I have looked a bit at your old thread: https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/looking-for-a-new-stove-for-next-winter.105281/
In there you complain about a lot of coals in the morning. A few things are still unclear to me. There you say you split the wood 2 years ago but stacked it just the summer before. If that has been sitting in a big heap in your yard most of the time only the outer layer will be dry, the rest will still be wet. You may need a moisture meter to confirm if it is truly seasoned. (e. g. http://www.harborfreight.com/digital-mini-moisture-meter-67143.html) Are those truly splits or just logs with a smaller diameter (aka larger branches)? Those need much longer to season IMHO. You also say you burn softwood; has that been split and stacked for a year?
You say the chimney is lined. Just to make sure: You do not mean a tile liner but a 6-inch chimney liner like that here?
You also said you have an OAK (outside air kit) but your house is very drafty. Why the OAK then? Have you checked that it is free of obstructions?
Then your stove temps; have you tried to get it higher than 500 F? How long does it stay there? Do you see the secondaries in the top of the firebox doing most of the burn? How is your glass; does that stay clean? At which temp do you start to turn down the air? When do you close it most/all the way for an overnight burn? When you have the air open but the door closed how does the fire look? Is it going pretty vigorously or are the flames lazy with lots of smoke?
Lastly, have you checked if your door seals right especially if it is warped? Take a dollar bill, put it between door and stove, close the door and try to pull it out. If the seal is good you should not/barely be able to pull the bill out. Try all sides/corners of your door.
P.S. Could you post some pictures? Sometimes that makes it easier to figure out what is going on.
Wood in a pile on the ground will not season except maybe for the outer layer. Best is stacking it in single rows with lots of sun and wind exposure for one to two years (3 for oak). I prefer some top cover but there are endless debates on if it is really necessary. Here is a great example of building some cheap wood drying racks although many people (me included) just use pallets as base: https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/assistance-selecting-stove.110440/page-3#post-1475013 Btw. I do not have problems with you burning softwood, I burn pine myself. However, I also dry it out for at least a year as shown in the link. Softwood is problematic because it burns reasonably well without seasoning but will create a lot of creosote then. How often do you clean your chimney? Have you ever tried a load or two of store-bought kiln-dried wood?
Great. Maybe extending it would be an option as yours is at the shorter side with only 15 ft and a 90 degree elbow.
That's interesting. Never noticed something like that and my house is not that airtight either. It would suggest your stove is pulling more air than it should. Have you checked whether the OAK is free of obstructions?
I would give it a bit more, like 650 F. There is a sweet spot that you would like to hit. Differs a bit from stove to stove and house to house. The stove must be hot enough to sustain secondary combustion but not too hot to overfire or burn up the load in a few hours. Your secondaries may not last long because your wood is not properly seasoned, your stove is not quite hot enough when you turn down the air, and/or you have a leaky door. I am not sure how bad your warping is; maybe a new door gasket would be enough. When you say you turn the air down do you check the temps when doing it? Do you turn it down stepwise or in one swoop? Do you close the primary air completely or leave it open a bit? It would be helpful if you can be a bit more specific. We are all trying to help you to get the most out of your stove and save a bundle in cash at the same time. If your problem is wet wood, bad installation, or operation a new stove will cost you a lot of money and not change anything.
