary air more and I am getting a tremendous draft with my chimney set up. The problem that I am having is the following - When I do the burns, temps are up and the wood turns to glowing coals. Of course, for these long burns, usually I am not there to modify the air intake. The wood turns to coals and then it burns down some. But, I'm getting a lot of coal accumulation over time that I'm struggling to burn down through. I believe that this is due to the fact that the air inlet is all from the top. Previously, with the older PE, I was able to simply rake the coals to the front of the box and with the doghouse air inlet, I was able to rapidly burn through them and get them to ash. With the Myriad, I can't do that. I've tried raking to the front and putting a E/W split on it to burn it down with the air open. Tried to air gap the front door and that works some, but the air comes in everywhere around the door, not just the bottom.
Any recommendations for burning down the coals better? Options for adding doghouse air (I'm not at all opposed to modding this stove, I'm comfortable with it). Since I'm burning 24/7, I need some way to convert the coals to ash in a more efficient manner than just sitting there and babysitting the stove for 3-6 hours straight. - Thanks
I've modified the firebox on the Myriad slightly by installing a second row of fire brick on both the sides and back. I have also filled in all the gaps on the top of the FB (between it and the top plate) with ceramic insulation. Also did this on some other areas in the sides too. So, the firebox is more insulated, although nothing done with the top SS plate (don't believe that can be insulated up above). Mods work great, I can get the FB up to temp quickly and it holds very well.
I'm getting great burns, stove filled, up to temp, shut the air down and great long lasting secondary burns - maybe not quite as long as I would like, but I think that is due to inability to restrict the secondary air more and I am getting a tremendous draft with my chimney set up. The problem that I am having is the following - When I do the burns, temps are up and the wood turns to glowing coals. Of course, for these long burns, usually I am not there to modify the air intake. The wood turns to coals and then it burns down some. But, I'm getting a lot of coal accumulation over time that I'm struggling to burn down through. I believe that this is due to the fact that the air inlet is all from the top. Previously, with the older PE, I was able to simply rake the coals to the front of the box and with the doghouse air inlet, I was able to rapidly burn through them and get them to ash. With the Myriad, I can't do that. I've tried raking to the front and putting a E/W split on it to burn it down with the air open. Tried to air gap the front door and that works some, but the air comes in everywhere around the door, not just the bottom.
Any recommendations for burning down the coals better? Options for adding doghouse air (I'm not at all opposed to modding this stove, I'm comfortable with it). Since I'm burning 24/7, I need some way to convert the coals to ash in a more efficient manner than just sitting there and babysitting the stove for 3-6 hours straight. - Thanks
