Help with Timberwolf EPI22

[muyoso]

I am trying to dial in my first wood stove ever used or owned. I have a Timberwolf EPI22 insert installed in an interior fireplace with a 17 ft chimney with SS insulated liner and top plate. I do not have a damper block off plate installed currently, but plan to do that within the next few days.

My only real question right now is, are wood stove inserts supposed to burn rapidly when fully choked? This was my stove fully choked a few minutes ago:

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Stovetop was heading north of 760 degrees with the air control fully choked for the prior hour. Is it supposed to be burning like this? Ive heard it was supposed to be a lazy fire when the air control is choked out. It seems to me that air is getting in somehow and feeding the fire. I am also CRUSHING wood out. I can feed five large splits in the fire and an hour or two later they are coals. I dont know how anyone would get an 8 hour burn out of this.

Thanks for your help.

 

[begreen]

It looks like the wood is dry, good for that. There is a lot of air around the wood which promotes robust combustion. Try shutting down the air much sooner to slow down the bloom of wood gases off the wood in the initial burn. And for a long burn, pack the splits tightly so that there is little space between the pieces.

 

[muyoso]

It looks like the wood is dry, good for that. There is a lot of air around the wood which promotes robust combustion. Try shutting down the air much sooner to slow down the bloom of wood gases off the wood in the initial burn. And for a long burn, pack the splits tightly so that there is little space between the pieces.

I had packed in the wood fairly tight about an hour before, but I may have left the air open too long initially like you said. It was roaring when I decided to choke it down. Still getting the hang of how to do this efficiently.

How long when you add new wood should you open up the air? Or should you not need to do that at all if you have a good bed of coals?

 

[begreen]

For a cold start, choke it down as quickly as possible without squelching the flame. If necessary do this in a couple steps from 50% to 75% to 100% closed. For a load on hot coals you may be able to turn the air all the way down in a minute or two, or it may take 5 minutes depending on the size of the hot coal bed, species and dryness of the wood. Or just put a couple 2" splits on the coal bed, open up the air 50% and burn down the coal bed a bit further so that it doesn't overheat a new load of wood.

Even with the air all the way closed the secondary air will be open for a complete burn of the wood gases.