First burn ever in a wood stove tonight. Any tips or warnings? BK Ashford 30.2

[Fargo]

So the installers just left my house and I am the new owner of a Blazeking Ashford 30.2. It was kind of a stressful couple of weeks waiting for the stove to come since they didn't have any in stock and had to build it after I ordered it. I really wanted it installed before the end of the year to take advantage of the 2025 tax credit. But the people at Blazeking got it done and shipped out just in time ( @BKVP tell everyone thanks ). And my installer (Sunrooms Plus in Grand Forks ND) was fantastic at working with me and was ready to install the stove at the drop of a hat when it came in yesterday afternoon. So many thanks to everyone who made this happen.

So my question is simply what do I need to know or keep in mind when I start my first fire tonight? I've seen videos online and I'm familiar with how to watch the thermometer for the active zone before closing the damper. I'll read the instructions again, but I had a couple of questions and was just looking for tips. I purchased a cord of split ash. It supposed to be 15%-18% moisture, but I don't have a gauge yet to check it.

So my questions:
1) Should I run the stove hot to cure all the paint and burn everything in? Or should the stove be run at cooler temperatures the first time?
2) Is their any specific length of time I need to run the stove the first time. I'm planning to leave the house to visit some friends for the weekend tomorrow morning. So I'm tentatively planning a short overnight burn.
3) Should the wood be stacked in any specific direction or stacking method?
4) Any other safety tips or useful info I should be aware of.

Thanks

 

[all night moe]

So the installers just left my house and I am the new owner of a Blazeking Ashford 30.2. It was kind of a stressful couple of weeks waiting for the stove to come since they didn't have any in stock and had to build it after I ordered it. I really wanted it installed before the end of the year to take advantage of the 2025 tax credit. But the people at Blazeking got it done and shipped out just in time ( @BKVP tell everyone thanks ). And my installer (Sunrooms Plus in Grand Forks ND) was fantastic at working with me and was ready to install the stove at the drop of a hat when it came in yesterday afternoon. So many thanks to everyone who made this happen.

So my question is simply what do I need to know or keep in mind when I start my first fire tonight? I've seen videos online and I'm familiar with how to watch the thermometer for the active zone before closing the damper. I'll read the instructions again, but I had a couple of questions and was just looking for tips. I purchased a cord of split ash. It supposed to be 15%-18% moisture, but I don't have a gauge yet to check it.

So my questions:
1) Should I run the stove hot to cure all the paint and burn everything in? Or should the stove be run at cooler temperatures the first time?
2) Is their any specific length of time I need to run the stove the first time. I'm planning to leave the house to visit some friends for the weekend tomorrow morning. So I'm tentatively planning a short overnight burn.
3) Should the wood be stacked in any specific direction or stacking method?
4) Any other safety tips or useful info I should be aware of.

Thanks

That's a stove on my wish list. Actually a toss up between it or a PE T6.
Enjoy that stove. BK owners will be along for better advice.

 

[Fargo]

That's a stove on my wish list. Actually a toss up between it or a PE T6.
Enjoy that stove. BK owners will be along for better advice.

Yep, I really struggled between this and the PE T6. The final decision came down to getting the tax credit on this stove. So the T6 was $2000 more without the credit. But I really like the idea of how the thermostat controlled damper will help control the fire since I won't be able to watch it all day long. So I think this will be the better stove for day to day usability.

 

[bigealta]

I don't know if a couple break in fires are required for this stove but if you are in a hurry, i don't see how just having a small fire (kindling and just a couple pretty small splits) would hurt. That's what i would do.

 

[stoveliker]

See page 20 of the manual.
You'll get a LOT of stink from the paint curing. YOu'll have to open two windows (to get some flow) and close the doors from the stove room to any other places to contain the stink.

It'll stink a bit each time you reach a higher temperature. That's life.

You can put wood in (after that first fire) either N/S or E/W (pointing in or pointing left right). I find N/S much easier; splits can't roll forward (to the door) and you can get more in.

Don't worry about the cat gauge going berserk (i.e. very high). That'll settle down before the first cord has been burned.

Is your wood dry enough?

 

[Fargo]

See page 20 of the manual.
You'll get a LOT of stink from the paint curing. YOu'll have to open two windows (to get some flow) and close the doors from the stove room to any other places to contain the stink.

It'll stink a bit each time you reach a higher temperature. That's life.

You can put wood in (after that first fire) either N/S or E/W (pointing in or pointing left right). I find N/S much easier; splits can't roll forward (to the door) and you can get more in.

Don't worry about the cat gauge going berserk (i.e. very high). That'll settle down before the first cord has been burned.

Is your wood dry enough?

Thank you. I think I skimmed the manual too quickly before. I'll read it more closely before I start my fire. But I did read page 20 and it had a lot of the info I was looking for. Sounds like a low temperature is best to minimize the initial odor. Also sounds like they recommend loading E/W in the back of the stove too. Thanks for help.

I believe my wood is dry. I was told it was between 15%-18%. But I didn't get my moisture meter for Christmas. So until I buy a my moisture meter, I'm trusting the seller. If I don't burn tonight, I'll get some of that engineered pressed wood. I just forgot to pick it up whenever I was in town.

 

[stoveliker]

I think after that first fire, just go proper size (hot). You can't minimize the stink. You'll have to get thru it. It'll stop once it's been hot enough.if you don't know your wood (and you can't trust what you are told!), load n/s so you can see if the ends get wet.

For sawdust bricks make sure it only contains sawdust. north Idaho energy logs or something are good (niels)