For open door use with screen in place, a flue damper is required, not sure if it shown in pic. It would be in the connector pipe between stove and chimney. The connector pipe looks huge in your picture, maybe it is double wall making the outside diameter 10 inches?
With a fire established, open doors and install spark screen. Slowly close flue damper until smoke starts to form and roll in at top. Open slightly. This is the setting that will allow smoke to evacuate while retaining as much heat as possible. They are not considered radiant heaters in Fireplace Mode.
Your burning experience will be determined by how dry your wood supply is while learning. You should have a moisture meter, freshly split a large piece and test the moisture content by sticking he probes into the fresh split face at room temperature. Wood should always be below 20% before burning. Above that moisture content you will have a slow burning fire, not heating well, forming creosote.
The next thing is learning the controls. If there is a flue damper in pipe, leave it open until you learn your stove. Open air damper intakes 2 or 3 full turns. This is the only time you will open them that far. Build fire with crunched up paper, cardboard, small sticks or small kindling splits. Light fire, close doors. You should hear a roar shortly of exhaust rushing up the stack. Slow it down by closing air dampers slowly. This should allow fire to burn and heat stove until you can put a few split logs on top. You may have to open air dampers to get it going hard enough to ignite logs. Normally a turn and a half open to 1 turn should be about right. As they catch, put more on and set air dampers for desired heat output, usually somewhere between 1 turn and cracked open.
All chimneys and pipe configurations are different, as well as atmospheric conditions, outside temperature, and other factors such as fuel being used that will affect your settings at any given time.
The main thing is learning what makes a stove work, then you know what to do and why it changes the performance.
First, the basics are as the hot exhaust gases rise up chimney, that creates a low pressure area or vacuum in chimney, pipe, and stove. This allows atmospheric air pressure to PUSH into anywhere it can, mainly the stove air intakes or open doors. So the temperature differential between inside the chimney and outdoor temp is one factor of how strong this vacuum will be. This is measured as draft. It is a very minute pressure change, less than your breath. Air rushing in is what makes it go. A tight home, exhaust fans running, even lots of warm air from the basement rising upstairs lowers the available air pressure in basement, slowing the stove. You will learn what you can and can’t do that affects the fire.
Did it come with any thermometer for stove top or pipe? The type of pipe, single wall or double wall determines the type of pipe thermometer you will need. That is like a speedometer on a car. Without it, you are guessing, just like not having a moisture meter for the correct fuel, and will either be wasting heat up the chimney, or not allowing enough to go up to prevent creosote. Those two items and dry wood are essential.
![[Hearth.com] Please help! New House has a fisher stove…no idea what I’m doing.](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/298/298880-a1bafdc20585e4d9cd502c777a1fe900.jpg?hash=3GP06b9kGy "[Hearth.com] Please help! New House has a fisher stove…no idea what I’m doing.")
