Good evening. I have noticed recently that I do not see secondary combustion on my Hearthstone Heritage which I purchased in Feb 2010, even after I have a good bed of coals and I reduce the air intake to low medium after charring the wood for 10 to 20 minutes. The baffle and air tubes look fine. I did use the open ash pan method of starting a few fires recently for less than a minute a time. Could this have damaged the secondary baffle in some unseen way which I why I do not see the secondary combustion burning from the tubes as I have in the past? Thanks for your help.
Lack of secondaries on Hearthstone Heritage
- Thread starter PeterJ
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You won't have damaged anything starting your fire with the ash pan open, but don't walk off and leave it open. If you're just doing it for a couple of minutes, you're fine.
With my Heritage, I had to get a strong fire burning before I'd get secondary combustion. 20 minutes should be adequate, but it depends on your wood and your draft. On your next attempt, try to get it burning really strongly before cutting back the primary air. You should see good flame from the burn tubes even with the primary open. At that point, when you cut the primary back you should get the "bowels of hell" effect with rolling secondaries.
Couple of things you can check since you said you were getting secondary combustion in the past...
Check your wood first. Have you switched wood recently? Do you cut/split your own or take delivery? If your wood isn't adequately seasoned, you won't get good secondary combustion. I noticed that my stove performed much better with smaller spits of hardwood, so if you're using large splits now that's something you might try.
Next thing to check is draft. Do you notice any difference in draft starting your fire? Have you always had a decent/strong draft? Might check if you chimney cap is clogged or if maybe you have some buildup in your flue.
Good luck!
With my Heritage, I had to get a strong fire burning before I'd get secondary combustion. 20 minutes should be adequate, but it depends on your wood and your draft. On your next attempt, try to get it burning really strongly before cutting back the primary air. You should see good flame from the burn tubes even with the primary open. At that point, when you cut the primary back you should get the "bowels of hell" effect with rolling secondaries.
Couple of things you can check since you said you were getting secondary combustion in the past...
Check your wood first. Have you switched wood recently? Do you cut/split your own or take delivery? If your wood isn't adequately seasoned, you won't get good secondary combustion. I noticed that my stove performed much better with smaller spits of hardwood, so if you're using large splits now that's something you might try.
Next thing to check is draft. Do you notice any difference in draft starting your fire? Have you always had a decent/strong draft? Might check if you chimney cap is clogged or if maybe you have some buildup in your flue.
Good luck!
Good idea. I recently purchased a new load of wood that seems a bit heavier than the more seasoned wood I have been burning. Thanks . 
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