how should the flame look?

[carboncow]

Hello,

Buddy and I installed our in home room pellet stove today. Great little unit and is running very well.

The manufacture says to keep the damper closed or lowest setting when using unit on low temp.

We observed on the first run that the basket loaded up heavy on pellets and a big flame...it was a slow and sloppy flame...burned hot and sooty.

Shut it down and ran some errands and came back to fire it up...did perfect. I opened the damper more to make the flame burn faster and with authority. Seems less sloppy and less soot on glass.

I'll only every run this on low in our house at it's got the room at 72F on the lowest setting...so I doubt I'll be worrying about use of pellets.

I'm still as green as they come but does cranking that damper open to burn faster help. I'm not blowing out the fame but it seems like a small jet engine. Is that the goal or should it be slow and sloppy like a wood fireplace?

Thanks in advance. I can post videos of the flame in action if that helps!

 

[carboncow]

Edit: Video can be found here...prob not useful. Not that clear what flame is doing:

(broken link removed to https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/10620418/IMG_6862.MOV)

 

[Polar Bear]

More air = more flame. It should dance, not be sloppy.

 

[carboncow]

does the term small jet engine come to mind or is that pulling to much air then? i'm definitely beyound the claim of the manufacturer of closed...when the flame sloppy it really slaps against glass and soots it up quickly. If I keep it "jetting" it keeps that flame focused and tight...not a lot of "dancing" but def movement.

 

[SKOAL MAN]

When you first fire up the stove there will be a lot more pellets in the pot until they ignite. You will then get a large flame until that pile burns, then the flame should be more under control with the steady supply of pellets.