fire dies

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brad wilton

Feeling the Heat
Oct 13, 2014
472
quebec
just wondering,from what i've read on the forum people are able to shut their air down fully and still have some modest flames i shut mine fully and flames shut down and then splits just glow and then stop. normal? wood is not dry but not hissing 8month seasoned maple
 
Depends on the wood and the draft. Mine won't burn fully closed, but will if I just raise it a tick. It doesn't need much if it's good and hot.
 
All depends on your set up wood and conditions. Sometimes I am able to shut it completely sometimes I am not. You don't want not to have any flame going. Your wood is not dry enough for complete shut primeries.
 
Are you charring the outside of the wood good enough before shutting down the air? Maybe the wood still has too much moisture to burn well in these epa type stoves.
 
You're obviously not getting secondaries probably due to unseasoned wood, burn it with the air open a bit and check your flue after each cord for build up. Once mines up to temp I shut it all the way down ang get secondaries for 2-5 hours, make sure you have drier wood next year and you'll see a big difference.
 
woods not perfect, but i do let it char well. open a tick and it starts again. i'll have perfect wood one day :rolleyes:
 
What size are the splits you're burning? I know my stove can get roaring along with small splits for a shorter, more intense fire. Maybe you could halve your pieces, and see how that goes. Then if your wood has a little too much moisture, it will be easier to drive out. Food for thought.
 
fire burns well I get secondaries going not 5hrs shut down in 1 inch increments every 10 to 15 min works fine shut down fully poof no flame.still learning stove everyday a little surprise ;lol
 
fire burns well I get secondaries going not 5hrs shut down in 1 inch increments every 10 to 15 min works fine shut down fully poof no flame.still learning stove everyday a little surprise ;lol

How hot is stove before you begin to turn the air down for the first time?
 
You may not be able to shut the air down all the way. It's a judgement call depending on the quality of the wood, species, draft, outside temps, phase of the moon, etc..
 
I was going to say the orbit of Venus, but don't have my ephemeris handy. ;)
 
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400f maybe not hot enough?

400 is a good cruise temp. Try bringing it up to 600, or even a touch more before scaling it back. My guess is it will hold hotter longer, and give you a better overall burn, especially if your wood is slightly under-seasoned.

And, like others have already said, air completely down my not jive with the chemistry of your entire set-up.
 
My stove doesn't like the air completely shut. I'm nearly 2 months in with my new stove, and I'm still learning.
 
As mentioned . . . depends on the wood and draft.

Sometimes I can shut my air control all the way and have lovely secondaries.

Sometimes I have to run my air control a quarter open to get the secondaries.

And sometimes, rarely, I shut down my air control all the way and the secondaries are off to the races . . . and I start to get a mite bit nervous.

The wood and draft are what makes the difference.
 
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